Boom—!
Clearly, there hadn't been a sound just a moment ago, but the instant Ikki Kurogane stepped into a certain area, everything around him seemed to suddenly open up, and the heavy roar of sword blades echoed through the entire world.
"Is this... a barrier?"
Feeling the changes in the surrounding space, Ikki's eyes widened.
Space-type Blazers were rare; if one were found, the Far East would likely treat them like a national treasure.
[Time is honored, space is king.]
This saying held great practical value in any world. Even in Genshin Impact, Time and Space were singled out as Archons.
"No wonder the sword intent I felt outside was so weakened. Was it because of the barrier's influence?"
The sword intent felt inside and outside the barrier was worlds apart. If what he felt outside was a small stream, then this place was the surging Yangtze or Yellow River—perhaps even more!
Ikki couldn't help but swallow hard.
The person here was definitely no ordinary individual. If he advanced rashly, he might disturb them...
What if he made them unhappy? What should he do then?
Ikki felt conflicted. He simply wanted to come over and watch someone practice their swordsmanship, so why was he acting so sneaky, like a thief?
Thinking of this, Ikki gave up on crouching and hiding in the bamboo forest. Instead, he straightened his back and walked directly toward the depths of the grove.
I'm not some person who can't stand the light!
If I'm going to watch, I'll watch openly!
What kind of man hides and conceals himself?
The path in the bamboo forest was narrow at first, barely wide enough for a person, but after walking dozens of steps, it suddenly opened up...
There wasn't much land or many houses; there was only a small courtyard and two... girls standing opposite each other?
Because Ikki had repeated a grade, he was over sixteen, nearly seventeen years old.
But those two women clearly looked younger than him, yet the aura surrounding them reminded Ikki of his eldest brother and his father...
For real?
Could they be the ones who released that sword intent just now?
It had to be said that these two girls were very beautiful. Even among everyone Ikki had seen, they would rank near the top... almost as beautiful as his own sister!
But compared to their beauty, Ikki was actually more concerned with the swords in their hands... Were they also Blazers?
While Ikki was thinking, the two girls moved.
The white-haired blindfolded girl held an ice blade, standing opposite the twin-blade girl in the distance. Both maintained a balance before attacking simultaneously in the next instant.
How can this be?
Ikki Kurogane, who was observing openly, instantly widened his eyes. According to his previous plan, he had intended to carefully observe their swordsmanship to see if he could gain some inspiration.
After all, observing other people's sword styles was one of Ikki's interests.
However, just now, Ikki Kurogane suddenly discovered a serious problem.
His [Blade Steal] required him to see the opponent's sword strikes to imitate and learn them, but the biggest problem now was...
He couldn't even see the people!
Except for the occasional massive roar from the sky, Ikki Kurogane couldn't even see their silhouettes, let alone use Blade Steal to learn their techniques.
"Judging by common sense, no matter how strong a Blazer's physical fitness is, it's impossible to exceed physical limits. The human body has limits unless... speed is their ability? Or space?"
"If I were to fight such an opponent... I'd probably only be able to use [Perfect Vision] to judge the trajectory of their attacks, right?"
Speed was indeed a major trouble.
A certain evil god once said: In the world of martial arts, no armor is impenetrable, and only speed is unbreakable. When your speed reaches a certain level, you might truly be invincible under heaven.
So, if Ikki wanted to defeat such an opponent, he could only use the method of 'taking hits' to determine how the opponent would attack next and then counterattack based on that.
Should it be said that he truly is Ikki Kurogane?
Even while peeking openly, he was seriously analyzing the gap between the opponent's strength and his own.
"But for now, forget it..."
Ikki could quickly determine how he would fight the opponent, but even if he figured out a method, it didn't guarantee victory.
At least for now, Ikki Kurogane knew exactly where he stood.
The shockwaves from the battle in the air were enough to destroy everything around. Even if he activated his once-a-day Ittō Shura, he wouldn't be able to handle this kind of all-encompassing strike at all.
Moreover, his Ittō Shura only lasted for one minute. After that minute, he'd likely be finished.
So, before developing stronger sword techniques, Ikki would try his best to avoid fighting such enemies...
Of course, if a battle between them was unavoidable—for instance, if they met at this year's Seven Star Sword Dance Festival—Ikki wouldn't back down. He would fight with all his might!
If he won, it would be a reward for his hard work during this time. If he lost, it would only prove his skills were inferior and that he needed to practice more!
Perhaps in terms of talent, Ikki wasn't as good as those geniuses. But at least in terms of effort, he didn't want to lose to anyone!
Since he couldn't see the situation here clearly, Ikki could only slip away quietly... but the moment the youth turned around, an ice-blue sword suddenly pressed against his throat, as if it would behead him in the next second.
"Who... are you? Why did you sneak in here to peek?"
A voice radiating coldness came from in front of him. Wasn't this the blindfolded girl from just now? Even if she couldn't see, she still held the tip of the ice blade against the youth's neck, her sword-hand not even trembling.
"This is a misunderstanding!"
Sensing the girl's hostility, Ikki explained hurriedly.
"I was just passing by during my morning practice. I felt a sword intent and walked in; I had no other intentions. As for peeking..."
"I wasn't peeking!"
"I was watching openly!"
"Even if it was peeking, it was peeking openly!"
Although his tone carried a hint of apology, Ikki's gaze was very upright. He didn't look like a sneaky person at all.
But these words were truly startling; they certainly didn't sound like something a normal person would say.
In response to the youth's words, the blindfolded woman merely tilted her head, her tone somewhat puzzled.
"You... think you are in the right?"
"Uh... No."
The girl's tone seemed to reveal a trace of dissatisfaction, so Ikki decisively backed down and apologized directly.
"Hontou ni sumimasen—!"
"Can you forgive me for peeking?"
Ikki immediately took a step back and apologized to the girl before him without hesitation. After all, with the new Director taking office, Ikki had just received a "new life" and didn't want to get into a tense situation with others because of this.
In case the other party was a newly enrolled student, he might even be called to the Director's office... Ikki didn't want to trouble the Director, who looked after him, over a personal issue.
The woman didn't speak. Instead, she slowly lowered her sword and walked past Ikki toward the cottage in the bamboo forest, while a chill permeated the surroundings, completely blocking Ikki's path of retreat.
Clearly, she had no intention of letting Ikki Kurogane go.
"Forgive you? I can."
"Use your sword to apologize!"
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