kscans

Chapter 280 - All Her Feelings, and This One Strike

In the center of the Area Guardian's room, Famu and Okita Soji faced each other, their swords held in a middle guard stance. A space the size of a single fist separated them. The tips of their two swords quietly pushed against each other as if probing for an opening, but the space was filled with an incredible tension. A single step forward would put them in the one-step, one-strike range where they could attack each other, but neither moved to do so.

Famu, perhaps because she had been so easily dealt with before, was visibly hesitant to take that step. She circled left and right, trying not to close the fist-sized gap, attempting to bait Okita Soji's sword into wavering. But his blade remained steady, its tip constantly aimed at her throat. When Famu gave up and backed away, Okita Soji glided forward to fill the gap, closing the distance.

"Kuh...!" Frustrated, Famu closed the distance with a follow-up step, attempting to sweep Okita Soji's sword up while raising her own to strike. But Okita Soji easily regained his posture and deflected her blade. With nimble footwork, he circled behind her and struck her in the back with the hilt of his sword.

Unable to kill her forward momentum, Famu's legs tangled and she fell. She pushed herself up, panting heavily.

"You're too tense. If your upper body wavers, your center of gravity will shift, and you won't be able to support yourself. Remember what Aidan said. It's your lower body that moves you, starting with your footwork. And don't forget to breathe. Always breathe." She glanced at me and gave a small nod. Then she regulated her breathing and slowly stood up.

As if waiting for her, Okita Soji closed in. His white blade danced. The terrifying sword strokes, which seemed to leave behind even the glint of the blade, assaulted Famu.

CLANG! A sharp metallic sound rang out. It felt less like Famu had dodged and more like the sword had been brought down right where she had positioned her own. I thought it would flow into a blade lock, but Famu couldn't withstand the force and was pushed back. Without a moment's pause, Okita Soji's second and third strikes came down.

Famu deflected them by a hair's breadth, but her clothes were slashed, and blood began to seep from the cuts.

"I can do it too!" Famu launched a counterattack. But perhaps intimidated by the pressure of Okita Soji's sword, she was just swinging with her arms, and her attack had neither speed nor power. As expected, the attack was easily dodged, and a sharp thrust was delivered to her neck in return. Famu leaned back to avoid it, but it felt less like her own quick thinking and more like Okita Soji had deliberately aimed to miss.

"Kya!" With a small cry, Famu's hips gave out, and she fell to a sitting position.

"Famu... watch his movements carefully. Not the sword's movement, but Okita Soji's body's movement." She nodded firmly at my words. My heart ached at the sight. I had just murmured what I could say to her now, but even I, watching from a distance, couldn't follow his movements. The initial motion of his attacks was completely invisible. By the time I realized it, his blade was already descending. I had seen many strong warriors before, like Avea, Wake, and Aidan. But his swordsmanship was on a different level entirely.

Famu's attacks couldn't even shift Okita Soji's center of gravity, and she couldn't react to his incredibly fast movements. My advice seemed to be of no help to her. Even if she had a realization, it was clear that he was not an opponent she could handle with that alone.

"I should be able to do it too!"

"Can you even see his sword?"

"Not yet. But I feel like I'm seeing something."

She touched her neck, confirming it was still attached. It was just a shallow cut. But the blood that welled from the wound stained her palm crimson. She wiped it on the hem of her clothes. Then she gripped her sword.

"You think you can see Okita Soji's sword strokes?"

"No. What I'm seeing is something much closer... When you grip a sword, it's like holding an egg. When you strike, it's like wringing a towel, especially putting force into your little finger, right?"

"What are you saying now of all times..." Despite my confusion, she regulated her breathing and re-gripped her sword. Then, she placed her hand on the floor and pushed herself up. I watched her, holding my breath. I knew Okita Soji had no intention of killing her. This was a trial. But the skill gap between them was just too vast. I had a feeling that Famu might not be able to overcome this trial and that her spirit might break. I wanted to make them stop.

Famu took a middle guard stance, and just as she exhaled slowly, Okita Soji's sword flashed again. Just like before, Famu caught the blow with the blade of her sword. But this time, she didn't retreat; she held her ground.

"Did she see Okita Soji's first move..." My murmur was drowned out by a continuous clang of sword strikes. Famu was weathering Okita Soji's ferocious assault. But it wasn't a one-sided attack. In the gaps between the slashes, Famu returned a strike. It wasn't sharp or crisp. But she wasn't just being pushed back either.

Just as I thought she was beginning to see his sword strokes, albeit with few counterattacks, Famu's sword was sent flying. It soared high into the air, spinning, and then stabbed into the floor.

Famu, breathing heavily, reached for the hilt to pull it out. But the sword wouldn't budge, and her hand slipped. Her hands were probably numb from taking so many blows, and it was likely her grip strength was gone.

"Famu, as long as your sword is in the floor, Okita Soji won't attack. Regulate your breathing, and loosen up your hands." She shook her head at my advice.

"No. I'm starting to see it. I can see your back."

"What? Are you saying you're trying to read Okita Soji's movements?" She shook her head again.

"No. What I'm seeing isn't the guardian deity's movements. It's your movements, Master." With that, she put all her strength into pulling the sword free.

Famu's stance as she faced Okita Soji changed. Until now, she had been mirroring his movements, their blades overlapping, but she had stopped doing that. However, her new stance was far from refined.

"Hey! Are you copying me? Just because he won't kill you doesn't mean you should do something so foolish! Don't lose sight of your goal!"

"This is fine!" Famu reflexively answered my shout. As if to exploit that opening, Okita Soji closed the distance and attacked her.

Famu swung her sword to cut down his blow. After a high-pitched metallic clang, the two separated widely. But Okita Soji immediately turned and leaped. His haori fluttering, he closed in on Famu with incredible speed. Famu reacted to this blow as well, swinging to cut it down. Their blades crossed and locked, but they used the force of their push to separate.

Famu took a middle guard stance. She seemed to have shed some of her unnecessary tension. Her spine, all the way to the tip of her tail, was as straight as if she were suspended by a string from the ceiling. Okita Soji matched her stance, his blade overlapping hers.

"Even if you are the guardian deity, if you stand in my master's way, I will cut you down in a single blow!" The moment their two blades were about to touch, Famu kicked off the stone floor.

Okita Soji raised the tip of his sword to deflect Famu's, but she swung as if to cut through his defense itself. As their bodies crossed, a fierce clash of metal rang out, and the smell of burnt iron hit my nose.

Famu's swing was clearly too wide. She nearly lost her balance from the force of her own swing but managed to stay on her feet. Before she could reset her stance, Okita Soji took a large step forward and thrust at her solar plexus. Famu barely dodged the blow, but as she struggled to regain her balance, a furious series of thrusts was unleashed. Each strike was lightning-fast, a heavy, storm-like impact. Famu grimaced, gritting her teeth as she took the attacks, gradually being pushed back by the pressure.

"Famu!" I wanted to tell her not to retreat. But if I were in her position, taking those attacks, I would be just as helpless, pushed back in the same way. All I could do was clench my fists and watch the fight unfold.

"I know!" Famu's shout came back. Even as she took the attacks, she corrected her posture. She shifted her weight slightly to her left foot and used the rebound to move forward. Okita Soji's thrust came at her, but it just slashed her arm cover and went wide. Famu returned a thrust, crossing his attack.

Okita Soji took a large step back to dodge it. Famu didn't pursue; she took a middle guard stance and pointed the tip of her sword at him. She held the sword a fist's width above her navel. She had shed all unnecessary tension and all excess spirit. She simply stared at Okita Soji before her, her quiet fighting spirit dwelling in the tip of her blade. Her sword, imbued with her feelings, seemed to glow with a dull, white light. It was the magic she had refined. What I had thought of as 'ki.'

Her weight was on her front right foot, supported by her back left foot. It was beautiful, the ideal sword stance I had always pictured in my mind.

"Guardian deity... here I come." Okita Soji neither nodded nor spoke. He simply held his sword. His posture was completely natural. Yet, his figure seemed to grow, to fill the room. It wasn't because of the black fighting spirit that flickered like flames from his body. Just by him holding a sword, the very air in the room grew taut. His very existence was an immense pressure, weighing down on us. Every sword strike he delivered was a fatal, lightning-fast blow. But Famu had survived his slashes time and time again and now stood before him.

The mountain pattern on his haori swayed. He took a middle guard stance and, with an all-too-natural step, slid into the one-step, one-strike range. The tips of Famu's and Okita Soji's swords twitched in an instant. They both raised their swords to an upper-right guard at the same time, and at the same time, they brought them down.

Their blades met with a fierce clang. With a hissing sound, the tip of a severed blade flew through the air and then stabbed into the stone floor with a satisfying thud.

"Magnificent..." The voice was that of a young man, soft yet firm.

His sword had been brought down as if to slice through Famu's body, but its blade was gone, cutting through empty air. And Famu's sword was at his neck.

"I am not just someone who follows my master. I will protect my master... that feeling... is not something anyone..." The tip of her sword wavered, and at that moment, her body swayed violently. Her knees buckled, and she collapsed.

"Famu!" I rushed to her and caught her in my arms.

"She must have used too much magic refining her sword's ki," Okita Soji said, looking down at us. He then left us and picked up the severed tip. When he placed it against the broken sword, the blade was repaired, returning to its original state without a single scar. He then removed his short sword, placed it with the long sword, and held them out to me.

"You, who came from the same world as I, and who bears the same name as the God of the End. Give this sword to her..." I reached for the sword. It was heavy. The weight of the sword felt like the weight of the burdens the man before me had carried.

"Did you fight the God of the End?" He nodded at my words.

"Is it on this land?" Okita Soji nodded again.

"If I defeat it..." He quietly shook his head.

"The God of the End has been sealed, its soul split into several parts. I was defeated by what was merely a fraction of it. But I did succeed in returning it to its sealed state. However, I am a being who has lost his life. I required the sacrifices of the dog-eared race who live on this land."

"So that's what the curse on her was..." I looked down at Famu. She was still unconscious in my arms. But her expression was peaceful, as if she had accomplished her task. I felt a little annoyed and poked her cheek. The soft sensation met my fingertip, but she showed no signs of waking.

"She brought you to this land. My duty is done."

"Wait. Don't just decide your work is done. You couldn't defeat this enemy. Do you really think I can win? Besides, if you're from another world, then a group wearing red hoods must have come here exactly a year ago, right?" He didn't answer my questions but pointed to the door opposite the one we had entered through. The door that had been firmly shut was now open.

"When you leave through that door and exit this dungeon, her curse and the seal on the God of the End will be broken."

"Stop moving the story along without me! I'm not leaving this room. I have a mountain of questions for you. And so does Famu. She has more to say to you than I do. A girl named Yamase Mizuki is with us, too. I'm sure she'd want to hear your story." I turned to face Okita Soji, but he was gone. I looked around in surprise, but he was nowhere to be found.

"Okita Soji!" I shouted, but my voice just echoed emptily through the room.