Chapter 91: Takuto vs Koihi
Chapter 91: Takuto vs Koihi
After Lily and Ion finished their training, one child was fidgeting. It was Koihi.
"E, Emm...I want to fight with my Takuto-oniichan, too..."
"That's fine. I've got a wooden sword, so why don't you try using the glass sword?"
I took out the wooden sword and handed the glass sword to Koihi. Koihi took the glass sword and felt it. When I see it, I'm convinced. I knew this girl was strong. She seems to have a pure kendo fighting style. It's been a long time since I felt this way. I'm going to enjoy this.
Duel
Opponents: Takuto, Koihi
Victory condition: Incapable of fighting, time up
Referee: Ion
As I did with Lily, I asked Ion to be the referee. Ion is safe.
I pulled out my wooden sword and was ready to fight.
"Are you ready?"
"Yeah"
"Yes!"
"Then start!"
At Ion's signal, we raise our swords at the same time. We both take the middle stance. From there, the distance is gradually reduced while feinting each other with the movements of the legs, body, swords and eyes.
Then, at close range. Finally, the sword fight between me and Koihi begins.
"Yaa!"
Koihi was the first to make a move. She unleashes a sharp thrust. I parry it, duck into the pocket and sidestep the wooden sword.
"Haa!"
In response to my attack, Koihi falls behind and dodges the attack. She then swung her glass sword down from the upper level. I spun and dodged it, then used the spin to sidestep further. Koihi guards it with her glass sword. We get into a fierce battle and we both close the distance.
Oh man...this is fun. Pure kendo, after all. Both offense and defense are excellent. And more than anything, she has the image of an attacker in my mind. What do you do if you are attacked with a thrust and are in the pocket? Move back and dodge the attack. She has a clear image of attacking further.
Now then, let's see how good she is, shall we?
Once again, the distance closes and a real sword fight begins. We both dodge each other's sword fights, sometimes catching, sometimes letting go and sometimes attacking. It was a beautiful exchange of sword fights that came from pure kendo.
But this is no way to train. It's been a fun time, but it's time to end it.
I forcibly flicked Koihi's sword and forcibly jumped into her pocket.
"!!?"
Koihi couldn't cope with my sudden change of style. You can't stay in the pocket and swing your sword, but an unpowered sword can be fatal. I flipped the sword and jumped into her pocket. It's Koihi that goes down to the back somehow, but it makes a decisive difference between those who thrust in front and those who fall behind. I succeeded in forcibly driving Koihi to the corner of the field.
But now I'm going to distance myself. If I continue to attack here, I will win, but this is a training exercise. There's no point in continuing to attack here.
Perhaps sensing my intentions, Koihi adjusted her breathing and slowly took a stance. It was a unique stance where she hid the sword inside her body. It is an ancient martial art that is different from kendo, but was born from the same sword. Its name is Iai or the art of sword drawing as it is also called.
In contrast to Koihi's sword-drawing stance, I also take a sword-drawing stance. I wanted to see who was better. Koihi was surprised by my stance, but soon I saw the fighting spirit in her eyes. I'm sure we share the same feelings. I had to decide which of us had the better art of sword drawing. That was all that mattered.
With both of us in the sword drawing stance, we closed the distance. Then, when we were in a deadly stance, we stepped into each other's stance and unleashed our most powerful sword drawing.
A moment later, the dueling field is enveloped in silence.
Then we exchange words.
"...That's it"
"...Yes"
The match was uneventful. The moment our sword-drawing techniques hit, the wooden sword broke. There was no way to determine the winner.
"Ion. Let's call this duel a draw"
"Eh!? Is that okay? Because Takuto-san was pushing me once"
"Yes. But my wooden sword is in this state. That's why I want this match to be a draw. My pride won't allow me to take the win in this one"
In the first place, it's wrong to give a win or a loss in training, but if you have to give a win or a loss, this match will be a draw. In accordance with my will, Ion announced the winner.
"This duel is a draw!"
And the duel training is over. That's where Koihi levels up. In addition, my one-handed sword skill also leveled up.
One-handed sword has reached level 5. You have acquired the martial art Heavy Slash
Koihis Katana has reached level 5. She has acquired the martial art Return Flash
Oops. I've learned Lily's favorite technique. Koihi's level has gone up too much. Do I have that much experience? And Koihis return flash is probably a return technique.
A return move is one of the techniques used in kendo. It is a technique of returning an attack to an opponent's attack. In other words, it is a counter technique. I use it as a normal technique, but if I could use it in a martial art, it would be very different.
Thinking about that, I called out to Koihi.
"Good work. It was a good match"
"Yes! But I didn't know there was such swordsmanship"
What Koihi is referring to is my forceful swordsmanship. I have to be careful about this.
"Isn't Koihi forced to imitate? Because there are people who imitate poorly and lose sight of their own sword"
This is a common story in the sports world. If you have established your own style and then try a new style to go further, you will lose sight of your own style and your strength will collapse.
This is often compared to a baggage handler. It is said that there is a certain amount of experience that a person can carry on their own. But by training yourself, you can increase the amount of baggage you can carry. On the other hand, if you can't bear too much baggage, you will be crushed.
In Koihis case, the part of training herself made her level up. She's still at level 6, so the amount of baggage she can carry is still limited. So I tell her what I want.
"Koihi is smart and has good instincts for combat. You should be able to fight my forceful swordsmanship with your own style"
"Yes! I'll do my best!"
Koihi replied cheerfully. Yes, Yes! She's honest and quick to take it in. I'm going to lose to this girl someday. At this moment, I was sure of it.
Name Takuto, Intermediate Summoner Lv3
Vitality 37
Magic Power 74
Strength 27
Defense 18
Agility 24
Dexterity 53
Skills
Fighting Lv1
Kicking Lv12
Staff Lv15
One-handed Sword Lv1Lv6
Throwing Lv1
Summoning Magic Lv19
Alchemy Lv9
Mining Lv12
Logging Lv10
Dismantling Lv14
Appraisal Lv9
Identification Lv15
Wind Magic Lv19
Fire Magic Lv19
Earth Magic Lv18
Water Magic Lv19
Dark Magic Lv18
Light Magic Lv22
Lightning Magic Lv15
Explosion Magic Lv15
Wood Magic Lv15
Ice Magic Lv15
Space-time Magic Lv13
Reading Lv5
Cooking Lv18Lv19
Feeding Lv5
Fishing Lv5
Synchronization Lv2
Name Lily Dragonewt Lv21
Vitality 36
Magic Power 26
Strength 67
Defense 25
Agility 20
Dexterity 16
Skills
Bare-handed Lv6
One-handed Sword Lv17
Large Sword Lv2Lv4
Fighting Spirit Lv6
Pseudo-Dragonification Lv1
Name Ion Dragonewt Lv20
Vitality 35
Magic Power 45
Strength 30
Defense 20
Agility 65
Dexterity 55
Skills
Dual Wield Lv16Lv17
Throwing Lv1
Underwater Action Lv5
Water Blade Lv9
Pseudo Dragonification Lv2
Name Koihi Cerian Beast Lv1Lv6
Vitality 1525
Magic Power 1220
Strength 1520
Defense 810
Agility 1523
Dexterity 1015
Skills
Katana Lv1Lv5
Flame Magic Lv1
Fox Fire Lv1
Sign Detection Lv1Lv5