BOOM—!!
A violent gale swept across the land, transforming into shockwaves that radiated outward in all directions.
Stella's petite frame was struck head-on by the colossal storm blade in the blink of an eye, hurling her into the raging winds. Her entire body screamed in agony.
After the single strike—
The earth was carved open, leaving behind a long trench. The concrete ground shattered, revealing the fresh soil beneath. Everything in its path was utterly obliterated.
"Too weak."
Kurogane Ouma sheathed his sword, his face twisted in displeasure.
"What I sought wasn't a one-sided battle like this. I wanted someone who could crush me, push me to my limits, and make me stronger. Stella Vermillion—it seems I overestimated you. You're not even worthy to be my opponent!"
At the edge of the storm's devastation—
Stella lay unconscious amidst the ruins, her eyes tightly shut.
"Whatever. Let's just wrap this up and go back."
Kurogane Ouma averted his gaze, shaking his head in disinterest.
Ever since winning the elementary school tournament, he had grown sick of being invincible.
In pursuit of pure, unadulterated strength, he abandoned his family—his parents, his siblings—hardening his heart into something cold and unyielding. By the age of twelve or thirteen, he was already wandering the world.
He had walked battlefields, ventured into forbidden lands, honing himself against countless formidable foes to attain his current power.
When he heard that the holder of the world's strongest magic had come to Japan, he rushed back from overseas. To force Stella to her limits, he even joined this operation by Akatsuki Academy.
But Stella's strength was far weaker than he had imagined.
Despite possessing the world's greatest magical power, her combat prowess paled in comparison to many of the enemies he had faced before. His high hopes were dashed in an instant.
His battle lust remained unfulfilled, leaving only emptiness in its wake.
Without a sound, a silver blade flashed toward him.
Kurogane Ouma's eyes flickered slightly.
The dazzling slash aimed straight for his throat, as if intending to silence him in a single stroke.
Yet Ouma didn't move—not a single step, not even a flinch.
CLANG!
The sharp edge collided with his neck.
But the blade didn't pierce his skin. Instead, it rebounded with a grating metallic screech.
Eiji's eyes narrowed.
So hard!
He hadn't held back—this strike combined his physical strength and technique, carrying the force of near-supersonic impact. Yet it hadn't even scratched him?
"Eiji Nangou? I've heard of you."
Kurogane Ouma turned slightly, his icy gaze locking onto Eiji.
"The God of War's prized disciple. They say you've trained for less than a year. You might have potential, but right now, you're nowhere near enough!"
Demonic Light Flowing Blade!
Eiji swung again, his wrist vibrating with intense force, blurring the blade's edge.
This technique channeled destructive energy directly into an opponent's organs—perfect for bypassing tough defenses.
But—
CLANG!
Kurogane Ouma remained unmoved.
The blade struck his body, and the vibrating force did penetrate his flesh. Yet he stood there, unfazed, his cold stare as if watching a clown's performance.
"This guy… Is his entire body made of steel or something?"
Eiji was utterly baffled.
His ability was clearly to manipulate fierce winds, not to enhance defense—so how was his entire body as hard as steel?
No.
This guy's body was definitely far harder than steel!
At his current level of strength, slicing through steel would be effortless, yet when Kurogane Ouma took his blade head-on, not even a scratch was left on his skin!
And this hardness wasn't limited to external tissues—even his internal organs had become indestructible!
"Go for the eyes!"
I refuse to believe it!
Even if your whole body is as hard as diamond, surely you can't have trained every orifice to be flawless?
With a thrust, the tip of his blade aimed straight for Kurogane Ouma's eyeball!
Kurogane Ouma frowned.
Faced with an attack targeting his weak point, he finally moved, raising his greatsword.
No matter how much one trains their body to be indestructible, the common weaknesses of humanity cannot be overcome—unless one transcends humanity. A strike to the eyeball could destroy the brain along with it!
His swing was incredibly fast.
Far faster than Eiji's thrust, the slash alone produced a sharp sonic boom.
Eiji's gaze sharpened.
In an instant, he activated Absolute Godspeed!
Setting his blade's speed to be absolutely faster than Ouma's swing!
Suddenly, his blade accelerated, the tip surging forward at several times its previous speed.
This abrupt acceleration caught Kurogane Ouma off guard—by the time he tried to speed up, it was already too late.
His arrogance had led him to take two of Eiji's strikes, allowing him to close the distance.
This was his only mistake.
This strike would definitely land!
Clang!
But the blade didn't pierce his eyeball.
Kurogane Ouma had closed his eyelids.
Though merely a thin layer of skin, it blocked the blade like the Aegis shield.
"Your ability is formidable—a natural counter to swordsmen."
Kurogane Ouma closed one eye, coldly observing him with the other.
"But the number of targets you can set at once must be limited. If your blade is faster than my sword, it can't be faster than my eyelids. Blocking it was hardly difficult."
"Tch!"
Eiji clicked his tongue openly.
He had set two conditions earlier: one to be faster than Ouma's swing, the other to be faster than his retreat—but not faster than his eyelid movement.
Most people would instinctively dodge when their weak points are targeted.
But Kurogane Ouma defied expectations, evading the fatal strike by simply closing his eyes.
In that case, he'd free up one condition to focus solely on outpacing his eyelid—
"I've seen through your thoughts. Now, you're thinking that if you set your speed to surpass my eyelid, you can pierce my eye, aren't you?"
Kurogane Ouma sneered, then decisively shut both eyes.
"But if I fight you with my eyes closed, what will you do then?"
Unfazed, Eiji swung his blade without hesitation.
A strike swift as lightning, pushing his body's tissues and organs to their limits—far beyond human perception.
Clang!
Yet Kurogane Ouma abruptly swung his sword, effortlessly deflecting the blow.
Even with his eyes closed, his vision seemed irrelevant to combat.
This was...
Eiji couldn't help but twitch his lips.
No openings left.
Where to aim next?
Nostrils, mouth, ears—no use, impossible to pierce.
The groin, then? The rear?
Honestly, he found it completely useless.
There was absolutely no way to break through the defense.
"Ugh!"
A short, sharp scream came from the distance.
The familiar voice made Eiji's heart sink.
Kanata, the wealthy woman, had been struck by multiple swords and collapsed, while Amane Shinomiya smiled benevolently.
***
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