After dinner, Sakura stayed behind in the dining room to clean up the plates and utensils.
Dishwashers didn't seem to be common in this era, so it was all by hand.
Meanwhile, Su Mo and Okita went out to the courtyard, as per their routine.
"Master, it's time!" Okita declared, her beloved katana Kojiki Kiyomitsu in hand, assuming a low stance with a serious expression.
She always took swordsmanship this seriously.
"Go ahead," Su Mo nodded, lifting his own sword with one hand. "That power I awakened includes sword skills, so you don't need to hold back."
They were about to spar.
Ever since summoning Okita Souji, Su Mo had been learning swordsmanship from her.
While he had already mastered the Shiki-ryuu assassination arts—which were more focused on unarmed combat and dagger techniques—swords were another matter entirely.
But now, after synchronizing with his self from the pirate world, Su Mo had reached the level of a true Great Swordsman.
In terms of pure swordsmanship, he no longer needed Okita's guidance.
In fact, he could probably teach her.
Still, he had no intention of stopping their lessons. For one, Okita's Tennen Rishin-ryuu style had its own depth and elegance, vastly different from the more explosive and raw style of the pirate world.
And her Noble Phantasm-level sword techniques were something even he could learn from.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Their blades clashed in rapid succession, ringing out with crisp metallic echoes.
Even with Su Mo intentionally suppressing his strength, he clearly held the upper hand.
Okita hadn't expected this.
Just from awakening some sword-related powers, Su Mo had skyrocketed from amateur to a level she hadn't even reached herself.
After struggling to fend him off for a while, she swiftly leapt back, using her signature movement technique, Shukuchi, to disengage.
Now standing at a distance, she looked at her monstrously improved Master and, for the first time, felt a real spark of competitiveness as a fellow swordsman.
"Master, please be careful now. Okita is going to use her trump card!"
With a cheeky grin and glint in her eye, the valiant sword-wielding girl gave him a playful yet serious warning.
She was well aware that her overall strength couldn't match Su Mo's. But this was a duel of swordsmanship. Naturally, her Master wouldn't rely on overwhelming power. That's why, worried she might actually hurt him, she felt it necessary to warn him ahead of time.
After all, this was only sparring. She didn't want to injure her wonderful Master.
Hearing her words, Su Mo nodded calmly. "Don't worry. I'm ready."
He had long been waiting for this move of Okita's. In the past, he hadn't possessed the fundamentals necessary to attempt it. But now that his swordsmanship had surpassed even his own expectations, he was finally ready to learn that demonic technique.
"Alright then!"
Seeing her Master fully prepared, the sword-wielding girl gave a resolute smile.
"This is my strongest strike. Please witness it clearly, Master!"
With that, she shifted into the standard Hira-seigan stance—one of the classic preparatory forms for a forward thrust.
The pressure radiating from Okita began to climb sharply, like a blade honed to pierce through all things.
Then she moved.
"One Step—Swifter than Sound!"
"Two Steps—Infinite Suffering!"
"Three Steps—The Absolute Sword!"
Despite the six or seven meters between them, Okita crossed the distance in just three steps.
Gone was the lively and adorable girl—replaced by a warrior exuding razor-sharp intent.
The momentum she had built before striking had reached its apex.
Her target: Su Mo's sword.
And then she unleashed her finishing move.
"Lightless, Three stage Thrust—Phfft!!"
Okita Souji had just initiated her trump card—
And immediately collapsed face-first!
Thud!
With a heavy crash, the girl fell flat to the ground, blood dripping from the corner of her mouth.
The sword technique hadn't even activated before her body gave out.
"..."
Su Mo stared down at the girl lying in front of him, at a complete loss for words.
He had expected this might happen, but still didn't think it would happen this fast.
Letting out a sigh, he bent down and gently picked her up.
"You okay, Okita?"
She waved her hands weakly. "I-I'm fine…"
Covered in dust and looking thoroughly defeated, the sword-wielding girl forced a smile.
"This… this happens a lot."
Back when she was alive, Okita Souji had suffered from severe chronic illness. She passed away in her twenties, and the image of her being physically frail was deeply ingrained in history. As a Servant, she came equipped with the [Weak Constitution] skill, ranked at A.
This skill meant that at any time—no matter how well things were going—her body could suddenly fail her.
It was practically a curse.
And just like that, at the critical moment of her technique, it had triggered.
Blood from nowhere. Technique interrupted. Instant collapse.
Which was precisely why Su Mo had never fully trusted Okita's combat capability.
He acknowledged her swordsmanship—but with [Weak Constitution] hanging over her, she was simply too unstable for real battle.
"Okita-oneechan!"
Nearby, Sakura, who had just finished cleaning the dishes and had been watching the sparring session with excitement, immediately panicked.
Although this wasn't her first time seeing such an episode, she still rushed over, flustered. She quickly brought out a bowl of warm water and a clean towel she had prepared earlier, just in case.
Su Mo carried Okita back to the corridor and laid her down gently.
"Master…"
Being princess-carried like this clearly flustered Okita. She shrank a little in his arms.
"No need to worry so much. Just give me a few minutes and I'll be fine again!"
She was used to this condition. As long as she rested, the symptoms usually passed quickly.
Though the [Weak Constitution] skill was terrifying when it activated, once it did, it generally didn't leave any lingering effects.
Still, Su Mo didn't relax. "Even so, we can't just brush aside Sakura's concern."
"Besides, even if there are no long-term effects, the attack itself hurts like hell, doesn't it?"
Looking at her clearly weakened state, he gently laid her down on the floor.
Sakura, full of worry, knelt beside her and began gently pressing a warm towel to her forehead.
Feeling the quiet concern from the two of them, Okita was deeply moved.
"Master… Sakura…"
She hesitated, considering whether to reveal the truth—that, thanks to Su Mo's incredible mana supply, her recovery time had drastically shortened.
But then she looked into Sakura's anxious eyes and decided against it.
Su Mo was right.
So, after softly murmuring her thanks, she obediently leaned against the wooden pillar by the corridor and let Sakura tend to her.
Then she remembered her earlier performance—and groaned, covering her face in embarrassment.
Okita Souji—Epic Fail.
She had wanted to showcase her cool, heroic side to her Master.
But at the critical moment, she had collapsed. Didn't even get the move out.
All the buildup. All the drama.
And she faceplanted.
How humiliating!
Saber of Sakura looked utterly crestfallen.
Her swordsmanship had already been outpaced by her Master. Now, even the one technique she prided herself on couldn't be properly demonstrated.
Was this it? Had her sole value as a sword instructor already run dry?
What else could she even contribute?
If she couldn't be a mentor in swordsmanship… was she going to be reduced to comic relief?!
Just as those depressing thoughts started spiraling—
Su Mo spoke.
"That last move looked really impressive."
He turned toward her, his expression earnest.
"When you're feeling better… would you mind teaching it to me?"
Okita blinked.
Even though she hadn't managed to pull off the move, Su Mo had still seen enough to recognize its worth.
He understood exactly what her trump card entailed.
The Lightless, Three stage Thrust —a demonic anti-personnel sword technique.
At its core, it was simply three lightning-fast thrusts.
But through supreme skill and unimaginable speed, Okita Souji executed all three thrusts at the exact same moment.
Not "almost simultaneous."
Literally simultaneous.
When unleashed, all three strikes—First Thrust, Second Thrust, Third Thrust—occupied the exact same spatial point in the same instant.
Even if you managed to block the first one, the second and third would still pierce the same location.
Because of this paradox, the blade's tip would momentarily cause what could only be described as a "localized breakdown of reality."
The technique effectively became undefendable.
And because of the phenomenon it triggered, it was also devastating against objects and constructs.
If there was one way to describe it…
If Sasaki Kojirou's demonic sword was a secret technique that couldn't be dodged, then Okita Souji's demonic sword was a secret technique that couldn't be defended against.
Although Su Mo himself possessed the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, which could similarly bypass all defenses, there was still merit in learning a sword technique that could achieve such an effect through sheer skill alone.
Hearing Su Mo's request, Okita looked up in surprise, her eyes suddenly sparkling like a puppy's. "Master, you're the best! I knew Master would understand me best!"
Without caring about her image, she immediately hugged Su Mo's leg tightly. "My secret technique really is amazing! Master will definitely be able to learn it! This is great—I can still teach Master swordsmanship! I won't be reduced to a comic-relief sidekick!"
Clearly it was Su Mo who had asked to learn from her, yet somehow, the girl before him looked like she'd just been saved from the depths of despair.
"???"
Su Mo could only blink at her reaction, completely puzzled.