For a moment, the entire arena was silent. Keizo, Awaga, and everyone else stared in disbelief. They couldn't comprehend how Hakuji had knocked out the massive brute with a single blow.
Only the Librarian knew that Hakuji's strike had utilized medical knowledge. The human jaw is connected to the vagus nerve; a sharp, sudden blow can cause temporary cerebral stunning, or even a loss of consciousness. It was a piece of knowledge he had picked up during his four years working for the Librarian. By merging human anatomy with unarmed combat, he had achieved this stunning victory.
Awaga snapped out of his shock. Though he was still reeling, as the referee, he had to announce the result. "The winner is Hak—"
Before he could finish, several figures blurred past him. He looked up to see seven or eight students from his dojo. Realizing what his students were about to do, Awaga yelled, "Stop!"
But his students, consumed by anger, were deaf to his command. The eight large students rushed into the ring, throwing punches and kicks at Hakuji in the center.
Faced with a group attack, Hakuji remained unflustered. He ducked under a punch and used a sweeping kick to take down two opponents. He then smashed his fist into another's face, the crisp sound of bone breaking echoing through the arena. There was no fear on Hakuji's face, only the thrill of battle.
In a short time, he had defeated all eight of his attackers. Though his face and body were now covered in bruises, he remained standing, fully conscious.
"Are you not going to announce the result?" the Librarian's cold voice cut through the air, sending a shiver down Awaga's spine. Although the man didn't seem intent on punishing his students for breaking the rules, Awaga felt his gaze pierce him like ice.
After finally declaring Hakuji the winner of the unarmed combat match, the second match, swordsmanship, began. To some surprise, the Librarian's opponent was none other than Imura. After some emergency treatment, Imura, who had only sustained superficial injuries, looked as if nothing had happened. Of course, the swelling on his face had not subsided, and he still looked like a pig.
Awaga looked at his son, who was holding a wooden sword, with a flicker of anticipation in his eyes. Though his son was a terrible person, he possessed considerable talent in swordsmanship. Even Awaga himself had been weaker than Imura at the same age.
Waving his hand, Awaga had his students bring out the equipment for the test. Soon, a bundle of tied bamboo was placed in front of both the Librarian and Imura. Each bundle contained ten stalks of hard mountain bamboo, each as thick as a grown man's wrist.
The rules were simple: use a wooden sword to break the bamboo. The one who broke the most would win. It sounded easy, but the difficulty lay in using a wooden sword. Even breaking bamboo with a steel sword was challenging, let alone a wooden one.
"Imura, you may begin."
"Yes, Father!" Imura nodded to his father, then shot a contemptuous look at the Librarian. He stood before the bamboo, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. He raised the wooden sword high above his head. His eyes snapped open, and with a roar, he unleashed the full power of his arms and body.
The wooden sword fell like a flash of light, striking the bamboo bundle.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
With three light sounds, Imura's strike had severed three stalks of bamboo.
"Hmph." Imura lifted his chin, his eyes filled with disdain.
Awaga nodded in satisfaction at his son's achievement. At that age, he himself had only been able to break two. Among his known peers, Imura's strength was already at the top. His opponent, on the other hand, was supposedly a doctor. A doctor who dabbled in swordsmanship? Awaga shook his head. The Librarian was probably just there to fill a spot.
It's fine this way. Let it end like this, he thought, already planning how he would explain things to Keizo. He had no expectations for the Librarian.
The Librarian picked up a wooden sword and stood before his bundle of bamboo. Nearby, Imura stood by the weapon rack, watching him with a mocking smile. So what if this guy was a year or two older? Training in swordsmanship wasn't determined by age alone. This doctor looked so frail; he probably couldn't even hold a sword properly, let alone break bamboo.
"Hey, if you can't do it, you should just give up now!" Imura shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth. "A one-one draw is a good result for you guys. Just go home!"
The Librarian ignored Imura's taunts. He simply adjusted his position slightly, so that he, the bamboo bundle, and Imura were all in a straight line. Then, using only his right hand, he raised the wooden sword.
Seeing the Librarian's grip, Imura burst out laughing. "What kind of grip is that? Didn't that Keizo guy even teach you how to hold a sword?"
The other students joined in, with some even doubling over, clutching their stomachs in laughter. Awaga also shook his head slightly. Breaking bamboo with a wooden sword was hard enough, let alone with one hand. The man was clearly just for show.
Just as Awaga was thinking this, he noticed that Keizo, standing beside him, wasn't nervous at all. In fact, he looked even more relaxed than he had during Hakuji's match.
Before Awaga could ask, the Librarian moved. The wooden sword descended slowly, tapping the bamboo bundle with an almost gentle "thud."
The sound triggered an explosion of laughter. Imura and the other students couldn't hold back any longer, tears streaming from their eyes as they howled with mirth.
Without a word, the Librarian turned and walked back to the weapon rack.
Thwack.
The moment he placed the wooden sword back on the rack, the seemingly untouched bamboo bundle shivered. A vertical crack appeared down the center of all ten bamboos.
CRACK!
With a single, sharp sound, all ten stalks of bamboo split perfectly in half at the same time. But that wasn't all. An invisible pressure wave erupted from the shattered bamboo, rushing instantly towards Imura.
Before he could react, he was completely enveloped by it. In that moment, he felt as if he were being hacked into pieces by countless blades, his entire body wracked with excruciating pain. His eyes bulged, blood vessels bursting in his pupils. He was certain he was going to die in the next second. A chill shot down his spine, his body trembled uncontrollably, and every muscle and cell screamed in agony. He had a feeling that if his opponent had wished it, he would have been sliced in two.
Five seconds felt like a century. When the feeling finally subsided, Imura felt as if he had just been snatched from the jaws of death. Suddenly, he felt a dampness below his waist, accompanied by a foul smell.
He looked down. His face turned the color of liver. In those five seconds of terror, he had lost control of his bowels and bladder. His facial muscles twitched. He felt he could never show his face in public again. And it was all because of that man who called himself a doctor.
Shame and fury mixed within him. His breathing became ragged, and his chest heaved like an enraged ape. The anger filled his drained body with a new surge of strength, even suppressing the horrifying memory. He reached out, grabbing a real sword from the weapon rack.
His face contorted with hatred and rage, Imura charged at the Librarian.
-------
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