In the forest, withered leaves rustled in the wind.
Ikaruga sheathed her tachi, adopting a drawing stance with her body slightly lowered, her gaze locking with Brain's, who was suspended in mid-air.
Silence enveloped the forest. After a brief standoff, Brain was the first to break the quiet.
The cicada-like wings on Brain's back vibrated at an imperceptible speed, and he suddenly vanished from his spot.
Ikaruga's pupils slightly dilated, the hem of her kimono billowed without wind, and her crimson scabbard traced a half-arc in the air.
"Clang!"
At the instant of metallic clash, two figures materialized ten meters high in the air.
Brain's two tachis crossed in an X-shape, striking Ikaruga's scabbard, their serrated blades grinding against the vermilion lacquered scabbard mouth, producing dazzling sparks.
Ikaruga flew backward, landing on the ground, her left knee slightly bent to absorb the impact. The bluestone beneath her feet shattered like a spiderweb under the pressure of the force.
"Not a bad reaction." Brain's eyes gleamed with an eerie golden light, and his tachi suddenly erupted with a blinding golden glow. "But can a mere human keep up with the speed of my slashes?"
Before he finished speaking, sixteen golden arcs of light bloomed simultaneously.
After fusing with the bloodline of a certain mantis-type demonic beast, the joints of his arms could slash at unscientific angles, and the trajectories of his two tachis completely defied ergonomics, blocking all of Ikaruga's escape routes from eight directions.
Golden sword qi ploughed radial furrows into the ground; all trees and remnants in its path were reduced to dust.
A wisp of Ikaruga's silver hair was cut by the sword qi near her temple. She suddenly released her left hand from the scabbard, gently pushing the tsuba with her thumb.
The crimson blade emerged three inches from its sheath, its clear ringing sound like a phoenix crying to the heavens.
"Mugetsu Style: Sword Flash!"
White sword light bloomed like cherry blossoms.
Brain's expression under his mask subtly changed; the sixteen golden slashes were all shattered simultaneously by a single circular sword qi.
Ikaruga's figure vanished amidst the scattering golden light, reappearing the next second behind Brain. Her scabbard had, at some point, switched to her right hand, and a cold, moon-like white glow shimmered on the crimson blade.
Brain's cicada-like wings suddenly folded, and he descended at a right angle, defying inertia.
Golden armor sparked at the moment the crimson blade grazed it, and two fragments of cicada-like wings spun and embedded themselves in the ground.
He knelt on one knee and looked up, seeing Ikaruga gracefully descending from twenty meters high, her white robes gleaming like pearls in the moonlight.
"Interesting." Brain slowly stood up, his golden armor suddenly cracking into countless fine lines, with a green luminescence seeping from the cracks.
His spine emitted a grating creak, and six more transparent insect wings unfolded from his back. "Warm-up's over."
The roar of the six wings vibrating in unison was like a fighter jet engine starting.
Brain transformed into a golden meteor and shot into the sky, his two tachis tracing dazzling paths in the night sky.
As soon as Ikaruga landed, she felt a sudden change in air pressure above her head, and her crimson tachi instinctively positioned itself horizontally above her head.
"Golden Sword Wind!"
Hundreds of golden crescent blades rained down like a torrential downpour.
Each sword qi triggered an explosion upon contact with the ground, instantly engulfing the entire battlefield in a golden inferno.
Ikaruga's white socks slid rapidly across the scorched earth, her crimson tachi dancing, its blade forming an impenetrable defense, shattering all incoming sword qi.
However, the explosion's shockwaves still left fine blood marks on her, and her white kimono gradually became stained a pale cherry blossom pink with blood.
When the thousandth golden sword qi descended, Ikaruga suddenly stopped.
Ikaruga lightly tapped the ground with her foot, and her body instantly vanished from its spot like a white bolt of lightning.
The golden sword light struck where she had stood moments before, and the ground exploded with a roar, sending shattered rocks flying.
Just as Brain thought this strike had missed, a cold glint attacked him from behind.
Ikaruga had appeared behind him at some unknown moment, her tachi in hand, slashing at his back with a fierce momentum.
Brain reacted extremely quickly, his mantis wings on his back instantly retracting to form a golden shield.
"Clang!"
The tachi struck the shield, emitting a crisp metallic clang and sending countless sparks flying.
Ikaruga used the recoil to drift back several meters, re-establishing her stance.
Ikaruga felt her hand tingling slightly, and her gaze gradually sharpened. A powerful aura emanated from her, making her white robes flutter.
"A mere human." Brain sneered, then swung his two tachis again, charging towards Ikaruga.
His two tachis were like two golden dragons, dancing in the air, trailing streaks of golden light.
Each swing of his tachi unleashed a golden sword qi, whistling towards Ikaruga.
Ikaruga's figure flickered, weaving through the gaps in the golden sword qi.
Her speed was extreme; her white figure appeared and disappeared within the golden sword qi, like a ghost.
Her tachi in hand continuously slashed, shattering each approaching golden sword qi.
With each slash, a crisp "clang" could be heard, like notes of a metallic symphony, echoing across the battlefield.
Although the continuous rapid slashes suppressed Ikaruga, not a single sword qi managed to break through her defense.
Brain paused his slashes slightly, raising both hands to his sides, and a golden mantis phantom flashed over his body.
"Your sword is fast, but not fast enough!"
Brain swung his tachis again, this time increasing the speed of his attacks, wielding them like a tempest.
Golden sword qi poured down like dense arrows towards Ikaruga.
Under this dense assault, Ikaruga's figure also began to appear somewhat disheveled.
Her white kimono was torn in several places by the sword qi, and a few strands of her hair were severed by the sword qi, scattering in the air.
"Fast sword technique?" Ikaruga took a deep breath. Just as Brain swung his tachi again, unleashing another golden sword qi, Ikaruga suddenly moved.
Her body sprang forward as if launched by a spring, charging through dozens of golden sword qi towards Brain.
As she charged towards Brain, her tachi in hand continuously swung, unleashing pure white sword qi.
These sword qi collided with the golden sword qi, producing a series of loud bangs and scattering sparks.
In the blink of an eye, Ikaruga was in front of Brain.
Her tachi in hand was raised high, then slashed downwards fiercely.
This single strike contained all her strength, and its speed was extreme.
Both Brain's and Ikaruga's sword styles were typical fast swords!
Their core principle was to suppress enemies with astonishing slashing speed!
Brain raised his two tachis to block.
"Clang!"
With a loud crash, their weapons collided, and the powerful force caused the surrounding air to vibrate.
Cracks appeared on the ground, spreading outwards like a spiderweb.
The two remained in a stalemate, neither willing to retreat a single step.
The airflow around them seemed to be stirred by invisible hands, forming visible vortices.
Ikaruga gritted her teeth, a faint, unnatural blush appearing on her face, a sign of her blood churning from exerting her full power.
"He has demonic beast bloodline; I don't have an advantage in strength, so I can't clash head-on..." Ikaruga felt the immense force feedback from her sword. She had reached her limit, whereas Brain, with his mantis-type demonic beast bloodline, still seemed to have plenty of reserves.
Brain himself clearly realized that Ikaruga was no match for him in a test of strength.
His eyes, visible through the golden mask, were full of mockery.
"Your swordsmanship is lacking, and your strength is even more insufficient!" A mocking voice came from beneath the mask. Brain's wings on his back suddenly spread wide and flapped rapidly, using the advantage of his wings to exert an even greater force from above.
At the intersection of the two tachis and the tachi, dazzling light erupted, and the air was compressed, emitting a sharp whistle.
The ground beneath Ikaruga's feet began to crack, and her body slowly sank under this force.
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