It could be said this strike was an absolute, certain kill!
The moment the three-stage thrust was unleashed, even if one blocked the first thrust, the second and third thrusts would pierce through the exact same spot.
The best method in this situation was to be faster than the opponent, completely evading all three stages of the attack.
But the reason it was called a thrust was because it was difficult to dodge. At least, at Souji's speed, even Kaguya could only counter it head-on with her Kuzuryusen, utterly incapable of dodging it purely with speed.
Naturally, Yusei could manage it. He had numerous ways to evade this three-stage thrust, and he chose the one most suited for teaching.
Watching Souji, who had transformed into a streak of light thrusting towards him, a slight curve formed at the corner of Yusei's mouth.
The bamboo sword in his hand assumed the exact same posture Souji had just used.
Seeing this, Souji, in her rapid charge, had her pupils contract sharply, as if she had thought of something.
Sure enough, the next moment, a calm voice rang out.
"Mumyo Sandan-zuki."
A blue stream of light erupted, crashing directly into Souji's crimson Rengoku Ken like a comet.
It was a direct clash of sharp points. The bamboo sword and the Rengoku Ken collided perfectly, both using the very same [Mumyo Sandan-zuki].
Logically, the treasured Rengoku Ken should have shattered the bamboo sword in an instant.
Yet, the result was the complete opposite. The bamboo sword in Yusei's hand seemed to have changed its very material, just as carbon can become as hard as diamond or as fragile as graphite.
This bamboo sword was normally 'graphite', but in Yusei's hand, it had suddenly become 'diamond'.
The Rengoku Ken was a rare, supreme treasure. Remaining undamaged in a clash of two ultimate techniques was already quite impressive.
However, due to Yusei's overwhelming power, Souji still couldn't withstand it. The Rengoku Ken in her hand was directly knocked away by Yusei's bamboo sword.
The bamboo sword, turned into a blue stream of light, thrust straight towards Souji, stopping at the very last moment right at the area of her heart. The distance was practically zero.
If Yusei had been even 0.1 seconds slower, given the terrifying piercing force capable of repelling the Rengoku Ken, the result would have been Souji's instant death.
It showed just how exquisitely Yusei controlled the release of his sword technique.
Holding the sword in his right hand, Yusei looked at the seemingly stunned Souji and smiled lightly, "See? I told you a bamboo sword could defeat a real sword."
Yusei's hand was perfectly steady, not moving a muscle.
Souji didn't speak. She looked at Yusei, then finally lowered her gaze to the bamboo sword positioned in front of her heart. Suddenly, her face flushed red, but she remained silent.
Seeing this, Yusei found it strange, "What's wrong?"
"Cough." A cough came from the side.
Yusei looked over. Utaha had approached, looking at him with a peculiar expression.
"Are you being a pervert?"
"Who's being a pervert?"
"You are," Utaha stated directly, simultaneously pointing at the sword in Yusei's hand, then at the area of Okita Souji's heart, before looking at Yusei with even more suspicion, "You're a sword master yourself, so you can't possibly not know that girls usually don't wear bras during practice, right? And you still say you aren't being a pervert?"
"Uh..." Only with Utaha's clear 'reminder' did Yusei realize what he had just done.
Immediately, the bamboo sword loosened in his grip and fell to the floor.
"I really didn't know. I rarely practice swordsmanship," Yusei said with a bitter smile.
"You 'rarely practice swordsmanship'?" Utaha looked at Yusei with a face full of disdain, believing he was feigning innocence after taking advantage.
'You just defeated her real sword with a bamboo one, and you claim you don't practice? And those blue and red auras just now… how could they not be the manifestation of mastered swordsmanship?'
Utaha knew Yusei had special abilities, but she didn't expect Souji to have them too.
So, based on her own judgment, these were skills they both comprehended after reaching a certain level in swordsmanship.
And reality was indeed like that.
Souji's face was still bright red. She bit her red lips tightly, still not speaking, and silently picked up the completely undamaged shinai.
Seeing Souji like this felt strange to Yusei. It was his first time seeing a shy Souji.
She wasn't demanding a rematch, nor was she vowing to defeat him next time.
She just remained silent like this.
Never mind Utaha thinking he was a pervert, if Souji kept acting like this, even Yusei himself would start feeling like one.
"You win," The previously silent Souji suddenly spoke.
She lifted her face, which held a familiar quality in Yusei's memory, her eyes staring seriously at Yusei, her pretty face still tinged with a blush.
"I will practice swordsmanship properly. Next time, I'll strive not to be defeated in one move."
"Alright, I'll be waiting," Yusei said, relieved that Souji could still speak.
"And..." Souji paused, her face slightly flushed, as if struggling internally, but she ultimately gritted her teeth and spoke, "Next time we duel... I'll wear a bra!"
After saying this, Souji took the Rengoku Ken and the 'sin-laden' bamboo sword from before, and quickly left the dojo.
This dojo served as the main arena for the title holder. Those wanting to challenge simply needed to register here, by dropping a letter into the mailbox at the entrance.
The title holder would check once a day, then face the challengers collectively the next day. This also put some pressure on the title holder, as successive challenges were allowed.
However, it's important to note that in a round robin, if someone ahead successfully challenges the title holder, those later in line must submit their applications again the next day for a challenge the day after.
This prevented malicious tactics of finding people to exhaust the title holder through successive battles.
Watching Souji's somewhat embarrassed and indignant retreating figure, Yusei rubbed his nose and shook his head with a wry smile, then looked at Utaha.
"If I said it wasn't intentional, would you believe me?"
"No," Utaha said.
Hearing this, Yusei sighed, but there was nothing to be done. It had already happened. That final moment of carelessness could be considered a lesson learned.
Utaha, seeing Yusei's somewhat rueful expression, lightly patted her own chest and chuckled.
"Yusei-kun, if you want to 'play at being careless', you can try it on me. I'm much more developed than President Okita, you know?"
"I certainly wouldn't mind~"