Cyrus also leaped up, landing on the sandy beach by the island's shore.
Stepping onto the soft sand, Cyrus's gaze fell on Koshiro not far away.
"Let's go all out this time. I want to test my limits," Cyrus emphasized again.
After speaking, he fully activated his Observation Haki.
He had fought Koshiro many times.
Although Koshiro had never truly gone all out in those encounters, he knew the extent of Koshiro's Swordsmanship.
Although Koshiro claimed the Shimotsuki family's ancestral sword style was what he was good at, a top-tier master swordsman was not that simple.
"That's my intention as well."
Pushing up his glasses, Koshiro's eyes behind the lenses calmly looked at Cyrus.
"This can also be considered your graduation exam. Perhaps you are the most talented student I have ever guided in my life."
Koshiro was well aware that Cyrus had also been holding back.
That power of flames—Cyrus had never used it in their previous spars. Perhaps he would get to see it this time.
Thinking of this, Koshiro raised his hand and drew Wado Ichimonji.
Pitch-black Haki enveloped his arm and hand, then wound around Wado Ichimonji.
The flowing Haki rippled like water.
Cyrus made the same motion, raising his hand to grip the hilt of En, which he held in his left hand. He drew the exceptionally long sword, and Haki appeared, coiling around the blade.
The next moment, the sand beneath their feet exploded.
CLANG!
A piercing clash of metal rang out.
The two held their swords locked, and a violent shockwave blasted outwards, creating ripples across the sand and seawater.
The trees in the distance bent under the force of the impact.
"You're not unaware of my strengths, are you?"
As he spoke, Cyrus's expression hardened.
His sword-wielding right arm suddenly exerted force, sending Koshiro flying.
Cyrus followed closely, the blade of En swinging in a wide arc, slashing towards the airborne Koshiro.
The Armament Haki-infused Wado Ichimonji tapped the incoming blade, lifting Koshiro's body higher as a black slash flew past beneath him.
BOOM!
The slash flew out, carving a long gash through the island's forest.
"I once told you that a swordsman must learn to control their strength," Koshiro said to the landing Cyrus, his Observation Haki sensing the power of the attack.
"Yes, you did. But that doesn't really suit me."
Cyrus held his sword horizontally in front of him.
A touch of orange-red appeared on his hand, spiraling around the blade like several flames.
"Flames should be explosive and passionate. Flames are never calm."
As Cyrus's voice fell, the flame left an afterimage in the air as the long, narrow blade, wreathed in scorching flames, slashed down at Koshiro's head.
Koshiro sidestepped, Wado Ichimonji tracing a dim arc of light as it stabbed straight for Cyrus's wrist.
The swift Flame Sword carried immense force, but before the strike fully landed, it abruptly switched.
The downward slash transformed into a horizontal one, clashing with the redirected Wado Ichimonji.
Koshiro once again used the force to retreat, and the Flame Sword followed closely.
Berserk Flame Sword energy flew out one after another.
Koshiro retreated, continuously sidestepping to dodge the slashes.
The incredibly scorching slashes caused the surrounding temperature to rise rapidly.
"What impressive slashes!" Koshiro said while backing away, but he couldn't create any distance from Cyrus.
Compared to Koshiro's technique-filled moves, Cyrus's were simple, direct, and overwhelmingly powerful.
Previously, Koshiro had reminded Cyrus that there were countless powerhouses with terrifying physiques on the sea, and relying on brute force like this might lead to a great disadvantage at times.
But Cyrus had persisted on this path.
This was a clash of force and technique.
Facing the attacking Cyrus, Koshiro tapped his feet lightly, his body silently closing in on Cyrus, the sword in his hand stabbing out with several afterimages.
His target was Cyrus's eyes.
But the Wado Ichimonji stabbing at Cyrus collided with a hand wrapped in Armament Haki.
The sharp Wado Ichimonji failed to harm Cyrus in the slightest.
Again!
Koshiro felt a sense of helplessness.
He retracted Wado Ichimonji to clash with the descending Flame, then spun his entire body, once again using the force to perform a mid-air flip and thrust his sword out again.
He knew Cyrus's body was special. In their previous exchanges, he had realized countless times that it was very difficult for him to injure Cyrus.
But even a monstrous talent like this had to have a limit.
Faced with the sword stabbing at his chest and abdomen, Cyrus instinctively retreated, dodging the direct thrust of the blade.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Koshiro unleashed several dark-colored slashes.
His body moved with the attacks, as if he himself were a slash, leaving afterimages as he charged at Cyrus.
"You should know this one."
Cyrus sheathed his sword. Facing the incoming slashes, he placed his right hand on the hilt.
"Flame Slash!"
Swish!
A blade that seemed to tear through space itself shredded all the incoming slashes.
The next moment, before Koshiro could react, the sword was already in front of him.
Boom!
A figure was sent flying by the slash.
Flipping in mid-air, Koshiro crashed into the distant woods.
Cyrus pointed his longsword diagonally at the ground and looked in the direction Koshiro had fallen, then lowered his head to look at his own abdomen.
The clothes on his abdomen had been sliced open.
"Truly amazing!"
Cyrus hadn't even noticed when he had been hit; his Observation Haki hadn't seen the attack either.
"It seems I have to go all out."
Koshiro's voice came from afar.
The next moment, his body leaped up from the woods, flowing Haki suffusing the Wado Ichimonji in his hand.
Then, he swooped down from the air.
A smile appeared on Cyrus's face.
He bent his legs sharply, flowing Haki wrapping around the blade in his hand.
The Haki on his hand continuously gathered onto the sword as flames burned on the blade.
The next moment, the sand beneath Cyrus's feet exploded.
A long trail of fire streamed behind him, like an extremely long orange-red cape.
The swinging blade drew an orange-red circle in the air.
Clang!
The upward slash collided with the sword coming from the opposite direction, and they were locked in a stalemate in the air.
The stalemate lasted only a moment before the blades slid past each other.
Cyrus's expression tightened.
In the corner of his eye, he saw the figure and the sword that had just slid past him.
[Health: 87%]
Cyrus, who had shot up into the sky, turned his head to look at the descending Koshiro.
The falling Koshiro didn't pause for a moment.
He instantly turned and shot back up, once again pursuing Cyrus. The Wado Ichimonji in his hand carried a dangerous aura as it slashed toward Cyrus.
Cyrus turned and threw a punch, colliding with the incoming sword.
Unable to leverage himself in the air, Cyrus actually lost out in the contest of strength and was sent flying by the sword strike.
In an instant, the roles of offense and defense had been reversed.
As Cyrus fell, he was surrounded on all sides by incoming blades and slashes. Koshiro's body was a blur of countless afterimages.
Cyrus swung the sword in his hand, blocking the incoming attacks, but a large number of slashes still landed on him.
Boom!
Cyrus crashed head-on into a slash that attempted to force him back into the sky, and then his body plummeted from the air to the ground.
Rip!
Cyrus tore off his tattered shirt, revealing a sturdy upper body that was still without a single scratch.
But Cyrus's health had already dropped to below half.
The landing Koshiro panted as he looked at Cyrus's uninjured state and a trace of helplessness flashing across his face.