Clang!

Clang!

Blade struck blade, bursting sparks into the air.

Each swing came with an ear-splitting boom, proof of strikes surpassing the speed of sound.

If Sol could send a tennis ball flying supersonic, then with a blade in hand his speed was faster still.

With a twenty percent advantage in strength and having seized the initiative from Miyabi, Sol pressed forward relentlessly, turning defense into offense and driving her back step by step.

An ordinary fighter would have been reduced to scraps under this storm of slashes.

Yet even against such sonic-speed blows, Miyabi, though pushed onto the back foot, managed to keep up with Sol's speed, blocking every cut that came her way.

They were both monsters—monsters in swordsmanship, monsters in physique. Even in New Eridu, where physical prodigies abounded, they were at the absolute pinnacle of humanity.

Sol moved like a roaming dragon, matching Miyabi's every retreat, always closing in with the precise slash that demanded her guard.

"Chief must be under incredible pressure right now—unbearable pressure!"

Asaba Harumasa instinctively gripped his twin curved blades tighter, unconsciously placing himself in Miyabi's shoes.

Just watching Sol's relentless, crushing offense was suffocating.

If it were him instead of Miyabi, he would have already been hacked to pieces.

Two monsters—both in swordplay, both in body.

And today, he was lucky enough to witness two monster sword masters clash.

"Overwhelming by sheer momentum. If even one strike lands, the rest of the battle could be decided then and there."

Tsukishiro Yanagi's eyes were fixed on Sol, unblinking.

Unlike Harumasa, who empathized with Miyabi, Yanagi found herself drawn into Sol's perspective.

She wielded a long-handled naginata, a style not unlike the path Sol was now demonstrating.

Every move, every masterful adjustment of his blade—watching them was immensely valuable for her.

"So that means… Chief's going to lose?" Soukaku said thoughtfully between bites of her snack.

She hadn't imagined that Sol-oniichan could be this strong—strong enough to suppress even the Chief.

"The match isn't decided yet. Chief is more than this."

Harumasa's voice was firm.

If Miyabi could be defeated so easily, then the title of Void Hunter would mean nothing.

"Step-in slash. Side step, horizontal cut. Reverse body, counter slash…"

While retreating, Miyabi blocked slash after slash, silently reciting Sol's forms in her mind.

His moves were vast, powerful, majestic—every strike heavy with pressure.

And with each swing, his momentum only grew heavier, the next strike rising in power.

But the greater the power, the harder to vary the form.

Miyabi feinted a retreat to the right.

But Sol's blade did not follow right—it swung left, intercepting her sudden shift.

She blocked without faltering, unfazed by the failed feint.

Sol had read her many times already, but Miyabi knew he couldn't be right every time.

"As expected of a Void Hunter… not easy to handle at all."

Sol couldn't help but admire her.

Even with the boost of his [Lightning-Shadow Hand], which amplified his arm speed and reflexes tenfold, his long blade was hardly suited for quick draws. Yet Miyabi was still keeping pace.

The Hoshimi family's swordsmanship was far from simple—worthy indeed of the clan that could cut down Ethereals a hundred meters away.

And Miyabi herself was exceptional.

A lesser swordsman would already have collapsed under this pressure, but she remained calm, always searching for a counterstrike.

More than once Sol had found himself unsure, forced to rely on instinct to predict her next move.

Again, the contest of blades began.

Miyabi swayed left and right, seizing the briefest moment of Sol's hesitation to break free from his barrage.

"My turn!"

Her crimson eyes locked onto Sol, the pent-up frustration of being suppressed for ten long minutes surging into her blade.

"Hoshigata Sword Style—Rasetsu Demon Bone!"

An ancient secret form, once worthy of a title of Sword Saint.

The entire arena seemed to dim in that instant. Then, three chilling arcs of white light split the air.

Harumasa, Yanagi, and Soukaku all instinctively turned their heads away. Even the afterimages of those slashes carried tangible killing intent, making their hearts quake.

Three blades unleashed in a single breath. Three strikes, utterly silent!

Though faster than sound, her technique masked all noise, cloaking the slashes in silence.

Three streaks of cold light from above, left, and right enveloped Sol completely.

Her speed was at its utmost, her power nearly Sol's equal.

Any one of those strikes could cleave steel with ease.

"A beautiful sword technique."

Sol's voice carried genuine praise.

Rasetsu's beauty lay in its lethality hidden within elegance. Wielded by the stunning Miyabi with the exquisite Mikazuki Munechika, it was both breathtaking—and deadly.

"Blade Draw Form—Unbreakable Vajra!"

Sol's right hand gripped the hilt, his left pressing the blade a third of the way up. He traced a circle before him.

In an instant, the sword swung from his left side to his right.

Clang!

Three collisions rang as one, indistinguishable in order.

Brilliant sparks burst in the air where steel met steel.

Miyabi's killing strike failed, her form breaking apart as she shifted back for another round.

She would not make the same mistake again—never again would she allow herself to be caught in Sol's rhythm.

And now freed from his suppression, Miyabi no longer retreated in defeat.

Their blades clashed in a dazzling flurry, crossing and splitting the air.

Sparks sprayed around them in brilliant bursts, like a shower of silver fireworks.

The stone tiles beneath their feet shattered inch by inch, crumbling into uneven fragments.

"Amazing! Absolutely amazing!"

Harumasa broke into applause, unable to hold back his awe.

He had stopped empathizing with Miyabi. Without the illusion of being in her place, he could finally appreciate the spectacle without dread.

After all, imagining himself there only ended one way—with death.

In past missions he had seen Miyabi fight enemies, but always with overwhelming superiority. Even the ones who resisted lasted only moments, never enough to reveal her full ability.

Only now, with Sol clashing against her as an equal—monster against monster—was her true strength on display.

Though they called this a spar…

Harumasa knew that if two or three upper-class Ethereals were caught in this clash, they would be obliterated in an instant.

"Truly spectacular. Sol has given me quite the surprise."

Yanagi's eyes gleamed as she watched.

She had thought Sol no match for Miyabi. But now, the two were equals, neither side conceding an inch.

Even if Miyabi had yet to reinforce herself with Ether or call upon her blade's spirit, the strength she showed now was already seventy percent of her peak.

Sol Mercer—truly bore the makings of a Void Hunter.