Yamada had been waiting for Akane Koyama to say yes to his challenge. Seeing that the other party finally agreed to a battle, his gloomy face finally showed a touch of joy. The others had consciously stepped aside and cleared the space in the middle for the two contenders.
Only Takeuchi and Zhang Heng still stood there. Takeuchi then chirped, “Great! I can witness brother Yamada’s Oishi Shinkage-Ryu stabbing technique again! My people will be proud of him.”
After that, he slowly retreated to a corner.
Yamada discreetly scolded Takeuchi. The competition had escalated to the point it now involved a Choshu domain samurai’s honor. But Takeuchi didn’t seem satisfied. He had to involve the fight between the sects as well. This had increased Yamada’s stress level tremendously. His Oishi Shinkage Ryu Stab Technique was a sort of quick melee attack. If he hesitated at any moment, the technique could fall apart completely. From the surface, Takeuchi appeared to be encouraging him, but he was actually taking the opportunity to disrupt his mind.
Yamada, on the other hand, had been adopting Shingyötö-ryū for a long time. He was the kind of samurai who paid close attention to his surroundings, employing elements that could benefit him. After all, Yamada was a man who had been through the Kinmon incident and wouldn’t be affected so easily by Takeuchi. Moreover, one’s state of mind would only be affected if the opponent’s strength was equally powerful. As long as he stayed sober, he was confident that he would win the battle.
Yamada saw that Zhang Heng was still in his way. Sternly, he waved the Tachi in his hand and urged, “Go away, or I will slash you with my Tachi!”
Zhang Heng pretended he heard nothing, turning to Akane Koyama instead. “If you can’t defeat him, just give up. Don’t take the risk. If you make one wrong step, this dojo will be shut forever.”
Then, like Takeuchi, he too retreated to the side.
Yamada was getting impatient. Not even bothered to perform the pre-fight salutation, he raised his Tachi and lunged straight for Akane Koyama.
Since the two fought at the market last night, Akane Koyama knew that Yamada’s left-hand was swift and she had been guarding her right against being attacked. However, as soon as the fight started, Akane Koyama realized she made a mistake. The Yamada right now and the drunken Yamada last night were completely different people.
This time, Yamada was adamant that Akane Koyama paid for what happened to him last night. Not only was his performance unaffected by the pressure, but it actually brought out the best in him. Now that he was fully focused on the fight, he was faster than before, but his form was impeccable as well. Coupled with indomitable momentum, he had managed to produce a perfect rendition of the Oishi Shinkage-Ryu Stab Technique.
Meanwhile, Akene Koyama was doing all she could to defend herself. She felt almost completely powerless against Yamada’s dominating blows. The Koyama Flow was a technique that focused on defensive abilities. She was supposed to pay attention to the Tachi’s movements and feel them with her heart. Unfortunately, Yamada’s attacks were so swift, and as her eyes darted around, she had no idea how to suppress him.
In less than ten moves, Akane Koyama’s right arm was slashed by Yamada. The onlookers immediately had the feeling that Akane Koyama would lose the battle. Akane Koyama, however, had no intention to surrender anytime soon. With gritted teeth, she passed the katana to her other hand.
Yamada was disappointed that he failed to land a heavy blow to Akane Koyama. If only she had dodged a second slower, he would have been able to cripple her. This time, his goal was not only to defeat Akane Koyama but to end her life for good. An arm might not be enough to cleanse the offense suffered by the Choshu Domain Warriors.
The few previous rounds of sparring had Yamada getting a clear grasp of Akane Koyama’s strength. He figured that they had a rather significant gap between them, and it was then that he thought he could finally let out a sigh of relief. He was glad that Akane Koyama had no intention to surrender. However, he knew that she would definitely not continue the fight if something similar happened again, no matter how stubborn she was.
So, he covertly changed tactics. First, he changed forms and slowed down his attacks. In exchange, the trajectory of his strikes became more evident, hence easier to dodge. It allowed Akane Koyama to think she could relax a little when the truth was that the threat had just escalated to a serious level.
Yamada hid his trump card, for now, seeking the perfect opportunity to land a fatal blow. Few that were there could really figure Yamada’s true intentions. When they saw Akane Koyama bleeding from her wounds, Matsuo and Takahashi could not help but cheer for Yamada. Nonetheless, as the fight progressed, they could not help but start worrying about him. On the contrary, Akane’s dojo children had stopped their anxiety and began to see the light of hope. Akane Koyama had taught them-as long as they managed to defend from the attack, they could capture the opponent’s weakness, thereby looking for a counterattack opportunity. But Takeuchi, who was also a master, knew exactly what Yamada was thinking.
“How dare he say that I am cunning? He is no better than me,” Takeuchi proclaimed with a chuckle.
The battle ended faster than everyone expected. A second ago, Akane Koyama was still fighting with Yamada. The next second, without warning, Yamada sped up his attacks again, changing from his previous habit of assaulting from the left. He aimed at Akane Koyama’s forehead and slashed at it with all his might! The sudden change caused Akane Koyama to misjudge the direction of the opponent’s move, barely lifting the katana to block the attack. She was forced to take half a step back. It appeared she had underestimated Yamada’s strength. The blow was so powerful that Akane Koyama fell to the ground, her katana clattering noisily along with her.
At this point, no matter how unwilling Akane Koyama was, she could only accept defeat. However, as the winner, Yamada had no intention to stop. A cold, bloodthirsty madness flashed in his eyes. He raised his Tachi and charged at Akane Koyama.
She gasped in shock, thinking if this was the day she would leave the world. What would happen to the dojo her father left her after his death? These children were still working on their foundation. Without learning the skills she wanted to teach, would the Koyama Flow be lost forever?
In stark contrast to Akane Koyama’s despair, Yamada’s eyes were filled with excitement. The battle last night had greatly tarnished his reputation. Takeuchi even deliberately made a trip here to watch the battle. While they were on the way, he did not stop teasing and ridiculing him. Now, he finally had the chance to put a stop to this nonsense.
As long as he killed Akane Koyama, he’d regain all that he lost. Then, something totally unexpected happened. A katana stopped Yamada’s final blow. His hands went numb for a while, almost causing him to lose his grip on the Tachi.
Simultaneously, the katana that stopped his attack remained unmoved.
“The winner has been decided. You don’t have to kill her.”
The opportunity to kill Akane Koyama had come and left. Yamada couldn’t help but boil with rage. When he saw the ronin who stopped him, his anger only amplified.
