Chapter – 20 Defeated… Again!

Isshin Dojo, Shimotsuki Village, East Blue

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sound of the hammer hitting steel resounded in the smithy as Ryuma, covered in sweat, hammered the heated metal placed on the anvil.

"Come on… boy, what are those pitiful strikes…? Put some strength into it…!" shouted Kozaburo as he landed a hand chop on Ryuma's head.

"Understood!" nodded Ryuma loudly as he increased the strength of the blows. He was currently working on the central part of the blade, closer to the middle or spine, which generally requires more strength during hammering. This is because it is the thickest section of the blade and needs to maintain its thickness and structural integrity to provide strength and support to the entire blade.

"Yes… that's better, keep this up until the metal is elongated enough!" nodded Kozaburo, then said, "Leave no area of the central part unattended, equal hammering at the same strength is required!"

A sword's spine (central part of the blade) is an essential component of the blade's structure and plays a crucial role in providing strength, balance, and flexibility. When the central part is hammered unevenly, its quality and performance are affected, leading to issues such as structural weakness, blade imbalance, distorted geometry, misalignment of the Center of Percussion, weakened stress concentration, and more, which can render a sword useless.

Therefore, achieving even hammering is of utmost importance for laying the foundation of a sword's structure. As Ryuma completed hammering the spine of the sword, he took a deep breath and finally sat down with a tired expression, "This is really exhausting!"

"Humph… this isn't even the start, and you are already tired?" snorted Kozaburo as he examined the blade's structure.

"You can't blame me… this is the 73rd sword I have worked on… I have been in the smithy for the past 15 hours without any food, surviving only on water…!" argued Ryuma. This is not to say that he was physically exhausted; he still had plenty of physical energy. The exhaustion was more mental, having to work in a hot smithy for the past fifteen hours, drenching his clothes in sweat within minutes, while maintaining appropriate hammering strength, was indeed not an easy task and highly mentally exhausting!

But it seemed to Kozaburo that this was nothing; the old man glared at him and rebuked, "So? Only 15 hours, and you are exhausted, boy?" and said, "Listen, boy… it takes hours upon hours to create swords that can gain fame on this sea…"

Ryuma was surprised and asked, "Na… Sensei… how long did it take you to create your two masterpieces?"

Kozaburo grinned, "Months… from finding the right metal to completing the Katana, it took me months to create those blades!"

Ryuma's eyes widened as he gritted his teeth and stood up, "It seems I have to put in more work than I had imagined to reach your level… and looks like I really can't take it easy!"

"Of course… who do you think I am? You are a hundred years too early to reach my level!" spoke Kozaburo, then added, "This blade… its structure is barely enough to meet my standards…"

Ryuma grinned proudly, "That's progress, I would say."

Kozaburo shouted, "Don't flatter yourself, boy… this was just the 'Drawn Out' step… now start with the 'Folding the Steel,' and this time I want you to do better!"

'Folding the Steel' is a traditional Swordsmithing technique that involves repeatedly layering and forge-welding the steel to create a composite billet with multiple layers. The process is also known as 'forge welding' or 'pattern welding' when used to create patterned swords like Damascus steel or Katana.

There are three steps in 'Folding the Steel.'

The first step involves 'Stacking the Layers,' in this, multiple layers of metal, sometimes the same or sometimes different, are stacked on top of each other. The layers can vary in composition, carbon content, or other properties.

The second step is 'Heating and Forge Welding,' the stacked layers are heated in the forge until they reach a malleable state. The heated billet is then forged by applying pressure to bond the layers together. The process is often repeated several times, with the billet folded over itself and forge-welded again.

And finally, the third step is 'Drawing Out and Refolding,' after each folding and welding cycle, the billet is 'Drawn Out,' elongating it to improve the steel's grain structure and refine the blade's overall composition. The billet is then stacked and folded again, repeating the process several times.

The 'Drawn Out' that Ryuma performed a few moments ago can be counted as the first iteration of 'Folding the Steel,' and what he is doing now is the next iteration until the structure becomes suitable before moving to the next step.

As for why 'Folding the Steel' is done, it improves the blade's homogeneity, refines grain, enhances the blade's performance by creating a combination of hard and soft steel layers, reduces inclusions (non-metallic impurities) that could otherwise weaken the blade, along with many more added benefits related to the blade's strength as well as its beauty.

"Just wait and watch, Sensei!" said Ryuma as his expression became serious and he picked up the hammer.

"Humph!" snorted Kozaburo as he folded his hands and watched Ryuma working on the heated metal. In his mind, he couldn't help but think, 'Ryuma is doing better than I had imagined…' and grinned, 'It was the right choice to accept him as my disciple.'

Unaware of Kozaburo's thoughts, Ryuma continued to work on the metal.

…

20 hours later

"Finally… it's completed!" spoke Ryuma as he put down the hammer and called out for Kozaburo, "Sensei… it's done!"

"Hmm… let's see…" muttered Kozaburo as he stepped forward to analyze the blade once more. After a minute of silence that lasted as long as an eternity for Ryuma, he finally nodded with a satisfied expression, "This will do for now…"

"Phew…" Ryuma smiled as he took a breath of exhaustion and wiped the sweat from his face.

Kozaburo smiled, "You have done well, boy…"

"Thanks, Sensei," spoke Ryuma as he scratched his hair with an embarrassed smile. He didn't expect Kozaburo to praise him.

Kozaburo ignored Ryuma's embarrassment and turned around as he spoke, "Clean up the mess here, then go take a rest… Also, I want you here first thing in the morning tomorrow!"

"Yes!" nodded Ryuma as he started to clean the Smithy in which he had worked for the last 35 hours.

It took one whole hour, and all the mess he had made in the past 35 hours inside the smithy was cleaned up.

"Nice… now I can finally have a meal, take a bath, and rest," muttered Ryuma with a jovial smile as he turned around and left the Smithy.

But just as he had opened the door and stepped outside, Ryuma was taken aback to find a person sitting in front of the gate of the Smithy. Ryuma looked at the person with a confused expression and called out, "Kuina-chan?"

It was none other than Kuina sitting in the corridor in front of the gate of the Smithy, and for some reason, she had a Shinai in her hand as if she was waiting for something.

As soon as Ryuma called out, Kuina raised her head and spoke, "Ryuma-san… I am here to challenge you to a duel!"

"A duel?" muttered Ryuma in surprise and spoke, "But didn't I defeat you the day before yesterday?"

(AN: Ryuma worked in the Smithy for 35 hours + 1-hour cleaning, from the early morning of the day followed the night he defeated Kuina… which means she was defeated two days ago (i.e., nearly 48 hours), just to clear up the confusion.)

"That… that was just a fluke… I didn't expect you to be this strong and was surprised!" Kuina retorted with a flustered expression and spoke as her tone became serious, "I am here to challenge you once again… this time I won't be surprised and will use all my strength to defeat you!"

"Is that so?" muttered Ryuma as his smile widened and he nodded, "Very well then, I shall accept your challenge… let me see how strong you truly are, Shimotsuki Kuina!"

…

Just like the previous duel, it was already night, and the other disciples at the Isshin Dojo had returned to their homes.

Under the starry sky, three people were present in the backyard of Isshin Dojo.

"Both ready?" asked Rio as he stood between Ryuma and Kuina. The blue parrot was the referee for the rematch between Kuina and Ryuma.

"Ready!" nodded Kuina as she stared at Ryuma and the Shinai he held.

Ryuma nodded lightly, "Hmm."

"BEGIN!" declared Rio as he fluttered his wings and flew into the air.

Immediately as Rio signaled the start of the duel, Kuina dashed toward Ryuma at her top speed, and just as she approached Ryuma, she raised her Shinai high and struck it down, "Haaaa!"

However, her Shinai couldn't connect with Ryuma's body as he sidestepped at the last moment, and as Kuina passed by him, he struck his Shinai on her back, SMACK!

The force carried by Ryuma's strike caused Kuina to almost fall, but she stabilized her figure, and with gritted teeth turned around and shouted, "I am not defeated yet!"

Ryuma raised his left hand and beckoned her, "Come then!"

"Hyaaaaaa!" with a loud war cry, Kuina attacked Ryuma. She rapidly slashed her Shinai as she moved closer and attempted to strike him.

However, once again, Ryuma easily avoided all the slashes, then struck the hilt of his Shinai in her gut.

"Urgh!" Kuina coughed and saliva as she collapsed to the ground. The Shinai in her hand fell as she held her stomach in pain.

Ryuma crouched beside her and questioned, "Wanna continue?"

Kuina could only glare at him coldly but couldn't speak because of the pain.

Unperturbed by her cold eyes, Ryuma shrugged, "Seems not."

At this time, Rio landed beside the two and declared, "The winner is Ryuma!"

"Well, that takes care of this match," muttered Ryuma as he got up. Then, without paying much attention to Kuina, he left the backyard while rubbing his stomach, "Man… I am really hungry… and tired after spending 35 hours in the Smithy… I wonder if there is something left to eat…"

Rio, who was standing on Ryuma's shoulder, said with a disgusted expression as he used one of his wings to cover his nose, "Bud, I suggest that you take a bath and change your clothes before eating anything… or resting… you stink."

"Do I?" muttered Ryuma with a doubtful expression as he raised his hand and sniffed his underarm, and said with a disgusted expression, "Uwaa… You are right."

…

"Damn it!" shouted Kuina in frustration as she watched Ryuma walk away.

She was defeated… yet again… and this time she was not taken aback. She fought Ryuma fully aware of the fact that he is strong, and she needed to go all out. All out she went, yet she couldn't even land a single hit, while Ryuma casually defeated her in just two strikes!