Hiryu vs. Shikimi [Part 2]

Saki and Yui were watching the battle in awe. They couldn't follow Shikimi's movements at all, but Hiryu was blocking and even counterattacking her like it was nothing.

"W-we would die the second the battle starts..."

"You've sparred with Hinode-kun for a long time, right? How is it?" Ichinose looked at the battle with sparkling eyes, but her facial expressions were calm.

"It's nothing like this... He was going easy on me, so I didn't expect him to be at this level either."

Hiryu would teach Saki the basics and show her how to effectively perform them. He was a great teacher, giving feedback and not interfering too much so that Saki could figure it out on her own. She was grateful for the things he had done for her.

The fight continued on to its climax. Students who just got into the center all stopped to watch two of the best prospects in the academy. Even students who just finished their spars decided to rest in the spectating room and watch this spectacle.

"Woah! They're so fast that I couldn't keep up!" a second-year startled at the scene. 

"Who do you think is going to win?"

"The girl is gaining her space and attacking relentlessly right now, but the boy is blocking all of them effortlessly."

Shikimi refused to back down because she knew that if Hiryu gained momentum just for a second, she would be back on the defensive and that would mark her defeat. 

"Just freakin' die!" Shikimi shouted in anger as she swung her daggers violently.

Hiryu with his calm demeanor blocked her every move. He could counterattack rather easily, but he wanted to analyze Shikimi to the finest details. Thus, he intended to drag out this fight more to get the results that he would be satisfied with.

"Oho. What an interesting junior." A mystifying figure walked into the spectating room. Everyone in this school knew of her and either respected her or feared her. There was no in-between.

"She's interested? I've never seen such a thing!" a boy quietly exclaimed to his friend next to him.

"This is the golden generation, after all. Strong people would of course be attracted to their equals."

Even though this was a normal fight without the use of Repulsive Force and Pulses, any capable student would be able to discern that these two individuals were talented.

'If I obtained Pulse, then what would my swordsmanship look like?' Hiryu wondered.

Shikimi was still trying to find openings, but Hiryu had caught up to her speed and was matching it. Hiryu kept retreating while Shikimi constantly slashed deep into Hiryu's sword. 

'This should be enough.' 

With brilliant footwork, he slipped through Shikimi's decisive attack and slashed her left side, leaving a deep cut into her abdomen.

"Arghhh!" Shikimi writhed in pain, but her adrenaline was running wild. She turned around and slashed Hiryu as quick as lightning.

SHAAACK!

A piece of skin fell off Hiryu's left cheek. Blood was gushing out, dyeing his left side red like paint.

"OOOH! Finally a hit from the girl!" the crowd exploded. It was understandable as people loved the underdogs, and Shikimi was playing that role tonight. 

However, the crowd went silent again when they saw this unbelievable sight. "W-what the hell? What is he doing...?"

On the screen, a boy holding the sword upright was closing his eyes. Something ominous was coming.

"Giving up? Hah. I knew it. I'mma kill you off quick so you won't feel any pain."

With that, Shikimi rushed towards Hiryu like a wild boar. Her arms were extending whole as if she was about to run into him for a hug. She decided to decapitate him with a cross slash, and that should've been the end of it.

SHHWAA!

Powerful energy was surging in Hiryu's body. When he opened his eyes, the condensed energy was released. The weight of it was so strong that Shikimi was blown back a couple of meters and fell to her butt. 

"What the...? Sword Aura!?" Otogi was shocked by what was showing in front of her eyes.

The bright white flame engulfed the entire sword. The beautiful trail of white followed the sword with every movement.

'Just like cutting the prickling tall grass in my garden, I'll cut her with ease.'

"Wait!!"

With one slash into nothingness, Otogi saw the inverted skies. Her head fell off.

[Victory! Hinode Hiryu!]

"Phew. It's been a while since I drew out Sword Aura. Glad it isn't shabby." A sigh of relief echoed in Hiryu's cubic room.

On the other hand, the spectating crowd was silent for a moment. It was a speechless frame of time that made everyone contemplate what just happened. When it hit them, everyone went wild.

"Did you see that?! That's crazy!!!"

"Sword Aura at the age of 15 is an insane feat. I think that's unprecedented in history..."

"Yui-san... Did you see what I just saw?" Saki spoke while her hands trembled in excitement. She listened to Hiryu talk about Sword Aura before, but he had never once used it, and now she saw it with her own eyes. It was a heavenly white flame that shone like a fragrant lily.

Saki was busy looking at the replays, but she hadn't heard from Yui yet. "Yui!" When she turned around, she saw Yui's eyes stuck to the screen, admiring the Sword Aura that Hiryu just performed.

Her facial expressions were still calm, but her cheeks got a bit more color to it. Her still blue eyes were shining chaotically. It was like she fell into a dreamy palace and met the prince unexpectedly.

'Oh no... Surely not,' Saki just realized this was an expression of a maiden who fell in love. She could be wrong, but as a fellow girl, she knew that this was not an ordinary reaction of admiration.

As Saki watched Yui in hopelessness, a shadow-like entity passed by.

"W-what was that?" Saki quickly turned around to see a girl with beautiful silver hair tied up high like a tennis player. Even though she was wearing the school's uniform, Saki could still see her perfect and lean physique. She emitted a different energy than everyone.

'How could one hide their presence so well?' Saki was spooked by her and decided to steer clear.

Meanwhile, Hiryu was sitting against the metal wall to rest up. He didn't expect that Sword Aura would use up that much of his energy. He was also surprised how real it was slicing the head off of somebody. 

He thought that this would be the place that he must come often. Not to mention, there was a mode that we could train against monsters as well, so he decided that he would come here once per day.

As he was about to open the door to exit the room, the door opened up itself, revealing a beautiful girl with silver hair and ocean-blue eyes.

"Hinode Hiryu, right? My name is Yuan Meihui, a second-year of the academy. I hereby formally request a spar with you."