Student Knights cannot summon Devices at will outside without permission. However, there are exceptions, such as in special circumstances, or with the permission of the dojo master, allowing Student Knights to summon their Devices.
Although the dojo had been taken over by Kuraudo, it still belonged to the Ayatsuji family. As long as Ayase permitted, the Student Knights could fight in the dojo using their Devices.
In the dojo, both stood facing each other. Hoshiharu held a sword that shimmered like a silver ripple, staring sharply at Kuraudo across from him.
Confident of his victory, Kuraudo, one of the top eight, would not be careless in this battle.
"Indeed, the confrontation with a swordsman is the most exhilarating. Compared to those idiots who only rely on superpowers!"
Under such a gaze, Kuraudo felt a tension he hadn't experienced in a long time. The sharp eyes and the shining silver sword tip gave him the illusion that his heart would soon be pierced.
"Swordsmen are the best!"
He couldn't suppress the boiling excitement in his heart and laughed gleefully. When Ayase announced the start of the match, he immediately lifted his foot and closed the distance between him and Hoshiharu with long strides.
"HA HA HA!"
Accompanied by loud laughter, Kuraudo struck fiercely. Amidst the roaring wind, he gripped Orochimaru tightly in his right hand and swung the serrated sword towards Hoshiharu's head. His attack was more of a "knock" than a "cut."
He seemed oblivious to the Odachi's mode of attack, relying solely on brute force to deliver a strong blow, reminiscent of Hoshiharu's initial strike in his battle with Shinguji Kurono. However, back then, Hoshiharu deliberately acted like a novice, attempting to make Kurono underestimate him so he could use Lightning Flint to decide the outcome.
Kuraudo now performed almost the same action. But in comparison—
*DING*
Hoshiharu's eyes were exceptionally sharp. Before Kuraudo could approach and swing Orochimaru, he had already stabbed with his sword. He twisted the blade, aiming it upward. The sword tip precisely struck Orochimaru's jaw, causing the slash to be deflected.
This scene was exactly the same as in the restaurant. The sword landed perfectly at the leverage point, Kuraudo's arm, dispersing the force of his arm to the maximum, defeating strength with weakness.
"What incredible strength!"
Despite finding the leverage point perfectly and blocking the attack, Hoshiharu was secretly terrified. Even though Kuraudo's movements were rough, his arm strength was extraordinary. Hoshiharu used the leverage point to disperse more than 90% of his strength. After catching the sword, he still felt his arm go numb, as if struck by a beast's claw.
It contained no truth or conviction, relying solely on strength to make people submit—a blatant force!
But—
"…Indeed, you have no idea how to use a sword!"
Hoshiharu supported the leverage point with all his strength and looked coldly. This approach made Kuraudo not dare to rush in, for when he drew his sword, Hoshiharu's sword tip would be forced into his embrace, piercing his body.
"So what?"
Kuraudo, told the truth by Hoshiharu, didn't take it seriously at all, but continued to laugh uncontrollably. Hoshiharu's method of finding the leverage point was a highly difficult skill. It not only required unparalleled vision and strong intuition to judge the timing of the attack but also a significant suppression in swordsmanship.
Indeed, the skill gap in swordsmanship had to be large enough to be easily captured. Therefore, unlike Hoshiharu's deliberate illusion against Kurono, Kuraudo's swordsmanship was amateurish. His sword swings were rough, full of weaknesses in his movements, and easily found several ways to defend.
This person had never learned proper swordsmanship at all! Hence, Hoshiharu could stab the leverage point with his extraordinary vision and realm.
"As long as the fight is enjoyable, that's enough, isn't it?"
Kuraudo didn't care. He took a step back, intending to get out of Hoshiharu's counterattack range and then retreated to avoid the sword tip piercing his jaw. But his steps were too obvious, and Hoshiharu knew his intention in an instant. When Kuraudo retreated, Hoshiharu also took a step forward.
However, there was a height and stature difference between them, and the distance of one step was also different, making the leverage point strike unsustainable. Nevertheless, Hoshiharu had no intention of maintaining it.
As the two men's swords missed, Hoshiharu's sword used the rebound force to let out a piercing scream, stabbing directly at Kuraudo's chest. This sword not only had Hoshiharu's own strength but also Kuraudo's strength. This strike directly stabbed into Kuraudo's embrace. It took less than a split second to pierce his chest!
Hoshiharu excelled in close combat. Excellent in sword fighting! Facing a man without skill like Kuraudo, he could easily gain the upper hand relying on his sharp vision and rhythm control in his own hands.
Indeed, the difference in arm strength between him and Kuraudo was significant, but the essence of swordsmanship itself was the technique used by the weak to defeat the strong!
Kuraudo shouldn't be able to react to this strike. Even if the piercing sword tip couldn't penetrate his entire chest, it could at least go about a centimeter into his chest. It was impossible to return empty-handed. This was a normal judgment.
But Kuraudo was no ordinary person.
"Ha!"
When the sword tip stabbed, Orochimaru suddenly appeared contrary to common sense, swinging his sword from the side and hitting the blade of Nameless Sword. The blade was thrown aside in an instant. Hoshiharu's arm strength couldn't control it at all, and his arm was thrown far.
To avoid further pursuit, he could only retreat unconsciously. Both retreated together and stood about five meters apart. Hoshiharu concentrated on maintaining the other side but also felt extraordinary.
When this person retreated, his plan was undoubtedly to retreat and counterattack. When retreating, he was unconsciously ready to move forward. Then under the attack just now, this person shouldn't be able to react. Even if he reacted quickly enough, he should have panicked.
But Kuraudo reacted instantly and made the fastest and most accurate judgment.
"Hahahaha! Did you think you could kill me instantly with one strike?"
He laughed heartily. Then, regardless of the slight disadvantage now, he stepped forward again, advancing and swinging Orochimaru at Hoshiharu from the front.
This time, he used a sweeping motion. Hoshiharu frowned and had no choice but to step back, opting to avoid the spotlight for now.
This angled attack couldn't be blocked by finding the leverage point. When attacking from the front, it was easy to gather the strength of both arms, so he could withstand the attack by finding the leverage point. But when the attack came from the side, he could only strike with one hand due to the angle.
Even with the strength of both hands, it was difficult to withstand Kuraudo's strange force, which was 90% dispersed.