Battōjutsu

The two combatants were fighting at such speed that it had already surpassed the limit of what the human eye could track. Howling air and tearing winds burst forth amid clusters of tiny Sword Qi, a battle beyond all standards, enough to drive any human being to despair.

Sword Qi fell like rain, ravaging the surroundings into a pockmarked mess and carving crisscrossing trenches into the ground. Spiderweb cracks spreading from the center were brutally crushed and churned apart, then sliced by Sword Qi into fragments of varying sizes that scattered to either side in the gale. Layers upon layers were shaved from the level ground, and buried cables and water pipes burst open, adding even more devastation to the scene.

Kamijou and the red-haired priest, watching from afar, were forced by the increasingly violent shockwaves to scoot even farther away. Kamijou in particular had his worldview completely overturned and began redefining what kind of creature a human was.

Were they really human?

"No, no, no, that’s impossible. If they’re human, then what is the fragile Mr. Kamijou supposed to be? A paramecium?" Kamijou refused to accept the reality of being useless. He would rather believe that both fighters were mythical creatures wearing human skin.

"What are you muttering about?" Stiyl snapped through his sausage-like mouth, which leaked air when he spoke. Just moments ago, he had tried to set up a magical shield, only to tragically discover that the silver rings on all ten of his fingers had vanished without a trace. Heaven knew how important those magical tools were to him.

"I was saying they’re amazing!" Kamijou said with an awkward laugh, scratching his head. Though Stiyl’s tone was hostile, his overly accommodating nature automatically ignored it.

"Of course they are! Kanzaki is one of fewer than twenty Saints in the world, and one of London’s top ten magicians." At the mention of Kanzaki Kaori, Stiyl’s face filled with pride.

"Really!?" Kamijou’s curiosity surged as he continued, "What about you? What rank are you?"

"Well… I may not measure up to a Saint, but I’m formidable in every sense of the word." Stiyl hesitated for three seconds before answering. However, his eyes had been squeezed into slits by his swollen, thoroughly beaten-up face, making the claim distinctly unconvincing.

After saying that, Stiyl ignored the skepticism on Kamijou’s face and turned back toward the battlefield, his heart filled with anxiety. He and Kanzaki belonged to the English Puritan Church’s special unit, Necessarius, and he knew very well what state Kanzaki Kaori was currently in.

God Breaker!

A body beyond human limits, strength beyond human limits, ability beyond human limits! Legendary divine power capable of contending with Angels!

Yet even that power, touching upon God’s Domain, could only fight the enemy to a standstill. Could Academy City have developed an Esper with a physique comparable to a Saint’s?

Their high-speed movements could no longer be seen. Only the sparks from their weapons colliding were faintly visible, while rippling shockwaves ravaged and crushed the entire street. Just watching from afar made Stiyl’s scalp tingle. He could not understand why Duke could keep up with Kanzaki Kaori’s fighting rhythm!

"I never imagined Academy City had a monster like this. How am I supposed to explain this to the Archbishop when I return? She should believe me… right?" Stiyl shook his head. It was better to leave such headaches to Kanzaki Kaori. After all, he was still underage and needed looking after.

At the center of the battlefield, Kanzaki Kaori grew more alarmed the longer they fought. Stiyl’s level of strength was too low for him to understand the intensity of this battle, but as one of the participants, she understood it all too clearly. In this clash where speed, strength, and swordsmanship had all reached the pinnacle, Kanzaki Kaori’s mind was taut, never relaxing for even an instant. She had even been forced to continuously use the power of a Saint.

But the result was far from ideal…

From holding a complete advantage, to being evenly matched, to now barely fending him off, stormy waves roiled in Kanzaki Kaori’s heart. No matter how she changed her techniques, Duke could find a flaw the instant she drew her sword. What should have been defensive counterattacks felt more like preemptive strikes. She had strength but nowhere to use it, and the fight left her thoroughly stifled.

If her skill was inferior, Kanzaki Kaori had nothing to say about it. What she could not understand was why, while constantly maintaining her God Breaker state, with her speed and strength already beyond human, the other side could still match her evenly.

An Esper ability?

Kanzaki Kaori did not think so.

Even Saints would suffer physical collapse when using divine power, because their muscles could not withstand it! An Esper who had not undergone years of tempering or magical cleansing might defeat her in swordsmanship technique, but to make her crumble at the first touch in the field she was proudest of… how was that any different from the Archbishop claiming she was only eighteen?

It was utterly ridiculous!

Clang!

The blades collided, producing a crisp metallic ring!

More accurately, the tip of the black blade had struck the weak point of Seven Heavens Seven Swords’ downward swing. Kanzaki Kaori was so frustrated she wanted to cough blood. She had already lost count of how many times this had happened. Whenever she erupted with speed and finally gained the slightest opportunity to catch her breath, her blade would be blocked before it could even fall.

Kanzaki Kaori even suspected that Duke had deciphered every sword technique taught to her by the Amakusa Style elders during their battle. Otherwise, why could he always disrupt her rhythm at the very first opportunity?

The lightning-fast battle beyond all limits gave Kanzaki Kaori no time to use the spells she was familiar with. She could only grit her teeth and keep increasing her speed, but even so, she could feel the scales of victory tilting toward Duke. Worse still, after maintaining God Breaker for so long, every muscle in her body was screaming, and she had reached the brink of collapse.

Though Saints carried an extraordinary title beyond that of ordinary people, they were still human. They were merely stronger humans, nothing more. Borrowed power was borrowed power in the end. Though Saints possessed a portion of the power of the Stigmata, they had not transcended the limits of life and could not be classified alongside Angels.

Kanzaki Kaori did not have much time left…

Boom—

Accompanied by a thunderous roar, Seven Heavens Seven Swords left an afterimage in place as its blade flashed down like lightning. The blade, as though capable of tearing everything apart, whipped up intense wind pressure and struck in a surprise attack at incomparable speed.

Sensing the unprecedented strike, Duke shifted to a two-handed grip and drove his feet into the ground. His knees bent slightly as the strength of his entire body gathered at his waist, then surged into both arms. Holding the black blade horizontally, he met the attack head-on.

Rumble—

Dazzling light tore through the air. The surging blast waves created a vacuum zone, and the twisting force shredded everything around them into pieces. Beneath their feet, a circular crater several meters deep exploded open.

Sweetness rose in Kanzaki Kaori’s throat. She let out a muffled groan and used the opportunity to retreat more than ten meters. Such a distance was equivalent to nothing for two people with transcendent speed, but it was enough for her to gather power and unleash her final move. She flashed backward repeatedly, picked up the scabbard lying on the ground, sheathed her longsword beneath her abdomen, and assumed a Battōjutsu stance that would decide victory or defeat.

Duke looked at her with an odd expression. He was familiar with Kanzaki Kaori’s movements. Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū’s strongest secret technique, Heavenly Flight Dragon Flash, was a supreme Battōjutsu technique. Although Kanzaki Kaori was tall and had a pair of long legs, she did not appear to be one meter eighty tall, while Seven Heavens Seven Swords was two meters long…

How exactly was she supposed to draw that sword under these circumstances?

"In terms of pure swordsmanship alone, I concede defeat wholeheartedly!" Kanzaki Kaori pressed a hand against the hilt as her aura solidified and rose to its peak. "But I have a reason why I cannot give up on this trip to Academy City. So I absolutely cannot lose here. My next strike will use a magical spell. It may insult a duel between swordsmen, but I have no other choice."

Duke said nothing. A violent wind swept up behind him, and his chilling aura locked onto Kanzaki Kaori. Behind him, the faint phantom of a striped tiger gradually emerged.

"Listen! To the voice of that divine wind—"

Duke gently stroked the blade and likewise sheathed his longsword beneath his abdomen, his eyes slowly closing. He pushed the basic elements of swordsmanship—heart, technique, and body—to their utmost limits, then united the three, making his heart as dark as Mū, his technique as clear as light, and his body blend with nature like a shadow.

The sound of the wind echoed by his ears! Duke abruptly opened his eyes, and Sword Intent soared into the heavens…

"Unseen Divine Wind Style: White Tiger!"

"Only Flash—"

Thanks to Yang of SOA, That Time Remembering Childhood, Time Always Lies, Dada Xiang, Houlin Teng, Call Me Tank-sama, Jade Emperor of the Vast Heavens, Collecting 16 to 25 Year Old Beautiful Girls, Tu Zui Qingshan, and No More Great Unity Banknotes for their tips!