Ch.363358 – Self-Appearance

In a world where you can become a star overnight, you should also consider that the opposite is possible.

-You’re so full of delusions and pretense lol

-I wish you’d understand that imagination and reality are different.

-Katsuhata didn’t practice to be evaluated by someone like you.

-Koreans seem to enjoy judging others, even though they couldn’t even qualify for the National Exchange Competition.

-Wow, Korea’s #1 unemployed person criticizing Japan’s #1 swordmaster

-I understand wanting to be famous, but if you want recognition, you should first learn to acknowledge others’ achievements.

-If you’re so confident, why don’t you try it yourself?

-I’m looking forward to seeing what amazing swordsmanship you’ll show us. ^^

-Show us quickly. This is your chance to shut everyone here up haha

I thought it wasn’t a big deal until this morning.

‘Everyone can have different opinions.’

So I turned off all my VTube notifications and went for a village walk with Ban So-wol.

Without setting a destination, we walked along the riverside until we reached a park, where we played frisbee with a neighbor’s Golden Retriever we met by chance.

While resting after quickly depleting my energy, I saw a video on VTube.

The amazing algorithm kindly delivered a video that harshly criticized me.

‘This was uploaded just 2 hours ago but already has 100,000 views.’

[Third. The external manifestation of aura is much, much, MUCH more difficult than you think! Let’s look at the statistics. Japan’s Statistical Office estimates that only about 12,000 people can perform external manifestation, considered the pinnacle of aura manipulation—fewer than lottery jackpot winners over the past 40 years. And that’s not all. Whether one can elevate it to a level suitable for combat is an entirely separate issue.]

This was followed by a stream of rebuttal videos with 30,000 views, 8,000 views, and so on.

Regardless of whether they were right or wrong, their arguments didn’t even address my point.

What I wanted to convey was that external manifestation could be applied in various ways, but they were only lamenting how difficult it was.

It’s too late to delete my comments now…

“People are so annoying.”

“Why?”

“I’m getting heavily criticized online right now.”

“I see… Name, it must be because you forcibly took that frisbee from the retriever earlier.”

“What are you talking about? And I didn’t take it—we were having a fair competition! Yesterday I just left a comment, and people kept nitpicking. Let me read it to you, and you can tell me what you think.”

Though I might have written a bit too emotionally in my late-night state, I hadn’t said anything incorrect.

After listening to me, Ban So-wol fell into quiet contemplation.

“It is somewhat open to misinterpretation.”

“I think so too. So what should I do?”

“Ignoring it would be best. But knowing you, Name, directly proving your point might not be a bad idea either.”

“Directly?”

“Yes. I’ll be your sparring partner. I’ve been in the kendo club since last year, so I have the basics.”

Ban So-wol removed her sunglasses and winked at me.

“Sounds good.”

After making the decision, finding a location wasn’t difficult.

The Land of Peace, the Land of Cherry Blossoms, the Land of the Emperor—Japan has many representative titles, but one stands above all.

‘The Land of Swords.’

There were about 50,000 sword dojos throughout Japan, and we chose one to rent wooden swords and a practice hall.

* * *

Ban So-wol’s demonstration was simple.

A vertical cut, a feint followed by a diagonal downward cut, and a beat to neutralize the sword itself.

All three movements start from the same position called “formtack.”

“You really can distinguish between these?”

Ban So-wol raised her wooden sword skyward, expressing doubt.

The human eye isn’t fast enough to follow a sword.

How could one know which technique would be used first and respond accordingly?

“Yes, I’ll counter all 5 attempts if you do 5.”

Name said, walking out from the opposite side wearing a children’s kendo uniform.

“Just know one thing. My movements might be awkward, but you should never underestimate my speed.”

Ban So-wol said calmly while gripping her wooden sword.

She was a national martial arts tournament runner-up, after all.

Regardless of what she held in her hands, she was already a complete weapon herself.

But Name wasn’t intimidated by her presence.

“Sis, don’t be too surprised when I counter.”

“Okay. Light swords aren’t swords but aura. I won’t be surprised even if your sword suddenly transforms into a Venus flytrap.”

“It won’t go that far. Let’s begin.”

Click-

Ban So-wol and Name put on their helmets and took up their swords.

Name deliberately held her sword loosely, as she would need to intentionally drop it to recreate the movement.

Both slowly raised their aura, expanding their senses acutely.

“Here I come.”

With that brief warning, Ban So-wol swung her wooden sword horizontally with force.

Whoosh-!

With a sharp wind sound, the wooden sword in Name’s hand spun away.

A powerful blow, though dull.

Ban So-wol, having withdrawn her arm in the blink of an eye, demonstrated her first move.

‘I wonder how a sword made purely of aura would fare.’

Shifting her weight strongly to her right foot, she brought her sword down hard toward Name’s now completely exposed head.

What could one see or feel in such a brief moment?

Name’s subsequent movement immediately resolved Ban So-wol’s question.

Swish-

A sword strike that slipped through in an instant.

Simultaneously, aura forming a strong energy extended from Name’s hand to block the vital point.

The materialized aura interfered with the wooden sword’s path.

Crackle-!

Ban So-wol instinctively thought this would lead to a prolonged standoff.

But at that moment, golden aura repeatedly destroyed and regenerated itself as it slipped diagonally past the blade.

The balance of power suddenly collapsed.

The wooden sword’s tip barely grazed Name’s left shoulder before pointing at the ground.

“Ah!”

Ban So-wol, recognizing her mistake, tried to relax her wrist too late.

The light sword moved in an almost straight line directly toward Ban So-wol’s neck.

Ban So-wol lowered both arms and sighed deeply.

“How did you do that? Your sword just curved like a snake.”

“Lateral movement of aura. It’s more of a technique than a skill, but it’s very powerful in actual combat and has many applications.”

Name raised her sword high to demonstrate the technique.

Ban So-wol reached out to feel the aura’s movement more closely.

‘I see—the left part of the long sword gradually fades, then the right part sparkles and fills the space again.’

It looked just as Ban So-wol had initially sensed—like a snake moving sideways.

“For example, a rapier isn’t suitable for this kind of standoff. They usually twist the handle to break free or counter, but with aura, that’s unnecessary. I can adjust the sword’s position myself.”

“This is… easier said than done.”

“I never said it was easy. I discovered this after long research.”

Ban So-wol couldn’t believe what she had just experienced firsthand.

Name was seeing the thin sword in even more detail, as if it were three-dimensional.

Normally, when swords clash, one only considers the one-dimensional aspect of length.

If the point where force is applied is too close to the handle, it’s vulnerable to thrusts; if too far, the force isn’t properly applied.

But a sword exists in three dimensions.

If it has height, it also has width and depth.

Name had reached a level of understanding this spatial awareness perfectly.

‘If this were used for offense rather than defense, it would be much more troublesome.’

It means the sword’s path could subtly change mid-flight, which couldn’t be ignored.

But right now, Name was in the responding phase.

Ban So-wol was truly grateful that she had the offensive advantage.

The second strike was also a Scheitelhau, just like the first.

Ban So-wol vividly captured the moment Name had described.

The sword’s boundary wasn’t clear.

Only Name knew where it would block and where it would penetrate.

The third strike was a beat.

When crossing swords in an X-pattern, such a grip wouldn’t work.

But the sword easily passed through the other sword.

It didn’t even feel like cutting through water.

The third strike reached checkmate much more easily.

How would Name handle the controversial fourth strike—a feint to the upper body followed by a diagonal downward cut?

Ban So-wol maintained a stance as if she would perform a head cut until the last moment.

Then she concentrated aura on her forearm to suddenly change the sword’s path.

If Name had maintained the same stance as before, her right arm and side would be exposed.

“…!”

But Name wasn’t one to give such an opening.

Between the two movements Ban So-wol had connected with her best effort, Name forcibly inserted her sword.

“You’re really fast.”

“This is now the quickest way to victory. There’s also a slower but more romantic method—want to see?”

“Okay.”

At Name’s suggestion, Ban So-wol performed the same feint sword technique.

This time, however, Name was much more relaxed.

‘She’s still not blocking. Now!’

Swoosh-

Ban So-wol swung her sword with confidence.

Crackle-!

But the sword strike was blocked again.

“What is this!”

This time, Ban So-wol was genuinely amazed.

“How do you like my double-bladed sword?”

Another beam of light had shot out from below the handle to protect the vital point.

Name lightly struck Ban So-wol’s sword and aimed at her neck in the same way.

“It’s not practical at all, but perfect for stabbing when the opponent is most off guard.”

“This isn’t romance. It’s a love story.”

“Yeah? Do you like it?”

“Yes. I might properly learn swordsmanship now. I never liked swords because they weren’t free enough. But using them like this is pretty good.”

“I’ve shown you everything. What I just did was the best judgment, and any variations would end the same way.”

Name removed her sweat-soaked helmet and retrieved the camera set up on the floor.

Although their conversation wasn’t recorded because they were too far from the microphone, they could add commentary with dubbing later.

-(Private): I’ll record a video and show you.

This single comment, far from quelling the incident, became the catalyst for an even bigger fire.

* * *

[NoName Official] [Subscribers: 6.34 million]

[Applications of External Manifestation: Three Counter Theories for Scheitelhau]

[Description: I had no intention to belittle anyone. I apologize for unintentionally causing a commotion and have attached an explanatory video with detailed commentary. I’m currently in Japan to support Katsuhata Emika in person. I hope this clears up all misunderstandings. 🙂 ]

[Link: WEC Japan – “Top 20 Contenders for 2052 WEC”]

[Comments]

-Wait, this is actually the real Name?? LMAO

-Of all people to show up, it’s a world-class talent hahaha

-Her identity was something I never imagined, Name…

-WTF? How old is she?

-OMG isn’t that So-wol unnie?!

-I came to see what made her write so arrogantly, but this is… LOLLL

-Someone who proved herself despite all the hate.

-Respect. Trust. Admiration. Love.

-And Ban So-wol is for real?? Even the guest star power in this house is insane.

-This is the first legendary moment I’ve seen in my life hahaha

-A challenge from a genius of the century. I declare Katsuhata’s complete defeat.

People were shocked in three stages.

The first booster was the revelation that the know-it-all commenter was NoName herself.

It was already embarrassing enough to have reacted so sensitively to a 9-year-old’s comment, but Name came back with a perfect video that refuted all their logic.

Some who had crossed the line in their comments hurriedly deleted them.

The second booster was the identity of the people and location.

-Ban So-wol and NoName are close friends wow

-A meeting between true world-class talents

-She’s in Japan right now?

-Seems like just a vacation with no announcements.

-Japan-loving anti-Koreans shocked by Emika’s surprise support declaration hahaha

-The most surprised were the Japanese themselves lol

-Who do you think extended Adela’s swordsmanship lifespan!

-Name, let’s revoke the innate magic copyright!

People who watched the video more carefully inevitably felt a great sense of dissonance.

A blind person handling a sword so well?

Foreigners might be utterly amazed.

But Ban So-wol, already famous in Korea, was no longer just an object of admiration.

-The difficulty of external manifestation is absolutely insane

-Who the hell could copy that?? hahaha

-I thought Katsuhata’s swordsmanship was impressive, but after seeing this, it feels completely different.

-Is someone who handles aura like that even human? You might as well tell me unicorns exist!

-World of Arsheria wasn’t just game buffs… NoName was actually good with swords from the beginning!

-If Katsuhata fights like that in the National Exchange Competition, who could possibly stop her?

-Seriously can’t find any weaknesses.

People were astounded by this martial art that was on a completely different level from the Academy Competition.