Ch.377372 – Imperial Palace Sword Technique

“I’m Mikhail Balabanov.”

“I’m Katsuhata Emika.”

“You’re certainly different from the riffraff. How many years have you prepared for this brief moment?”

Mikhail drew his battle axe toward Emika.

It was a hideous weapon for something created in a temporary formation circle.

Emika raised her head, her gaze gradually moving upward.

Black leather jacket. A scar crossing his face.

His deep, predatory eyes made him look like someone high on drugs, or perhaps a soldier before battle.

His slicked-back hair with wax and occasional stubble added a touch of maturity.

Emika adjusted her white uniform and spoke calmly.

“Everyone who enters the Katsuhata school is given the duty of success and advancement. And everyone trains from a very young age to become the successor. I’ve been doing this since I was 7, so about 8 years, I suppose.”

“I’ve been holding a wand since I was 5. I’ve dedicated 11 years to this tournament.”

“I believe the density of training is more important than the quantity.”

“Haha, talking further will just tire our mouths… I’ll make you experience the worst day of your life.”

“That’s exactly what I was hoping for.”

Ten beep sounds demanding silence from all creation ring out.

Beep-

The 60,000 spectators in the Tokyo Dome clasp their hands together in desperate prayer.

Beep-

Just one step away from the title of world’s strongest.

Beep- Beep- Beep-

With the fifth beep, an orange light illuminates the signal.

Emika and Mikhail simultaneously draw up their auras.

For them, external manifestation is basic.

Their talents in magic and aura are all equally outstanding, making it difficult to determine superiority.

Beep- Beep- Beep- Beep-

Muscles expand to their limits, surrounding their bodies with aura as hard as steel.

And with the final beep,

Beeeeeep-!

Their wands each spew magic circles in front of them.

「Katsuhata Emika」

[Adera (Innate Magic) – Japan]

[Classification: 1st Circle Physical Strike Magic]

[Rank: A]

「Mikhail Balabanov」

[March of the Fire Bear (Innate Magic) – Russia]

[Classification: 2nd Circle Physical Strike Magic]

[Rank: B]

They shot forward with animal-like speed, crossing the sea of sand,

KWAAANG-!

Creating a gust of wind as they collided in the center of the arena.

“1 to 0.”

The girl smiled a fresh smile.

* * *

“Let’s start by guessing what magic Emika will use first.”

“2nd Circle Ignis Katsuhata.”

“1st Circle Adera.”

“Adera right away?”

So he thought she would bring out Katsuhata’s secret technique first?

Emika is an extreme efficiency maximizer.

The damage incurred when only one side engages is critical.

Perceiving this, Emika quickly dug her foot in and wrapped Adera, the most powerful technique in close combat, around her sword.

After quickly securing the first win, Master Akitaro rested his chin on his hand and thought.

My gaze remained fixed on the arena.

Betting is a probability game.

But as probabilities repeat, luck cancels out and only skill remains.

Split-second battlefield assessment, remaining health and barriers, players’ habits, behavior patterns, intentions.

The more information collected, the higher the probability of winning the bet.

“Emika just entered Nanatsu no Tachi (Seven Tidal Swords). Which direction will she escape at the end?”

This guy doesn’t even give me time to think.

“To the right from Emika’s perspective.”

“Right.”

Our answers overlapped.

The sharp sword sliced through the neck, shoulder, wrist, and waist.

When Mikhail took a stance to retreat, Emika rushed in again and thrust her sword in a straight line.

The boy released the lightning magic he had prepared in advance, as if he’d been waiting.

Emika twisted her body to the right with an instinctive reaction, ensuring her safety.

A draw.

This means the turn comes back to me.

Mikhail Balabanov casts an illusion barrier magic.

Emika is well-prepared against barriers.

“Barrier formula release time. Let’s bet on whether it will be over or under 18 seconds.”

“Over.”

“I’ll go with under.”

A round magic circle forms above Emika’s head.

Mana clumps together and sparkles like falling snow.

Emika’s arms and legs freeze solid.

She maximizes her resistance with external manifestation, then begins the thawing process.

Mikhail tightens the barrier gradually and approaches one step at a time with certainty.

’15… 16… 17. She should have broken free by now?’

He entered striking range.

Mikhail abandoned the barrier, made a great leap, and swung his battle axe in a full circle.

‘A bluff! Why did he choose this timing!’

I shouted internally.

Deliberately releasing the barrier late.

Emika, now free, summons a light sword in her left hand.

She easily deflects the axe with Katsuhata’s treasured sword and thrusts with her sparking light sword.

Mikhail’s body staggers greatly.

“That makes me the winner. 1 win, 1 draw, 1 loss.”

“Tch.”

I clicked my tongue, showing my displeasure.

There were plenty of advantages to be gained even if she had released the barrier quickly.

Gambling there wasn’t like Emika.

But Mikhail, who failed to anticipate such an obvious gamble, suffered a critical hit.

10% of his barrier was shaved off, giving Emika the advantage.

“WAAAAAAH!”

Thunderous cheers erupted from the stadium.

The Katsuhata elders’ expressions immediately brightened, while the Russian delegation’s faces soured.

“Emika seems to be in good condition today. She’s winning the psychological battle too.”

Master Akitaro shook one leg nervously while giving a forced smile.

She did win this psychological battle.

But her actions aren’t matching what she showed during practice.

I’m not sure how much this will affect things.

“This match might be harder for Emika than expected. Ask your question.”

* * *

The flow of the match changed in an instant.

The applause and cheers gradually diminished until they were barely audible.

BANG-!

Only when Emika occasionally delivered a desperate sword strike did a few “ooh” sounds emerge.

[Finals Match 63]

[Mikhail Balabanov] [33% | 48%]

[Katsuhata Emika] [37% | ⚠️19%(Non-recoverable)]

She entered non-recoverable status.

Emika wiped away her sweat mixed with sand and infused her wand with heterogeneous mana.

“The 64 Hexagrams’ Seven Ancestral Earth Sword. Katsuhata seems to want to decide the match here. If she can shave off 15%, no, even 10% more, she could use it as a foothold for a comeback.”

Master Akitaro introduced a technique passed down in secret.

He even mentioned its specific power, but I wasn’t fooled.

“I’ll choose under. Actually, I think even 5% would be pushing it.”

“…”

“If you don’t say anything, I’ll assume you’re choosing over.”

“I choose under too.”

Master Akitaro finally came to his senses 23 minutes into the match.

‘It was a bit late, but…’

Until the first 15 minutes, the betting remained even with 3 wins each.

But the second half was the turning point.

Emika collapsed helplessly before the battle axe of astonishing mass.

Her sword broke with each contact.

The energy difference was too extreme to match with external manifestation-light sword.

Master Akitaro collapsed along with her.

24 bets: 7 wins, 13 draws, 4 losses.

In the 9 bets of the second half, our answers differed 5 times, and I won 4 of those.

Humans tend to make optimistic predictions.

Especially when it concerns themselves or someone they care about.

[Can we see another brilliant comeback like the one against de Sampaio! Katsuhata Emika charges forward without hesitation! This is Japan’s indomitable will! Take this!]

The Japanese commentators cheered until their voices grew hoarse.

「Katsuhata Emika」

[Angular Momentum Adjustment – USA]

[Classification: 3rd Circle Physical Quantity Conversion Magic]

[Rank: C]

She engaged in a strength-versus-strength battle with Mikhail.

That was exactly what her opponent wanted.

The two weapons created a sharp, air-splitting sound.

Emika’s desperate battle cry reached the relay drone cameras.

[HYAAAAAAAH!]

“As expected. Emika is struggling now. She must be feeling immense physical pressure. At this point, it might be better to just give up.”

“Your eyes are a treasure… your eyes are a treasure…”

Master Akitaro bit his lip tightly.

It’s the worst situation.

Or perhaps barely avoiding the worst.

At least Emika seemed to realize this wasn’t working and withdrew her sword mid-attack.

Sighs erupted from all directions.

There’s no clearer sign of impending defeat than withdrawing a sword in the middle of a technique.

[Katsuhata Emika withdraws her sword and catches her breath…! We need to think calmly when things get urgent. There’s still hope…!]

[She’s recasting Demon King’s Horns. Is she preparing for a ranged Adera?]

[Sometimes going back to basics can be the solution! You can do it, Miss Katsuhata!]

The commentators tried to breathe hope into the dying embers.

Those who have watched many duels would know.

Comebacks from disadvantageous situations rarely happen.

For a reversal, there needs to be a valid basis.

Finding something in an unfavorable situation that couldn’t be found in an even match is even more difficult.

“Haa, the opponent’s preparation was too thorough. Maybe they anticipated meeting us even before the tournament.”

The master sighed.

With Emika’s available pieces, she couldn’t find a path to victory.

It wasn’t due to lack of luck, but solely because of her lack of ability.

The sighs deepened.

“All of Emika’s moves are being blocked.”

“Yes.”

“Are ‘all’ her moves really being blocked?”

“What do you mean?”

“Here’s my next betting question. Will Emika use Adera as her next magic, or not?”

“Of course!”

The master knows that Demon King’s Horns followed by Adera combo is supposedly her only option.

“She won’t use it…?”

“I’ll bet on her not using it this time.”

“Why? Are you trying to show mercy now?”

If I win just one more time here, I’ll win the final bet.

The Katsuhata master clenched his fist, perhaps misunderstanding that I was going easy on him.

But I have no intention of losing.

“Still, I can’t hand Emika over to Korea. Even if you cut off both Adera and Demon King’s Horns, if our school could be damaged by something so trivial, we might as well have collapsed long ago.”

“True, the Katsuhata school isn’t so short on history that it would crumble from something so minor. However!”

TAP-

I struck the armrest of the chair hard and stood up.

“Aren’t you curious? How much more this talent could shine in this vast world?”

I turned my head to look back.

Emika’s horns had grown about a hand span longer.

「Katsuhata Emika」

[Improvised Demon King’s Horns Continuation – Fairy Tale Horns – Korea]

[Classification: 3rd Circle Miscellaneous Magic]

[Rank: B]

The red energy of the light sword is consumed by yellow and disappears.

What remains in her hand is a single katana crafted by Katsuhata’s masters.

A sun-colored aura formed a sword aura, creating a sharp blade.

“From now on, Emika won’t use any magic.”

“The aura… changed?”

The master opened his eyes wide and leaned forward.

[The aura’s quality has changed! A new aura we’ve never seen from Miss Katsuhata before!]

[Multiple auras must be difficult to use…! I doubt she’s practiced this, but I dare say it’s her only option right now!]

Dual aura, which can only be manifested by enduring the collision of two worldviews, two mental images.

Even Ban So-wol, a master of aura techniques, would find it difficult to skillfully handle a second aura.

The Demon King’s Horns have the function of stabilizing the chaos of mental images.

But beyond that, it’s up to Katsuhata’s will.

During training camp, I showed Emika techniques from my past life while lightly exchanging sword techniques.

[This is a sword path I’ve never seen before?]

[Right? I don’t even know why I created it like this. I’m not sure if it’s efficient, but it works surprisingly well. Is it that hard to block?]

[Yes! The sword comes in from completely unexpected directions, making it hard to counter. And above all, the sword feels incredibly heavy…]

[Marquis Bastion said something about it containing the spirit of a great nation.]

At that time, there was no opportunity to practice due to time constraints.

Successfully achieving external manifestation was the priority.

If she truly wants to win, Emika needs to recall that memory.

“You can do it. You’re a genius too.”

Her feet become rapidly heavier.

Each step must feel like running a marathon.

Emika pulled her left foot back and lowered her body flat.

Mikhail swung his battle axe horizontally to counter the offensive.

Starting from the waist and ending in the sky.

“Kaizen-style Sky Slash.”

ZZZZZZZZT-!

A blue flash of lightning, and Mikhail’s sturdy barrier splits in half.

The barrier recovers quickly, but the cold air and killing intent seeping through the gap seemed to momentarily confuse him.

The combo continued.

“Next is the wrist. Drop that annoying weapon from your hand.”

Her movements are still awkward.

But if her will is strong, the aura will fulfill her wishes.

[Kaizen-style Wrist Slash]

Emika’s eyes flash golden, and blue lightning strikes her two horns.

KWAAANG-!

A tremendous explosion creates a chilling storm in the arena.