Ch.378373 – The Big Picture

*Crack-*

*Crackle-*

Sparks flew around her legs and body with each step.

Emika winced at the tsunami of pain washing over her.

Using foreign aura typically causes the body to violently reject it.

Emika barely endured severe dizziness and nausea as she mimicked NoName’s unique aura.

With all cards on the table, this was a desperate gamble to turn an unwinnable fight.

She decided to perfectly replicate NoName’s swordsmanship that she’d learned by watching over her shoulder.

During training camp, NoName had shown an uncanny ability to easily block her sword.

When practicing swordsmanship, one often falls into a trance where vision narrows.

That’s why approaching someone executing techniques is extremely dangerous, even forbidden within sword schools.

But NoName always stopped Emika’s blade without much effort.

“NoName, could you maybe show me your swordsmanship just once?”

A question born of curiosity.

“Nothing difficult about that.”

A sword path she’d never seen before.

If she hadn’t asked that question then, would she even be standing here now?

Still, it was too early to be optimistic.

Mikhail propped himself up with his vicious axe, staggering to his feet.

“So you had that trick up your sleeve…?”

“…”

“Well, I’ll find out more when I pound you some more! HYAAAAH!”

Mikhail swung his massive wand with a roar.

Emika immediately materialized her mental image.

Woong-

The Demon King’s Horn resonated, reducing her pain by half.

Still, her head felt like it was about to split open.

It was too late to control the new aura now.

‘I need to follow what my body tells me to do!’

Not questioning was most important.

And finding the most natural sword path was Emika’s specialty.

Chang-!

Blue sparks scattered each time the metals collided.

The thin katana effortlessly received the weight of the massive battle axe.

Kagagak-

As their weapons crossed, their faces briefly passed each other.

Emika read the bewilderment in Mikhail’s eyes.

She became more confident in her sword path.

The pain subsided.

The mental image of her swordsmanship had become more concrete.

However, the natural sword path Emika found differed slightly from what NoName had shown.

‘The person who used this technique was probably a span taller than me. The movements are large and flashy, so they must have had long limbs. Each strike focuses on heavy blows, but they weren’t necessarily huge in build. Considering the agility and flexibility, they might have had a slender, delicate frame.’

The mysterious swordsmanship NoName showed was more destructive and straightforwardly linear than Katsuhata-style.

But when combined with aura, it required obsessive precision.

Even a simple thrust was no exception.

Emika instantly channeled aura into her thumb to rotate the katana at high speed.

She clenched her molars against the pain of her dislocating finger.

The katana, made for slicing, properly pierced the side of the axe.

Tong-!

The massive axe that had once frustrated Emika spun through the air.

“Huh!”

Four eyes followed the wand.

Mikhail jumped up to catch his weapon.

Without time to think, Emika opened her left palm to create a light sword.

She hurled the red thorn like a javelin, sending the axe flying to the far side of the arena to prevent recovery.

The 60,000 spectators at Tokyo Dome erupted in cheers.

The roar was so loud that the sand on the arena floor vibrated.

Emika’s once-cold heart pounded uncontrollably.

Mikhail spat harsh curses in his native language.

The tables had turned long ago.

Her mouth went dry, and her hand gripped the katana tightly.

The moment she realized she was just one step away from victory.

“HYAAAAAAAH!”

With a desperate cry, Emika’s body immediately lunged forward.

Mikhail tracked her movements with bloodshot eyes.

As she raised her sword, he extended his fist wrapped in aura to its limit.

Bang-!

A sound like a cannon echoed throughout Tokyo Dome.

Mikhail’s eyes widened in shock.

Emika was now surrounded by her own red aura.

‘Remember that the first move of Kasumi no Tachi, among the 4 Omote no Tachi of Katsuhata-style, is a feint.’

Information she had drilled into her brain countless times before the match flashed through her mind.

As if anticipating the counterattack,

Emika pulled her body diagonally away,

And slashed at Mikhail’s exposed upper body.

Chwaaaak-!

“Haa… haa… huu.”

Click-

Emika smoothly sheathed her katana.

The roaring cheers pierced her ears.

Her shoulders heaved up and down as she released her held breath.

Despite the war-like situation, the sky remained peacefully serene.

Emika stared at the scoreboard with a dazed expression.

[Finals Match 63]

[LOSE: Mikhail Balabanov(Russia)] [8%(☠️Complete Destruction) | 23%]

[WIN: Katsuhata Emika(Japan)] [22% | 13%(⚠️Irreparable)]

The moment she had dreamed of had arrived.

“I won… I won, I won, I actually won, sob…”

People from the Katsuhata school rushed out from the arena entrance at full speed.

Only then could Emika burst into tears and fully savor the joy of victory.

* * *

“At least the Katsuhata school saved face.”

They had achieved everything they set out to do—winning the National Exchange Competition and proving the effectiveness of aura swordsmanship.

Regardless of the process, they finished with Katsuhata-style swordsmanship.

Led by Master Akitaro, the Katsuhata school members went down to the arena to celebrate.

The Russian coaching staff left the VIP lounge as soon as the results were confirmed.

The once-bustling sky lounge was now empty.

“Wow, wasn’t Emika totally badass? I think I’m becoming her fan starting today!”

Meanwhile, Adella had taken the master’s seat.

I approached the glass wall to look down at the arena consumed by cheers.

The standing ovation from the audience continued for ten minutes straight.

In Japan, where magical dueling had become a mainstream sport, songs praising Emika echoed throughout.

[27th National Exchange Competition Champion, Katsuhata Emika]

A large airship passed over Tokyo Dome, fluttering a congratulatory banner.

“Wow, they’re going all out. Would’ve been a disaster if she hadn’t won.”

“It’s their first finals appearance in 10 years, first championship in 13. The emotional impact is on another level.”

“Does Korea have any trophies?”

“The most recent was 11 years ago.”

“Oof… that’s pretty ancient.”

While everyone was immersed in the afterglow of victory, I sent Emika a congratulatory message.

With the award ceremony and interviews, she probably wouldn’t check it until much later.

“Sis, want a bite of churros?”

This time Adella appeared from the back row, giving me a back hug and offering churros.

I bit into the sugar-coated part.

“Thanks. Where did you get it?”

“From the unmanned convenience store up front. Hey sis, that sword technique Katsuhata Emika used at the end—isn’t that what you used to use in World of Arsheria?”

“Did I? Oh, now that you mention it, I did use it when fighting Mephistopheles.”

“I thought it looked familiar! Back then it was in a game so the sky split open and everything!”

“It wasn’t that dramatic.”

I denied it while removing sugar from the corner of my mouth with my pinky.

‘She may look simple, but she’s talented.’

To be able to replicate Kaizen-style swordsmanship after seeing it just once or twice.

Of course, her opponent was no pushover either.

Mikhail had the upper hand in every aspect except the first psychological battle.

“What did you think, sis? Wasn’t the match fun?”

“For me? Sure, it was fun. I couldn’t watch comfortably because of our bet, so I’ll rewatch it later.”

I pinched my lips and thought deeply.

‘Their skills were pretty evenly matched. But why was there such a difference in the early stages?’

Looking at the match objectively, it was a miracle Emika held out until the second half.

Plus, Emika had learned quite a bit from me.

Innate magic ‘Adera,’ ‘Demon King’s Horn,’ ‘Snow Net Sword,’ and even Kaizen-style swordsmanship by observation, plus external manifestation and multiple auras.

She threw in every cheat key possible and barely won.

Is it because the population pool is different?

In my past life, the population was at most 500 million.

In modern times, it’s at least 8 billion, possibly up to 10 billion—a 20-fold difference.

Plus, in today’s information society, people can easily discover their talents.

“Seeing this vast Earth makes the struggling cat from World of Arsheria seem insignificant.”

“What? Was that a shot at me?”

No matter how vast the World of Arsheria was, it didn’t exceed the size of Seoul’s Dobong District.

“Kicked out of an academy in Dobong District for lacking heaven-given talent, demons descending to rule Dobong District, and the World Tree being just a big tree in Dobong District.”

“I-I was practically brainwashed back then! I’m several times smarter than those stupid robots!”

“Don’t take it so seriously. I’m just saying. Let’s head down now.”

“Huh? Aren’t we going to meet Emika? What about the clan recruitment talk?”

“Ah, that?”

NoName smiled meaningfully as she descended the stairs.

* * *

Master Akitaro was deep in thought.

[I think the questions will end with my turn. Let’s make this the final bet. Whether Katsuhata Emika will finish with Katsuhata-style swordsmanship.]

Emika, who had completely abandoned the Katsuhata style, had overwhelmingly dominated her opponent.

Even the master, who had shown unlimited trust in Emika for 30 minutes, couldn’t help but feel discouraged seeing this.

Objectively speaking, one couldn’t expect her to use a technique that hadn’t worked throughout the match.

But the master’s position comes with responsibility for the entire school.

[I still think she will.]

[Is that so? I think so too.]

And NoName, who had sharply criticized the current aura swordsmanship, changed her opinion.

[The strongest weapon is the one most familiar to your hand. The fact that what Emika practiced most during this training wasn’t external manifestation but that Kasumi no Tachi—I hope you’re aware of that, Master.]

It had been a long time since he had delegated the successor’s education entirely to Koizumi.

NoName, who had only observed for about a month, knew more than Master Akitaro about which techniques she preferred and what she was most confident in.

[Regarding the clan, Emika’s opinion is most important. If she agrees, I’ll try my best to persuade the council of elders even if they oppose.]

Master Akitaro felt conflicted as he watched Emika surrounded by bouquets.

The Katsuhata-style aura swordsmanship was a half-success—in other words, half a failure.

This match had earned them undeniable fame worldwide, but eventually, there would be criticism again.

‘If only Emika could learn that swordsmanship…!’

It could be developed to suit the Katsuhata school.

The successor’s whereabouts might be controversial for just one generation, but a master must always consider the next generation, even the next century.

“Katsuhata Emika, would you consider going to Korea with NoName?”

A question after much deliberation.

Emika, who had been smiling with the thrill of victory, suddenly deflated.

“Ah… I’m sorry for hiding it…”

“Hiding what?”

“Huh?”

“What?”

“You didn’t already know when you asked?”

Master Akitaro was about to receive shocking news.

“During last summer’s training camp, NoName told me I had to sign something before she would teach me external manifestation or anything else…”

She said she had thoroughly stamped both her fingerprint and seal.