The Sword Dao tournament arrived at its third day in the blink of an eye.


    In the fierce battles that ensued, only Kagura Hikaru and Ayakoji Chiyoko from the Tokyo District''s Uka High School team remained, with the rest of the yers already eliminated.


    Except for the tall male students from the Kendo Club who were defeated by yers from other districts, everyone else, including Kendo Club President Uchida and the Gori Vice President, lost to teams from the Keihanshin area.


    Facing three high-caliber schools, there was little room for maneuver for both of them.


    However, looking at the remaining Kagura Hikaru and Ayakoji Chiyoko, their strength was such that it could be described as a brutal domination of thepetition. The Keihanshin team''s yers only saw fear in their eyes when they encountered them and were swiftly defeated.


    Finally, on the third day, the semifinals arrived.


    Kagura Hikaru and Ayakoji Chiyoko entered the final four, with the other two opponents being Kusatsu Ikuta from Capital City and Ryo Kuroiwa from Osaka.


    After many years, yers from Tokyo High School had once again stepped into the finals circle of the national tournament, filling every Tokyoite who paid attention to Sword Dao with pride. The goodwill towards Kagura Hikaru and his partner surged to new levels!


    Simply put, they became stars.


    Especially Ayakoji Chiyoko, she was the female swordsman who had advanced the furthest in the history of the National High School Sword Dao Tournament. Even if she were to lose now, she had already made history.


    However, many Sword Dao experts felt that she definitely had the strength to win the championship, a dark horse even stronger than the two seeded yers, Kusatsu Ikuta and Ryo Kuroiwa.


    Exceptional Sword Dao skills,bined with looks that could match a top idol, had made her face wildly popr on short video websites without her knowledge.


    The impact was that the poprity of Sword Dao as a sport rose across the Ind Nation, the national tournament''s viewership climbed, and the number of spectators at the event increased.


    The stands, which could originally only be filled to one-third capacity, were now packed to the brim.


    Of course, it also helped that it was the weekend and students were off and coulde to show their support.


    Kagura Hikaru and his peers even spotted Uka High School uniforms in the crowd, but there were too few of them, and their voices were drowned out by other spectators.


    But just knowing that students had traveled all the way from Tokyo to support them was satisfaction enough.


    Compared to the first two days, the venue for thest day''spetition seemed much more sparse, reduced from four segments to just two. The final four yers left standing would decide the victor in front of hundreds of live spectators.


    Ayakoji Chiyoko knelt on the ground, methodically donning her protective gear, waiting for the match to start.


    She had already been informed that her next opponent would be Kusatsu Ikuta from the Capital City team, that short-browed and squint-eyed man who liked to speak in riddles.


    Even though Ayakoji Chiyoko had no intention of wavering no matter the opponent, since she had the good fortune to match against someone with past grievances, she certainly couldn''t waste the opportunity.


    Treating him like a hotel waiter taking care of all his needs was the appropriate attitude to deal with this kind of filth.


    She put on her faceguard and tied the straps, listening to Teacher Yamazaki beside her pointing out Kusatsu Ikuta''s weaknesses and vulnerabilities. Soon, the referee raised the g signaling the yers to enter the arena.


    Ayakoji Chiyoko and the seated Kusatsu Ikuta across from her stood up at the same time.


    Both donned full protective gear, their faces and figures obscured, eschewing any male or female distinction, looking like animated versions of the Eighteen Arhats or martial arts training dummies.


    "Ooohhh!!!"


    A roar of cheers erupted from the stands, with Capital City students shouting Kusatsu Ikuta''s name, apanied by the sound of drums and trumpets.


    The Capital City students brought musical instruments to bolster Kusatsu Ikuta''s morale.


    This way of creating a home-field advantage was effective.


    The shouts and music reached Ayakoji Chiyoko''s ears, irritating her and putting her at a moral disadvantage.


    She really wanted to shout out a Spirit Focus to expel this stifling feeling, but she couldn''t do that before the match started, which made Ayakoji Chiyoko feel suppressed.


    At that moment, however, came the support of her teammates from behind.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Gori Vice President: "President, go for it!!!"


    Miyamoto Shi: "President! Show him what you''re made of!"


    Hosaka Yui: "You can do it!"


    Teacher Yamazaki: "You''ve got this!"


    Kagura Hikaru didn''t make a sound, just picked up his faceguard from afar and waved it, indicating that the contest between them was not yet decided.


    Having someone support you can instill courage out of nowhere, as long as you know this fact.


    Ayakoji Chiyoko let out a gentle breath, her heart already tranquil.


    She looked at Kusatsu Ikuta, who stood across the field, with the sound of drums and cheers slowly fading in her ears. The referee signalled with a g, and bothpetitors, each with a bamboo sword at their waist, slowly walked to the center of the arena. They silently drew their bamboo swords, crouched behind the stop line, and pointed their sword tips at their opponent.


    The next moment, both stood up simultaneously, their sword tips quivering sharply as they probed their opponent.


    After a standoff of three seconds, Kusatsu Ikuta suddenly lunged in for an attack, striking Ayakoji Chiyoko''s bamboo sword first, then aiming for the point on her head—naturally, she blocked it.


    Their handguards shed, bamboo sword against bamboo sword, and they grappled tightly against each other, slowly sidestepping. After several seconds of not finding an opening, they both rxed their strength and slowly retreated, restoring a safe distance and assuming a middle-guard posture.


    A heavy atmosphere enveloped the entire venue.


    "Yahhh!"


    "Hah!"


    With a shout of Spirit Focus, Kusatsu Ikuta and Ayakoji Chiyoko both issued a challenge, like two wild beasts on the in intimidating each other. It might have seemedical, but face-to-face, one could easily be distracted and lose focus, resulting in a fatal strike through an exposed weakness.


    Unable to find a breakthrough in his opponent, Kusatsu Ikuta began to grow impatient, making several feint attacks along with stomping and swinging moves to divert attention, all of which Ayakoji Chiyoko ignored.


    It was clear she wanted to strike back, with her sword-hand frequently tensing, but in the end she held back for victory, silently building momentum.


    With little time left in the match, Kusatsu Ikuta thought of dragging it into a tie, where each yer would take a point and then decide the oue in the next round—a not too disagreeable oue.


    However, it was this passive approach to the match that caused him to lose focus, leading to a moment''s dy in his movements.


    Ayakoji Chiyoko didn''t miss this fleeting opportunity and decisively struck out; a single sword blow skewed Kusatsu Ikuta''s bamboo sword, and in 0.2 seconds, her strikended on her opponent''s right wrist.


    "Hand!!"


    Afterpleting the strike, she immediately raised her sword and leaped back to a safe distance several meters away before lowering her hand and ncing at the referee.


    The referee raised the g of the color Ayakoji Chiyoko hoped to see—it was the white g she represented.


    1:0 lead.


    The venue erupted with thunderous apuse, releasing the tension of the decisive moment just passed.


    Thepetitors returned to their positions behind the stop line.


    Under his faceguard, Kusatsu Ikuta wore an expression of frustration, knowing his opponent''s reaction speed surpassed his own.


    In thatst exchange, his mind had reacted, but it was toote to transmit to his hand, and his bamboo sword had already been knocked askew, leaving him defenseless.


    In both hand speed and strength, Ayakoji Chiyoko was the strongest he had encountered among his peers—a true monster.


    Kusatsu Ikuta and Ayakoji Chiyoko stood once again behind the stop line, paused for a second, and the match resumed.


    In the second round, Ayakoji Chiyoko altered her previous style, making aggressive moves in quick session, swinging her sword forcefully with both hands, shouting Spirit Focus, and stomping her feet.


    Kusatsu Ikuta felt threatened by every small sound, startled each time.


    Ayakoji Chiyoko knew what to do now.


    Sheunched fierce attacks, shing head-on with her opponent continuously, not aiming to strike but looking to break his resolve.


    Under a barrage of assaults, Kusatsu Ikuta began to show signs of fatigue, while Ayakoji Chiyoko remained as vigorous as ever, showing no signs of energy depletion.


    In another sh, Kusatsu Ikuta''s bamboo sword was pressed down by Ayakoji Chiyoko''s. Seizing the moment, she executed a Rolling Sword Technique, the de spiraling around her opponent''s sword, flicking it so that Kusatsu Ikuta''s bamboo sword flew from his grasp, soared into the air and, after a second,nded with a p.


    "Ohh!!"


    A wave of gasps surged from the audience.


    Such scenes weren''t unheard of in Sword Daopetitions, but were extremely rare.


    After all, gripping the bamboo sword firmly is the first lesson in learning Sword Dao; it is fundamental, and having one''s weapon knocked out in a match is an embarrassing affair.


    Kusatsu Ikuta stared at his fallen bamboo sword, frozen in his grip stance for two seconds before realizing the situation, then dejectedly walked over to retrieve his sword, his will to fight already gone.


    When the match resumed, in less than ten seconds, Kusatsu Ikuta was hit cleanly on the waist by a sword strike from Ayakoji Chiyoko, ending hispetition for the national championship. Last year''s champion was defeated in the hands of a female swordsman, stopping short of the semifinals.