Iaijutsu Slash!!!
Facing Oliva, who shot toward her like a cannonball, Saeko Busujima drew her katana without hesitation.
In an instant, a brilliant arc of blade light flashed.
The razor-sharp gleam sliced through the air, forming a vacuum slash.
Oliva's body was cleaved nearly in half by the peerless blade light, almost bisected at the waist.
Yet, enduring excruciating pain, he landed a devastating punch to Saeko's head, sending her flying.
Saeko hurtled dozens of meters, crashing heavily into the ground, bouncing up, and flying another seven or eight meters before slamming down again.
She fell into unconsciousness.
As for Oliva, after knocking Saeko out, he collapsed with a thud, blood pooling around him, staining the ground.
He, too, slipped into unconsciousness.
If left untreated, he might very well die there.
The scene stunned the crowd. No one had expected a double knockout.
Such outcomes weren't unheard of in prior matches, but they were exceedingly rare.
"Save them," Morpheus commanded.
Hitomi swiftly entered the arena, casting a healing spell on Saeko, rousing her from unconsciousness.
This surprised many onlookers. They hadn't expected another member of the Team Extraterrestrial, besides Saeko, to be adept at healing magic.
Was such an ability so common?
Upon waking, Saeko's first act was to approach Oliva and heal him.
This astonished Doppo Orochi, who had just stepped forward, intending to take Oliva for treatment.
He hadn't expected Saeko to willingly heal her opponent.
"Oliva was right," Doppo said, giving Saeko an approving look. "You truly are a swordsman."
With Saeko's treatment, Oliva soon awoke from his coma.
When he learned Saeko had healed him, he thanked her sincerely and said, "I concede this match. You won."
"I didn't win," Saeko replied, shaking her head. "I was revived by my teammate. In that fight, I lost consciousness first, so strictly speaking, I lost."
Oliva laughed heartily. "Then let's call it a draw."
Saeko considered this and didn't object.
Both stepped down, leaving the stage for the next match.
Doppo Orochi faced Hitomi. "So, you're my opponent?"
After the previous battle, he no longer dared underestimate any member of the Team Extraterrestrial, even a woman.
Saeko had already proven her prowess as an exceptional swordsman.
The young woman before him, from her posture and gait, clearly had formal training.
As a karate master, he could tell.
"Doppo Orochi, founder of the Orochi-ryū Karate," He said solemnly, assuming an offensive stance. "Please, enlighten me."
Hitomi replied, "I know you. Founder and first grandmaster of the Shinshinkai Karate Organization, called the God of War by many. They say in your youth, you single-handedly took down a wild Siberian tiger. Is that true?"
Hearing someone mention one of his proudest feats, Doppo chuckled. "Just a reckless act of youth, nothing more."
"Impressive," Hitomi praised, adopting her own offensive stance.
Doppo had never seen such a stance before and asked curiously, "What style is that?"
From the Team Hanma, Yujiro Hanma shouted a warning, "That's the Jacob's Limbs! Don't let your guard down, Doppo Orochi!"
The Jacob's Limbs?
Doppo, a karate master known as the God of War, had heard of this fighting technique, even if he'd never seen it.
"So, it's the legendary martial art said to rival archangels."
A fierce fighting spirit ignited in Doppo's eyes. "Let me see just how extraordinary this ancient technique is."
Hitomi, brimming with confidence, replied, "Then I'll show you."
To master the Jacob's Limbs, she had trained extensively with Martha in the platform.
Now, she finally had the chance to showcase this technique before others, and her excitement was palpable.
With a single step, Hitomi shot forward like a streak of light toward Doppo.
Doppo's eyes widened. Though he had overestimated Hitomi's abilities, he still underestimated her in actual combat.
Her terrifying speed alone was enough to cause a headache.
It wasn't Instant Movement, but it was barely slower.
In fact, it might even be faster—fast enough that he struggled to react.
"Haa!!!"
Hitomi exhaled sharply, thrusting a palm forward, rotating from the inside out, unleashing a terrifying spiraling force.
Doppo blocked the strike in time, but the spiraling energy sent his massive frame spinning through the air for three full rotations before he crashed to the ground with a thud.
What?
Doppo was dumbfounded. He, the founder of Orochi-ryū Karate, had been so easily floored by a young woman. It was unthinkable.
But the next second, excitement surged within him.
The Jacob's Limbs hadn't disappointed him. It was indeed a martial art capable of defeating archangels.
Absolutely incredible.
Doppo sprang to his feet, his eyes blazing as he fixed them on Hitomi, a long-dormant fighting spirit reignited in an instant.
His terrifying aura, like that of a ferocious tiger, surged toward Hitomi.
Hitomi instinctively stepped back. As one of the Cat's Eye sisters, she had seen her share of grand spectacles, but she had never faced a karate master with such a fearsome presence.
There was a reason Doppo was called the God of War.
In his youth, he fought humans, tigers, and all manner of monsters, surviving countless battles without ever being defeated, cultivating an awe-inspiring presence.
This terrifying aura shook the soul.
Though Hitomi had learned the Jacob's Limbs from Martha, her mentor had never displayed such overwhelming presence.
Thus, Hitomi was likely facing this almost predatory pressure for the first time.
For a moment, she wavered.
Doppo would not miss this opening, immediately launching an attack on Hitomi.
By the time Hitomi realized the danger, Doppo was already closing in, unleashing his technique.
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
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