Under Leo's lead, Asuna once again descended into the basement, stopping before the same magic circle where the mountain of books had been cleared yesterday.
A metallic hum rang out.
The magic circle glowed red, its lines rising like shimmering barriers of light. Within that glow, a silhouette slowly took shape.
The figure stepped out, sighing as she walked.
"The living world… it's been a long time."
Her voice wasn't pleasant or gentle—more rough around the edges—but when Leo and Asuna finally saw her clearly, both froze on the spot.
Because no matter how you looked at her, this woman was impossible to ignore.
She wore a modern-style blue short-skirt kimono, topped with a red maple-patterned haori tied like an apron. Two swords hung at her waist. Her hair—white with a faint reddish tint—was pulled up. Her figure was striking, her skin pale and smooth, giving off an air that was both sharp and breathtaking, drawing the eye before you even realized it.
"You're…?"
Leo was surprised by her fierce yet alluring appearance—and even more by how familiar she felt.
The swordswoman turned to him first, then gave a bright, refreshing grin.
"You must be Leo-sama, right?" She laughed boldly, even wiping the corner of her mouth as she muttered, "What an unbelievably handsome boy. Looks like I came to the right place."
"Y-You're my sword instructor?" Asuna asked uncertainly.
"Oh? You're the Knight Lady Sona mentioned—the one needing sword training?" The swordswoman gave her a once-over, then chuckled. "Mm-hm, another incredible beauty. Now I'm really looking forward to teaching."
Leo and Asuna both twitched at the same time.
Why did this person feel… unreliable?
She looked like a gorgeous swordswoman, but somehow her vibe screamed sleazy old man.
Asuna already wanted to back away. Leo, meanwhile, felt more and more certain he knew her from somewhere.
"Sorry, but shouldn't you introduce yourself first?"
Leo asked directly.
"Right, my bad. That was rude of me."
The alluring swordswoman scratched her head sheepishly, then spoke in a clear voice.
"I am Shinmen Musashi-no-Kami Fujiwara no Genshin. Young master Eligos, Miss Yuuki—just call me Musashi."
Shinmen Musashi-no-Kami Fujiwara no Genshin…
Leo and Asuna repeated the name quietly. A few seconds later, both their faces changed.
"You're Miyamoto Musashi?!"
Asuna burst out.
Leo stared at her as well, realizing at last why she seemed familiar.
Miyamoto Musashi—a name every Japanese person knew, from eighty-year-old elders to three-year-old children.
A swordsman from the late Sengoku and early Edo periods. Born in Mimasaka (present-day Misaki City in Okayama Prefecture), childhood name Bennosuke. Because his father served as martial arts instructor for the Shinmen family of Takeyama Castle, he received the Shinmen name. A master of the art said to surpass Shinmen Munisai himself. He founded a jitte dojo in Miyamoto Village of Yoshino, adopting the surname Miyamoto and becoming the legendary figure known today.
His life was filled with legendary tales—especially the decade around age twenty when he fought countless masters, created the Niten Ichi-ryū style, and won over sixty duels without a single loss. He defeated seventy-six members of the Yoshioka school and fought the famous duel against Sasaki Kojirō on Ganryū Island, a story still retold endlessly in modern media.
He participated in major battles like the Battle of Sekigahara, the Osaka campaigns, the Shimabara Rebellion, and in his later years served the Hosokawa clan. He authored works such as The Mirror of the Way, The Book of Five Rings, The Preface to the Five Forms of the Sword, and Thirty-Five Articles of Martial Strategy—all foundational texts in martial theory. History calls him the strongest swordsman ever to live.
And now, that legendary swordsman—was standing right here.
As a woman.
This was… unbelievable.
"Still find it hard to believe?" Miyamoto Musashi sighed, sounding used to this reaction. "I understand, but being doubted all the time gets a little discouraging."
"So?" Leo asked, pretending to be shocked even though he already had the answer. "You're really Miyamoto Musashi?"
"None other. Miyamoto Musashi of Niten Ichi-ryū, at your service." She still smiled, but her eyes turned serious. "As for why my gender is different from the version people know—well, when I was human, I simply hid it."
"My father wanted a son to inherit his martial arts. And given the era… a girl showing up to challenge famous swordsmen would be dismissed before even reaching the door."
Miyamoto Musashi might be famed as history's strongest swordsman, but what fascinated people most were the countless challenges leading up to that title.
She was a wanderer at heart. Before founding her dojo, she traveled seeking out the strongest and issuing challenge after challenge.
Given that, her choosing to disguise herself wasn't hard to understand.
"I thought I'd live my whole life that way—always as a man, until the day I died. But I was fortunate. I encountered another world—a stronger, more compelling world worth challenging."
Musashi smiled brightly.
"When that great lady offered me an opportunity—to become her servant, her Knight—I accepted without hesitation."
Only after that did Musashi regain her true female form, and she had lived on ever since.
She—yes, she—had been dead hundreds of years as far as humanity was concerned. But as a devil, centuries meant nothing.
Asuna felt dizzy from how surreal everything was. Leo, meanwhile, regretted not researching what kind of people a Maou counted among her servants. If he had, he would've known that Miyamoto Musashi was alive in this world—alive, female, and a servant of Serafall Leviathan.
It was… astonishing.
But—
"To think Miyamoto Musashi herself is going to teach you swordsmanship… you really have to work for it now, Asuna."
Leo teased lightly.
"Well, don't make it sound like a big deal. My family ran a dojo, so teaching students is just going back to old habits."
Despite looking like a beautiful swordswoman, every gesture Musashi made carried the bold spirit of a male swordsman. Her human habits were deeply ingrained. But the way her eyes lit up while staring at Leo made him uneasy.
He vaguely remembered: though Musashi lived publicly as a man, her real gender was female—yet she absolutely preferred men, especially cute and handsome boys…
Was she into him?
Was that good luck or a disaster waiting to happen?
"Um… please take care of me."
Asuna finally accepted reality and bowed to Musashi.
"No need to be so formal. I don't care much about social niceties. Let's just get along as friends." Musashi grinned. "And like I said—just call me Musashi."
"Then I'll take you up on that." Leo nodded before Asuna could speak, then asked, "Musashi-san, since you're a servant of Serafall Leviathan, your devil rank must be pretty high, right?"
Musashi shook her head.
"You're giving me too much credit, young master Eligos. I may serve the Maou, but my talent with demonic power is poor. Even after centuries, my rank is only that of a Mid-Class Devil."
She spread her devil wings—two pairs, four wings in total. Indeed, Mid-Class Devil.
"My sword is the only skill worth boasting about. Nothing more, nothing less. One blade, three bows—training toward infinity itself. My dream is a strike that can cut down time and space."
Musashi rested her hand on her sword. In that moment, an aura surged from her—so intense that any warrior would instinctively tremble at the overwhelming fighting spirit.
Asuna was speechless.
Leo, on the other hand, felt a deadly threat wash over him.
This woman—this devil swordswoman—might be lower-ranked than him in devil hierarchy, but with her two blades, her actual power absolutely surpassed his.
And not by a small margin.
Without his Sacred Gear, he wouldn't stand a chance.
This was someone who could fight toe-to-toe with an Ultimate-Class Devil—her strength transcended devil ranks entirely.
"By my master's order, I've come to teach you—what it means to wield a sword."
Musashi spoke to Asuna.
"No point wasting time. Let's begin immediately."