The arena was filled with cheers for the Sword God.
The few voices cheering for Clay were drowned out by the overwhelming shouts for the Sword God.
"Hey! You guys, stop giving out nicknames so easily!"
Clay initially thought his title, 'Thunder Sword,' was quite cool, but compared to the God of Swordsmanship, it seemed insignificant. Such comparisons were infuriating.
Usually, he loved being the center of attention, but this Tsugikuni Yoriichi had stolen all his thunder.
Unforgivable!
He had to teach this guy a lesson and show who was truly the strongest.
"Now, please welcome both contestants to the stage!"
Kevin and Clay stepped into the arena.
Boom—!
As Kevin appeared, the venue erupted in cheers once again.
Watching the crowd cheer for him, a special feeling welled up in Kevin's heart.
"So this is what it feels like to be a star? No wonder people fight to become celebrities. It really does feel good!"
"Hey! Your name is Tsugikuni Yoriichi, right? Your swordsmanship is impressive! But victory isn't just about swordsmanship. If you don't want to lose too badly, surrender now. Once I start fighting, it's hard to hold back."
Kevin looked at Clay and said, "Your talent is good. Lightning magic can enhance your abilities, but you lack control, which shows your training isn't sufficient. Don't get lost in the power magic gives you; focus on honing your swordsmanship."
Being lectured by Kevin in public made Clay blush: "Mind your own business! If you want to lecture me, do it after you've defeated me!"
"Semi-finals, second match!"
"Nine-Star Swordsman 'Thunder Sword' Clay VS God of Swordsmanship Tsugikuni Yoriichi!"
"Now~~~!"
"Begin—!!!"
Clang—————!
The gong sounded, marking the start of the match.
Crackling—!
Clay's body moved swiftly around Kevin, creating streaks of afterimages.
"So fast—!"
The audience saw Clay's speed, producing so many afterimages that it was impossible to distinguish his true body.
"There it is!"
"Clay's Lightning Clones!"
"His speed is so fast it's creating clones, making it hard to pinpoint. We don't know where Clay will attack from."
"See? This is my speed! Speed is power!"
"Transparent World!"
Kevin activated the Transparent World. Instantly, the world seemed to slow down, and Clay's speed became incredibly clear to Kevin.
He could see Clay's blood vessels, muscle movements, and heartbeat fluctuations.
Kevin noticed Clay's heart rate spike and muscles tense, indicating an imminent attack, so he tightened his grip on his sword.
At that moment, Clay appeared behind Kevin, ready to attack from his blind spot. Even if Kevin reacted quickly, Clay thought, he wouldn't have time to counter.
"It's over!!!"
Clay rushed towards Kevin, but as he neared, he felt a wave of terror.
All the hairs on his body stood on end, and he instinctively stopped abruptly, like a startled rabbit, retreating quickly and pressing himself against the arena wall.
"Huh? Why did Clay retreat?"
"Yeah! Wasn't that a perfect opportunity to attack? Why retreat?!"
"Was he scared off by just a glance from his opponent?!" ... The audience was utterly confused.
Erza and Arthur also couldn't figure out what had happened.
Clay, however, was drenched in cold sweat, his face filled with horror. The instant he was about to strike, he felt immense terror. If he had acted, he might have died.
That's right! He would have died!
He even felt as if he had already died once, seeing a vision of his own neck being severed—an incredibly realistic image, with phantom pain lingering in his neck.
"What kind of monster are you!!!"
Clay shouted at Kevin.
This left everyone bewildered. Kevin was clearly standing still, doing nothing.
But the panic-stricken look on Clay's face didn't seem fake. Had something unknown really happened?
"Such keen intuition!"
Kevin praised. The instant Clay prepared to attack, several counter-strategies flashed through Kevin's mind. The simplest, most habitual one was to sever the opponent's neck.
Besides sunlight, the only way to kill a demon was to sever its neck.
As a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, Tsugikuni Yoriichi's swordsmanship focused almost entirely on slaying demons.
The killing intent generated by just a glance nearly scared Clay out of his wits.
However, Clay was a Nine-Star Swordsman, having experienced countless battles, and quickly regained his composure.
But the calmer he became, the more he felt the terror of the man before him.
Kevin merely stood there, seemingly full of openings, but every time Clay mentally rehearsed an attack, a glance from Kevin made him experience the illusion of his neck being severed again.
Once, twice, thrice... Clay tried several times in his mind, but each time his neck was severed in a single move.
This constant beheading drove Clay nearly mad. Was this guy a pervert with a neck fetish? Why always the neck? Couldn't he attack an arm or leg?
Meanwhile, everyone in the audience was completely bewildered.
They couldn't understand what was happening. Weren't these two supposed to decide a winner? Why was one standing still while the other ran around?
And Clay's gaze at Kevin was as if he had seen a terrifying monster.
Soon, the commentator provided an explanation.
"Perhaps everyone doesn't quite understand the current situation. Swordsman Clay was about to attack, but he was stopped by Mr. Tsugikuni Yoriichi's gaze."
"Swordsman Clay tried to find an opening in Mr. Tsugikuni Yoriichi. Every time he was about to strike, Mr. Tsugikuni Yoriichi saw through it and prepared to counter. Mr. Tsugikuni Yoriichi is impeccable. In this ideological clash, Mr. Clay was defeated every time, which is why he is scurrying around like a startled rabbit. In a match between masters, often a single glance can decide the outcome."
Hearing the commentator's explanation, everyone finally understood. So that's what had happened.
"You bastard! I don't need you to explain!"
Clay shouted furiously at the commentator.
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