After Clay finished shouting, he looked at Takeshi. He knew he couldn't go on like this, or his reputation as the Nine-Star Swordsman, 'Thunder Sword' Clay, would be ruined.
He might even be called 'Clay the Runaway Master.' If he heard a title like that, he'd definitely want to die.
"You head-chopping pervert, let's have a decisive battle!"
Boom!
A powerful surge of magic power erupted from Clay's body.
Crack! Crack!
Blue-white lightning crackled around his body, shattering the ground around him.
Clay assumed a drawing-sword stance.
"AHHHHH!"
Clay roared loudly, continuously releasing the magic power from his body.
He knew that competing in swordsmanship with the monster opposite him was pure suicide. The only way for him to win was to use his strongest move at the fastest speed to defeat his opponent in one strike.
He only had one chance to strike. If he couldn't defeat his opponent in one go, then he would be the one to lose. He was going to bet everything on this single attack.
"It's here! Clay's ultimate technique!"
"He once used this move to kill a Nine-Star magical creature in one strike. Is this move going to appear again?!"
"Thunder Roar: Instant Flash!!!"
Boom!
The ground beneath Clay's feet exploded, and he shot towards Takeshi like a bolt of lightning.
Sun Breathing, Fourth Form: Fake Rainbow!
Clay rushed in front of Takeshi. When he saw that Takeshi was still standing still, he felt an uncontrollable surge of excitement.
"I win!"
Whoosh!
Clay's sword sliced through Takeshi's body, but he felt no sensation of hitting anything solid.
His heart sank. "Damn it! It's an illusion!"
He himself was skilled in illusionary combat, so he immediately guessed that he hadn't struck Takeshi's true body.
"Where is he?!"
Clay quickly scanned Takeshi's previous position, but after looking around, he couldn't find any trace of him.
Suddenly—
From above his head, Takeshi's emotionless voice sounded.
"Sun Breathing: Fifth Form: Fire Wheel!"
Takeshi's body, like a swirling inferno, rapidly descended from the sky. That fiery vortex was a high-speed, spinning fiery slash.
Boom!
The ground exploded.
"AHHHHHH!!!"
Clay let out a pained shriek, his clothes torn to shreds, and he was sent flying backward, landing motionless on the ground.
"The victor has been decided!"
"Winner: Tsugikuni Yoriichi!"
"Amazing! Truly amazing! He defeated Clay in one strike! As expected of the Sword God! Tsugikuni Yoriichi!"
"Sword God! Sword God! Sword God!"
The audience all cheered excitedly.
Nine-Star Swordsmen had always represented the highest standard for swordsmen, and everyone thought that they had already reached the peak of swordsmanship.
However, Yoriichi had shattered their understanding of swordsmanship. It turned out that swordsmanship could reach such a high level.
"So strong!"
Erza looked at Takeshi, her eyes shining. She had never imagined that someone's swordsmanship could be so profound. Just watching from a distance, she felt she had benefited greatly.
If she could fight him, how much would her swordsmanship improve?
At this moment, she intensely desired to battle him.
Arthur clenched his fists without speaking. He was also incredibly excited. He needed to adjust his mindset to prepare for the battle against this man.
He could feel that as long as he could defeat this opponent, his swordsmanship and strength would enter a new level.
"Next, we will enter the finals! The match will be held in one hour. During this time, please welcome our lovely Sword Babies for a wonderful performance!"
A group of beautiful young women, dressed in slightly revealing outfits, took the stage and performed a fiery hot dance.
Takeshi returned to the lounge to revert from his transformation and rest properly.
"Phew... This money is not easy to earn."
Fortunately, it wasn't continuous combat, or he would have been exposed.
The magic power consumption while activating Yoriichi's form was very low when he wasn't fighting, but once he started, magic power vanished at an astonishing rate. His magic power was still too low.
Clay's sudden burst of strength was very terrifying, and his strength even surpassed Erza's.
Fortunately, Yoriichi was strong enough. Otherwise, it would have been really difficult to take Clay down.
This world had many hidden masters, he still needed to keep spinning for characters.
An hour passed quickly, and Takeshi's magic power had almost recovered.
"Everyone! The thrilling grand finals are finally upon us!"
"Now, please welcome our two finalists to the stage!"
Takeshi stepped forward, and Arthur also emerged from the opposite direction.
"The two finalists are Arthur and Tsugikuni Yoriichi. Arthur, needless to say, is the strongest swordsman in our Sobelia Kingdom."
"Tsugikuni Yoriichi, on the other hand, easily defeated two Nine-Star Swordsmen. His peerless swordsmanship has shown us that there are always people better than you."
"We wonder which of these two swordsmen will earn the title of the strongest swordsman in the world, and what kind of spectacular and brilliant battle these two will bring us! Let us all wait and see!"
"Ohhhhhh!!!"
"Sword God! Sword God! Sword God!"
"Arthur! Arthur! Arthur!"
The audience in the stands all frantically shouted their names, while high-star swordsmen focused all their attention, preparing to watch the upcoming battle.
Just watching a duel between the top swordsmen would allow them to benefit greatly. If they were lucky enough to comprehend one or two things, they might even be able to break through and reach the Nine-Star level, which was a huge opportunity for them.
"Grand Finals!!!"
"Nine-Star Swordsman 'Light Swordsman' Arthur VS 'Sword God' Tsugikuni Yoriichi!"
"Now!"
"Begin—!!!"
Dong!
The gong struck, signaling the official start of the grand finals.
Flash of Light!
The moment the gong sounded, Arthur unleashed a super-wide-range attack, with countless light swords shooting towards Takeshi.
Arthur didn't say any unnecessary words. Speaking at this moment would only make his momentum seem weaker. Only absolute conviction could allow him to unleash his full strength.
Sun Breathing, Sixth Form: Burning Bones, Summer Sun!
Takeshi swung his sword, releasing a swirling flame slash. The spiral slash shredded all the light swords.
Flash: Cross Slash!
Arthur unleashed a luminous cross slash.
Sun Breathing, Twelfth Form: Flame Dance!
Takeshi consecutively released two semi-circular linked attacks, crossing each other to meet the incoming attack head-on.
Boom!