Oh no! They all seem a bit off!

Chapter 84 A Fierce Struggle

Seeing this, Akizuki Makoto also realized that the hawk-taming tactic didn't seem to work very well against Himeya Ryushun.

Himeya Ryushun's physical exertion was not as great as he had thought.

On the contrary, he could clearly feel that his hands were starting to ache and his breathing was getting faster because he had been holding the sword in the same position for a long time.

The somber and oppressive atmosphere put him under great psychological pressure.

"drink!"

After a few more moments of stalemate, Ji Yelong once again took the initiative to attack. This time, instead of slashing upwards, he chose to slash straight down!
Akizuki Makoto immediately raised his bamboo sword to block; he could still parry such a close-range straight slash.

Just as he was about to raise the bamboo sword, Ji Yelongjun flicked his wrist, and the bamboo sword in his hand seemed to turn again, slashing down to his thigh!
"hiss……"

Akizuki Makoto gasped in pain, his brows furrowing involuntarily.

Ji Yelong Falcon attacked the same spot twice in succession, and the combined pain made his right leg go weak for a second.

"Come again!"

Ji Yelong shouted, raising his bamboo swords with both hands, holding them high above his head, and slashing down at Akizuki Makoto's shoulder!

He was well aware of his own strengths and weaknesses, so when Akizuki Makoto revealed a weakness, he would launch a swift and fierce attack to defeat him in one fell swoop!
It was only then that Akizuki Makoto directly felt the difference in swordsmanship between himself and Himeya Ryushun.

The initial strike was deliberately given to him by Ji Yelongjun as a test.

"Clap clap clap one"

A continuous series of striking sounds echoed clearly in the empty dojo.

The two moved nimbly, advancing and retreating, launching a barrage of attacks as dense as raindrops, leaving Akizuki Makoto overwhelmed and exhausted.

He was forced to take the beating and was completely caught in Ji Ye Long Shun's attack rhythm.

Even if he managed to block the bamboo sword that Ji Yelongshun swung at him, and tried to retaliate, Ji Yelongshun would skillfully dodge it and then strike back.

"It's not good..."

As Mrs. Ji watched, she saw that in just a short while, Qiu Yuecheng had been beaten back step by step, taking several blows. She couldn't help but mutter to herself, her face full of worry.

"..."

Ji Yexue pursed her cherry lips and clenched her hands, feeling a mix of reluctance and confusion in her heart.

Logically speaking, she should feel relieved that Akizuki Makoto was beaten so badly, since it was Akizuki Makoto who insisted on being stubborn and disobeying her, which led to this outcome.

But looking at Akizuki Makoto, who was at a disadvantage and being beaten back step by step, yet still showed no fear, she felt no sense of satisfaction, but rather a sense of pity and self-blame.

Just like what Jiya Ryushun said, if she could calmly face Akizuki Makoto and tell him the reason for inviting him to her home, even if she just said, "Actually, my family misunderstood that I like you, so they wanted to see you," things wouldn't have escalated to this point.

"Aha!"

After striking Akizuki Makoto several times, Himeya Ryushun finally stopped his rapid-fire attack, sheathed his sword, and stood still to adjust his breathing.

Even though his attack was so fierce, his breathing quickly calmed down, without any sign of being rapid or disordered.

In contrast, Akizuki Makoto was breathing heavily, with a layer of cold sweat on his forehead. There were at least four places on his body that were aching, causing his hand holding the sword to tremble uncontrollably.

If Himeya Ryushun were willing, he could seize the opportunity to launch another offensive and defeat Akizuki Makoto in one fell swoop.

The lack of swordsmanship experience made the gap between the two seem insurmountable.

Akizuki Makoto's every move had been seen through by Himeya Ryushun.

In front of Himeya Ryushun, Akizuki Makoto's movements were as childish and laughable as a three-year-old child wildly swinging his fists and feet.

"Don't underestimate me. Do you think I can win just because I'm old?"

Ji Yelong, holding his sword in one hand, looked at Qiu Yuecheng, who was still adjusting his breathing, and sneered, "Look at you now, you're much more pathetic than this old man. Is this your resolve? You're utterly pathetic!"

"call……"

Upon hearing this, Akizuki Makoto took a deep breath and remained silent, as even speaking would disrupt his breathing rhythm and deplete his energy.

It's hard to imagine how Ji Yelong could maintain such a calm demeanor, considering that his series of attacks should have consumed a lot of energy.

Is he putting on a brave face?

He couldn't help but think about it, but quickly dismissed the idea, because Ji Yelong's breathing and expression were as calm as ever.

These things shouldn't be able to fool anyone.

When a person is overexerting their physical strength, they cannot control their breathing.

But in fact, Ji Yelong was indeed putting on a brave face. After that series of attacks, he had already exhausted most of his strength, which is why he sheathed his sword and stood still.

However, due to his years of swordsmanship practice, he had long developed the habit of regulating his breathing. Even when he was exhausted, he would not let himself gasp for breath, but would breathe at his usual rhythm.

Only those who achieve this level deserve to be called a qualified samurai.

A samurai should always maintain a calm demeanor and deal with everything, regardless of the circumstances.

"Come on! Is this all the resolve you have? You don't even dare to launch an attack!"

Seeing that Akizuki Makoto was still stuck in place, not daring to make a move, Himeya Ryushun shouted in a deep voice: "If you want to win, you have to be prepared to do anything! If you can't even do that, how can you defeat an opponent stronger than you!"

"...Then I won't stand on ceremony!"

Akizuki Makoto gripped his bamboo sword tightly, took another deep breath, and suddenly took a step forward, slashing out with his sword! "Crack!"

Ji Yelongjun immediately raised his hand to parry. When the two bamboo swords collided, the crisp and clear sound of them striking each other echoed in the dojo, foreshadowing the power of Akizuki Makoto's attack.

After being blocked, Akizuki Makoto immediately changed his move, mimicking Himeya Ryushun's technique. He rotated his wrist, allowing his bamboo sword to slice through Himeya Ryushun's bamboo sword, and then looked at his legs!

Faced with this move, Ji Yelongjun was clearly stunned for a moment. By the time he reacted and tried to step back to dodge, it was already too late.

"Snapped!"

The bamboo knife struck his calf with a sharp, burning pain, making him realize that he had been hit!

Moreover, he was hit by his own move!

"What a fierce attack..."

Mrs. Ji Ye stared wide-eyed, covering her mouth with her hand, looking utterly incredulous.

To her surprise, the two people in the arena collided again.

Akizuki Makoto seemed to have been truly inspired by Himeya Ryushun, and with a powerful and unstoppable momentum, he wielded his bamboo sword with all his might.

His moves were scattered and disorganized, and Ji Yelongjun parried them one by one, neutralizing his attacks and occasionally seizing opportunities to counterattack.

Even so, Akizuki Makoto did not stop wielding the bamboo sword, even though his tiger's mouth was numb and bleeding from the impact.

Ji Yelongjun was in no better shape; his strong, powerful hands were stained with blood, which mingled with sweat and stuck to the hilt of his sword.

Faced with Akizuki Makoto, who seemed to have gone mad, he could no longer maintain his steady breathing, and his movements slowed down noticeably.

Gradually, he could no longer defend against Akizuki Makoto. This guy was like someone with an adrenaline surge, refusing to back down even when the bamboo sword directly pierced some painful spots.

"Haha, that's more like it!"

Ji Yelongjun couldn't help but burst into laughter, as if he had become decades younger, and many of the wrinkles on his face had smoothed out.

He began to fight Akizuki Makoto relentlessly, and his aging body felt as if it had returned to its youth, constantly surging with power.

Originally, Ji Yelong was already at a disadvantage due to Qiu Yuecheng's reckless fighting spirit, but now Qiu Yuecheng is being pushed back step by step by him.

The bamboo knife kept striking him, causing him to wince in pain, but he still gritted his teeth and endured it.

Such a tragic scene caused Mrs. Himeya's eyes to redden as she watched the battle, tears streaming down her cheeks as she sobbed softly.

Countless times, she wanted to stop the fight, but countless times she held back.

Akizuki Makoto's earnest desire to defeat Himeya Ryushun deeply moved her.

Ji Yexue was no different. Although she did not shed tears, she lowered her head, closed her eyes, and dared not look again.

Her heart was filled with mixed feelings, wondering why Qiu Yuecheng would go to such lengths.

Even if he loses, he will simply leave, and his grandfather will not do anything to him.

Isn't this exactly what he wanted?

Was it because he didn't want to have any connection with her or the Ji Ye family that he clarified things to Ji Ye Longjun?

But why are they fighting so hard now? Even though they're covered in bruises, they're still gritting their teeth and holding on, refusing to give up.

"Autumn, Autumn Moon Lord!"

Suddenly, Mrs. Ji Ye cried out in surprise. Ji Yexue subconsciously opened her eyes and looked up at the scene, only to see Qiu Yuecheng staggering and falling backward.

Himeya Ryusuke looked down at Akizuki Makoto, who had fallen to the ground, pointed his bamboo sword at him, and said breathlessly, "Akizuki-san, you lost."

One of the conditions for winning is that one side can no longer hold on and falls down.

Clearly, Akizuki Makoto has reached his limit; he is now at his last gasp.

"I... haven't lost yet!"

Akizuki Shiro gritted his teeth and struggled to stand up, but a tearing pain shot through his body, making him weak again as soon as he managed to muster a little strength to stand up.

"Then stand up."

Himeya Ryusuke coldly stared at Akizuki Makoto, then lowered the bamboo sword he was holding.

His hands were trembling slightly, and he had reached his limit.

The only reason I can stand up now is because I'm holding on by sheer willpower.

"……hiss!"

Akizuki Shiro gritted his teeth, braced himself on the floor with his hands, gathered his strength, and sat up unsteadily.

But just as he was about to straighten his legs, he lost his strength due to sudden, sharp pain and fell to the ground with a thud.

“Akizuki-kun, that’s enough…”

Seeing this, Mrs. Ji Ye, unable to bear it any longer, spoke up to stop Akizuki Makoto, telling him to give up and just admit defeat.

But Akizuki remained silent, only trying to sit up by supporting himself with his hands on the ground, and then falling back to the ground due to the pain in his body when he stood up.

He kept falling down, getting up, falling down, getting up... in this cycle.

Until, to everyone's disbelief, he stood up steadily, his body trembling, and pointed his bamboo sword at Himeya Ryushun!
(End of this chapter)