I don't want to be a heroic spirit

There was originally a small forest here.

Edwards' control over his body can be said to be almost perfect. In the initial battle with Okita Souji, he was not only able to suppress him without hurting him, but he didn't even harm the surrounding trees. The sharp sword energy gathered on the sword edge without a single leak.

After all, she is her most cherished sister. Even though this sister makes her worry a lot and doesn't listen to her sister very much, she still can't bear to hurt her at all. From beginning to end, she didn't hurt her at all. She just simply drained her physical and mental strength.

What was a little surprising to her was that Okita Souji was much more perseverant than she had imagined.

Every time when she thought the other party was about to fall, Okita Souji would always stand up, and although it was difficult, he could still raise his sword towards her.

"Souji... she's gotten stronger."

However, it's still not enough.

No matter how many times Okita Souji got up, she only needed to swing her sword once.

A vision without strength to support it is nothing but empty talk.

Okita Souji has become stronger, but that alone cannot satisfy Edwards, nor can it prove that she is qualified to leave Edwards' protection and soar into a wider sky.

Until...Edelweiss saw Okita Souji posing as a blue-eyed man.

This is probably the last sword.

Just as Okita Souji knew Edwards very well, Edwards also knew Okita Souji.

Edwards knew that this was Okita Souji's secret sword, a distillation of everything Okita Souji had learned throughout his life.

Their first encounter began with this sword.

So, if I can defeat it with unmatched force like I did back then... Souji can come back to me, right?

With this in mind, Edwards subconsciously tightened his grip on the sword.

Just like Okita Souji had demonstrated countless times.

One step, two steps...

The third step is the ultimate sword, which is a flash of light that transcends time and space.

However, when the sword actually fell, Edwards's eyes changed.

wrong!

Her instinct as a swordsman made her no longer hold back, and the demon's ability to pluck the strings of fate was also fully activated at this moment.

The world's pinnacle sword power and the power of cause and effect erupted without reservation at this moment, moving demons all over the world.

But none of that mattered to Edelweiss anymore.

The moment Okita Souji's sword fell, Edwards saw a pure white world.

That is the white of nothingness, that is the white of everything.

It is such a world that seems to have everything and yet seems to have nothing, and at its center is a human figure.

"General...Secretary?"

That person looked exactly like Okita Souji.

However, her skin color was slightly darker than Okita Souji's, and her hair was not bright cherry pink, but pure silver-white... just like the world she lived in.

Moreover, her hair was really long, falling all the way to her ankles.

Edwards watched in a daze as her unusually long sword cut out a mark that seemed to contain all the principles of the world, and then... it gradually overlapped with the sword that Okita Souji was slashing at him.

When she came to her senses, she was already lying on the ground.

The area where the woods once stood was completely razed to the ground, a feat she had done herself.

Because of Okita Souji's last sword, Edwards accidentally opened fire at full force, resulting in everything around him being killed.

Even the surrounding "space" and "fate" were left with marks from her sword, and were now slowly repairing themselves.

At this moment, she was staring at the sky in a trance, and even if she looked directly at the sun, her eyes would not be hurt.

Souji Okita is not here, probably because he is in a hurry to participate in the competition.

Really, just leaving my sister here like this...

"What a disobedient sister..."

Her eyes were looking at the sky, but her mind was recalling the pure white world and that figure.

"A sword slashing from the distant future towards the present moment... Truly... a truly stunning sword..."

Edwards was confused for a moment.

At this moment...what expression should I show?

Well... smile.

After all...that's the sister I'm so proud of.

…………

When Ikki Kurogane appeared, he looked very embarrassed.

Unexpectedly, Okita Souji's appearance was even more embarrassing than his.

Like Kurogane Ikki, she was covered in dust, and her originally bright and smooth cherry-pink hair was now a mess. If you got closer, you could see the bloodstains at the corners of her mouth that had not been wiped clean.

She still had the sword in her hand and just walked in. It seemed that even walking was difficult. She took a step every three seconds and walked over with a limp. People were worried that she would stumble and fall to the ground in the next second.

There were shocking bloodstains on her arms, thighs, and clothes.

But, she still came.

Just as Kurogane Ikki believed.

Her figure was shaky, but her steps on the stairs were steady.

It's like a joke. How can you fight with a body full of holes like that?

However, no one present could laugh.

What is it that sustains her progress? Such beauty, such shock, such perseverance.

After witnessing that gesture with their own eyes, the only emotion everyone felt was awe.

The two equally weak men finally stood on the battlefield and smiled at each other.

"Why are you so embarrassed, Ikki?"

"How on earth can you have the nerve to say that about me?"

The two equally embarrassed and weak people were amused by each other's appearance at this moment.

Would he be curious about the reason why the other party became like this? Perhaps, but that had nothing to do with the battle that was about to take place.

"To be honest, I'm a little disappointed."

Souji Okita straightened his back and looked up at the helicopter flying overhead and the ridiculously large screen.

The venue was originally a closed one, but now you can clearly see the sky.

Ikki Kurogane did not speak, but waited quietly for the other party to continue.

"I finally have the chance to have a proper duel with you, but so much unnecessary stuff has been mixed in."

"And the two of us are still like this."

"Yes, it's still this bad."

"Haha."

The two of them didn't look like rivals about to draw swords against each other at all. A harmonious atmosphere permeated between them.

"Hey, Ikki, how much energy do you have left?"

"The best I can do is swing the sword once."

"What a coincidence, I am the same. I might not be able to swing a single sword."

"Isn't that bad?"

"Yes, it's really not good. I feel like it's hard to even lift this sword..."

As if to make his words more convincing, Okita Souji gripped the hilt of the sword with both hands and aimed the tip of the sword at Kurogane Ikki with apparent effort.

Chapter 104 The decisive three-stage jet attack

"You know what? Souji, my heart was broken once... by my own father."

A look of sadness appeared in Kurogane Ikki's eyes.

But his determination did not waver.

"But someone gave me new support. Because of her, I can stand here again."

He thought of the people who had cheered him on on the way here.

Ikki Kurogane summoned out his spiritual outfit Yin Iron, and the blade was more excited than ever before.

"This match has been tainted with too much selfishness and profit because of me, but... I can't contain my excitement, because my opponent is you, and because there are so many expectations behind me."

Both men clenched their weapons, and then a mechanically synthesized sound echoed throughout the venue.

“——Let’s go ahead (the game begins)!!”

The buzzer blew loudly, announcing the official start of the game!

The very next moment, the flame of magical power began to burn, spewing out from Kurogane Ikki's body and soaring into the sky.

"One Sword Shura!!"

This is Kurogane Ikki's only sword-cutting skill - One-sword Shura!

By destroying one's own survival instinct, the energy that would have been enough to support a whole day's activities is all released in this one minute.

Because I know my own weakness, I don't allow myself to hold back.

"One Sword Shura?... It's clearly the protagonist's most iconic skill, but this is the first time I've seen it in person."

The gushing magical aura instantly lifted the atmosphere of the entire venue. When that aura was reflected in his eyes, even Souji Okita couldn't help but feel his blood boiling.

Witnessing it with my own eyes was much more shocking than sitting in front of the screen in my previous life.

"But... one minute is still too long."

Whether it is Souji Okita or Ikki Kurogane, they only have one chance to strike.

After one blow, no matter who wins or loses, both will be exhausted.

In fact, if you really want to win, then as long as you dodge the opponent's attack, your chances of winning will be greatly increased.

However, neither Kurogane Ikki nor Okita Souji had ever had such a despicable thought in their minds.

He will not use tricks or gimmicks, but will confront his opponent head-on, with dignity and show his full strength.

There was only one thing on the two's mind at this moment.

When their eyes met, they both understood each other's thoughts.

Kurogane Ikki & Okita Souji: "I'll bet everything I have—to defeat the glorious knight before me!!"

The blades shone brightly under the scorching sun, and the two men adopted very similar stances.

Bend your upper body slightly, hold the hilt of the knife tightly with both hands, keep the blade parallel to your shoulders, and point the tip of the knife directly at your opponent.

That was Okita Souji's most commonly used offensive stance - the Flat Blue Eyes.

"Ikki, this guy, could it be..."

Kurogane Ikki's posture at this moment was very familiar to Okita Souji.

She recalled the previous match with Toudou Touka. Facing the undefeated [Raikiri], she used her secret sword in front of everyone.

Could it be that……

"This guy... could it be that he learned my secret sword just from that one time?!"

The invisible aura burned around Okita Souji like a flame.

Are you looking down on me? How dare you use my tactics against me?!

Although he was roaring in his heart, Okita Souji was smiling on his face.