In Another World with JUST MONIKA 130 The Strongest Sword

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"You… you can use [Accel] to increase your acceleration at any time. It's not adding energy into the equation, it's manipulating what's already there." The shield effect that protects him was similar to how Elze's boost reinforced her body so that she doesn't pulverize herself by the forces she's punching into things. I could tell we were actually going supersonic at some points there.

"Your magic works like that, eh? Constantly pushing you instead. I can tell, you're changing your weight so you can move fast and act more quickly. A leaf in the wind, I get it now…" King Jamukha replied, his shoulders heaving with breath. "I haven't been pushed this hard in years. You're fast – you're really fast!"

Then he shook his head sadly. "What a pity though. You're fast- but your hits aren't that strong. You've got too little weight and power behind it. If you were just fightin' anyone else… hitting gaps in armor and defenses would be good enough."

But King Jamukha made his legend by ripping through reams of men, overpowering all of them, throwing whole formations in disarray. Once going in a straight line, very few things could stop him.

I took a deep breath. And exhaled.

"I have to admit, I can't beat you like this."

And the music of a certain rurouni with an x-shaped scar on his cheek shifted through my earphones. (1)

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/"We are reminded of a story about the strongest sword – a sword style born in the crucible of war – a way for a single swordsman to defeat multiple opponents all at once. Beyond human speed is godspeed – a heavenly soaring sword style,"/ Monika whispered.

With similar words, I spoke to Beast King Jamukha about this.

"So powerful is it, that the practitioners of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu are forbidden to use their sword to improve their social standing, to acquire wealth, or to obtain political power. So powerful that it can never be sworn in fealty to a single lord."

/"For whomsoever can bring them to their side in battle shall almost certainly acquire absolute victory. Rather, those who master this sword must wield their blades in defense of the weak and in support of the right."/

-.

Yae nodded. She understood that. She also understood that Zah Playa von Chara could NOT be a practitioner of that sword style – his sheer neophyte ways with the sword were very difficult to fake. It was easy to see that he was more comfortable with handling a spear or a long sword.

I raised my sword and held it in a basic stance in front of me.

/"I want you to imagine it – an attack that dashes forward and strikes all nine points of the enemy simultaneously – an attack said to be practically unavoidable and unblockable, only possible through the unmatched godspeed of those that have mastered this style."/

The illusion of nine swords clashing – diagonal cut from left shoulder, vertical slash to the head, diagonal cut from right shoulder, horizontal slash from right to left, rising diagonal cut through right hip, rising vertical slash cutting through the groin, rising diagonal cut through left hip, horizontal slash from left to right, and then finally a straight stab through the breastbone – passed through my vision.

/"No matter what sword style, it is assumed that attacks will always target one of these points, and so will one's guard. But if one attacks all of these areas simultaneously, this makes all blocking and dodging useless."/ (2)

With a tiny gesture, nine illusionary swords appeared in the air in front of them. Katanas, arranged in triple rows. With another flick, the swords dived towards Yae, opening up slightly then converging like a dragon's claw holding a hapless mortal morsel in its grip.

/"How do you stop the attack of someone massively faster than you?"/

The girls yelped, and leaned away from Yae. The swordswoman didn't even flinch. Not even when the swords pierced into the wooden seats. The parts that passed through her body remained ethereal as ever.

She clenched her fists. "Is Playdono able to execute that?"

-.

I chuckled lightly. "I am not a practitioner of Hiten Mitsurgi Ryuu. My straight-line speed might be fast enough, but no way can I swing my arms fast enough to strike from nine directions simultaneously."

"Is that even possible?" the Beastkin King asked. His mustache quivered. He looked excited about it.

"The Dragon has nine heads. Fighting you is like fighting a master of the Heavenly Soaring Sword. Speed and power combined in one peerless package. (3)

"More than that, the style's last and most famed practitioner, Himura Kenshin, was a little slip of a man. His Kuzu Ryu Sen, no matter how fast, would always be overcome by his master due to the weight advantage."

Speed kills. But speed without power, is just wind, which batters against the mountainside in all futility.

Then I smiled. "But then - that is the reason why the Nine Headed Dragon Flash is NOT the ultimate technique of the Heaven Soaring Holy Sword Style."

I put my left foot forward and crouched. I positioned my sword at just below my left armpit.

-.

"That stance-!" Yae recognized it immediately. "That is a fast-draw battou jutsu stance!"

Then she frowned. "It is not going to work. His sword is a straight sword and he doesn't even have a sheath." Then he brightened up. "But… the wind blade forming at the tip! The faster the blade moves, the stronger it is! You do not even have to fear the difference in reach, you do not!"

Then again she frowned. "But that is wrong. You are supposed to put your right foot forward, not your left. Doing it like this risks your own foot being cut off in the draw, it does…"

And wouldn't the magic barrier stop the ranged strike anyway?

-.

King Jamukha grinned. He shrugged off the shield on his left arm and tossed it away, holding his sword with both hands with his left hand wrapped around the pommel.

"Let's see if what you're thinking works out as well as you think, boyo! I respect that – so I'll show you the power of my own sacred arts –"

Paf.

-.

I pressed down on the hilt with my left hand to create spring-like tension. I crouched lower, looking down at the ground. My eyes were useless here, to detect the approach of such speed. Feel the approaching wind pressure…

Feel the hostile intent.

A new type of combat.

I slammed my left foot down, cratering the sand floor and breaking even the foundation stones beneath.

And Monika spoke: /"Hiten Mitsurgi Ryuu-"/

PHRAK.

Light flashed from the point of contact. (4)

/"Amakakeru Ryuu no Hirameki – the FLASH OF THE HEAVEN SOARING DRAGON!"/

The King appeared suddenly, his sword held vertically. His magic barrier popped. His left foot slammed down as well, piercing the ground like a jackhammer piercing to secure footing. He blocked my sword edge to edge, adding his weight to the back of the blade with a supporting grip with his off hand. If he still had the shield on his arm, he wouldn't have been able to bend his arm inwards so far.

Sand and dust exploded out in a circle around us. Both of us bared our teeth as we put all our power into that one hit…

"You're strong!" the King roared. "But the attack you're expecting – it's one that's so strong because it doesn't give a hoot to defense, isn't it?! Going all in, I LIKE IT!" He grit his teeth and pushed. "But if someone blocks it instead? You're strong – BUT ARE YOU STRONG ENOUGH TO WIN?!"

"I've gone down a dark path and come into the light. I've died once before and with her now my DESIRE TO LIVE IS STRONGER THAN ANYTHINGGG!"

Our swords struggled in the blade lock-

... And slowly, my sword began to slide.

Flicking his arm up, he deflected my sword away while getting into position for an overhead slash.

"He- he blocked it!" someone gasped.

"Your Beastliness!" one of the ministers yelled, surprisingly happy. The battle had been so tense so far that now even he wanted to see his King win.

"Playdono!"

"YOU'RE WIDE OPEN!" King Jamukha roared and prepared to swing down as the momentum of my swing forced me to continue bringing my arm around, exposing my back.

"Uooooh! Here it comes! THE CLAW OF THE DIVINE WHITE TIGER!" yelled out the soldiers that had suffered many such training blows before.

And then...

... His foot slipped.

"… What?!" he gasped. His eyes widened.

He could only watch as he felt his body being drawn forward.

A clash of swords, no matter how violent, would normally not be able to create a vacuum that would pull in an opponent. That was just how anime fighting works.

But then again, I wasn't an actual practitioner of Hiten Mitsurugi.

I AM A CHAR!

And the Absolute Master of WIND MAGIC!

-.

Monika smiled.

/"Even if you do avoid the fangs of the flying dragon, the gusting winds strip away freedom of movement – /

The King could only watch, in a second that trailed on for too long, as I completed the rotation back to the front and with a last desperate yell drove my blade into his side.

/"And its claws would tear you apart."/

"Grrrrgh!" the huge snow leopard man tried to stand firm, but the wooden blade broke ribs. His stance was broken, he bent inwards from the blow.

I screamed "RRAAAAAAAH!"

And then he was flying through the arena off to the right, smashing into the stone guard wall and through it. FWBOM! Smoke and dust billowed out.

"YOUR BEASTLINESS!" Chancellor Glatz cried out. "MY KING!"

Thadut. Tdut. Ta dut. Duh.

I dropped to the arena sands, face-first. Completely exhausted.

"Playa!"

-.

-.

Moments passed in aching silence.

A dark shape loomed from within the dust cloud. A white clawed hand, stained with blood, reached out to the edge of the hole. Stone crumbled into his palms.

"Oh no…" Linze moaned.

King Jamukha pulled himself out of the debris. A wide wide grin was on his face, though his eyes were shadowed.

"That… that was a good hit," he growled.

Then blood spurted out from between his lips and he dropped to one knee.

"SAVE YOUR KING!" Chancellor Glatz roared.

Soldiers dropped into the arena, half over to the King and the other half surrounding me in a circle with naked blades pointing down ready to stab me if I even so much as twitched.

"PLAYA! You dirtbags, what do you think you're doing?!"

"Mister Zah! We're coming to rescue you!"

And Yumina yelled "IF SIR ZAH IS HURT FROM OUTSIDE FORCES, BELFAST WILL NOT IGNORE IT! THIS WAS A FAIR DUEL YOU ALL AGREED TO IT!"

"… Stop. Stop it, you dirtwiiipes…!" King Jamukha growled. "The girl's right. This was what I wanted all along AHAh ow it hurts to laugh. Ahahaha…"

/"Ah, truly, between men a fight is a conversation,"/ Monika mused, nodding to herself. /"A conversation between gung-ho idiots, but a conversation nonetheless. This, I also accept."/

Ahahaha.

-.

-.

Much later:

The King and I sat staring at each other on opposite sides of a round table. All wrapped up in bandages.

While being glared at by our significant others.

Ahahaha. Ow.
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We both winced. It still hurt to laugh.

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AN:

1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4l4rvTVt8U

2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKM-X6qF0wM

3) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olZAaf1_m5E&

4) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwlpnxUZsdA

Chapter end