Chapter 76: Near-Death Experience?

(This is not normal…I should have understood that from the moment he enrolled… I should have understood it more deeply after witnessing the battle at the fierce festival… Yet, it seems I still haven’t fully comprehended it.)

Byron is aware of Ishud’s occupation and level upon enrollment.

And because he also knows Shidou’s occupation and level… Normally, it’s clear that Shidou has the advantage.

True to the name of the Berserker of Reform, he is capable of fighting in a manner uncharacteristic of a berserker… Yet, even after the duel with Shidou began, Ishud has not utilized the true essence of the berserker, the Berserker Soul.

When handling a katana that requires more technique and unwavering mental focus than other weapons, using the Berserker Soul can actually be a hindrance due to the madness it unleashes.

Such expectations are natural… But Byron couldn’t help but once again doubt Ishud’s mental age, wondering if a mere fifteen-year-old could faithfully adhere to that.

(Additionally, despite the fact that he had such a ferocious grin before the duel began… Is it due to a steel-like spirit, or is he just a combat maniac?… Truly, he doesn’t seem like a typical student at all.)

Though thoughts trickle out, as a combatant, being able to witness the duel between Ishud and Shidou as samurai is… something to be called happiness.

(Was there a student who could defeat my sister? I had my doubts, but… hahaha!! Indeed, in a foreign land!!!! To think there are samurai even among the students!!!!)

※ Ishud Regula is just abnormal.

Proposal for studying abroad from a foreign land.

Traveling around Yamato for warrior training.

There are indeed people heading to foreign lands.

When Ibuki received that proposal, there was also a temporary teaching offer for Shidou, and considering Ibuki’s importance as his dear sister, he intended to accompany her if she decided to study abroad.

However, there was one concern.

How many people among those of the same age could match Ibuki, his sister, in skill?

Without bias, Shidou’s and other family members’ recognition that Ibuki is unrivaled among her peers is not mistaken. Since childhood, she has defeated boys in matches without using real swords, often leaving them in tears.

She’s not exactly a wild warrior princess version… but she certainly possessed clear talent and an unwavering determination to improve.

(No matter how determined she becomes to risk her life, even if she throws away her life, Ibuki won’t be able to defeat him…Ishud-kun.)

Not employed in a profession that handles katanas.

Yet possessing enough katana skills to keep up with him.

And when the duel begins, he suppresses the madness of the berserker to fully utilize his own swordsmanship… swinging his katana with all his might as a samurai.

(What can I say… I’m just glad.)

Is it because an unexpectedly strong opponent is facing him with all his might, even if it’s not in his usual form?

Or is it because someone from a foreign land admires the existence of a samurai?

Amidst the battle… the duel, thoughts are scattered.

But that’s fine.

For now, he simply must defeat the samurai in front of him as another samurai.

“!!!!!!!!!”

Ishud takes the initiative.

Not just slashing, but cleaving… A kind of ideal strike imbued with tremendous force within its rationale.

If it connects like this, Shidou’s katana will be severed.

And even if that’s not possible, it can at least chip the blade.

(!!? A deflecting swallow!!)

The moment he touches Shidou’s famous katana, the trajectory of the blade is altered.

(Not yet!!!!)

Many people truly gather in the Regula family.

Among them, there are those, like Ishud, who harbor a strong admiration for the samurai existing in foreign lands, and he has already experienced having his own battle axe deflected by a deflecting swallow technique.

(Roaring Breaker Split!!!)

Originally, it’s a downward swing from above… to cleave the enemy in half with a single stroke, literally splitting them in two.

The katana he wields… is longer and thicker than the famous katana Ishud is currently using. But, with a single rotation of his body… and firmly planting his feet on the ground, he unleashed the unconventional sword technique, Roaring Breaker Split.

(Just as I thought.)

“!!??”

Even if Shidou’s katana manages to defend, he didn’t intend to lose. Deflecting won’t work in time. The sword technique, the deflecting swallow, isn’t a perfect technique, and he can’t deflect attacks that exceed his skill level.

(Damn it!!! That was just a deflect… Damn it…)

A movement that deflects a contradictory strike, which consolidated all contradictions into one.

That wasn’t a deflecting swallow, just a simple deflection, and Ishud’s claim of using a deflecting swallow was a misunderstanding.

The technique that deflected the Roaring Breaker Split was indeed the deflecting swallow.

Despite staggering, the wholehearted strike unleashed while off-balance was beautifully deflected… and his right side was cleaved in two.

“!!!!!!!!”

Not just enthralled by the two’s battle, Byron immediately rushed out from the scene and poured an elixir over Ishud, pressing the severed body part against him.

Thankfully, the heart wasn’t seriously damaged.

While the right lung was completely severed, using the elixir, which also has regenerative effects, could regenerate the severed part… but if the right side remained, pressing it against could shorten the recovery time.

So, there was no need to panic as he wasn’t severed at the neck or heart… but expecting Byron, a teacher, to handle the situation calmly to that extent was an unreasonable request.

“…Haaaahhh… I lost, huh… damn it.”

“Hahaha! You were on the brink of death… no, technically, you were dead, yet you seem quite lively.”

“Well, I mean, I knew I’d be okay since I gave the elixir to Byron sensei.”

(“I knew I’d be okay”. But even knowing that, it’s a bit strange not to feel any fear about actually dying. Normally, someone might experience a slump or fall ill afterwards… but this kid doesn’t seem to be pretending to be strong at all. And wait, he’s really not in a profession that primarily fights with swords?)

Shidou, who had been completely focused on the duel, had completely forgotten about this important fact.

During the duel, he had simply admired and respected Ishud’s swordsmanship… but looking back on it now, it wasn’t at the level of sword techniques wielded by a berserker.

(Hehehe… This will make for a good story when we return to Yamato.)

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