Chapter 168 Hidaka Keiji ③ (Sugita Group ⑪)
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Alright, things are heating up! Our next match features the fighter Seven, fresh off a brilliant victory, against the newcomer-Hidaka Keiji!”
The crowd erupted.
”Normally, back-to-back matches are off the table, but Seven has accepted Hidaka’s challenge! The rematch is on!”
Usually, there’s at least a one-match buffer, but I guess Sasaki is as eager to end this as I am. Fine by me. I want Honoka to be mine, and I want it now. Besides, Sasaki has to be gassed from the last round. The deck is stacked in my favor.
We faced off in the center of the ring. Neither of us had drawn a weapon yet.
”I’m genuinely surprised you’re standing,” I said. “I watched your head hit the floor.”
”Did you really think a little decapitation would stop me?” Sasaki replied.
Normal people die when their heads come off. Is his Unique Skill¹ some kind of auto-revive? Whatever. I have the tools to put him down for good. A holy weapon is the only answer for an immortal-that’s what Holy Swords are for. They’re built to butcher dragons, Demon Kings, and the undying alike.
”Sasaki, I’m going to kill you and take Honoka. If you don’t like it, let her go right now,” I growled.
”I wondered what you’d say, but… no,” Sasaki said. “If you want her, try taking her the way you always do-by force.”
”That was always the plan,” I muttered.
I let out a sharp smirk. His defiance was the perfect excuse.
”It’s a bit of a cliché, but… I’m going to turn you into a stain on my blade. Come, Murasame!”
Using my Unique Skill, ‘Magic Sword,’² I summoned the legendary demon-slayer, Murasame. For a swordsman like me, it was the only blade that felt right.
”Murasame, huh? Then I’ll follow suit. ‘Skill Trace: Magic Sword’… Come, Durandal!”
”What!?” I gasped.
Sasaki summoned a blade just like I did. It was unadorned, but I knew high-grade steel when I saw it. He really wasn’t the same loser from a few months ago-the one who just stood there and took my kicks.
But that’s fine. I’m not like Hagimoto; I don’t get off on bullying the weak. I want a real fight. I want the rush of breaking a strong man. I want the feel of the kill.
Sasaki, you’re the ultimate prize.
I dropped into the Tonbo stance³ -the high overhead guard of the Jigen-ryu⁴ style.
”The school of the single strike, huh?” Sasaki noted. “As the old Shinsengumi boss used to say: ‘Never try to parry a Satsuma man’s first blow.’”
”Heh, you know your history,” I said.
”Just an Otaku’s hobby,” Sasaki replied. “But even if it wasn’t, the ‘first strike is everything’ philosophy is pretty famous. It’s a suicidal offense, isn’t it?”
Sasaki gripped his sword with both hands, settling into a standard middle guard.
”If you know that much, then you know you’d better dodge,” I warned.
If you even can.
”Both fighters are ready! Seven versus Hidaka… Begin!” the announcer shouted.
I lunged the second the word left his mouth. Like Sasaki said, Jigen-ryu is pure, unadulterated aggression. You throw away defense to end the fight in one heartbeat. But he didn’t get the secret. The reason that first strike is a death sentence isn’t just the power-it’s the blinding speed. Even if you’re told to dodge, your body can’t keep up.
My strike could split a boulder. Sasaki didn’t even move. Was he going to tank it? Worst mistake of his life.
”Kieeeeee!”
I screamed my kiai and brought the blade down. Sasaki raised his sword to catch it. Futile. The blades collided with a deafening CLANG. I prepared to drive the weight through and cleave him in half… or so I thought.
”Heh… not bad,” Sasaki whispered.
”No way,” I stammered. “A normal sword would have shattered.”
He had stopped the strike cold. We were locked at the hilt, eyes inches apart.
”Hidaka, you have no idea what Durandal actually is, do you?”
”I’m not a geek like you,” I spat. “Why don’t you give me the spark-notes?”
”Sure. Durandal is ‘Indestructible.’ No breaks, no nicks, no matter the force,” Sasaki said calmly.
”What kind of cheat-code weapon is that…?”
I clicked my tongue. No wonder he held the line. But it still didn’t make sense. I couldn’t budge him. I had put everything into that swing, and he was holding me off with a bored expression.
He was stronger. Pure and simple.
How? What did he do to get this kind of power?
”By the way… how long are we going to stay like this?” Sasaki asked. “Word of advice… back off.”
”What are you-GAHHHH!”
A massive surge of energy ripped through my nerves. The agony was so sharp my knees gave out instantly. It felt like a high-voltage current was liquefying my insides. It was like being hit with a professional-grade cattle prod, but the pain was on a cosmic scale.
”Ah… gu… aah… what was that?” I wheezed.
”I just clad the blade in a little lightning,” Sasaki replied.
I looked up. Purple sparks were dancing across his sword. That shouldn’t be possible. Not unless he had Akiyama’s ‘Magic Sword’ skill…
Wait.
”You guessed it. Magic Sword. I took it from Akiyama,” Sasaki said.
He said it like he was talking about the weather. He stole a Unique Skill? Even Sugita’s ‘Theft’ couldn’t do that. That meant his rank was way beyond anything we knew.
He could steal my skills, too. But that’s impossible. You only get one Unique Skill. Yet he had revival, theft, and whatever ‘Skill Trace’ was.
What the hell is this guy?
I still had one ace. I could summon the Holy Sword to kill him for good. But for now, I’d play along. My first strike failed, but I had more than one way to skin a cat. I sheathed my sword and dropped my center of gravity, hiding the hilt.
”…An Iai stance?”⁵ Sasaki noted, his brow furrowing.
He didn’t like that. I could tell.
The quick-draw-Iai-is the opposite of the Jigen-ryu’s overhead lunge. It’s a defensive counter-trap. Sasaki was hesitating. We hit a stalemate, but he’d lose his patience eventually. When he lunged, I’d end him. I let a grin slip.
”Hidaka, you’re missing the point,” Sasaki said. “Think about why I have ‘Magic Sword.’”
”Hah! What are you getting at?”
”It means I have magic, too,” Sasaki said with a cold smile. “And I’m terrible at holding back. It would be a shame if you died too soon. If you have a sword that can actually block magic, you’d better pull it out.”
Crap. Sasaki’s blade was humming. He unleashed the spell with a flick of his wrist.
”Try not to die. ‘Thunder Spear’!”
”Tch! Raikiri!”⁶ I roared.
I swapped Murasame for Raikiri in a blur. I drew and slashed the incoming bolt of lightning right out of the air.
Raikiri. The Lightning Cutter. Named after the blade that sliced a bolt from the sky. I was lucky his magic matched the blade’s legend. But with his silent casting, I was a second away from being a charcoal briquette.
”Don’t get cocky, Hidaka. Look up,” Sasaki said.
I looked up. My heart stopped. A massive hammer of pure, crackling electricity was hovering directly over me.
”Come on, show me what else you can do! ‘…Keraunos’!” Sasaki yelled.
”NOOOOO!”
I forgot about looking cool. I screamed and swung with everything I had at the falling hammer. The blade hit home. The lightning split in two and detonated in a blinding flash of white.
My heart was pounding out of my chest. That wasn’t just magic-it was a god-tier strike. Sasaki stood there, mockingly clapping his hands.
”Bravo! Truly impressive,” he said. “To cut down a Divine Strike… that Raikiri is the real deal.”
I ground my teeth. Yeah, the sword saved me. I knew it, and he knew it.
”You think this is a joke?” I spat.
”Not at all. I’m just looking down on you,” Sasaki said. “Well, I’m done with the magic for now. It’s getting boring, and I really can’t control the output anyway.”
Boring? He thinks this is a game? Fine. It worked in my favor. I settled back into my draw stance.
The second you get sloppy and lunge, you’re dead.
—
Summary:
Hidaka Keiji faces off against Sasaki (Seven) in a revenge match. Despite Hidaka’s legendary blades and aggressive Jigen-ryu style, Sasaki reveals he has stolen multiple Unique Skills and wields the indestructible Durandal. The fight escalates from swordplay to high-level lightning sorcery, leaving Hidaka desperate and reeling.
—
Trivia:
- Sasaki was decapitated in their last encounter but is perfectly fine now.
- Sasaki stole ‘Magic Sword’ from Akiyama.
- Durandal is specifically ‘Indestructible’ (unbreakable).
- Hidaka switched from Murasame to Raikiri to survive the magic attack.
- The ‘Iai’ stance is a defensive counter-trap, unlike the aggressive overhead Tonbo stance
—
Character Insight:
Hidaka transitions from overconfident predator to a cornered animal, realizing his ‘cheat’ powers are outmatched. Sasaki displays a chilling, god-like superiority, treating the life-or-death struggle as a ‘boring’ experiment.
—
Behind the Scenes:
Jigen-ryu is a historical martial art from the Satsuma domain known for its one-hit-kill philosophy. Raikiri (Lightning Cutter) is a real legendary sword in Japanese folklore associated with Tachibana Dosetsu.
—
TL Notes:
Notes:
• Hidaka – A 182 cm, 79 kg man—muscular, once a member of the Sugita gang and Kendo club. Now a Hero-class warrior wielding the Holy Sword Ame‑no‑Murakumo‑no‑Tsurugi and the Unique Skill “Magic Sword.” Once a violent delinquent driven by sadistic urges and revenge, he now fights under a lingering curse, torn between power and madness.
• Keiji – Height 182 cm, weight 79 kg (Male). A muscular member of the Sugita gang and the Kendo club. While better than the other two, he still used Natsumi as a punching bag and joined in the sexual assault of Lieselotte Himesaki.
• Honoka – A member of the relief team with healing magic. Despite her cute, short, ‘transistor glamour’ appearance, she is cold-hearted and mocks Sasaki, now a bound slave to him.
• Sasaki – The protagonist, 168–171 cm and 57–59 kg, with a baby face hidden by black bangs. Once bullied and thought dead by the Sugita gang, he now fights as the gladiator Seven. Wielder of Snatch and Time Compression, he’s the hidden source of many curses and a shapeshifter. Dressed in green scale armor with a blood‑red muffler, he wields dual longswords.
• Hagimoto – One of the members of the Sugita gang who actively bullied Natsumi. At first glance, he looks like a cool, smart guy with glasses, but he is actually vulgar and has a foul mouth.
• Shin – A level 18 greatsword user and Hunter from Rubia. Jade rank.
• Akiyama – Akiyama Ryunya. Height 177 cm, weight 70 kg. Oshiro Yuuko (best friend of Narumi Honoka)’s boyfriend. A hot-blooded, handsome guy with a buzz cut. Member of the baseball club.
• Sugita – Sugita Kazu. The leader of the Sugita gang and the primary bully of Natsumi Sasaki. His grandfather is the Superintendent General and his father is a Police Superintendent, so the two of them covered up all his crimes. Because of this, he does whatever he wants wherever he goes. He has a lean build, sharp features, and a calculating gaze. Possesses the ‘Steal’ (窃盗) skill and uses it to brainwash women.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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