Chapter 8: [8] : Tomoe Meguri's Defeat, Kiba Yuuto's Astonishment

"Well then, Tomoe-san, I guess it's our turn now." I completely ignored the two girls on the sidelines, my attention now fully focused on Tomoe. Since obtaining Zangetsu, aside from practicing this morning, this was my first real sword fight against another person. And now, my opponent was Tomoe Meguri, who possessed the power of a Mid-class. I was genuinely excited! Hearing my words, a faint blush crept onto Tomoe's cheeks, like the first bloom of a peach blossom. She avoided looking directly at me. But she quickly recovered and regained her composure. "Hibari-san, I apologize for my earlier behavior. Although I don't know your reasons for challenging me, I cannot back down from a challenge from such a skilled opponent!" As she spoke, Tomoe walked over to the weapon rack and picked up a wooden sword. "Then, let's begin!" I smiled faintly and tightened my grip on my wooden sword, quickly advancing towards Tomoe. Meaningless verbal sparring was pointless. It was better to let our swordsmanship decide the victor! Tomoe also raised her wooden sword and met my advance! With all the members of the Kendo Club as witnesses, we began our fierce duel. Clang! Our wooden swords collided with a sharp sound, and then we both quickly retreated, creating distance between us, only to clash again and again! Clang! Clang! Clang! As the sounds of our swords clashing echoed, our movements became faster and faster! After blocking another one of my attacks, Tomoe spoke excitedly. "Hibari-san, could it be that you're also....? My power and speed have increased significantly, yet you can still keep up with me, fighting evenly while wielding your sword with only one hand." "Well..." Hearing Tomoe's praise, I simply shook my head and smiled without explaining further. It seemed she had mistaken me for one of Rias's peerage. If I revealed that I was just a human, she probably wouldn't use her full Devil powers against me. This was a rare opportunity to fight against a skilled swordsman of similar strength. I had to cherish it. In fact, I was incredibly excited. From our exchanges so far, I could tell that Tomoe's swordsmanship was superior to mine, and her fundamentals were much stronger. But because of my Observation Haki's, I could easily evade her attacks and counterattack. So, for the time being, neither of us could gain an advantage. However, through this sparring, I was becoming more and more proficient in combat. Her eyes flickered constantly, and finally, Tomoe made her declaration. "Hibari-san, I'm going all out now!!" "That's exactly what I want. To be honest, I'm very happy that you're willing to fight me with your full strength." I responded with a slight smile, my eyes sharpening. Tomoe was now planning to use her full Mid-class strength. Naturally, I had to go all out as well. I couldn't afford to be careless anymore, or playing the role of a sheep to lure the wolf would only make me the real fool in the end. It would also be disrespectful to her. Our wooden swords clashed again, but compared to the previous exchanges, our speed and power were now on a completely different level. We both seemed to treat each other as mortal enemies, our minds filled with thoughts of how to defeat the other. Tomoe, as an heir to an ancient family of exorcists, used her family's secret exorcism swordsmanship, relentlessly attacking me! But despite Tomoe's fierce onslaught, I remained calm and composed. My breathing was steady. I easily blocked Tomoe's attacks, and even found opportunities to counterattack! Standing to the side, Yura Tsubasa and Reya Kusaka watched our fight with astonishment. "I-is this an illusion? Hibari-senpai can actually fight on par with the captain?!" "It's unbelievable... Honestly, I'm shocked too! He sleeps in class and still gets good grades, he's handsome, and now he's this good at kendo. If word gets out, I bet tons of girls will see him as their ideal man..." "Yeah, you're right..." The two girls whispered to each other, unaware that as they watched me, their faces had turned as red as roses under the setting sun. Their shy expressions were endearingly cute. Koneko, observing the two girls' infatuated expressions from the side, couldn't help but think to herself, 'That pervert is such a lady-killer... But I didn't expect him to be this strong, almost as strong as Kiba.' ... I was completely oblivious to the girls' little side conversation. Even if I had heard their discussion, I wouldn't have had time to explain. Because at this moment, I was completely immersed in the joy of battle. I was thrilled to have met such a well-matched opponent in Tomoe. As our wooden swords collided again with a loud bang, I retreated a few steps, a wider smile spreading across my face. "This is amazing! But it's time to end this. Tomoe-san, prepare yourself for my strongest attack!" Tomoe didn't respond verbally, but the serious expression on her face was answer enough. In the next instant, I dashed towards her with lightning speed! My right hand, gripping the wooden sword, was now coated with powerful Armament Haki. I swung the sword down from above in a single, vertical slash. Faced with this sudden attack, Tomoe had no time to react. She could only raise her sword horizontally in front of her to block. A clear, crisp sound rang out. Crack! Tomoe's wooden sword was split in two, and I followed through, placing my wooden sword against her neck. Defeated. She was utterly defeated. "I lost." "Among the people I've met, only Kiba Yuuto's swordsmanship is comparable to yours. I doubt even he could defeat you." Tomoe lowered her broken sword. She didn't seem dejected at all. Instead, her eyes sparkled. "You're too kind... To be honest, I haven't actually fought Kiba Yuuto yet. So, if we were to fight, it's hard to say who would win." Just as we were talking, a voice called out from the doorway, filled with surprise. ... "That's true. There's no need to be so modest, Hibari-san. Your swordsmanship is remarkable. Even I'm not confident I could defeat you." "Kiba-san? Why are you here at the Kendo Club?" Tomoe asked, puzzled by the newcomer's arrival. "Hello, Hibari-san! I'm Kiba Yuuto. Rias asked me to come and invite you to the Occult Research Club. But I didn't expect you to be so powerful..." Rias had gotten worried since I hadn't shown up yet, so she sent Kiba to check on me. He hadn't seen the beginning of the fight, but he had watched our duel from the moment we got serious. Seeing Tomoe, a skilled swordswoman, defeated so easily by me left him stunned and filled with disbelief. Although Rias had told him that I had instantly killed a Stray Devil, seeing me defeat Tomoe with such ease still shocked him to his core. Just as I was wondering why Kiba had suddenly appeared, the system notified me that the challenge against Tomoe was complete, along with a new system task...