Character Quote:
Ten Do Kyōichi: "My swordsmanship has never failed. It's just that... I can't convey victory."
Dongyun Academy Swordsmanship Club Third Practice Ground
The cold light intertwines. Kyouichi Tendou stood in the center of the arena as usual, the tip of his sword pressed down, his steps precise like a pendulum. As soon as his opponent swung their wooden sword, Kyouichi had already entered their diagonal front at a 45° angle, his sword gliding against their neck and stopping. The opponent stiffly halted their action, cold sweat beading on their forehead.
"I concede. Deputy Chief, you really didn't use your full strength, did you?"
Kyouichi nodded slightly and bowed like an emotionless, precise swordsmanship automaton. "Next person."
The onlookers had complex expressions.
"Another 'empty stance'... He's obviously not using real techniques, but he seems to see through everything his opponent does."
"That's Tendou-ryuu Extreme Perception Slash. It's not a sword technique; it's a sense of time."
"Perfect swordsmanship lacking killing intent."Shizuka Shirakawa stood quietly nearby and softly commented, "Kyouichi Tendou isn't afraid of losing; he's afraid of winning."
[Swordsmanship Club Office]
"Deputy Chief, the training data has been compiled. You need to represent the Chief at the 'Joint Technology Research Conference' tomorrow."
Shirakawa pushed the documents toward him.
"... You don't want to admit that during the trial battle against the Illusion Department, you couldn't execute a 'decisive slash.'"
Kyouichi raised his eyes, his tone steady: "Yorumi Sou isn't a straightforward swordsman. Cutting him is meaningless."
Shirakawa sneered, "You can fool others with that statement, but not me.He pointed to the "Personal Sword Technique Analysis Chart" on the table. A red circle glared at him, stating, "Symptom: Fully aware of the victory point, yet voluntarily relinquishing the pressure, creating a tactical void."
"You don't understand killing moves. You're avoiding 'true victory.'"
Kyouichi remained silent. Before Shirakawa left, he said, "If this continues, you will not be the deputy chief. You will be a target dummy on the training ground."
[Night · Swordsmanship Department Headquarters · One Person Training with a Sword]
In the pitch-black hall, the only sound is the howl of the sword cutting through the air. Jingyi swings his sword alone, one precise move after another, without any emotional fluctuation. Suddenly, he stops and gazes at an empty space in the distance."Heishi, if you were still here, how would you break my sword now?" He slowly closes his eyes. The image of Heishi, who never followed common sense in his attacks and whose swordsmanship was wilder than his own, but who chose to strike at the critical moment, echoes in his heart.Heishi had never won a duel against Jingyi, yet after the mission in the "Phantom Valley," he disappeared beyond the gate of another world.
"I defeated him, but lost everything."
He slowly puts down his sword, his fingers trembling.It wasn't fatigue, but rather an inability to believe that "victory" could bring meaning.
[Ending Segment · Late Night Letter]
He returned to his dorm and found an unsigned letter lying quietly in his mailbox. The letter was unfolded and the ink was smudged, yet it was strangely familiar.
[—Jingyi, your sword was never meant to defeat me. But to bring me home."
His eyes trembled, and his knuckles whitened.
The handwriting was Heishi's. Was he still alive?
In the next moment, Jingyi walked toward the sword rack and took down the sealed long sword for the first time, not a wooden training sword but his true sword: "Breaking Style, Type One: Sounding Sword, Cutting Through the Void."