Starforce Warriors

Chapter 278: Ending It With One Sword Move

Ding! Ding!

Two sharp metallic sounds rang out in quick succession. They were almost indistinguishable unless one listened closely. Once again, the figures clashed and separated instantly.

Swish.

Half of Yan Chiyu's sleeve fluttered away like butterflies, her snow-white arm revealing a thin red line of blood. She had been injured.

Opposite her, Mizutani Hikaru casually held both her swords, her posture still relaxed and full of apparent openings, with no discernible battle stance.

"You're bleeding," Mizutani Hikaru remarked with a smile. "But forcing me to draw my second sword is already impressive, Yan. You have no reason to feel inferior."

Yan Chiyu remained silent. Her elegant, determined face was as cold as ice.

Zheng!

She tapped her sword lightly and sword energy burst forth. She struck again, sending sword light flashing like lightning. Mizutani Hikaru’s body twisted in a spin, and her twin swords suddenly feinted, creating an illusionary movement.

Ding ding!

Sparks burst from the air as the two figures separated once again. Then, they stood still. A look of surprise appeared on Mizutani Hikaru’s face as a small bead of blood slowly emerged from her throat.

“How... how did you do that?” She asked, her body slightly swaying, her eyes locked onto Yan Chiyu.

Yan Chiyu didn’t respond. She calmly sheathed her sword and turned to walk away. A beam of light descended from the sky as the graceful and proud young woman was teleported away.

In the next moment...

Spurt!

A thin line of blood sprayed from Mizutani Hikaru’s throat. Her body slowly dissolved into a stream of blue data as she disappeared from the arena. The outcome was decided. Inside and outside the stadium, gasps of astonishment echoed through the crowd.

"Yan Chiyu won! Her sword aura pierced through Mizutani Hikaru’s throat."

"How did she do that?!"

"Mizutani Hikaru’s undefeated streak in solo matches this season has come to an end."

"It seems like Mizutani Hikaru died without even understanding how she was struck." n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"She didn’t even get a chance to draw her third sword."

"I’m really curious about how Mizutani Hikaru’s third sword works, but it looks like we won’t get to see it in this match."

"No wonder she was once the top middle schooler in Liuhe Base City. What a dazzling victory."

"Haha, Great Xia’s swordsmanship triumphs over Jiepeng’s sword techniques once again."

The commentators eagerly shared their opinions, marveling at the outcome. Many spectators couldn’t understand why Mizutani Hikaru, after gaining an absolute advantage with her second sword strike and wounding Yan Chiyu, suddenly lost in their third exchange.

She had clearly injured Yan Chiyu’s arm. Could it be that a wounded Yan Chiyu somehow became even stronger?

Mizutani Hikaru looked confused as she stepped out of the light core cockpit. It wasn’t that she feared losing, nor that she couldn’t accept defeat. She just couldn’t figure out where she had gone wrong.

“You still don’t get it?” Tsukiha Yaiba cut straight to the point. “You lost because of your pride.”

“What do you mean?” Mizutani Hikaru asked.

Tsukiha Yaiba explained, “Yan Chiyu’s greatest ability is her talent for detecting weaknesses. She can immediately identify a flaw in any martial art she faces, amplify it, and exploit it.”

“I know that,” Mizutani Hikaru replied. “That’s why I used the Grass Slashing stance, which scatters fake openings all over my body. She shouldn’t have been able to find a real flaw with so many red herrings. My Draw Sword Slash has also been honed to perfection. Even if there were any weaknesses, they would be too subtle for someone at her level to detect. I...”

She stopped mid-sentence as the realization hit her. The flaw had emerged during their third exchange. The Grass Slashing stance, while effective, left her vulnerable after an exchange. Normally, her Draw Sword Slash would cover for that. But in their third clash, she had become overconfident when she thought victory was already hers, so she didn’t bother to draw her third sword.

She faced Yan Chiyu with only two swords. That was when the wounded Yan Chiyu saw the opening and struck. One sword, like a bolt from the blue.

Mizutani Hikaru suddenly smiled.

"Next time, I’ll draw my third sword right away, leaving her no chance." She straightened confidently and said, "There’s no way she can handle my third strike."

***

The next match continued. Quanye High School’s beastmaster contestant, Wang Qiong, took the stage. She was a short-haired girl with a somewhat legendary background.

Wang Qiong hadn’t even been a substitute on Quanye High School’s team before this season. It was Tsukiha Yaiba who had chosen her, brought her onto the team, and personally taught her martial arts, guiding her through training and clearing her doubts.

In just a few months, Wang Qiong’s strength had skyrocketed from the fifth stage of the Qi Refining Realm to the Limit Breaking Realm. Her rapid improvement left many astonished. Moreover, her natural talent in beast mastery was undeniable. Wang Qiong was now one of the star players of this season’s league and enjoyed considerable popularity.

However, her opponent, Bai Qiqi, had a similar story. She too had endured long struggles as a substitute and had initially faced repeated defeats. She had been labeled by the public as a flower vase, someone with beauty but no talent.

Yet, like an unpolished gem, she was honed into something extraordinary. Now, Bai Qiqi was recognized as a genius beastmaster in Liuhe Base City’s high school scene, a genuine star player.

Their match was both thrilling and long. Wang Qiong’s fighting spirit was nothing short of astounding. In the end, however, she lost by a narrow margin, due to having one fewer beast in her arsenal than Bai Qiqi. When Wang Qiong stepped out of the light core cockpit, tears welled up in her eyes and fell like sparkling crystals.

"I'm sorry," Wang Qiong said, her face filled with guilt as she approached Tsukiha Yaiba. "Sister Tsukiha, I'm sorry, I let you down."

Losing this match meant that Quanye High School’s chances of securing three wins in the five solo matches had become even slimmer.

The overwhelming strength of Li Xiaofei, known as the Outlaw Rebel, weighed heavily on the minds of every team and player in the high school league. His strength in the Five Spirits Realm was, for them, nothing less than a crushing wall that they couldn’t overcome.

Solo mode was their only chance, where individual combat strength had the least impact. As long as they could win the solo matches, even if they lost in the team mode, Quanye High School would still have a chance at the championship.

Tsukiha Yaiba gently stroked Wang Qiong’s hair and said, "You've done exceptionally well. Don't cry. The purpose of the league is to help every high school student grow stronger through constant battles. It’s so that you can become excellent warriors who can one day fight against the star beasts. It's not about fame or fortune. If losing one match can help you become stronger, then what harm is there in losing every time?"

"But, Sister Tsukiha, your dream..." Wang Qiong said, wiping her tears.

Li Xiaofei’s dream of winning the championship had been publicly declared long ago by the arrogant young man. But Tsukiha Yaiba’s dream had not yet been revealed to the world. But every teammate and friend around her knew that Tsukiha Yaiba's dream was also to win the championship.

For Tsukiha Yaiba, winning wasn’t about official glory. It was about testing and validating her martial arts philosophy. Though many people still held hostility toward Tsukiha Yaiba because she was from Jiepeng, Wang Qiong, Cao Rui, and Shu Xiao, three students she had personally discovered and nurtured, knew that this unconventional girl wasn’t like many others from Jiepeng who harbored ill intentions toward Great Xia.

She was only passionate about martial arts. Her goal was to merge the martial traditions of Great Xia and Jiepeng to forge her own unique path. So Wang Qiong and the others were determined to help their mentor and friend realize her dream.

Yet, despite their determination, they had lost a match they shouldn’t have. Wang Qiong felt overwhelming guilt.

But Tsukiha Yaiba smiled and said, "Don’t worry, I’ve got this."