Momochi Akagen was sent flying over a hundred meters by Haruto Saito's final slash, but his precise control over his body allowed him to land steadily without looking disheveled! His feet struck the ground, but he still slid backward more than ten meters.
"Pah!" Haruto spat at Momochi Akagen again!
"Heh! Hehehe, hahaha!" Momochi let out a chilling laugh, his gaze toward Haruto becoming more cautious yet even more excited.
"What the hell are you laughing at?!" Haruto sneered, and as soon as his words fell, his figure turned into a blur, rapidly closing in on Momochi!
The wind howled sharply, and blades clashed in a dazzling display!
The two of them moved with incredible speed, exchanging strikes relentlessly. Everywhere they passed was reduced to rubble. Haruto had activated the first gate of the Eight Gates, allowing him to engage Momochi in close combat with his blade and even gain a slight advantage.
However, Momochi's swordsmanship was far more refined than Haruto's. He had already anticipated Haruto's powerful slashes and was no longer sent flying by them.
Though Haruto had acquired many samurai sword techniques, they were too basic. Even combined, they could not compare to Momochi's expertise.
He could only rely on his superior speed and raw strength to barely suppress Momochi.
The battle reached a deadlock!
They clashed while moving, soon fighting their way into a valley, then out of it, and into a region filled with toxic mist. Neither of them used ninjutsu or any other abilities—just pure swordplay!
Haruto had no idea what was on Momochi's mind.
As for Haruto, his thoughts were simple: he just wanted to kill Momochi!
He was furious!
Momochi had sent him flying three times in a row, all while keeping an arrogant smirk on his face. It infuriated Haruto beyond measure!
As they continued their wild battle, Haruto's aura became even more violent!
Maintaining the Eight Gates state inflicted great damage on the user's body. However, since Haruto had only opened the first gate and possessed an incredibly robust physique with exceptionally strong bones, he was unbothered by the drawbacks.
Comparing their stamina, Haruto was expending more energy at a greater rate.
Though the Eight Gates didn't consume more chakra but instead accelerated its circulation, Haruto was simultaneously using his monstrous strength and executing samurai techniques, leading to overlapping energy consumption.
They kept clashing for over half an hour!
Neither could take down the other!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions echoed through the forest as the ground shattered repeatedly. Trees in the area were broken one after another, collapsing in the chaos.
"Can you guess why, knowing I can't beat you with pure swordsmanship, I still chose to fight like this for so long?" Momochi suddenly asked with a sinister tone.
"Not interested in guessing!" Haruto snapped back.
"Then I'll just tell you!" Momochi grinned, suddenly shifting his stance, increasing his blade's speed drastically as he aimed straight for Haruto's throat!
He had found Haruto's weakness!
Haruto instinctively leaned back, narrowly dodging the strike!
Momochi pressed forward aggressively, his attack rhythm accelerating. His swordplay became more chaotic, losing its earlier precision, but this disorderly technique forced Haruto into retreat, creating one perilous moment after another!
"You! You bastard!" Haruto immediately realized what was happening!
Momochi was using his own sword techniques against him!
Or rather, Momochi had learned Haruto's attack patterns. Haruto had no distinct sword style; his techniques were a mishmash of various samurai schools. Since each school had its own nuances, when combined, they seemed erratic and unstructured.
Momochi had figured them out!
Now that he understood Haruto's habits, he could pinpoint weaknesses in his swordplay.
Haruto was riddled with openings!
"Do you see it now?" Momochi spoke in a chilling tone. "You don't understand the sword at all. Your technique is crude! You only rely on speed and strength… But I've seen through you. You have no chance!"
Slash!
Momochi's blade cut across Haruto's side, leaving a deep wound that exposed bone!
The two continued their brutal melee!
Slash! Slash!
Within just a minute, Haruto was struck twice more, blood spraying into the air!
"Tell me where the treasure is, and I'll let you go!" Momochi said in a sinister tone. "This is your last chance! I promise, there won't be another!"
He was using those taunting words again!
It irritated Haruto immensely!
Haruto realized it might be a psychological tactic, but he didn't care. "I swear, I'll kill you today!" he growled through gritted teeth.
Rage surged!
Haruto stopped retreating—he didn't even bother dodging Momochi's attacks anymore! He swung his sword straight at Momochi's head!
A reckless, suicidal move!
Haruto had abandoned defense entirely!
As if he was ready to perish with Momochi!
Momochi had no interest in a mutual kill!
He abandoned his offense, taking more than a dozen blows from Haruto, retreating step by step! He tried counterattacking twice, but Haruto refused to defend! Momochi could certainly land a killing blow, but he couldn't guarantee he wouldn't be slain at the same time!
For over ten minutes, they continued clashing. Momochi stayed purely defensive!
He remained composed, responding with remarkable steadiness, seemingly waiting for the right moment.
Haruto, however, was reckless!
He wanted to kill Momochi at any cost!
This wasn't a sustainable strategy. If Momochi committed entirely to defense, Haruto's attacks wouldn't break through, only granting Momochi more openings to exploit!
Haruto pondered: what kind of opportunity was Momochi waiting for?
Haruto's blade suddenly slowed!
As if he was exhausted.
His sword angle shifted from slashing to thrusting, aiming straight at Momochi's heart!
A gleam flashed in Momochi's eyes—he abandoned his defense and swung his massive executioner's blade toward Haruto's head!
Both were gambling their lives!
The heart and the head were both fatal targets, but clearly, the head was more crucial!
Momochi was confident he could behead Haruto first! Even if they struck each other simultaneously, Haruto's decapitation meant certain death, while Momochi, even with a heart wound, had ways to survive and heal himself!
Pure flesh wounds were relatively easy to mend. The hardest injuries to recover from were fractures, poisoning, and burns.
In that split second!
Haruto resolutely thrust his sword, ignoring the executioner's blade coming down at him!
Momochi didn't defend either, his blade striking like lightning!
CLANG!!!
A sound like a bell tolling rang out as the sword struck Haruto's head—but it didn't cleave through. It only sliced his scalp… Haruto's skull was unbelievably tough, making it impossible to split open!
At the same moment, Haruto's sword plunged into Momochi's heart!
Momochi's face twisted in shock. By all logic, Haruto should've been dead! He had banked on that certainty!
But Haruto was still alive!
His wrist suddenly trembled!
His blade vibrated violently!
BOOM!
Momochi's heart was shredded apart, his chest bursting open with a gaping hole! Darkness overwhelmed his vision, excruciating pain consuming his consciousness as his strength drained away!
Haruto followed with another swing!
SCHLICK! A large head flew into the air—Momochi was already too weak to resist!
Golden light erupted!
"Serves you right for being cocky! Was it worth it? Pathetic! Pah!" Haruto spat at Momochi's corpse before dropping his blade and clutching his head, crouching down in agony.
"Damn… Ow, ow, ow, ow…! Damn it…! This pain… Aghhh…! Damn it… It's killing me…!"
Haruto looked like he was on the verge of collapse.
It felt like his skull was about to explode!