Chapter 12

In the sound of a "click," the katana that was struck flew and directly pierced the corner of the platform, the tip embedding itself a small distance into the wooden floor.

"Phew..." Kuji Rakusai slowly exhaled, calmly sheathing his sword with a steady motion.

It was only at this moment that Arakawa Kibito realized that his katana had just been struck away by Kuji Rakusai.

Instantly, Arakawa Kibito let out a bitter laugh, spreading his hands in a gesture of helplessness, and said, "Indeed, when it comes to swordsmanship, it's almost impossible to win against you, Rakusai."

As soon as Arakawa Kibito's words fell, the surrounding samurai began to murmur, all with expressions that seemed to say, "I expected as much."

"Rakusai's swordsmanship is indeed outstanding."

"Even among all the samurai of the Shihokawa family, when it comes to the sword alone, Rakusai is the best, right?"

"That's why Rakusai can serve as Miss Ayame's personal guard."

"Kibito is also very strong, but when it comes to swordsmanship, Rakusai is still a bit better."

The murmurs from the surrounding samurai clearly reached Arakawa Kibito's ears, making his bitter smile deepen.

Only Kuji Rakusai himself seemed completely oblivious to the samurai's discussions, his handsome face wearing a nearly cold expression.

Then, Kuji Rakusai said, "This level of skill is nothing; any samurai can achieve it. It's just that recently, samurai have only been using steam guns and have forgotten that the sword is our true weapon."

These words instantly cooled the lively atmosphere around them.

The samurai all wore speechless expressions, unsure of what to say.

Arakawa Kibito also sighed slightly and said, "It can't be helped. Only with steam guns can we barely defend the station. With just a sword, it's too difficult to deal with the Kabane."

"I know, and I have no objections to the current situation," Kuji Rakusai closed his eyes, his face still calm as he spoke. "It's just that I feel ashamed when such a level of swordsmanship is praised so highly."

From Kuji Rakusai's words, everyone could sense a genuine feeling.

Clearly, Kuji Rakusai held the dignity of a samurai in high regard and did not want to tarnish it in his hands.

Of course, Kuji Rakusai had no complaints about the current situation where most samurai used steam guns.

After all, they were necessary weapons to deal with the Kabane, and Kuji Rakusai himself also used them, so he naturally did not reject them.

However, unlike other samurai who relied on steam guns, Kuji Rakusai did not rely solely on them.

As a samurai, Kuji Rakusai believed that only the sword in his hand was his true reliance.

Therefore, he did not neglect the practice of swordsmanship and continued to hone his skills.

For Kuji Rakusai, the biweekly martial arts tournament was not for venting but for testing his progress and constantly reminding himself not to forget his swordsmanship.

Arakawa Kibito knew this.

So, Arakawa Kibito smiled and said to Kuji Rakusai, "I, the loser, will step down first. You continue."

Kuji Rakusai nodded, and after Arakawa Kibito stepped down, he looked around and called out loudly, "Who will come up and fight me?"

These words echoed clearly around them.

The samurai looked at each other, and finally, they all broke into dry laughter.

"I... I don't want to!"

"Only in swordsmanship, we absolutely can't match Rakusai!"

"Exactly!"

Seeing the samurai shake their heads one by one, Kuji Rakusai's brows furrowed deeply.

At this moment, a relatively innocent voice suddenly rang out.

"Can someone who doesn't know swordsmanship come up?"

When this voice clearly echoed around, Kuji Rakusai was slightly stunned, and when he saw the speaker below the platform, his usually cold and serious face also froze.

Not only Kuji Rakusai, but all the other samurai, including Arakawa Kibito, were stunned, their faces showing surprise and shock.

In the crowd of samurai below the platform, a hand was raised high.

The owner of the hand was not a samurai known to anyone present, was probably under twenty years old, and was dressed in unusual clothing.

This was the reason why every samurai present was shocked.

And the person who raised the hand was, of course, Fang Li.

However, Fang Li had no choice but to raise his hand.

Because, at the moment Kuji Rakusai issued his challenge, a voice sounded in his mind.

"Serial number 11273 has triggered a B-level side quest: The martial arts tournament's challenge match."

"Quest content: Challenge the character Kuji Rakusai."

"Victory reward: 3000 exchange points."

"Failure penalty: None."

"Note: The level of the side quest is determined based on the strength of the main god messenger accepting the quest, with levels from high to low being S, A, B, C, D, and E, a total of six levels. The higher the level, the greater the difficulty. For a B-level side quest, the success rate for the main god messenger accepting the quest is only one in ten."

It was because of this information that Fang Li raised his hand to challenge.

Although the success rate was only one in ten, since there was no penalty for failure, why not give it a try?

However, to the others who were unaware, Fang Li's challenge was like a joke.

"Isn't this guy a wanderer who just started eating here today?"

"A wanderer, challenging Rakusai?"

"Is this guy looking down on samurai?"

The samurai's gazes toward Fang Li gradually turned hostile.

Only Kuji Rakusai and Arakawa Kibito remained with furrowed brows, though they did not show obvious hostility like the surrounding samurai, their gazes toward Fang Li became somewhat serious.

"The martial arts tournament is a competition among samurai hosted by the Shihokawa family," Arakawa Kibito said. "You are not a samurai, so you don't have the qualifications to participate, right?"

"You are just a wanderer," Kuji Rakusai said mercilessly. "Don't overestimate yourself."

"Is that so?" Fang Li shrugged and said directly, "If that's the case, then come and teach this ignorant young man a lesson."

Upon hearing this, Kuji Rakusai's eyes narrowed.

(Check it out! Recommend it! Collect it!)

[Page break for ads]

[End of page break for ads]