Chapter 49: Phantasmal Slash
The right side of the 3-sided viewing platform surrounding the ring was mostly occupied by Genji officials and well-known samurai. However, a few youthful-looking young men dressed in formal blue and white kimonos that set them apart from those around them were also seated on this side.
Furthermore, this included Minamoto no Mitsumasa.
'I can't believe that she has survived this long! She should've been long gone before the 16th finals even began! Only if I had been nominated by my father instead of her.' Envy filled Mitsumasa's mind as he watched his sister standing in the ring.
'Let's forget about the choice of choosing her as the nominee. I'm fine with their nomination. But why did he nominate Tokiwa as the seed competitor? Are you telling me he's the best talent of the Genji? He doesn't have any skill, he just imitates the abilities of those he battles!'
'His next match will be against that beautiful, black-haired woman... "Unbeknownst to him, his cheeks had turned a faint bright red. "I hope that she wins now! Hahaha! It's that hick's fault for being nominated instead of me!'
'Genji's best talent? Fuck you! There's no way someone like him, who doesn't have any skill and is forced to imitate others to win, could be the best talent in Genji! He's just dreaming if he thinks he can get big!'
Although he was watching Mitsumasa, Mitsumasa's thoughts were completely occupied with Tokiwa's match. He really wished that Tokiwa would lose in the upcoming battle. Tokiwa was the most talented of the Genji. Although he was called the best talent, he acted arrogant with his talent for imitation. He had humiliated Mitsumasa many times in the past, so he wanted him to experience the same humiliation that he had gone through.
In the ring, Tsune left behind yellow afterimages as she charged in front of Mitsusue with a pair of sharp, glistening sickles in her hands. She launched an onslaught of rapid and relentless attacks.
Fortunately, Mitsusue also wielded two a pair of blades, tachis with a 1.3 meter blades, that had a much longer reach then Tsune's sickles. Tsune was thus forced to get in close which was aided by her incredible speed.
Clang! Mistsusue was forced to bring all she had to the match to catch up to Tsune's speed and block her attack. Although all Mitsusue could do was defend in front of Tsune's attacks, the latter was also unable to break through her guard.
For Tsune, she needed to keep close with her relentless attacks with her sickles having a short reach, while Mitsusue just needed to shift her sword slightly to block.
After blocking another attack, Mitsusue swung her blade with a stronger force than before.
Clang! The attack pushed Tsune back, messing up her footwork as Mitsusue's strength far exceeded Tsune's, and she seized the chance to kick the latter's waist.
However, Tsune dodged the kick by showing great agility. Taking this chance, she bent her body forward and followed up with an attack to Mitsusue's lower body.
Clang! Mitsusue stabbed one of her blades into the floor to block Tsune's sickles and slashed at her back. Tsune rolled sideways, avoiding her blade, but Mitsusue had long released an azure energy wave via her foot. The energy wave shuttled towards Tsune and sliced right through her, cutting her in half.
However…
There was no blood spilt from the severed body of Tsune. Instead, her figure faded away as if she was a ghost.
'An afterimage...?'
Sensing danger from behind, she swiftly went to block.
Clang! The two blades grinded against each other a few inches away from Mistusue's neck. If she hadn't sensed the attack beforehand, she would have been dead with her head sent flying across the ring. She would never have known how she was killed.
Mitsusue then launched a kick back, leaving Tsune with no chance of evasion.
Bam! The kick landed at the center of Tsune's abdomen and sent her flying across the ring. But, Tsune still managed to release small sapphire energy blades towards Mitsusue as she spun across the arena.
Mitsusue dodged the energy blade... but?
Tear! Some of the attacks hit Mitsusue and tore open parts of her kimono.
Tsune directed her two sickles towards the floor as she completed a few flips before landing in a perfect manor. Looking up, they both had a resentful look—both of their kimonos had been torn in places by their attacks.
"Is that all you got? Speed?" Mitsusue mocked, "I think you'd rather be fit pulling carriages instead of fighting! After all, that's all you're good at!"
"Hah! At least I don't solely depend on power with the speed of a turtle!"
"Shut up! You have no right to compare me to you! I'm far stronger!" Mitsusue went onto the offensive once again, and Tsune also met her attacks with full strength.
Mitsusue's dual blades blitzed like lightning, as they released azure energy wave one after another at Tsune. Unbeknownst to then, they had begun expending more spiritual energy than needed.
Tsune avoided each energy wave with nimble footwork, leaving afterimages behind as she released her own energy blades in-between dodging.
Dashing forward, Tsune swiftly flashed in front of Mitsusue and swung her two sickles. One was aimed for the neck, while the other was aimed for her arm.
Raising her blade, Mitsusue went to block the two sickles. Seeing that the two blades didn't divert from their path, she thought it was odd as it would have been the proper move.
A smile appeared on her face as she blocked Tsune's attack and counterattacked, but suddenly, she felt pain from both sides of her abdomen as she keeled over.
The sickles hadn't hit Mitsusue's blades, but instead sliced through her abdomen.
'How?' Blood dripped down from the three inch wounds on her abdomen. She used her spiritual energy to block any further bleeding, keeping her in the match.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone