Chapter 553 - The Decided Winner (2/2)
Yamada was disappointed that he failed to land a heavy blow to Akane Koyama. If only she had dodged a second slower, he would have been able to cripple her. This time, his goal was not only to defeat Akane Koyama but to end her life for good. An arm might not be enough to cleanse the offense suffered by the Choshu Domain Warriors.
The few previous rounds of sparring had Yamada getting a clear grasp of Akane Koyama’s strength. He figured that they had a rather significant gap between them, and it was then that he thought he could finally let out a sigh of relief. He was glad that Akane Koyama had no intention to surrender. However, he knew that she would definitely not continue the fight if something similar happened again, no matter how stubborn she was.
So, he covertly changed tactics. First, he changed forms and slowed down his attacks. In exchange, the trajectory of his strikes became more evident, hence easier to dodge. It allowed Akane Koyama to think she could relax a little when the truth was that the threat had just escalated to a serious level.
Yamada hid his trump card, for now, seeking the perfect opportunity to land a fatal blow. Few that were there could really figure Yamada’s true intentions. When they saw Akane Koyama bleeding from her wounds, Matsuo and Takahas.h.i.+ could not help but cheer for Yamada. Nonetheless, as the fight progressed, they could not help but start worrying about him. On the contrary, Akane’s dojo children had stopped their anxiety and began to see the light of hope. Akane Koyama had taught them-as long as they managed to defend from the attack, they could capture the opponent’s weakness, thereby looking for a counterattack opportunity. But Takeuchi, who was also a master, knew exactly what Yamada was thinking.
“How dare he say that I am cunning? He is no better than me,” Takeuchi proclaimed with a chuckle.
The battle ended faster than everyone expected. A second ago, Akane Koyama was still fighting with Yamada. The next second, without warning, Yamada sped up his attacks again, changing from his previous habit of a.s.saulting from the left. He aimed at Akane Koyama’s forehead and slashed at it with all his might! The sudden change caused Akane Koyama to misjudge the direction of the opponent’s move, barely lifting the katana to block the attack. She was forced to take half a step back. It appeared she had underestimated Yamada’s strength. The blow was so powerful that Akane Koyama fell to the ground, her katana clattering noisily along with her.
At this point, no matter how unwilling Akane Koyama was, she could only accept defeat. However, as the winner, Yamada had no intention to stop. A cold, bloodthirsty madness flashed in his eyes. He raised his Tachi and charged at Akane Koyama.
She gasped in shock, thinking if this was the day she would leave the world. What would happen to the dojo her father left her after his death? These children were still working on their foundation. Without learning the skills she wanted to teach, would the Koyama Flow be lost forever?
In stark contrast to Akane Koyama’s despair, Yamada’s eyes were filled with excitement. The battle last night had greatly tarnished his reputation. Takeuchi even deliberately made a trip here to watch the battle. While they were on the way, he did not stop teasing and ridiculing him. Now, he finally had the chance to put a stop to this nonsense.
As long as he killed Akane Koyama, he’d regain all that he lost. Then, something totally unexpected happened. A katana stopped Yamada’s final blow. His hands went numb for a while, almost causing him to lose his grip on the Tachi.
Simultaneously, the katana that stopped his attack remained unmoved.
“The winner has been decided. You don’t have to kill her.”
The opportunity to kill Akane Koyama had come and left. Yamada couldn’t help but boil with rage. When he saw the ronin who stopped him, his anger only amplified.