Qualia walked as though he was on rails.
There was blood all over his body, but the wounds it sprayed from were gone, after the 5D printer completely replaced every damaged part of his body.
Furthermore, there were the eyes on his unemotional face. His not very reflective eyes were pointed straight at Spirito as she shrunk back.
“…”
Spirito clenched her teeth as she dropped her center of gravity again.
The next moment, five of her appeared around Qualia.
“Ranma, fifth speed!”
“No prediction revisions.”
There were five metallic sounds, as all the blades were blocked by Qualia’s false sword.
This time, it was Spirito’s small body that was blown away.
“…How was I the one who was repelled…?”
Said Spirito with a shocked expression after landing on her feet.
Qualia’s eyes looked as though they could see through everything, and they did not miss any subtleties, including the starting point of Spirito’s attack.
“Ranma, eighth speed!”
“No prediction revisions.”
Another attack raged at Qualia, as eight Spiritos swung widely at him.
But even this carpet bomb attack from all directions was within his expectations.
As a result, there were metallic sounds one after the other, and Spirito was blown back.
“Those movements… Aren’t even fast… Why!?”
Spirito’s overall specs were definitely better than Qualia’s.
Every time they clashed, Qualia was decisively overpowered, and it was clear as day who was faster.
Even the way Spirito handled her sword and the polish of her movements, were worlds apart from Qualia’s.
And yet, her sword could not reach him anymore. It was all blocked or dodged.
“Ranma, ninth speed!”
“No prediction revisions.”
Spirito desperately tried to pile on ‘Holy sword’s’ attacks.
“Ranma, eighth speed!”
“No prediction revisions.”
But no matter how many times she used Ranma, it was all evaded.
“Ranma, ninth speed!”
“No prediction revisions.”
No slashes ever reached their target again.
“What is that swordsmanship of yours…”
Spirito’s eyes started to look tired, as she fought against what seemed like a wall she could never hope to cut through.
Her body was not tired, but her spirit was struggling.
Her swordsmanship, which was elevated to the point of others calling her Holy sword, and was her only thing she could rely on since birth, was not working at all.
Qualia on the other hand, responded robotically and without a hint of emotion on his face.
“Error. This fighting method is not swordsmanship.”
“Then what do you call it!?”
“Choosing the correct options to clear all your movements.”
Qualia’s fighting style did not have a flashy name. Basically, he was simply going along with his optimized solutions. That was all.
Qualia did not use sword techniques, shukuchi, Ranma, or any secret techniques.
Spirito could not even win by overpowering him from the front.
Offensive power, defensive power, speed. On a technical level, none of it got close to Spirito’s specs. But Qualia could predict everything about Holy Sword’s perfect swordsmanship. His optimized solutions had been polished to the point where he could see through every move and push her back.
“Then…”
Spirito opened her arms again, and sank, readying to use Kaitou Ranma.
“I’m using my secret technique to cut through that strange technique…!”
“Executing Kaitou Ranma not recommended. You are wrong.”
“What did you say!?”
Spirito frowned at something she did not expect to hear, while still in her low posture.
Qualia’s eyes that were as clear as spring water saw through everything. Not just optimized solutions, everything else as well.
“Your hardware has suffered some damage in parts. Executing Kaitou Ranma will produce recoil.”
“…What are you even saying… Are you trying to shake me!?”
Spirito spat out, but she was indeed shaken, and clenched her teeth, pretty much proving that Qualia’s assessment was correct.
Even Holy Sword could not use such a technique without putting a burden on her body.
“Even if you’re right! I can’t back down now!”
She screamed, and sank even deeper.
“All I have is my sister… So I will stop you!”
Spirito jumped, and ten figures encircled Qualia.
“Secret technique.”
Blades fell like a downpour.
“Kaitou Ranma.”
The trajectory of the false sword followed Qualia with only a paper-thin distance, but it was not enough.
Qualia immediately moved away from the point of her sword.
Everything was drowned out by the sound of metal clashing. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine… Everything was dodged or blocked.
The last attack came ripping from the side, slashing diagonally downwards.
A light of hope lit up in Spirito’s young face for a second, as she thought she caught Qualia.
“No prediction revisions.”
Qualia’s false sword warded off every attack, and was pointed at Spirito’s neck.
That cold feeling left her face completely stiff.
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