“I already told you. You’re too slow.”
But Medi took half a step forward and interrupted Rose’s attack with perfect timing.
“No way…” Rose’s eyes were wide with shock. Not even her expert sword skills stood a chance against the unbeatable strength of a True Attire.
“It’s over,” Medi said. “Tachibana Blossom Style—Yuzu Slice!”
“Gah…!”
Medi swung her sword down for the third time, inflicting a deep slash on Rose’s chest and knocking her blade from her hands.
“Rose!” I cried out just as the final petal on the cherry blossom tree dispersed into mist. Winter Sakura vanished, and Rose collapsed on the stage.
…She really fought well. Rose had given her all against a superior opponent wielding a True Attire, fighting desperately to try to seize her miniscule chance at victory. Yet Medi Malum had far surpassed our expectations.
Everyone in the coliseum had assumed the duel was over, but Rose slowly staggered to her feet.
It’s okay, Rose… You’ve done enough…
If she kept fighting, she might actually die.
“…Give up, Rose. You’re strong—no one can doubt that. You’re the ideal swordswoman in mind, body, and technique. I wish I could get that idiot Shin to think more like you. But a Soul Attire Wielder can’t defeat a True Attire wielder. That’s just a fact,” Medi said unsympathetically.
But Rose responded with a smirk.
“Heh. I admit, I used to think that way too.”
“…You ‘used to’?” responded Medi.
“I saw a guy defeat one Soul Attire Wielder after the next without having yet acquired his own. He even defeated a True Attire wielder while still using his Soul Attire…”
“Wow, sounds like a catch. Who’s the guy?” Medi asked.
“Heh. You’ll find out soon enough,” Rose said. She smiled proudly—and just then, waves of vitality burst from her body.
“N-no way…!” Medi said, shocked.
“You should be honored. You’re the first person to see this,” Rose said. “Link—Billion-Year Sakura!”
A cherry blossom tree so large it completely blocked out the sky grew and erupted into full bloom behind Rose. Cherry blossom petals fell and drifted on the wind, carrying the smell of springtime with them as they painted the venue pink. The contestants, officials, and spectators were in awe of the Billion-Year Sakura’s beauty.
There’s no doubt about it… That’s Bacchus’s Spirit Core, the Billion-Year Sakura!
I wasn’t sure how Rose had inherited her grandfather’s power, but it probably had something to do with the Valencia family’s special blood and their “binding vow.”
“What the…?! Unless my eyes deceive me, that’s the national treasure of Cherin, the Billion-Year Sakura! What’s it doing here?! Was Rose hiding it?! What is going on right now?! I have no idea!” the announcer said breathlessly once she remembered to speak.
Rose, meanwhile, had been fully healed by the immeasurable spirit power of the Billion-Year Sakura. She calmly assumed the middle stance, bursting with vitality.
…That tachi looks just like his. The pink tachi in Rose’s hands was on the smaller side, but it looked identical to the one Bacchus had used.
“Hah, you’re a True Attire wielder!” Medi cried out happily, a ferocious smile on her face.
“No, this is still at the Soul Attire stage. I’m not experienced enough to summon Sefirot,” said Rose.
“What’s this, then?” Medi asked. “You have two Soul Attires?”
“My family is kind of unique,” Rose said, not elaborating further. She lowered her center of gravity. “Now, shall we continue? This power won’t last long.”
“Hmm, that must mean your weapon has a time limit. In that case…we’d better get started. We can’t have a genuine duel unless we’re both at our best!” said Medi.
They smiled at one another, then closed the distance separating them without so much as pausing to take a breath.
“Haaaaaah…!”
“Raaaaaah…!”
Sakura and tachibana collided as the two swordswomen locked blades.
“Hah!” Rose yelled. I can get the best of her!
“Holy crap…,” Medi gasped. She’s overpowering my True Attire?!
Rose won the contest of strength, sweeping her blade and sending Medi crashing into the wall of the arena. But as Rose went to chase after her, the giant tachibana orange tree shook itself, scattering a swarm of white petals.
“Take this!” yelled Medi. “White Fan Dance!”
Tachibana flowers packed with an incredible amount of spirit power raced toward Rose with terrifying speed. But even that didn’t stop her. Rose charged through the flurry of petals, which left long gashes in her flesh.
“Wha?!” Medi gasped, unable to believe what she was seeing. It was only then that she realized. You gotta be kidding me… How can she heal that fast?!
The huge number of wounds covering Rose’s body all fully healed in less than a second. The Billion-Year Sakura was an eidolon with an incomprehensibly powerful regeneration ability.
“Cherry Blossom Blade Style—Sakura Flash Chain!” Rose shouted, unleashing another flurry of thrusts.
“Hngh!”
Medi’s reaction was a beat late because she was still thrown off by Rose’s unexpected charge, but she stepped back once she’d gathered herself. She focused on avoiding the thrusts aimed for her vitals, just barely doing so, and moved out of Rose’s range.
“Haah, haah… That was hardcore,” Medi said, panting. “You must have a lot of confidence in your healing ability…”
“I’m literally invincible when the Billion-Year Sakura is active,” replied Rose.
“There must be limits to it… The more powerful a Soul Attire or True Attire ability is, the stricter its limitations tend to be. So the weakness of your Billion-Year Sakura is its short duration, right?”
“Yeah. The Billion-Year Sakura is inefficient and quickly consumes my spirit power, so I can only use it for a short amount of time. So what are you going to do? Wait until the time limit’s up?”
Medi snorted. “Please. Why eat an apple after it’s all shriveled up? It only makes sense that I’d want to chow down when it’s ripe and juicy!”
“Heh, that’s what I wanted to hear!” Rose smiled belligerently and stomped her feet on the stage. “Thousand-Root Kannon!”
Three giant roots burst out of the ground and rushed toward Medi.
“Hah! Do you really think you can hurt me with some tree roots?” She swiped her white blade at an approaching root, but…
“Wh-what…?!” Medi gasped. They look like ordinary roots, but they’re packed with a ridiculous amount of spirit power…
The Billion-Year Sakura was made of spirit power, with roots so hard that not even Timeless Fruit could cut them.
“Dammit… I won’t go down that easily!” Medi used her exceptional strength and swordcraft to dodge the three roots, then rushed at Rose, bringing the fight back to close quarters.
“Haaaaaaaah…!” yelled Rose.
“Graaaaaaah…!” roared Medi.
Neither girl budged as they fought at point-blank range. Their blades collided again and again, their spirit power surging and blood flying whenever one of them managed to land a hit. They even punched and kicked each other when they had the chance, not wanting to miss even the smallest gap in their opponent’s defense.
The duel had devolved into a simple battle of attrition. Whoever ran out of stamina or spirit power first would lose. They fought as if their lives depended on it, until one of them finally began to slow.
It was Medi.
“Take this…!” Rose shouted, landing a fierce side kick.
“Crap— Gah…!” Medi cried as she was knocked down on the stage. “…Damn, you’re strong.”
Medi wiped blood from the corner of her mouth and slowly got back to her feet. The numerous cuts and bruises on her body didn’t heal; her supply of spirit power from Timeless Fruit must have run out. She had to be in terrible pain, clearly so heavily injured she couldn’t even swing her sword, yet she gave Rose her biggest smile yet.
“Well then… It’s time for a last-ditch attack!” Medi yelled loudly enough for the whole coliseum to year. The tachibana orange tree bloomed fully again, filling Timeless Fruit with a vast amount of spirit power. “Listen up. I’m gonna put everything I have into my next swing!”
It was normally a bad idea to invest all your spirit power into a single strike, and it was an even worse idea to announce you were going to do so beforehand. If your opponent dodged the attack, that would mean instant defeat.
However…
“Then I’ll do the same,” responded Rose.
Rose Valencia didn’t want a cheap victory like that. She was determined to defeat Medi when they were both fighting at their peaks. Medi had likely announced what she was going to do because she knew Rose would react that way. Such was the strong bond of trust they’d developed during their intense fight.
““…””
The two swordswomen fell silent as they prepared. The tension in the arena was palpable.
“Okay… Are you ready?” Medi asked.
“Anytime!” Rose replied.
Their gazes met, and Medi swung her white sword down.
“Tachibana Blossom Style Secret Technique—Heavenly White Silk!”
An enormous burst of white light shot from her sword. It looked like a bolt of lightning out of myth, and it flew straight at Rose, obliterating everything in its path.
“Cherry Blossom Blade Secret Technique…”
At the same time, Rose calmly readied her pink tachi. Time seemed to stretch as she prepared her attack.
N-no way… The sight reminded me of something. Rose’s stance, her bearing, and even the way she breathed made her the mirror image of Bacchus Valencia, who’d once been known as the greatest swordsman in the world.
“…Mirror Sakura Slash,” she said, calling forth blades of sakura that painted the world pink.
Rose’s and Medi’s attacks collided violently, producing an enormous shockwave and obscuring the stage in dust. The Billion-Year Sakura and tachibana orange tree disappeared simultaneously.
When the dust cleared, it revealed the two swordswomen on the stage, Rose uninjured and Medi heavily wounded.
I couldn’t believe it. You’re kidding… How is Medi still standing with those injuries?! I guess that’s the power of a self-strengthening True Attire…
Medi had managed to stay on her feet despite being covered in injuries that could have killed her. No one in the coliseum could believe their eyes.
“…Rose Valencia… You’re the coolest person I’ve ever met…,” Medi said. She gave a satisfied smile, then collapsed facedown on the stage.
“M-Medi Malum has been incapacitated! The winner is Rose Valencia!” declared the announcer, and the crowd erupted with deafening cheers and applause.
“That was insane!”
“Rose Valencia is incredible!”
“Medi was amazing, too!”
“This duel will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest battles in Sword Master Festival history!”
The spectators gave a generous standing ovation.
…That’s Rose for you. She really is one of the most skilled swordfighters I’ve ever met! That was as fair and honorable as a duel could be. It had been so satisfying to watch. Rose and Medi were both incredible swordswomen.