Chapter 164: Chapter 92: Hero Saves Beauty—For Edo’s First Beauty?

Aoto lifted the bamboo sword and faced Nagakura rushing at him once again!

The Shindo Mononoke Stream follows the "fierce" style... what a coincidence.

Aoto’s Natural Reasoning Heart Stream is also a school that goes the "fierce" route.

Hoo—!

Aoto thrust his sword towards Nagakura, producing a deep humming sound as it sliced through the air.

Nagakura quickly tilted his body to the side, watching as Aoto’s sword brushed past him, his eyelid involuntarily twitched.

He clearly felt it—Aoto’s strength... had suddenly become much stronger than before.

Nagakura’s eyes narrowed slightly as he tightened his grip on the bamboo sword in his hand...

Both using the "fierce" style of Swordsmanship, the two exchanged attacks rapidly in the small courtyard.

Even with the gift of "Lone Brave"... Aoto’s strength was still far from matching Nagakura’s.

The difference in strength between the two was roughly "two to eight." Aoto at two, Nagakura at eight. Nagakura completely overpowered Aoto.

Fortunately, Aoto had "Eagle Eye," and it was thanks to these incredibly sharp dynamic vision eyes that Aoto could keenly see through Nagakura’s attacks, allowing him to dodge in time.

Without "Eagle Eye," Aoto might have already been knocked to the ground by Nagakura.

Aoto knew that if he faced Nagakura head-on, he certainly wouldn’t be a match for him.

Therefore, relying on "Eagle Eye," he employed the most suitable tactic for his disadvantageous position: "guerrilla tactics."

Constantly dodging Nagakura’s attacks, then seizing the opportunity to launch a surprise attack on Nagakura.

Even though he was at a complete disadvantage now, and the chance of defeating Nagakura was slim, Aoto did not show a hint of negativity, calmly engaging Nagakura in guerrilla warfare, calmly searching for an opportunity to turn the tide.

Nagakura’s mindset was similarly composed.

Aoto constantly avoided direct confrontation, using "guerrilla tactics" against him, which would have made anyone else anxious to quickly take down the "timid" opponent.

But Nagakura showed no signs of impatience on his face.

With a stern face, he steadily and solidly engaged with Aoto.

Kiryu, standing calmly at the edge of the courtyard watching, noticed that though Aoto was completely on the losing side, he showed no sign of discouragement or frustration, and used the most promising tactic to fight Nagakura. A faint smile appeared on Kiryu’s face.

"...Alright, let’s stop here for now!"

Upon hearing Kiryu’s loud shout, both Aoto and Nagakura paused with their bamboo swords.

The sparring between Aoto and Nagakura... lasted less than three minutes from start to finish.

Even though it lasted less than three minutes, because it was an intense confrontation with a formidable opponent like Nagakura, Aoto was already starting to sweat lightly, his breathing a bit uneven.

By observing their states after the battle, one could see the gap in their strengths—Nagakura hardly broke a sweat and his breathing remained steady and unruffled.

Aoto didn’t have time to regulate his breathing or wipe away the sweat.

Because as soon as they put down their bamboo swords, a cold system voice suddenly rang in Aoto’s mind:

[Ding! Talent detected]

[Successfully copied talent: "Steel Bone"]

[Talent description: Exceptional resilience of the bones]

As soon as the system voice ended, a surge of warmth rushed from within Aoto’s body, enveloping him, and then gradually receded after a moment.

——Bones become resilient?

Aoto instinctively looked down at his left hand and clenched his left fist several times—though he knew he couldn’t see any changes in his bones with the naked eye, he couldn’t help but stare at the knuckle that slightly whitened from the tight grip of his fist.

——Ha... this guy has an impressive talent...

Aoto grinned.

Having resilient bones... this is a talent handy for both offense and defense during a fight.

Because with resilient bones, hitting someone using your fists or other body parts would become significantly more powerful.

Because with resilient bones, your bones would be less susceptible to severe damage when hit.

Out of the corner of his eye, Aoto saw Kiryu approaching him and Nagakura slowly.

Seeing Kiryu coming over, Aoto quickly put away the faint joy of gaining a valuable new talent.

"It seems, Mr. Nagakura, that you truly excel in swordsmanship." Kiryu smiled faintly at Nagakura, "To possess such skill in swordsmanship at your age is quite rare."

The tall and burly Nagakura revealed a reaction that was utterly mismatched with his image—after hearing Kiryu’s simple compliment, he broke into a bashful, honest smile, squinting his eyes and grinning ear to ear.

"Hehe... Thanks for the compliments." Nagakura, filled with delight, exchanged a few humble words with Kiryu before turning his head towards Aoto, who still stood beside him.

"You, my friend, are quite skilled." Nagakura slung his bamboo sword over his shoulder and grinned boldly at Aoto, "Just now, there were several times I almost got hit by your sword."

"What’s your name?"

"Ah, and—what Swordsmanship school do you follow? Your Swordsmanship is somewhat reminiscent of my Shindo Mononoke Stream, both prioritizing offensive techniques."

"Natural Reasoning Heart Stream, Tachibana Aoto." Aoto announced his name.