Conan: Above all force, there is truth!

Seeing everyone's reaction, Xiaolan asked curiously, "Weren't there no red or blue flags? Why is there a designated area?"

Upon hearing this, the students from the modified high school whispered, "Normally, that's true. But this is a competition mainly for schools, and the venue is divided according to school... We're so sorry! We were in such a rush earlier and forgot to tell you this! We'll apologize properly after the competition..."

Seeing the group whispering amongst themselves, Xiaolan and Heye immediately understood the reason.

Now is definitely not the time to discuss this.

After all, Hattori Heiji was on the field...

On the other side, Tokiwa High School and the others obviously didn't understand what was happening either.

But because of the name "Hattori Heiji", they secretly felt that this might be some kind of strange psychological tactic.

This tranquility did not last long.

After seeing the two athletes stand in position, the coach immediately blew his whistle.

"Game start!!"

The moment the match began, Longye stepped forward and with a horizontal slash, deflected his opponent's wooden sword aside. Then, he swung in the opposite direction, attacking his opponent's abdomen.

"Snapped!"

"Score!"

As the referee raised his flag, Shiozou realized that he had already been scored on by the opponent.

He stared wide-eyed, then blankly put down the wooden knife in his hand.

When Longye made his move, he had already seen Longye's attack and direction, and was prepared to respond. But before he could react, his opponent had already hit him.

How can this be? ! !

At this moment, not only was Shiozou somewhat dazed, but the audience below the stage was also quite taken aback.

From the moment Longye drew his sword to the point of scoring, less than two seconds had passed. It was the first time they had ever seen a score achieved so quickly.

Generally speaking, it is impossible for a player to score quickly at the start of the game.

If we had to explain why, the reason for this situation is quite simple—the skill gap between the two players is too large, and the weaker player is severely lacking in stamina, with poor concentration and reaction ability.

But you have to understand, this is the semi-finals! How could the contestants who have made it to the semi-finals through so many rounds of selection be weak?

unless……

Thinking of this, everyone's gaze towards Longye changed.

If the opponent isn't too weak... then this Hattori Heiji is just too strong! Excessively strong!

Before everyone's eyes, the match ended in less than two minutes.

Every time the referee announced the start, Longye would immediately score, and his opponents were almost powerless to resist.

The match, which was supposed to last at least 5-10 minutes, ended in less than 2 minutes.

Although the referee had already announced the end of the match, no one had yet recovered from the shock of those two short minutes.

Simply put, it's outrageous.

The opponent was practically standing there waiting to be hit, completely unable to put up any resistance.

If it weren't for the sight of Shiozou's dejected figure lying on the ground, they would have all thought that "Hattori Heiji" must have bribed his rival.

After stepping off the platform, Longye immediately went to Xiaolan and said, "I'm so tired~ The rules of kendo competitions are so troublesome, you have to calculate the score."

Unlike combat sports, where simply knocking out your opponent is enough.

Upon hearing this, the students from Kaifang High School, having regained their senses, looked at Toyama Kazuha: "Fighting? He..."

Toyama Kazuha whispered, "Actually... he doesn't practice kendo; he's a martial artist."

"Huh? What did you say!?"

……

After watching Ryūno's match, Hattori Shizuka slowly put down her folding fan, her expression serious.

At first glance, Longye's move seemed to be just a bit fast, nothing serious at all.

But Shizuka Hattori, who has a deep understanding of swordsmanship, saw something much more.

The more she observed, the more shocked she became.

Before each move, Longye anticipated his opponent's actions.

That's why he was able to score as soon as he took the shot.

After all, the opponent isn't a stationary wooden stake; they can't just stand still and wait for him to attack.

In fact, before Longye makes a move, his opponents are always on guard.

Even so, Ryūno's attacks were still able to accurately hit his opponent.

To achieve this, in addition to extremely high physical fitness, a deep understanding of kendo, the ability to seize opportunities, and the ability to analyze the opponent's psychological state are all indispensable!

Although it was just a few simple sword swings, she saw the shadows of many fighting techniques in them.

This child... has returned to simplicity?!

This is no longer a swordsmanship competition; this kid is bombarding his opponent with all sorts of fighting techniques!

His physical abilities are terrifying!

Thinking of this, Hattori Shizuka stared intently at Tatsuno.

Are there really people this strong in this world? ...

Chapter 184 Clash of Swords

same moment

The players from Kyoto Izumi High School watched the entire match of Ryūno in stunned silence.

“Okita, this Hattori Heiji from Kaifang High School… I don’t think he was this good last year, was he?”

Upon hearing this, Okita Souji frowned slightly.

He still remembered Hattori Heiji; he had sparred with him last year. Although he ultimately won, it was undeniable that Hattori Heiji's kendo skills were quite high.

But... was this guy this strong before?

Moreover, his offensive style is completely different from when they faced each other last year.

Putting aside ability, how could a person's "method" change so much in just one year?

Is it...

"Kyoto Zenshin High School - Okita Souji!"

"To!"

Seeing Okita Souji enter the arena, Toyama and Ye immediately pulled Ryūno and Ran aside: "Look! The fighter who's going up now, Okita, is the strongest opponent Heiji mentioned before. Heiji lost to him last year..."

"Ryuno, if Heiji doesn't come back soon, he'll be your next opponent!"

After Kazuha finished speaking, the students from Kaifang High School around him all nodded seriously, seemingly believing that this guy named Okita Souji would easily win the current match and advance to the finals.

Seeing everyone's serious expressions, Toyama Kazuha asked curiously, "I know he's very powerful, but why are you all suddenly so quiet?"

One of the men wearing glasses pushed up his glasses and said, "Not just amazing, he's incredibly amazing! In the past few years, he's basically won every competition he's participated in. Even Hattori was injured by him last year."

Hearing this, Kazuha Toyama finally understood why everyone valued Okita Souji so much.

Just as they were discussing, the match began, and everyone looked up at the playing field.

Amidst the cheers of the crowd, Okita Souji easily defeated his opponent with a "three-stage" technique. The entire match lasted less than five minutes.

Compared to Longye, his three-stage attack is more visually appealing, with an indescribable sense of smoothness and fluidity in each move.

Seeing that Okita Souji had defeated his opponent so quickly, Toyama Kazuha looked around anxiously, searching for Hattori Heiji.

According to the original competition format, a match would last approximately 20 minutes.

Since it's the semifinals, the skill gap between the players is generally not significant. Depending on the situation, the match might even reach a stalemate. Therefore, the organizers have allocated a full 30 minutes for each match.

Add to that the rest time between matches... Logically speaking, the finals shouldn't start until around 3 p.m. at the earliest.

But it's only 1 o'clock!

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the organizers will likely move the final match forward significantly because the match between Tatsuno and Okita ended so quickly!

"Heiji! What are you doing! Why aren't you back yet?!" Toyama Kazuha clenched her fists, constantly looking around, hoping to see Hattori Heiji.

same moment

"Kudo, you've realized it too, haven't you? That Sumi wasn't killed in that warehouse at all."

"Hmm. He was probably killed in the locker room by the pool! Speaking of which, there's something that's bothering me. That guy named Kuda's protective gear is missing, right?"

"Yes, I noticed that too. Looks like you and I were thinking the same thing~"

"If that's the case, then the criminal's methods can be explained!"

……

half an hour later

The finals officially begin.

Because the organizers moved the finals up significantly and Heiji Hattori was nowhere to be seen, Tatsuno once again took to the competition field.

Seeing that both players were ready, the referee blew his whistle: "The match begins!!!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Ryūno stepped out with his left leg and instantly rushed in front of Okita Sōji, swinging his sword down towards his face.

"Snapped!"

After gritting his teeth and enduring Ryuno's attack, Okita Souji stared in shock at the "Hattori Heiji" before him.

So fast!

This speed... is even faster than his movements in previous matches! Could it be that he wasn't using his full strength in those matches?!

And this power...

Seeing that Okita Souji had blocked his preemptive attack, Tatsuno smiled slightly.

When he competed against his previous opponent from Tokiwa High School, he suppressed his overall level, including strength and speed, to a slightly above B+.