I teach judo in Tokyo.

Okita Souji actually lost to Atobe Sousuke in a thrusting attack!

The Okita family's thrust is no match for someone who doesn't even have the Okita surname!

Many viewers couldn't help but rub their eyes, wondering if they were hallucinating.

Inside the arena, Okita Souji jumped up immediately after landing, staring at Atobe Sousuke in utter shock. He almost cried out, "Impossible!"

But he was a proud and image-conscious genius swordsman, so he couldn't bring himself to utter those three words.

He simply returned to his starting position and asked incredulously, "You really know the triple thrust!?"

He believed that Atobe Sousuke had not learned it by simply seeing him use it on the spot. If he could learn it in a short time just by looking at it, it would be too insulting to the Okita family's three-stage thrust.

That can only mean that Atobe already knew this move before...

So he asked hesitantly, "Do you know Okita Souji, the previous generation of our Okita family?"

“I don’t know you. I know what you’re thinking.” Atobe Sousuke stood calmly and replied with a smile, “My three-stage thrust did not originate from your Okita family. Instead, I created it myself based on the legends of your ancestors.”

"No...it can't be, right?" Okita Souji was dumbfounded. Their three-stage thrust had been restored and improved by generation after generation, and it took many years to perfect it to its current state.

The man in front of him then claimed that he created it all by himself?

Could one person's wisdom surpass the combined wisdom accumulated by the Okita family over generations?

What a joke!

Atobe Sousuke gripped his sword with both hands, once again adopting the stance of the Hirai Blue Eyes: "Nothing is impossible. Didn't you yourself change the three-stage thrust into a five-stage thrust with even more stages?"

“This…” Okita Souji fell silent.

However, his face remained gloomy.

Even if we don't dwell on where Atobe Sousuke's three-stage thrust came from, the fact remains that my own thrust is inferior to his.

He had already mastered the three-stage thrust and found a new path to evolve it into a five-stage thrust.

Why did we still lose?

I'll try again!

Okita Souji gritted his teeth and adopted the same blue-eyed stance.

The two men faced off again, each with a neutral expression.

The cheers from the spectators outside were noisy and chaotic.

The two people inside the room became increasingly calm.

Even when the referee came forward to announce the start of the match, they did not make a move.

Atobe Sousuke stood steadily, the bamboo swords he held in his hands, though light, felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, without the slightest tremor in his hands.

Beneath the mask, his expression was a half-smile, his eyes calmly staring directly at Okita Souji.

Okita Souji's posture was exactly the same as Atobe Sousuke's, both looking directly into the calm, ancient eyes beneath the other's mask.

A few beads of sweat slowly appeared on his forehead.

There wasn't a single flaw!

The opponent was like a stone sculpture, but not an inanimate object. Its fierce aura kept rising, making Okita Souji feel as if he was seeing some kind of illusion.

Behind Atobe Sousuke, there seemed to be a tall, indistinct phantom covered in divine tattoos, bathed in hellfire, facing him in the exact same pose as Sousuke.

What a terrifying sense of oppression!

Time passed second by second.

Okita's forehead and back were covered in a thick layer of sweat, but he couldn't find an opportunity to make a move.

The referee stared intently at the two facing off, then suddenly realized that the time limit for "passive combat" was about to expire.

So he moved slightly, took a step forward, and opened his mouth slightly, as if to warn the two who had not yet made a move.

"Break!"

His movements were as if he had issued a command.

In an instant, the two figures rushed forward at lightning speed, crossing the distance between them in the blink of an eye.

Two bamboo knives shot out like startled birds!

This time, Okita Souji relied entirely on his body's instincts to thrust, then opened his eyes wide with all his might, staring intently at the bamboo sword that Sosuke thrust out.

First sword, second sword... third sword!

The result was the same. He watched helplessly as Sousuke's three thrusts were still a beat faster than his first three. Before his third thrust could even hit, he was already sent flying by the tip of Sousuke's blade!

As he flew backward, Okita Souji felt as if time had slowed down.

'Sousuke Atobe across from me seemed to open his mouth and shout something, probably Kii?'

'I lost, didn't I?'

But he didn't care about any of that; his mind was filled with replays of Atobe Sousuke's three thrusts.

With a "thump!"

Okita Souji fell to the ground but didn't get up. He just lay there blankly, his mind filled with questions.

'His thrust...it's so fast, how can he be so fast?'

On the other side, Atobe Sousuke put away the bamboo sword that was clearly about to break under the weight, calmly took a step back, and completed the final piece of the Zanshin.

"One shot! The outcome is decided!"

"The winner—Souju Atobe of Tsurumine High School!!!"

As soon as the slow-motion replay on the big screen ended, the referee immediately announced the result of the match.

The audience erupted in applause.

Many spectators couldn't help but stand up and cheer wildly for this unexpected yet perfectly reasonable result.

We can only say we're grateful this is the modern era with high-speed cameras; otherwise, aside from a very few people, most would probably not even be able to see the sword-fighting process between Atobe and Okita.

Atobe Sousuke stepped forward, approached the lying Okita Souji, and extended his hand.

Okita Souji stared at him blankly for two seconds, then reached out and grasped Sosuke's hand, only to be pulled up by him.

Then, Okita couldn't help but ask, "Atobe, can I know why? Why did I lose?"

Chapter 194: They've conquered the entire country!

Sousuke chuckled: "Okita, all I can say is that sometimes 'more' isn't necessarily better."

"A single thrust is likely to be blocked or dodged. A double thrust may be broken by someone who is focused on defense and dodging. But a triple thrust, if fast enough, is almost impossible for anyone to react to."

"If three consecutive thrusts can't finish off the enemy, then a few more thrusts probably won't be much more effective either."

He paused, then said firmly, "Okita, you've saved your strength for the last two sword strikes, so you absolutely cannot be faster than me for the first three."

"And killing someone—only requires a single, crucial sword strike!"

"Just one crucial strike..."

Okita Souji lowered his head, as if he had realized something.

Sousuke patted Okita Souji on the shoulder with a smile: "To put it bluntly, you used to have no rivals, so you thought you were too strong and started using fancy tricks after you ran out of ideas..."

After a pause, Sousuke added, "But it's alright, I've already solved that problem."

"Huh?" Okita Souji was stunned for a moment, unable to react. "How was it resolved so quickly??"

Sosuke chuckled: "Because I beat you up, you should now know that there are always people more skilled than you. Practice your swordsmanship diligently from now on. With your talent, you'll definitely be able to hone your triple thrust to my level."

"Uh..." Okita Souji felt a little speechless.

However, it seems that this is indeed the case.

Thinking of this, Okita couldn't help but laugh: "Alright, then congratulations on successfully capturing the Jade Dragon Flag."

"Congratulations too soon, you still have four teammates behind you~" Sousuke waved his hand.

"Forget it, all four of them combined aren't even enough for you to fight with one hand."

Okita Souji turned around and walked off the stage with a flourish.

Sousuke looked at Okita, who was coming out.

Below the stage, Tie Zhuyu greeted him with a worried expression, seemingly afraid that he would be sad.

Then Okita, having removed his mask, scratched the back of his head, looking carefree and seemingly unconcerned about winning or losing.

On the other side, the man named Iron Sword also looked up at him, his eyes filled with fighting spirit.

Sosuke nodded slightly at the iron sword, then looked away.

......

A few minutes later, with all of Okita's other teammates defeated, Sousuke won the match amidst cheers from the crowd.

Tenkoji, the captain of the Tsurumine Kendo Club, rushed up with his teammates, excitedly trying to lift Sousuke up and toss him in the air.

Then, Sosuke used the technique of Manipulating Flow to subdue them all, disrupting the flow of power and rendering all their efforts futile.

I couldn't lift him at all.

Sousuke pinned Tenkoji down with one hand, while extending his other hand to beckon Tomoko with a finger.

The kendo girl hesitated before walking towards him, glancing at him, "Master, congratulations on taking down the Jade Dragon Flag."

"Peerless in the West! This year, Hefeng has produced two peerless figures in the West. I can die without regrets!"

Tenkoji, standing nearby, was struggling to break free from Atobe Sousuke's grasp, baring his teeth, but still excitedly shouting.

The noise made Sosuke twist his hand and press it down again.

Then he raised an eyebrow at Motoko: "Motoko, you'd better remember the promise we made~"

"What agreement?" Wu Fang Suzi began to play dumb.

"Hehe, just keep pretending. I'll help you recall it properly when we get back." Sosuke chuckled mischievously, not in a hurry at all.

Wufang Suzi blushed.

A few people walked out of the arena, and then they saw Okita Souji walking over with Tetsuyuu and Tetsuken.

"I lost to you this time, but I won't next year... wait, I'll be going to university next year, what about you?" Okita Souji was about to challenge him to a duel when he suddenly paused.

Sosuke chuckled: "Although I seem to be the same age as you, I'm a second-year high school student now, so it's unlikely that you can beat me on the Jade Dragon Flag."

Okita Souji let out a sound of dismay, looking utterly annoyed.

Then he realized what he had done and took out his phone: "Let's exchange contact information. I'll come back to you for a match when I feel I've improved."

Iron Sword, standing next to him, also excitedly took out his phone: "Count me in too, I want to have a match with you!"

Sousuke glanced speechlessly at his swordsmanship level on his panel—"My Style 26."

You really have the nerve to say that!

When he fought Okita Souji, he hadn't unleashed his full power, and the techniques he used weren't particularly extraordinary. So his performance could barely be categorized as "exaggerated to the average person, but still acceptable."

As a result, this iron sword, which had clearly reached the level of a ferocious beast, actually wanted to fight him.

It seems like they've lost their way.

Sosuke readily agreed.

Just kidding. After Sousuke unlocks his liberation, he's the kind of person who can even double-kill a master swordsman whose swordsmanship level is close to 40. How could he be afraid of this guy surnamed Tetsu?

Then the three of them huddled together and exchanged contact information.

"Five Directions, let's add one too. We'll come find you to spar next time."

Tie Zhuyu, who was standing next to Wu Fangsuzi, also exchanged contact information with her.

After chatting for a while, staff from the Jade Dragon Flag came over and reminded Zongjie and his team to prepare in advance, as the closing ceremony and awards ceremony were about to begin.

As the biggest beneficiaries, everyone at Hefeng High School obediently followed the organizer's arrangements.

As a sister competition to the Golden Eagle Flag with the same competition format, the Jade Dragon Flag has similar prize structure to the Golden Eagle Flag.

First and foremost is the imposing Jade Dragon Flag itself; both flags have now been handed over to the Hefeng High School team.