F-ranker Sword Saint: My Soulbound Sword is Secretly SSS-tier!-Chapter 283: To Give Mercy Is To Disrespect

Beneath the scorching sun and a dimension of bated breaths, two young men faced each other with competitive smiles on their faces.

Daru found the scene quite nostalgic.

Cody’s face had earned its spot in his memories long ago, as the guy was always the one standing before him in the grand finals of Ashton High’s competitions.

Although they were having their promised battle in the quarterfinals of the Inter-Class Representative Competition, it didn’t matter.

What mattered was that they were now fighting as Bladeborns.

"Daru..." Cody began, a hint of solemnity in his tone. "I’ve worked very hard in the past few months, so don’t you hold back on me."

Daru’s smile widened ever-so-slightly.

"I won’t."

He would never do such a thing, especially against someone so earnest. That would simply be disrespectful.

If his abilities allowed, then he would set off to destroy Cody in this battle, if only to honor his friend’s resolve.

Cody smiled, and his heart raced in excitement.

During their catch-up dinner, he found it unbelievable that despite the diabolical limits an F-tier sword imposed upon Daru, he was still somehow a level higher than him, an A-ranker who had been refining himself in flames and going far beyond by challenging Swordspawns he should’ve had no business challenging and prevailing against them.

But that was fine.

That was always how it felt in the past, anyway, and Cody would not have it any other way.

This time, he had learned unwavering focus and a stable heart.

He wanted to see how far he could go against the one guy he could never defeat. Perhaps Daru’s insurmountable shadow would prove far smaller this time?

Perhaps he had only seen it that way in the past because his heart and focus weren’t as refined?

Either way, Cody wanted to see it. The mountain’s true height.

Summoning Vulkhan, he struck a fighting pose.

Daru, with graceful form, unsheathed Onimaru Kunitsuna, the smile on his face fading, replaced by cold focus.

Both representatives were now ready, and the crowd was on the edge of their seats.

"Two representatives." Nathalie’s vibrant and passionate voice stormed across the arena. "Schoolmates, rivals, and close friends. Who will prevail?! The A-ranker Hidden Dragon who had recently uncoiled and revealed himself, or the darkest of horses, the historical F-ranker who, against all odds, shattered expectations and demolished everyone who dared stand in his path, sword-tiers be damned?! Hold on to your seats, folks, because the last quarterfinals match, Class 70’s Omaru versus Class 55’s Vulkhan, is about to..."

"Begin!" the referee roared, as though he had rehearsed the pre-match performance with Nathalie.

The moment his words settled, the two competitors exploded forward.

Daru, with a ruthless gaze, slashed down on the approaching Cody, who seemed caught off guard by his sheer speed, hurriedly swinging his claymore to match the aggression.

A piercing clang rang in the next moment, causing Elune’s heart to skip a beat, her eyes widening at what unfolded.

She had always heard Daru’s tales of valiance and competence from Cody. However, to her, the latter had been a rock. A role model.

She had actually seen his swordsmanship and so formed an inevitable bias in her heart.

Deep inside, she found it difficult to believe that Cody was as severely inferior to Daru as he had been claiming all this time, especially now that Daru had awakened an F-tier Soulbound Sword.

It simply doesn’t make sense in her head...like what she was witnessing.

Cody, with widened eyes and numbed forearms, flew through the air, struggling to plant his foot on land.

Heavy! Daru’s strike was as heavy as the mountain that he was to him!

A bewildered ’how?!’ fleeted in his mind before being shut off as swiftly as it formed. Focus and calm down. That was what he needed to do, and fast.

Fortunately, Cody’s inner refinement paid off in spades. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

His shock had been so momentary that it could’ve been his imagination. The moment his feet touched and began skidding off the smooth stage floor, his eyes were already back to his opponent, though it remained a struggle to keep up.

Fast...and strong! What simple yet overwhelming might his friend possessed...

However, he was not and never going to go back to the old ways. He wouldn’t give up and accept defeat so easily.

Cody’s sword flashed vermillion, and he stabbed it to the ground, causing a flaming fissure to erupt and snake forth from the strike point.

It zigzagged unpredictably towards the Daru on the left, destroying the mirage and confirming the true body.

But his opponent suddenly disappeared.

Cody’s unwavering focus, however, allowed him to instantly spot the looming shadow above. He quickly looked up and raised his sword to block.

Daru lashed down with his tachi, the weight of his strike supplemented by his strength, his sword’s weight, and his spinning momentum.

Steel screamed.

Cody gritted his teeth and groaned heavily, his legs buckling under the weight of the attack. He was forced to an awkward one knee by the sheer power of a D-tier Tornado Slash.

’D-Damn it!’ he cursed inwardly, scrambling to back to his feet while turning to face the direction of his opponent.

Daru landed gracefully on the other side, his legs already formed in an L-stance.

Then, he slashed in a bursty twice, a spinning cross-slash shooting forth at his struggling opponent.

There was to be no mercy.

But Cody was determined. He wouldn’t be so easily defeated. In fact, he wouldn’t be defeated!

He refused to.

Vulkhan gleamed silver, and Cody swatted the Crescent Dicer back from whence it came. Perhaps he could wrestle some control back with this?

Unfortunately, it turned out to be wishful thinking. His opponent was gone, and the spinning cross-slash diced nothing but air.

Then a threat from above.

A small, unassuming, red slash mark that felt as weak as it seemed. Cody chopped it apart.

The moment he did, however, he realized that Daru was closing in, legs performing small circling motions, as though a shifty midfielder dribbling a soccer ball.

Then his eyes widened.

Daru was suddenly in prime striking distance, his sword, Onimaru Kunitsuna, covered in a sinister black aura.

What else could he do except angle his weapon for a hurried defense?

Daru’s tachi approached, and the moment the ancient eastern sword clashed with his Vulkhan, Cody felt his vision blacken for two moments.

The instant he came to, he found himself vomiting red cubic particles on the edge of the main stage, a tachi’s sharp tip aimed at his face.

Deafening silence settled.