23 Duel with the Swordsman 4

Sariya hunched over and stepped diagonally, the tip of her blade, coated in Armament Haki, thrusting upward in a direct strike toward her opponent's throat.

The long blade, Yoru, moved with incredible fluidity in Mihawk’s hands, neutralizing Sariya's attack with a softness that defied physics. He then pivoted the blade, slashing toward Sariya’s waist.

Sariya transitioned into a defensive stance just in time, her movements turning slow and supple. Holding her sword semi-horizontally, she parried upward, borrowing his momentum and redirecting his force. Using the Taiji sword technique of "deflecting a thousand pounds with four ounces," she disrupted the trajectory of Mihawk’s Yoru.

"Interesting." Mihawk was clearly intrigued by the swordsmanship technique Sariya had just demonstrated.

The principles she displayed—overcoming hardness with softness and controlling motion through stillness—actually bore a three-part resemblance to his own style. To test the limits of her swordplay, Mihawk intensified his onslaught, his attacks becoming swift, fierce, and entirely unpredictable.

Yoru danced in his hands, shifting through forms, delivering strike after strike. Sariya gritted her teeth, forced into a passive defense, relying solely on the techniques of Taiji sword to barely hold her ground.

The movements of Taiji sword are meant to be continuous; when mastered, they flow as naturally as drifting clouds and flowing water. However, Sariya had yet to fully integrate these forms, and once faced with an overly dense barrage of strikes, her technique began to falter.

Gradually, under the pressure of Mihawk’s assault, Sariya began to lose her footing, her breathing growing ragged. Taiji sword emphasizes the harmony between breath and movement; once her rhythm broke, Mihawk seized the opening in an instant.

Yoru shattered the defense of Sariya’s blade, piercing straight through her chest. A sharp, violent pain erupted from her torso, and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.

At this point, the outcome of their duel was clear.

"You have lost." Mihawk stated the result of their duel calmly.

As if she hadn't felt the pain, an indomitable fighting spirit burned in Sariya’s eyes. With her right hand, she swung her sword, aiming for Mihawk’s thigh. Mihawk stepped back, withdrew Yoru from her chest, and sidestepped her final strike.

Bright red blood dripped from the sharp edge of Yoru onto the pristine snow.

Having failed her surprise attack, Sariya swallowed the metallic taste of blood in her throat and flashed a grin. "Now, it is truly my loss."

With that, she tossed her ordinary sword aside and collapsed onto the snow, exhausted.

Throughout the entire duel, she had exercised restraint, choosing not to use her Devil Fruit powers. Now that the fight was over, she had no fear of a sneak attack from Mihawk; after all, in terms of character, he was far superior to her. She slowly began to use her fruit’s power to mend her wounds.

"You are a qualified swordsman," Mihawk said, flicking the blood from Yoru before sheathing it.

After the sparring match, Mihawk had officially acknowledged her swordsmanship.

Lying in the snow, Sariya panted for breath, healing herself while reviewing the duel in her mind. Fighting a master—especially one who wouldn't kill her—provided invaluable combat experience.

"Combining fierce offense with supple defense, your swordsmanship is not bad at all." Recalling the terms they had agreed upon before the duel, Mihawk paused and asked, "But the transition between your offense and defense is too rigid. Is your sword style a fusion of two different techniques?"