Having accomplished what she set out to do, Ai went back to Japan. It had been about a week of traveling from Japan to America’s east coast, then to Greece, and then to Japan again.
"Hmmm!!! That was a long ride!!" she said, filling the gas tank for her bike. "I wonder if they're still after Musashi? Hm, well, I should arrive at the home in a bit."
Once it was refilled, she took off the same way she drove in America. People quickly learned who she was from her appearance, her motorcycle, and how outlandish her driving is.
When she arrived at Tokugawa’s home, she found the head of security waiting for her.
"Hello, Ms. Ai, we have heard of your arrival but didn’t expect you to have arrived so soon?" said Shuumei Kanou.
"I’ve driven this motorcycle, and it's pretty fun! But running is still faster!"
"Sir Tokugawa and Musashi are inside; they also wish to talk to you."
"Is that so?"
Three days later.
While waiting in the arena, Ai could hear the talking of the crowd.
"Are you sure you wanna go through with this?" Ai asked.
"I am sure of anyone in this new era, only The Mighty One and you were able to truly make me shake." Musashi said remembering Yujiro's brilliance. "In the last 3 days, I have taught you everything I know, and you have mastered it perfectly now. I seek something I never got before." Musashi then walks out of the room.
"Hmm, if that is his wish." She looks at her blade and sits down, crossing her legs and getting into a meditative state.
She could hear the sounds of his battle, the heavy strike of flesh, and the cuts of air from the katanas.
Musashi was fighting once more.
It lasted 5 minutes in total. In that time what Musashi and Tokugawa expected came true.
"!!!!"
Ai released her killing intent, and the whole arena froze in place.
‘W-what’s this killing intent!!’ thought Baki. ‘It’s suffocating!! I feel like I can eat it because of how tangible it feels!’
‘T-this isn’t human! It’s like I’m bearing down on something worse than Ogre!’ Thought Doppo.
‘It’s that walking myth!’ thought Kaku. ‘Only she has the strength to make this unbearable lust for blood!’
'I knew she was better than Ogre, but... I never thought she would be this damn monstrous.’ Thought Izou.
"Master." Said Gaia. "I am happy we're this far away."
Both he and Izou who is in a wheelchair from previously fighting Musashi and is now looking from up in the arena.
"Yes, but even then..." he holds out his right hand. "We can still feel the bloodlust she is pumping out."
The only person not affected was Tokugawa, as Ai had aimed her killing intent and bloodlust at everyone but him.
‘She truly is powerful! Even when I’m not targeted, my body is heightened beyond belief!’ he thought as his body sweated.
Walking out of the corridor, they could hear her footsteps.
Clack!
Clack!
Clack!
From the darkness of the corridor, many could feel the bloodlust growing stronger and stronger until it suddenly stopped and only Ai stood behind Baki.
"Baki was it? You certainly grew strong! But Musashi, you shouldn’t have played with your food so much." She tilted her head to see Musashi.
"My apologies. I wanted to pay him back for eating all the food." He said, grabbing his sword from Baki’s hand. "You said you would kill me, and you have failed. I still draw breath, but you have defeated me, which you should be proud of. Now leave this ring. Only true warriors may stand here now."
Musashi walks to the center of the arena.
"Lady, what did you do to her?" Baki asked Ai. "The older lady?"
"She froze up from my little bloodlust. She is perfectly fine."
"I… see… What do you plan on doing?"
"Isn’t it obvious?" said Musashi. "I asked her for a swordsman duel. Our fight has ended. Go before I truly cut you down."
Baki looked at Ai, and she was composed as though she were in a field of flowers.
"…" Baki said nothing and went to sit with the crowd. Even he is curious how this was going to go down.
They watched as he left and sat down. No one thought Baki would even do this during a fight, but Ai was someone Baki knew he wouldn’t stand a chance against.
"How hurt are you?" Ai asked.
"Moderately fine," Musashi said, picking up his sword, the Nameless Kaneshige.
"Then here." She reached behind her and tossed him a green potion.
"What is this?"
"Medicine, before you drink it, if you have any broken bones, make sure you align them correctly."
"Hm." He grabs his nose and sets it; he then opens the potion and pours it over his wounds.
"!!"
Many could see the wounds he gained vanish.
"This medicine is amazing; if we had this during my time, I would have fought hundreds more battles." He sealed what little was left of it and tossed it back to Ai. "This could have saved him from dying in this arena."
Retsu appeared in everyone's thoughts.
"These things are common where I am from. Unfortunately, these are on the low end of the quality scale. As for Retsu, I believe that he would have either rejected the offer or appeared before you and ask you to cut him down once more. Afterall you won the match and took his life, thus his fate is in your hands that I took from you."
The people who knew Retsu closely could see that. Retsu was a very honorable person.
"Hm." Musashi slightly nods. "No matter. I am ready for this. Tokugawa, you will start the match."
The two were at their sword's reach, facing one another. Musashi’s height was taller than Ai's, but her presence alone made it seem she was far taller.
They both got into their sword-drawing stances and gripped their katanas. The very space around them violently shifted. Many couldn’t believe what was happening; they thought a black hole would form from their auras clashing.
"B-begin!!!" Tokugawa shouted.
Shiiiiing!!
Shiiiiing!!
It was instant.
No one could see the speed at which these swordsmen drew their blades, but the result—
Spurt!!
Was expected.
Thud!
Musashi falls to his knees; his Nameless Kaneshige remains cut in half as well as his stomach. Under the light of the arena’s spotlight, many could see Ai’s katana, a dark blade with a luster like a pearl. It was as deadly as it was magnificent.
Fwip!
Ai slashed to get rid of the blood and sheathed her sword.
"Beautiful," she said, touching her biceps. "You managed to break my skin."
Musashi smiled. Happy at what he accomplished.
"It seems my blade was barely enough to graze the heavens..." His eyes start to grow heavy. "You may take what is mine as your own. To have a disciple like you who would take my art beyond the Earth."
"Very well," she said, walking behind him. "Any last requests?"
"Can you show me your strongest attack? I know for certain you had not used your strongest attack."
"!!!" The arena was flabbergasted, that wasn’t her strongest attack.
"… Very well." She cleaned the blade and sheathed her sword. The surrounding air changed. "(When the bell tolls 108 times gather the eight serpents.)"
A strong wind rushed into the arena.
"(No offerings of sacrifice to the earth, wind, fire, water, thunder, poison, light, and darkness.)"
The wind collected around her sword, creating a small fortress. Ai then jumped far into the air that was inhumanly possible. She looked down to see Musashi looking up at her.
"(I offer you steel and the clear sky.) [Murakumogiri]!!!!"
She drew her blade and:
‘The blade of heaven... striking me down, a fitting end.’
WHOOOOOOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The whole arena was blown away by the strike; a line ran across the sand, which made it fall in. It was something that truly set a line in the sand that no one could ever cross, a bar set so high one would need to achieve the peaks of strength to even try to reach.
Almighty, Peerless Under Heaven. One who has exceeded the bounds of man and reached the transcendence of their being is a god among men.
Ai lands back onto the ground, walks to the broken, Nameless Kaneshige and the Wakizashi. She picks them up and puts them around her waist.
"I shall take your blades with me. Goodbye, Miyamoto Musashi, may we meet again and have a truly fun match." She then walks away, leaving Musashi looking up at the sky with a bifurcated big smile.
