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54 - Toshizo HIJIKATA vs. Jeanne d'Arc

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　Hijikata Toshizo, deputy chief of the Shinsengumi,

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　Jeanne d'Arc, the Maiden of Orléans,

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　The two stand in the center of the amphitheater.

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　When they appear, they are greeted with cheers from the spectators gathered in the amphitheater.

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　The popularity of these two heroes has already spread among the soldiers.

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　This has spread to the citizens, who are now in a frenzy.

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"Woo!　Go for it, Toshizo!　I'm betting gold on you!"

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"How wonderful, Mr. Toshisama!"

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　Many of Toshizo's fans were professionals and women.

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"Jeanne is wonderful!　Please make me your servant!"

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"Beautiful today!"

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　Jeanne's fan base is broad, but somewhat skewed toward young men.

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　The number of fans seems to be about the same.

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　The odds were also very close.

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　According to Yves' survey, the odds for Toshizo were 1.3 times and those for Jeanne were 1.4 times.

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　The odds were already too close to call, and the game was no longer a betting game.

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　It seems that the betting is no longer for the sake of betting, but a complete entertainment, a festival or something.

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　With these thoughts in my mind, I enter the guest of honor's seat to the sound of loud cheers.

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It's the Demon King Ashtaroth!

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Our king!

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"Thank you for hosting this event."

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　Various words came to my ears, but they were all in praise of me.

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　But I am not the star of the show today.

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　I raise one hand to stop them, and the crowd goes quiet.

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　It seems that Yves had "preached" and instructed the audience in advance.

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　She is a versatile maid in every sense of the word.

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　When I glanced at Eve, she gave me her best smile.

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　Apparently, she was happy to have the place running perfectly.

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　I wanted to let her plan the entertainment to the very end.

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　I make my speech.

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"Tonight, for the amusement of all the citizens, I have decided to settle the enmity between Hijikata Toshizo and Jeanne d'Arc by a contest by the sword."

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　Then Toshizo took Kanade Izumimamori at his waist,

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　Jeanne pulls out the holy sword Nouvelle Joieuse, which is strapped to her back.

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　Toshizo's sword shines like a work of art.

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　The holy sword shines with a divine radiance.

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　Despite the contrast, both of them are great swords.

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　But this match was only a sideshow.

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　It would be foolish to use a serious sword.

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　It was a fool's errand to injure one or both of the important generals in a sideshow.

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　So I gave the goblin squire the sword I had made.

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　The goblin squire asks.

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"My Lord?　What's this?"

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"This is a bamboo sword. It is a replica sword made of a flexible material called bamboo. I use it for practice."

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"It's soft. It won't hurt you. Did you think of this, Demon Lord?

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"No, I just dug it up from my memories of a previous life. It didn't exist in my world either. It was just developed in a country called Japan.

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Your knowledge is bottomless, Master. Amazing."

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It's all borrowed.

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By the way, this is different from a wooden sword, isn't it?

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Even a wooden sword can kill you if you make a mistake. On the other hand, shinai is not so dangerous.

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But won't it make me weak if I practice with it?

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Well, I don't know about that. It is said that Nobutsuna Kamiizumi, the greatest swordsman in Japan, created it. His school swept Japan and became the official style of the Japanese rulers. This was a time when swordsmanship was at its peak, and the shinai may have played a role in the rise of swordsmanship.

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　The goblin said, "I see," and took the shinai to the two of them.

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　Toshizo received the shinai and held it in his hands, looking nostalgic,

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"We didn't use shinai very much in Shizen Rishinryu, did we?"

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　I'm not sure I'll be able to do it again.

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　Jeanne looked at the shinai with a curious look on her face.

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　The smell of bamboo seemed to her to be delicious.

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　When he realizes that it is not food, he holds it in his hand and checks its texture.

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　Jeanne seems to like the lightness of her grip very much and murmurs something like this.

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My holy sword is custom-made and light. Hijikata's sword is heavy. I might have an advantage since I'm used to a lighter sword.

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　He is grinning.

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　Toshizo responded to his comment,

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"If a Japanese loses a duel with a shinai, I will be sorry to my ancestors.

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　He began to swing the shinai seriously.

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　After about three minutes of feeling each other's shinai, neither of them said anything, and they stood on the white line.

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　They stood there, and at some distance from each other, the battle began.

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　The distance between them is only a few meters, but for the two masters it is just barely enough to land a killing blow.

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　It was an exquisite distance from which they could strike a powerful blow if they took a few steps forward.

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　As soon as the two stand on the line, the murmuring crowd becomes quiet.

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　They began to concentrate, not wanting to miss the moment when the duel was about to begin.

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　When I see that their concentration is at its peak, I raise my right hand again.

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　I shake it down,

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"Begin!"

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　The battle between the two heroes began.

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　The dream battle between Hijikata Toshizo and Jeanne d'Arc has begun.

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