The spar's outcome left the Kendo Club stunned, jaws dropped.
No one saw it coming.
Even Meguri stood frozen, glancing at her shinai, then at Roy.
She couldn't fathom being one-shotted in a single exchange.
She hadn't tapped into her devil strength, sticking to human limits.
Still, years of training let her overpower most men barehanded.
Her kendo, honed over years, was near flawless. Her teacher had praised her perfect stance.
With balanced strength and skill, kept at human levels, she should've held her own.
Yet, in that clash, a moderate force nudged her shinai off course. Before she could react, Roy's weapon was at her throat.
Normally, her strength would've blocked or overpowered such a strike. But she'd been dispatched without a chance.
"I lost," Meguri admitted, lowering her shinai, her mind swirling with questions.
Kiba stared at Roy, shocked.
As fellow devils at Kuoh, Kiba knew Meguri's skill.
His own swordsmanship outclassed hers, but defeating her would take effort—not a casual one-move win like Roy's.
Was Roy's skill the improbable truth Kiba had dismissed?
A level so high even he couldn't gauge it?
"I'll take the win," Roy said, smiling, retracting his shinai.
"What just happened?" Meguri asked earnestly.
"I don't get why I lost. I should've blocked that, but my shinai was knocked aside."
Her question stirred the girls, who'd been giggling about her "sneaky favoritism."
"Captain, what's that mean?"
"No way she didn't throw it!"
"This guy's that good? Better than the captain?"
The club erupted in disbelief.
"I wasn't holding back," Meguri confirmed, nodding to her members' shock.
"Roy, can you explain?" she asked, then added, "If it's private, no pressure."
If Roy used a secret technique, asking publicly might be rude.
She'd respect his silence.
"Your swing was a centimeter too high," Roy said.
"A centimeter?" Meguri frowned, puzzled. She raised her shinai, mimicking her earlier stance.
"Try again," Roy said, gesturing for the same attack.
"Ha!" Meguri adjusted her posture, lowered her swing by a centimeter, and struck.
Roy met her shinai head-on.
The shinai clashed, locking in midair.
"I blocked it?" Meguri blinked, stunned.
This time, her shinai held firm, stopping Roy's strike.
One tiny adjustment—a centimeter—flipped the outcome.
"Was that a flaw in my form?" she asked.
As a seasoned kendoka, she grasped the issue.
That sliver of error had been her undoing.
"Exactly," Roy nodded.
"Was it that obvious?"
She'd been confident in her skills, peerless among her age group. Yet Roy had spotted her mistake instantly.
"Not really," Roy said, shaking his head.
"I'm just wired for kendo. I pick up on tiny flaws fast."
"Plus, you probably weren't going all out, using a basic strike," he added.
"I had the edge, knowing your move. If you'd known my skill level, you wouldn't have swung so simply."
Roy's tactful words flattered her, but she knew better.
Even with different tactics, at her human-level output, she'd likely still lose.
"Roy, you have to join the Kendo Club," Meguri urged.
Letting talent like his slip away would haunt her.
She'd initially wanted Roy for his looks and Kiba's vouching, assuming his kendo skill was secondary.
But he'd proven a master, surpassing her.
His presence would elevate the club—both in skill and appeal.
"Hold on, Roy," Kiba interjected, sheepish.
"No need to rush into the Kendo Club."
"Huh?" Roy said, feigning confusion.
Kiba coughed, awkward.
"I could talk to my club's president. She'd likely want you."
He'd thought Roy was a normal human, best kept from devil affairs.
But this changed everything.
Rias would see his value.
"Kiba-san, poaching's not very knightly, is it?" Meguri teased, smirking.
"Roy picked the Kendo Club. Stealing him now? Not your style."
"I'm just suggesting options," Kiba said, reddening.
"Roy's looking for a club to suit his hobbies."
Unlike Roy's bold front, Kiba's thinner skin made pitching for Rias his limit.
"Kiba's got a point," Roy said, nodding.
"I'm also eyeing the Student Council. I might not stick with the Kendo Club long."
"Student Council?" Meguri's eyes lit up.
"Great choice! I'm in it too. Want in? I'll introduce you to the president. She'll snap you up."
Like Kiba, Meguri saw a chance to pitch Roy to her master, Sona Sitri.
His strength would impress Sona, possibly earning him her spare Knight Evil Piece.
Training with Roy would boost her skills and be a treat for the eyes.
Kiba fidgeted, anxious, but held his tongue. It was Roy's call.
"I'll think it over," Roy said, smiling, handing the shinai back to the girl beside him.
"Captain Meguri, I'm just scoping things out today. I haven't decided on the Kendo Club yet," he explained.
"I'm new to Kuoh Academy, still getting the lay of the land. I'll pick a club once I'm settled."
"Fair enough," Meguri nodded, not pushing.
"But if you join a club, keep the Kendo Club in mind."
"You'd get perks," she added.
"Skip training if you want—won't eat your time. Pop in to coach the girls when you feel like it. They'd love it."
She shot a suggestive glance at the club members, who caught her cue and cooed invitingly at Roy.
Any other guy would've caved instantly.
"If I pick a club, Kendo's top of the list."
"We'll head out now. Don't want to interrupt," he said, nodding to Kiba.
Roy and Kiba left the dojo.
"Keep practicing, everyone. I'm off to the Student Council," Meguri called, heading to the locker room to change before darting to the council's office.
"Roy, this blew me away," Kiba said on the way back, half-joking.
"Almost gave me a heart attack."
"It's decent, but I've got plenty to learn," Roy said, half-truthful.
"Too humble," Kiba laughed. "I'd last maybe two moves against you."
"Exaggerating," Roy grinned.
"I can sense your aura—sharp and strong."
"But I can't pick up any technique on you," Kiba said, exasperated.
"It's like you're from another dimension. How?"
"Lots of practice," Roy said vaguely. "We should spar sometime."
"Deal. I'd love your pointers."
Sparring with a master could skyrocket his growth.
Without kendo peers, Kiba often trained with Koneko, but her brawling style didn't match a swordsman's.
At the second-year building, they parted for their classrooms.
Kiba soon dashed off again, heading for the third-year building, likely to report to Rias.
Read advance chapters at:
200 Stones = 1 chapter
400 Stones = 2 chapter