Koutarou wasn't the only one whose sword was resealed. Whether from his own will, or his exhaustion, Masaru now held two perfectly ordinary blades, both pushing against Koutarou's single sword.

For long moments they stood there, locked in place, muscles straining. Then, finally, something changed.

Masaru laughed and Flash Stepped back away from Koutarou, sheathing his wakizahi before giving Koutarou a European fencing salute with his katana, which was also re-sheathed. His grin was now one of friendship instead of battle fury.

"That was a fantastic match, Koutarou! Sometimes I think a draw is the best result; it means our strengths are equal!

I must admit, the staff was an excellent choice against me. Though, I will say that if in the future you want to refine one skill set in particular, it might be good to release our swords beforehand and have you select the particular form. Then I can spar with you, or others can, and you can get practice in with that weapon in particular. We should try to get you sparring with others, though. I know a lot of sword styles, but ultimately they are primarily sword styles. There are plenty of other weapons out there to deal with."