Basically, there are just these five basic opening stances. Unconventional ones, like the single-handed upper right stance, are also derived from these five fundamental frameworks and don’t stray too far from them.

At the moment, just looking at the opening stance, James Walker clearly didn’t take Emily Turner seriously. He thought that even if she had practiced longer, he had the advantage in height, reach, and strength, so there was no way she could defy the odds. He was probably thinking he’d knock Emily Turner to her knees in one blow and make a big impression—after all, there was a senior girl nearby who was quite pretty, just barely fitting into the “kendo beauty” category, and she was watching the match!

This could be considered a sign that James Walker wasn’t steady enough in temperament. Henry Carter didn’t have any good ideas either, so he turned and quietly asked, “How is victory determined in this kind of match? Is it whoever knocks the other down?”

“No, Mr. Carter!” Ryan Smith, observing the match, noticed that James Walker’s waist protector had come loose as he moved, and Preston Hill was angrily telling him to retie it. Ryan Smith gave a rough explanation.

Although kendo developed from swordsmanship and inherited many of its traditions, unlike swordsmanship—which is a martial art aimed at cutting down the enemy—kendo is a sport with strict rules regarding equipment, scoring, timing, and so on.

For example, swordsmanship practice usually uses wooden swords, sometimes even sharpened ones—don’t think a wooden sword can’t kill, and good wood isn’t lighter than a real blade—but kendo matches use hollow bamboo swords. Even if you accidentally hit an unprotected spot, it won’t cause much harm.

Also, you must make a valid strike, maintaining “unity of spirit, body, and sword”:

Spirit refers to “kiai,” calling out the target area with a spirited voice to avoid random luck; body means striking a valid area with proper posture—namely, the face, throat, torso, hands, all protected by armor. If you attack unprotected areas, like maliciously slashing or thrusting at the opponent’s legs or upper arms, causing injury, you’ll be immediately disqualified; sword means using the bamboo sword’s blade ridge and the front quarter of its length to strike. If it were a real sword, that would be the most lethal part.

Even after meeting these three criteria, you must maintain “zanshin”—that is, after attacking, you must remain vigilant and imposing to prevent a desperate counterattack, such as quickly moving out of the opponent’s range or immediately preparing for a follow-up strike.

Only such attacks count for points. In matches, whether it’s sudden death or best two out of three depends on the rules.

There are many other rules as well. For example, using words to confuse or insult your opponent during a match results in immediate disqualification; deliberately tripping your opponent, grabbing their bamboo sword, or punching them are all fouls, leading to point deductions or direct loss. Even loudly celebrating after winning is considered disrespectful and can result in a loss.

After Ryan Smith finished explaining, he focused on the match. Preston Hill had finished checking James Walker’s armor, making sure the risk of injury was minimized, then left the center’s white cross mark, swung his hand down forcefully, and shouted, “Begin!”

“Ahhhhh—!” With Preston Hill’s command, Emily Turner held her middle stance without moving, but her body suddenly tensed up, as if she’d shrunk a size, and let out a shocking, thunderous roar—it was hard to imagine such a small person could make such a sound, and the roar was filled with an overwhelming, do-or-die momentum!

James Walker was stunned, even hesitating with the foot he was about to step forward with. Emily Turner’s eyes narrowed, and just as James Walker’s foot was about to land, her body sprang up like a tightly wound spring, stomped heavily, thrust her sword straight forward, and roared again: “Tsu-tsu-tsu—!”

With a loud “thud,” James Walker was sent flying, rolling right out of the ring—he’d tried to show off with an upper stance, but was shaken by Emily Turner’s roar, and couldn’t react in time, losing without any chance to fight back.

Henry Carter and Ryan Smith jumped up, but the outcome was decided in an instant—there wasn’t even time to cry out as they rushed toward James Walker.

The arena fell silent, even Preston Hill, the referee, was stunned. Thrusting requires great strength, speed, accuracy, and timing. Even adult female kendo practitioners rarely use it, let alone a high school girl. You might see it once in a national tournament, but using such a move in a practice match is a bit much, isn’t it?

Thrusting is different from slashing; if your aim is off and you hit an unarmored spot, it’s easy to cause injury.

Fortunately, Emily Turner’s aim was true. The face armor has a downward extension—a thick resin plate protecting the throat—but even so, James Walker was knocked breathless. Most of it was from the fall, but to send a boy weighing over fifty kilos flying with a single thrust is truly astonishing.