The crisp clang of steel sent an unwilling gush of wind across the dium length tufts of fresh green grass in a ring.
To the common eye, only yellow sparks registered in sight every second as the noise persisted, a certain weight and depth to them.
The background of three mansions, with the one in the middle looking oh so grand, was captivating, but if anyone was here to witness this ongoing spar in all its exceptional glory, they would have blurred out all the surroundings to focus with rapt attention on the participants.
A second later, two figures seed to erge from a particularly frightening spark akin to a tongue of fire, and stand in opposite directions, both their stances low.
On one side was a chiselled man adorned in a simple white shirt dripping with sweat. The most notable things about him were his thick handlebar moustache of clean caral hair and his black steel greaves which reached up to his knees. They were a signature look for him that was recognised far and wide.
In his hand was a beautiful sword that he held with its tip facing ahead. He knelt on the ground, as was one his fighting stances, locking his topaz blue eyes on the opponent.
On the other side, was a young man with slicked back light auburn hair that had deep orange tips. He was wearing a dark, long sleeved shirt that pressed against his well-sculpted body as he crouched down, his white eyes facing in his sparring partner's direction.
At his waist were two sheathes; one very long, the other about the length of a normal saber. The latter still held in it a single-edged sword with a golden hilt, but the other was empty, for he was currently using the chipped zhanmadao that it usually housed.
He held the long sword in such a way that gave the impression that he was about to strike upward with a slash, the length of the blade showing extended from behind him.
"Don't get lost in it again," Alaris called to Skullius as he knelt. "The goal is to try and last for more than ten seconds in that state."
"Easy for you to say," Skullius said before taking in sharp breath.
His mana spiked, enveloping his body like a large spiked cocoon that swelled three ters around him.
The Hybrid Luman always did have a strangely large output of mana, didn't he?
Alaris laughed.
"Or, we could try THIS again, i guess," he said, realising that Skullius wasn't up for prolonging this exercise again, instead opting to master launching a single, perfect blow in his heightened state as he occasionally attempted during their spars.
The Bloodless Steel Phantom prepared.
A green glow rose from his body like a ghostly gush of steam.
Imdiately, the blades of grass around him stood still, their tips pointed towards the sky like colourful statuettes.
Skullius felt the overbearing Aura and struggled to keep his nerve.
Alaris was ALMOST getting serious for once during their 'exercises.'
"You're starting to make nervous here, Festos. Good on you. I'll use one of my three main favoured Sword Styles. Stilled Hallow. With it, I can make everything around unbreakable... unshakeable even. If you can make all the grass around move despite it; rustling, shuddering – anything at all – you'll be just a step shy from becoming a master Swordsman. A real one."
Skullius' scrunched up his face.
That didn't seem too attractive. Failing to do what Alaris dared and succeeding barely sounded different on the surface, but he believed it. Ever since Alaris began tutoring him, this was the first ti he had used his Aura against him.... and it wasn't even the Perfect version.
What was this man's limit?
"Fine," Skullius said as he activated the skill [Swordmaster's Quiescence].
Unlike weeks before, activating it didn't make him lose his consciousness.
Instead, a sharp focus overtook his mind, and everything around him beca... alive. No, that was a wrong way of describing it. It was as if all things were drawn towards him, making themselves known... making their make and weaknesses known.
Skullius didn't even need to stretch his senses to find out where what was. Even the grand mansions seed to be reaching out to him.
Worse yet, even the Bashful Abomination in his hand, felt alive to him.
It seed like it was trying to beco one with him, sothing Skullius was sure the sword wished to do despite not voicing it. Well, he had instructed it not to talk when he was fighting, so...
All this however, was what Skullius could handle in ten seconds.
He was fighting off every other sensation he was supposed to feel while using [Swordmaster's Quiescence], otherwise, it would make him lose consciousness again.
He couldn't handle it all yet.
'Here goes!' Skullius urged himself on.
He focused all his strength while crouched down, his knees brushing against the waving blades of grass on his end, and instead of launching a slash, as a lesser swordsman would believe he would judging from how he was holding the Bashful Abomination, Skullius pointed the edge of the sword against Alaris... and zood towards him!
His figure, with the swollen garb of mana around it, moved like thin strips of colour that invaded the area infected by the pale, green, ghostly Aura of Alaris.
As he moved within this range, a portion of Skullius' senses registered the blades of grass he stepped on not being trampled under his boots like he had expected.
Instead, they remained standing at attention, their shockingly resilient masses actually boring through Skullius' feet cleanly!
Ridiculous!
And the Hybrid Luman was covered by a sturdy layer of mana!
Yet, he ignored and maintained his thrusting motion towards Alaris.
'I'll do it.'
When he was two ters away, he stabbed with the end of the sword, even if a zhanmadao would be terrible to use for such an attack.
The Bashful Abomination scread as mana raced through it, turning its pale blade brilliant white.
Alaris remained still, kneeling on the ground with his silver gladius extended motionlessly.
Then...
A ear-piercing noise exploded out like a sharp siren when the zhanmadao t the pale green Aura!
There was no shockwave to speak of.
There was no shuddering impact.
Only a still zhanmadao's curved point, its montum lost completely could be seen.
Alaris titled his head and gave Skullius, a 'sucks to be you' face.
"Still ways away, it seems," he said to Skullius.
Indeed.
So it seed.
But...
"Keep your guard up, Swordsman," Skullius commanded, much to Alaris' mild surprise when he realised that... the sword that had smote against his Aura... wasn't real...?
It faded, along with Skullius' whole figure which appeared again like a recurring animated fra behind the fading one!
A second zhanmadao flashed with the sa stabbing motion, but within it was grave depth of skill and power, imbued with fierce mana!
The look the blind Swordsman who held it gave was different from that of the ghost that had co before, crafted by the [Ghost Rending Divine Sword Art]...
No.
It was different.
Alaris kept still... still.
His smile grew as the tip of the long sword drew near and... pierced his Aura.
Just by a pinky finger's worth of distance.
Once more, there was no shockwave and the zhanmadao lost its montum imdiately, but.... a few bundles of grass leaned back before once again standing perfectly still.
Skullius groaned.
"That's it?" he asked.
"That's it? You've improved by several leagues from last week, and without relying much on your sword's properties," Alaris said with a cheery smile as he stood up.
Skullius wasn't convinced.
"But I barely moved the grass, unlike what you said. What does that an? Am I stil close to becoming a Sword master?" he asked.
Alaris stroked his moustache.
"Maybe, maybe not. The truth is, I expected this result, Festos. Or sothing close to it. Unlike anyone I've ever seen before, you seem to be... missing sothing. Less whole. Perhaps you're not even aware of it yourself. Every extremity needs a wholeness to it. Whole desire. Complete devotion."
"Listen Festos. The vile scum that walks the world make up their minds and commit wholly. The strongest of the strong accept certain truths that co with power, as well as the bitterness it brings without batting an eyelid. Those who stand for justice without prejudice accept that the journey may not have reward and fight for what in conscience is to them how the world should be."
"Everyone who chooses a sturdy path with a wall at its end commits. But you... it's as if you can't, not by will, but because you've lost bits of yourself. After speaking to you, clashing swords with you and witnessing what stands as your resolve, I cannot see what I see in everyone else who transcends so threshold. Maybe it's truth you're missing? A tangible goal maybe? Whatever the case is, the sword cannot handle it. It requires you wholly in it, even if you may die by it."
Skullius froze a bit.
Well, it wasn't a mystery that he wasn't whole, but to think Alaris who didn't know what he was actually lacking could tell.
That was the mystery.
So, to reach the epito of the sword, Skullius needed to be whole?
Not even the sword only, but all forms of power?
"That look on your face... You know what you lack don't you? Ha! Good! You're not quite as lost then. Maybe, if you commit a bit more to the Guilds Association I'll even help you find whatever you need so day," Alaris said with hearty smile towards Skullius.
The Hybrid Luman smiled back.
Maybe he would take up Alaris on that offer.
A journey was coming soon when he would probably need Alaris' strength after all.
That said, the man's words had brought plates of food for thought to his mind.
The epito of strength, huh? An extremity.
What did it take to reach it?
Suddenly, the Bloodless Steel Phantom swung his arm around Skullius.
"Don't think about it too much. A hard bone prodigy like you can spare the stress," Alaris said.
He didn't know how literally true that statent was.
"In any case, let's go check on that stubborn fire head."
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