I stepped out of the carriage onto the college's garden, but I didn't walk toward the buildings.
I walked toward high shrubs before taking the secret stairs down. I reached the underground hallway and walked for a few seconds before reaching the big bronze door.
The guards standing by it bowed and opened the door for .
I nodded and stepped inside a large sparring hall.
I will be using this sparring hall for a few months to a year, since the one I used to, along with a large number of underground structures, is being demolished for the new legacy.
"Lord Silver," greeted the armoured man standing on the other side. "Sir Schengen," I replied.
It had been over two months since we had healed him, and this will be our first spar. I wanted to do that within the first few days, but the man's psychological condition was more critical than I had thought.
I had been advised to wait, and I did.
While I may have waited for the spar, I did not for the purpose for which I had paid his ransom. He had started teaching my officers aura control after a week of healing, and they are making significant progress.
"I hope it's not a burden," I said. I feel a little ashad. If I could, I would have given the old man more ti, but I need to be ready to face any danger, and this old man will help with that.
"Of course, not my lord. I also wanted to fight with soone since I had healed," he replied.
I smiled and moved toward the rack to pick up the practice rapier. He picked up the long knight sword before both of us walked toward our positions.
"Ready, Sir Schengen?" I asked, and the Knight gave a nod.
I moved with Dominion Surge flowing through, making blur. It took barely a second, and I was in front of him.
I didn't waste even a mont and attacked with Tempest Razor. It is the skill that is born out of the fusion of three skills.
Razor Edge, Rapid Strike, and Blade of Gale.
Its attacks are fast, sharp, and powerful. I did not hold back, given his condition. The man couldn't see and was wearing armour, but he is powerful, and I will give him that respect.
My sword moved at a speed so fast. It will be invisible to most below Lv. 40.
The man didn't move, and I feared he might not have sensed it, and was ready to stop, when he finally moved his sword, and it was slow.
A mont later, his sword clashed against mine, just when I had thought my sword would be able to move past his.
It surprised .
Not because he stopped my attack, he is stronger than and far more experienced, I know he could do it. What surprised was the way he did it.
I was really sure that I would be able to avoid his sword, but he still stopped .
It's not because of the speed. I could see with the Lord's Eyes, the speed was not an illusion; it was less than mine, but he still stopped my attack with it.
It made very happy, because this man is going to teach that.
The technique.
I have a high level, and my aura control is quite good, but I lack technique.
It was good until I was Lv. 30, better than most, but for Lv. 4o it is not. Most of those at this level are monsters, and I don't have the advantage of just being talented anymore.
Everyone at this level is talented and more experienced than I am.
I pulled back my blade and attacked again. This ti, I activated Sundering Blade; it provides the power to speed and sharpness of the Tempest Razor.
Once more, he had moved his sword and defended against my attack.
He didn't do it in the sa way.
Seeing that, I pushed Dominion Surge to its full power and flashed to his left and attacked once more, but he smoothly turned and defended against my attack.
The blades clashed as ti passed. The man defended against each of my attacks without a problem.
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He didn't use overwhelming power, but a very refined technique developed from the imperial knights' already best fighting style and his own experience from hundreds of battles.
I had thought that my fighting style was good. Efficient and refined, but seeing the way he is smoothly defending against my attacks made realise how wrong I had been.
This put a smile on my face.
The risk I took and the fortune I paid to get him is worth it. He will train my people and ; help us get stronger.
Seconds passed as our blades clashed harder and harder. I tried every move I had, but nothing seed to get past the old man's defence.
It seed impenetrable.
Still, that didn't stop , and I continued attacking, studying him, adjusting my technique, but he defended, changing his own.
It is forcing to improve, to think the ways I hadn't been forced to do for a long ti.
Here, I am not pushing my skills or aura. No, here, I am pushing my technique, refining it further. So, I could at least get a single hit on the old man.
One more attack clash, and I flashed to his back for another attack, when sothing different happened.
He finally attacked.
His attack was fast and smooth, filled with grace, that I couldn't help but envy.
I cleared my thoughts and focused on the attack. It wasn't like he was defending; this was an attack, strong and powerful, using his skills.
My wrist moved, and my sword moved to defend from the offence.
The sword reached in a mont, and it began to slip. 'I cannot let it happen!' I scread in my mind. If it did, it would reach .
He had not shown his speed skill, but retreating isn't an option.
So, I had to stop the attack, and I pushed my skills harder and adjusted my blade. Stonewalling the sword so that it could not slip through.
His sword clashed against mine, and once more, I felt that powerful cannon-like force of his skill.
He had this skill when he had trained last ti. That ti, he used to adjust its power, but even then, it still hit like a sledgehamr.
Now, it feels the sa; the only difference is the level of power.
If he had used this power when he was training before, he would have killed in a single attack.
I shook a little, but that's all, and I could feel the surprise from him. He may not have made an outward sign, but I could feel it through body language and emotions.
Iron Veil.
It is what I had used to defend against the attack. My blade is still shimring in a faint iron-grey light.
Iron Veil evolved from Quick Parry, but it didn't evolve into the parry skill; it evolved into a defensive skill. Which is rare, but it happens.
Our blades remained locked for a mont before he attacked, and the attack was faster than before.
I reacted fast with Lightning Reflexes, but despite that, the man's blade was fast, and the technique was incredible that his blade appeared beside mine in an instant.
I tried to stop it like before, but it moved faster than , and a mont later, it tore through my sleeve.
Cutting a few hairs on my arm.
If it were not for my using Dominion Surge in ti, his blade would have touched my skin.
Still, it is not over as he stepped forward with another attack, without losing a mont, and I moved my sword forward.
Once more, his blade tore through my shirt, this ti on the stomach. A mont later, it was the cloth around my chest, before I was able to defend it, before he struck across my leg.
I sucked a deep breath as his sword finally touched , and he cut through it.
These are practice swords with blunt edges, but to him, it didn't matter. His blade had cut through my skin like a knife cuts through butter.
When he trained last ti, he only gave scratches. They were painful, but they were not cuts.
This ti, they are cuts.
A shallow one, which made relieved. For a mont, I thought this man would cut through my leg. I readied my aura and spells, but he didn't use them.
He only made a shallow cut with surgical efficiency, which I could only envy.
A mont later, another cut appeared, this ti on my stomach, sending a sharp pain through my mind.
'I need to calm down,' I said to myself; I cannot simply react. I will only get beaten up.
He is strong, but I have fought strong powerhouses before, and I will fight him as well. I might not be able to defeat him or even fight on equal terms.
But I damn well must defend.
With that, I forcefully cald myself and looked at the blade. I could see everything with the Lord's eyes, its speed, the power, and the way it is tearing through the air.
My blade moved in response.
I didn't overthink. Instead, let my instinct and experience guide .
My blade clashed against his, feeling that sledghamr-like force that was even greater than before, and it made take a step back.
Still, there is a smile on my face as I was able to defend against the attack.
Though it disappeared the next mont, as he attacked again, without losing a mont, I imdiately adjusted my sword.
I was able to defend against it, but the one that ca after slipped through my sword and took a strip of cloth across my waist.
I defended the next one that ca and five more, before he was able to slip again, giving a bloody cut across the chest.
The next ti, he reached twelve clashes later, and after that, sixteen. I am improving, but he is also finding flaws and exploiting them.
Minutes passed, and there were only the sounds of clashes in the hall and the shockwave from our moves.
Like the sound, it is being absorbed by the runes on the wall. So effectively, that those walking by the wall wouldn't be able to feel anything, even if they put their ear against the wall.
An hour passed, and once more, his sword reached out and cut through my collar. That was the only thing holding the tattered shirt, with it cut. It fell.
Leaving bare above the waist.
At the sa ti, the old man stopped and thanked god he did.
It had been only an hour and ten minutes since we had been sparring, but I had been using every bit of my strength, which made tired.
"You are strong, Lord Silver, more than I had expected. Capable of fighting battle-hardened Imperial Knights and Nobles of the sa level," he praised.
"I am hearing 'but', Sir Schengen," I said, and the old man nodded.
"You have grown too fast, my lord. Your technique had not kept up with that speed." He replied matter-of-factly.
"You had impeccable technique when I trained you last ti, and even now, it is good, but it could improve a lot," he added a mont later.
"I hope you will help with that," I said. I need the knight's help; he is the only one who could.
"I will, but first, let see your full abilities," he replied, and I smiled, knowing what he ant. I wish I had a few more minutes to rest, but since he wants to show it, I will.
The next mont, cyan light covered my blade; at the sa ti, nine cyan blades appeared behind .
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