"Not bad, kid, not bad at all!" Rimuru chuckled, his heart feeling lighter than it had in centuries. "But you gotta add some oomph! A little more… BAM!" He swung his sword in a wide, showy arc, intentionally creating a gust of wind that rustled the leaves in the trees around them. "See? It's all about the showmanship! Makes 'em think twice!"
Seriously, this kid learns faster than Ciel processes data, Rimuru thought, watching her diligently practice the stances and basic cuts he was demonstrating. They'd been focusing purely on swordsmanship – technique, precision, flow – for just over a month now. A single month! And she was already moving with the ingrained grace of someone who'd trained for years, not weeks. Her earlier raw combat training had given her a solid base, but this was different. This was about the art of the blade.
"Now, let's try a basic overhead strike," Rimuru instructed, demonstrating a clean, powerful swing that flowed from his shoulders, through his core, and into the blade. "Focus your energy. Feel the flow from your feet, up through your body, and out through the tip of the blade. It's an extension of your will, Lucy."
Lucy nodded, her expression serious, her eyes fixed on an imaginary target in front of her. She took a breath, settled into the stance he'd taught her, raised her training sword high, and then, with a sharp, focused cry – "Hah!" – she swung. The metal blade sliced through the air with a speed that was almost… unnatural. It didn't just whistle; it left a faint, almost visible distortion in the air for a split second. VREEEEM!
Rimuru's jaw, which had been set in a smile of encouragement, literally dropped. What the—?! he thought, his eyes widening to comical proportions. That's… that's way faster than it should be! Not just for an eight-year-old, but for anyone without some serious magical enhancement! And the force behind it! Even without a cutting edge, I felt the pressure wave from here! She's practically shattering the known laws of physics for baseline humans!
"Sensei?" Lucy asked, tilting her head, her pigtails swaying. She looked down at her sword, then back at him, a hint of concern in her eyes. "Did I do something wrong? Was it not enough oomph?"
"Wrong?" Rimuru sputtered, shaking his head vigorously as if to clear it. "No, no, Lucy, you did… perfectly! Almost… too perfectly, actually! How in the name of the First Slime are you doing this?!"
"I'm just doing what you told me, Sensei," Lucy said, her eyes wide with an innocence that was utterly disarming. "Focus my energy, feel the flow…"
She's not just talented, she's a natural-born prodigy! A monster of talent! Rimuru's mind raced, trying to process the sheer scale of her innate ability. If she keeps this up, she won't just be strong, she'll be a demigod before she hits puberty! A cute, pigtail-wearing, terrifyingly powerful demigod! He remembered his own grueling training, the countless hours, the dedicated practice it took to master even basic skills in his early days. This kid was surpassing his own initial learning speeds by an absolutely ludicrous margin!
"Alright," Rimuru said, trying to regain his composure, though a wild grin was threatening to split his face. "Let's… let's try some light sparring. Just to see how you apply these techniques against a moving opponent." He summoned another identical training sword for himself. "Don't worry about winning or losing. Just focus on your form, on reading and reacting."
Lucy's eyes lit up, the earlier concern replaced by a familiar spark of competitive spirit. "Yes, Sensei!"
They faced each other, swords held at the ready. Rimuru decided to test her gently at first, initiating with a series of quick, probing strikes – a feint to her head, a tap towards her shoulder, a sweep at her legs. Lucy parried each blow with surprising ease, her movements fluid, precise, and economical. There was no wasted motion.
She's reading my movements! Rimuru thought, his eyebrows shooting up towards his hairline. But how?! It's not just reaction speed; it's like she's… anticipating my attacks before I even fully commit to them! Is it instinct? Or something more?
He decided to press her a little harder, increasing his speed, his strikes becoming a blur of silver flashes, a complex dance of offense. But Lucy matched him, blow for blow. Her defense was like a perfectly woven net – impenetrable. More astonishingly, she wasn't just defending; she was starting to find openings, tiny momentary lapses in his intentionally less-than-perfect guard, and exploiting them with swift, accurate counterattacks that forced him to backpedal. A light tap on his arm, a near miss to his side.
"Whoa, whoa! Hold on a sec! Time out!" Rimuru exclaimed, jumping back a good ten feet, a bead of genuine sweat trickling down his forehead. He was actually winded. "You're… you're completely and utterly insane, Lucy!" he declared, half laughing, half in sheer disbelief.
Lucy blinked, her sword still held expertly, her chest rising and falling evenly. "Insane? Sensei, did I do something wrong again? Was I too aggressive?"
"No, no, it's not that you did something wrong!" Rimuru said, shaking his head, still trying to catch his breath. "It's that you're doing everything… too well! You're learning too fast! It's like you're just… absorbing everything I teach you instantly, like a super-powered sponge!"
He began to pace back and forth, running a hand through his hair, his mind buzzing with possibilities. This is beyond anything I've ever witnessed! She has the raw talent, the unwavering drive from her trauma, and now, she's developing sheer, unbelievable power and skill at a terrifying rate! If I keep training her physical and martial abilities at this pace, she'll be an S-Class wizard in pure combat prowess alone before she even learns her first spell!
He stopped pacing, a wide, mischievous, and slightly manic grin spreading across his face. And speaking of spells… if I add her innate magical potential, her Celestial Spirit magic, into this mix… oh boy… OH BOY! This is gonna be so much FUN! Earthland is NOT ready for Lucy Heartfilia, version 2.0!
"Alright, Lucy," he said, clapping his hands together decisively. "That's enough swordsmanship for today. You've more than earned a break. And I think… you're ready for something new."
"Thank you, Sensei!" Lucy said, her face beaming with the simple pleasure of his praise and the satisfaction of a hard day's work well done. She carefully wiped down her training sword before setting it aside.
Rimuru watched her, a complex swirl of awe, excitement, and a touch of trepidation churning within him. This kid… she's going to change everything. Not just her own fate, but potentially the fate of this entire world. He felt a renewed sense of purpose, a thrill he hadn't experienced in ages. And I'm gonna be right there, front and center, to see it all unfold! And maybe, just maybe, I can finally fix this messed-up timeline and give Lucy the happy ending, the strong future, she truly, deeply deserves!
He caught her eye. "Tomorrow, Lucy," he said, his voice brimming with anticipation, "we start on your magic."
The next few months flew by in a whirlwind of intense training and occasional, precious moments of laughter. Lucy, now approaching her ninth birthday, moved with a lethal grace and power that utterly belied her age. She'd not only mastered the swordsmanship techniques Rimuru had taught her but had begun to instinctively blend them with the hand-to-hand combat and strategic thinking she'd honed earlier. She was a small, focused tempest of developing skill.
"Alright, Lucy! One more time!" Rimuru yelled, expertly sidestepping a lightning-fast spinning kick that would have sent an ordinary man flying. Even with his abilities, he felt the wind of it. "Show me that combination! The feint, the sword strike, into the disarming lock!"
Lucy grinned, her eyes sparkling with concentration and a hint of playful challenge. "Hiyah!" She feinted high with her practice sword, then dropped into a low sweep that Rimuru hopped over. As he landed, she was already moving, her blade a blur aimed at his wrist, followed by a fluid transition into a joint lock that, had he not been prepared, would have genuinely immobilized him.
"Whoa! Perfect execution!" Rimuru exclaimed, disentangling himself with a chuckle and clapping his hands. "Absolutely flawless! You've got it! You're a terrifying natural, Lucy!"
Seriously, this kid is scarily good, he thought, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. She's mastered every physical and martial concept I've thrown at her! Everything! And she's not even nine yet! This is beyond prodigy territory; this is… well, this is Lucy!
He glanced up at the sky; the sun was beginning its descent, painting the clouds in hues of orange and purple. "Alright, that's enough for today, I think. You've earned your rest." He paused, a warm smile spreading across his face. "And besides, tomorrow's a pretty special day, you know."
Lucy's face, still flushed from exertion, lit up like a thousand-watt bulb. "My birthday!" she beamed, her weariness vanishing in an instant. "I'm going to be nine! I can't wait!"
That's right," Rimuru chuckled, ruffling her hair. "And I've got a little something… well, a couple of somethings… special planned for you."