Let's rewind fifteen minutes.
"Alright."
As Alan's word fell, Rudeus turned his head in astonishment.
In his line of sight, Alan's fingers were gently caressing the hilt of the sword at his waist. The sword's owner was looking at Ghislaine with great interest.
Seeing this very familiar gesture, Rudeus couldn't help but swallow.
Alan was getting that 'feeling.'
His hands were itching for a fight again. It was the exact same expression he wore during his two years of sparring with Paul in Buena Village.
How did Rudeus know this so well?
Because for those two years, the target of Alan's 'feeling' had initially been Paul. But everything changed after Paul started issuing challenges to Alan.
It went from Paul stipulating, "You can only use the Sword God Style," to "You can only use the North God Style," until he finally discovered that he couldn't even touch the corner of Alan's clothes regardless of the style.
At that point, the straightforward Paul chose to go play with his kids instead. He decisively redirected the target of Alan's 'feeling' onto his own son.
And so, all subsequent spars became one-on-one battles between Alan and Rudeus, conducted at a distance. The distance between them grew from 300 meters to 500, and recently, to a full kilometer.
The result was…
Rudeus lost every single time.
Not a single victory.
He had kept the same tactical layout from his first fight with Alan two years ago, improved his magic, refined all his elementary and intermediate spells, and created even more obstacles to deceive Alan's senses. His magic had even evolved from things like ice blades shot from his hand to the much harder-to-detect Earth Spikes. The battlefield had also changed from the foot of a hill to a more open field.
However…
It was all for naught.
Alan's 'Flow Perception' became increasingly incomprehensible.
He could even sense the formation of a swamp the instant before it appeared, directly ripping up the ground in front of him to expose the bedrock layer beneath, preventing Rudeus's swamp from forming. Then, he would stroll through the various magical 'obstacles,' and after a full ten minutes of Rudeus's desperate struggle, he would casually wander up to him with a smile, as if taking a leisurely walk.
Then, under Rudeus's despairing gaze, he would raise his hand…
and give him a sharp flick on the forehead.
Announcing the end of another spar.
"Your head is gone."
It was that absurd.
Because he could 'see' the 'flow of mana.'
This was 'Flow Perception,' the most difficult of the five ultimate techniques of the Water God Style to master.
And Alan…
had started by learning the most difficult one first.
Snapping back to the present, Rudeus looked at the neatly laid flagstones and the meticulously manicured lawn beneath him. He remembered the scene of the ground being torn up by Alan's Touki during their spars.
Is Alan planning to tear up his own family's home? Wait, his opponent is Ghislaine. If it's her, she should be able to stop him, right?
He hurriedly looked at Ghislaine.
What he saw was…
The expression on her face…
was remarkably similar to Alan's.
Filled with the thrill of the hunt…
A desire to swing her sword!
Rudeus's mouth fell open in shock. He looked around and saw that Sylphie, who was usually responsible for calming Alan down, had not yet returned. His face turned pale.
He thought to himself, This is bad. Sylphie, you have to come back, quickly!!
"This is great! Why isn't Sylphie back yet?!"
Eris, not caring that she was wearing a skirt, kicked her legs up and sprang to her feet with a nimble kip-up. Her steps were a little unsteady from mana exhaustion, but her spirits were high!
"Alan, are you going to wait for her! Or should we start now!"
Alan gave Rudeus a reassuring look and waved his hand.
"Let's start now. It just so happens that I'm very interested in the strength of a long-renowned Sword King like Ghislaine."
"And, I'm also very curious to see how long I can last against her with my current Water God Style skills."
Yes, last, not fight. Because…
Alan looked up at Ghislaine, whose tail was swishing as she too reached for the hilt of the sword at her waist.
She.
Ghislaine.
The only Sword King of the Sword God Style.
She was the gatekeeper to the Emperor-rank for swordsmen.
"Most importantly, I also really want to see it for myself."
"What the Sword of Light truly is."
With that, Alan rose from the ground and walked towards an open space in the courtyard.
Ghislaine gripped her sword, her dark golden pupils contracting as she watched Alan's back. She smiled and followed him.
The two stood facing each other.
Ghislaine had not forgotten her duties as a teacher.
"Since this is a swordsmanship lesson, how about we conduct this as a demonstrative sparring match? I will attack with the Sword of Light, and you will defend with the Water God Style. This will also allow Eris to more directly understand the differences between the Sword God Style and the Water God Style."
"Alright." Alan nodded.
As he spoke, Ghislaine slowly drew her sword. The long, drawn-out hum of the blade scraping against the scabbard vibrated through the air. The blade, with its beautiful hilt, was pulled from its sheath, tracing a lovely arc in the air.
A slender, long blade.
A blade the color of blood.
One of the Seven Great Swords of the Sword God—Heimun.
"From the Holy Land of the Sword—Sword King Ghislaine. I request your guidance."
Ghislaine tensed her back, planted her feet, and drew strength up from the soles of her feet.
The blade cut through the air.
And stopped.
A simple middle stance, the tip of the blade pointing straight ahead. But it was incredibly menacing.
Because…
this was one of the three opening stances of the Sword of Light.
Hearing the formal self-introduction before a duel, something he hadn't heard in a long time, a smile spread across Alan's lips.
He drew his sword.
Raised his hand.
The blade vibrated the air!
"From the Water God Style's Main Dojo—Alan. I request your guidance."
Ghislaine stared at the common, thin-bladed straight sword in Alan's hand.
"Why not announce your title of Water Saint?"
"'Water Saint' doesn't sound very impressive, and the title was never officially bestowed upon me to my face, so what's the point of announcing it? Besides, the next time I return to the main dojo, that title…"
Leaning forward with his sword behind his back, Alan's smile vanished.
"…will be due for a change."
Under the tree, Eris's eyes widened, and she bounced on her feet in excitement!
"That sounds so cool!"
Rudeus shook his head.
But then Eris frowned.
"The Water God Style's Main Dojo… why does that sound so familiar…"
Her eyes widened.
"Isn't that the one in the Royal Capital!"
"Yes!" Rudeus interrupted her.
"The most skilled Water God Style swordsmen in the Asura Kingdom mostly come from the Royal Capital, which is also where the Water God Style's main dojo is located."
Eris blinked. "Then doesn't that mean Alan studied swordsmanship with that Alan from the Royal Capital?!"
Rudeus shrugged, once again thankful for Eris's simple mind.
"Who knows? Perhaps they were in the same class?"
Eris frowned, looking very displeased.
"Huh? The same class? Then who's stronger!"
Rudeus smiled.
"Well, of course…"
"'Alan' is stronger."
Eris was about to say something else but was cut off by Ghislaine in the center of the courtyard.
She heard her say, "Alan will defend, I will attack. So, to make a distinction, this strike…"
"will be a Sword Saint-level—Sword of Light."
"Eris."
"Watch closely."
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