WebNovels

Chapter 11 - Not Afraid Of Death

Deathly silence hangs in the air.

My breathing is rough and heavy, but I grip the blade with so much ferocity in me.

Never in my life have I been so motivated to fight—to win.

The chilly sensation of my father's bloodlust no longer affects me. I stare into his enraged eyes, and I feel nothing. I do not fear his fury, indignation, or disappointment.

In fact, right at this moment… I embrace it.

"It seems you have resigned yourself to death." My father speaks in a low undertone, the tiny shred of compassion left within him dissipating with that statement.

He takes a proper stance now, his intent absolutely clear.

'Since it's gotten to this, I might as well go all-out!' My eyes widen, and I adjust my body's position, taking a unique fighting stance that has me half crouching, with my blade hanging low.

My father sees this and narrows his gaze.

His expression is a little grim, and his eyes flicker with uncertainty. I can tell what is going on in his mind at this moment.

'Right now, the only way I can last is by resorting to the Aditi Martial Techniques. This form is merely the beginning…' A wry smile nearly forms on my face, but I maintain absolute seriousness. 

'You recognize this position, don't you, father?' I glare at him. 'This is the form you beat into me for several years after I became Heir. It took me nearly a decade to get the fundamentals right, and another decade to fully master it.'

Indeed! I only fully mastered the Aditi Martial Technique when I was thirty-five years old.

A Mid-Rank Martial Technique!

'That's how pathetic my talent for the sword is. And my current body isn't in its prime, so I can't display my full strength. Even if I could, I'm sure this old man will still be stronger. I'm sure to lose, but the question is… how long can I last?' My eyes shine with curiosity as I slowly shift my body from side to side.

I ready myself.

Then—

WHOOSH!

—I charge!

The wind beats my olive skin and scatters my raven-black hair, causing the strands to dance to the tune of battle, but my eyes remain wide open.

I shoot out my steel blade, charging at the lower portion of my father's body.

"You…"

CLANG!

Naturally, he blocks it.

However, this is only the beginning! 

Twisting like a tornado, I swiftly send my blade swirling around to add an additional layer of weight to its blow. My father remains fixed in his position, even after blocking it.

As expected of a monster like him!

That strike was meant to move him toward my right, so I could launch a connected attack, but he didn't even budge one bit.

Oh well…

I continue to assault him from all directions, but he expertly dodges or uses his blade to parry.

He doesn't offer a single counterattack.

Then—

WHOOSH!

He finally makes a move and swings his sword, but I twirl and narrowly evade it, whipping out my blade and grazing his arm.

I finally land a hit!

My eyes flash with excitement, but I recognize I can't be careless, so I leap away quickly and take the same stance as earlier. My breathing becomes a little heavier, and I feel my body ache as a result of exerting myself to complete the first three cycles of the Aditi Household Martial Technique.

There are a total of six cycles.

They follow a chain reaction pattern that allows one's movements to dictate the flow of battle.

The goal is to connect the first attack. Afterward, the opponent would be stuck in a series of moves and would be swayed by the flow that the Aditi Knight creates, eventually leading up to the climax that is the 6th Cycle.

'The first cycle had to do with low attacks, and it ended when I swirled and hit him. He was supposed to shift to my right for me to begin the second cycle, but he didn't budge, which ruined the effectiveness of the attack. Still, I managed to complete it… and then resorted to the third move, which injured him—albeit slightly.'

Unlike the first two, the third cycle is contingent on the opponent's reaction.

After they attack a false opening, or even a real opening, the Aditi Knight is meant to evade and counterattack at the next moment, targeting their arm and rendering it useless by slicing the tendons.

If I were fighting a regular opponent, I would have achieved that by now.

Unfortunately… this is my father.

Not only were most of my attacks barely effective on him, but the little damage I managed to render can't even be classified as a flesh wound. 

It's only a graze at best.

I keep my focus and glare at my father, who now has a rather complex expression on his face.

For one, he is still furious about my earlier words and actions, as well as the fact that I continue to defy him. However, I can also sense surprise of the pleasant kind. He is clearly impressed that I can display this level of sword mastery. Considering how pathetic I used to be at this age, his level of surprise is warranted.

This, unfortunately, brings him to his next and most obvious reaction.

—Suspicion!

"Where did you learn those moves from?" My father asks while his eyes narrow on me suspiciously.

'Why would I tell you that?' I sigh to myself, nearly rolling my eyes as I resort to the most sensible response I can think of at the moment.

"You once displayed the six cycles of the Aditi Martial Techniques to me as a way to prepare me for what I would have to learn once I became Heir. I burned that moment in my mind and worked very hard to replicate it. Judging by your reaction, it seems I succeeded."

"You? You remembered what I showed you just once, now perfectly replicating it? Impossible!"

"I don't expect you to believe in me."

"It's not about whether or not I believe in you. It's simply impossible for a talentless person like you to achieve. Even your brother will need a lot more than a few displays and a lot of time for him to fully grasp the profundities of our Household's Martial Techniques."

"Profundities? Isn't it just a Mid-Rank Technique? There are several of them in the Kingdom if I remember correctly—hundreds." I give the old man a berating smile, not even bothering to add an ounce of regard to my words.

"In my eyes, there's nothing special about our Aditi Martial Techniques."

"That's enough!"

WHOOSH!

My father charges at me, ready to strike with immense ferocity. I also charge at him at the same time, unwilling to see him dictate the flow of our fight.

Every battle is like a chess match.

Each fighter is a player.

Each move is a chess piece.

To make a certain move in battle, one has to consider the potential action of the opponent.

Sometimes, feints and sacrifices are necessary… but all should be towards achieving the ultimate goal of victory!

Compared to my father, I have a very weak set of pieces, and my father is a lot more experienced in the game. Naturally, I don't expect to win in a fight against him. However, that doesn't mean I'm not aiming for victory.

After all, victory means different things for different people.

And for me, victory isn't about winning.

Not always.

It is—

"DEAR HUSBAND! SON! PLEASE STOP THIS ALREADY!"

My mother suddenly appears, alongside some guards and the warriors we sent away earlier. A few maids and servants are also present, but they shrink back and keep themselves hidden in the shadows.

My mother's worried voice nearly distracts me, but I manage to regain my footing and bear the strike of my old man.

It seems her presence is more shocking to him than to me, which explains why his strike contains so much weakness and hesitation.

'I can take advantage of this…!' My eyes shine with brilliance, and I initiate the six cycles from the beginning once more, catching my father off guard with the first move.

"Boy—!"

He grits his teeth and deflects my blows, but I continue pressing on.

Second move!

Third move!

Fourth!

Fifth!

Six—!

"ENOUGH!" With a powerful shout, my father sends my blade flying out of my hands, his powerful blow instantly causing my wrist to fracture.

I wince, enduring the pain, but am only rewarded with a powerful punch to the face.

BAM!

My head vibrates and my vision turns blurry almost immediately.

I stagger a few steps back, but quickly regain my footing.

'You're going to have to do a lot more than that to keep me down, old man!' I lick my lips and glare at him maniacally.

Many of the warriors are in a daze at this moment, gawking at my audacity. 

Even my mother's personal handmaidens place their hands on their lips in shock. This is an unprecedented moment for them, after all.

I cast a sideways glance and see my mother right next to Selicia, tending to her alongside one of her maids and two warriors. It seems they plan to take her somewhere safe—away from the mayhem.

That's good!

"Javier, please stop this! Apologize to your father and let this end!" My mother turns to me and pleads, but I shake my head in exasperation.

This shameless woman!

At this point, she must realize that it is her husband who hit her daughter like that.

'Yet she still takes his side…' I sigh softly and clench my teeth. 'This is why I can't go out of my way for you, Mother. You don't make it easy for me at all.'

"It seems you believe that you possess the luxury of being distracted despite losing your weapon." My father appears right next to me with another fist.

This time, I swiftly twist my body to evade it, but it still grazes my cheek regardless

Argh! It really stings.

My body automatically aims for his lower part, but my father is a monolith! 

His guard is perfect.

He sends me flying with a kick, forcing me to roll on the ground while my body absorbs the dirt. 

"Kack…" I spit out blood, recoiling from the pain, but I still give him a fearless smile while rising to my feet and dusting off the dirt on my body.

"It's against your honor to use your blade on an enemy who has no weapon. That's why you told me to unsheathe my blade earlier, and that's why you've been using blows and kicks ever since I lost my weapon." I smile confidently at him. "But even if you want, you can attack me with a blade, I don't care anymore."

I loudly declare it, so everyone present can hear me.

"I'm no longer scared of you!"

"Tch!" My father clicks his tongue and charges at me. "You useless, unfilial brat!"

He sends his sword charging at me, his strike too swift for me to properly evade. Instantly, a portion of my arm is sliced, and it spurts out blood immediately. 

"Agh!" I wince mildly, quickly moving to evade his flurry of attacks.

But it's useless.

His assault seems never-ending! 

It is an endless ocean of blades—a swarm of moves that my eyes cannot fully process.

This is the problem with battle. Unlike chess, which grants each player a turn, the higher the skill gap… the more moves the greater warrior can make in a fight.

Because of this, my father is able to overwhelm me very easily—I am not his match.

"Arghhhh!" I scream aloud as blades tear apart my tendons, scrape away my skin, and slice through my body in many places at once. 

My body is torn to shreds by his torrent of blades, but I am helpless to stop it.

"You're being dishonorable!" I yell out, but he simply snorts.

"What dishonor? This isn't a battle. I am merely disciplining my child. Did you really think I wouldn't do anything if you had no weapon? That was simply my consideration towards you, but since you have proved yourself to be such a useless child, all of that consideration has expired!" 

He continues slicing my body, bathing me with my own blood. 

"Apologize for your actions. Recant your words. Accept punishment. Become reformed. Only then will this stop."

"N-never!"

"Then you leave me no choice, Javier!" My father's voice echoes brutally as his eyes flash with murderous light. 

"This is where you die."

"Then let me die!" I cackle aloud, likely causing shivers to run through the bodies of all the spectators. The sheer disregard I express towards my own life must be stunning to them, but I truly do not care.

"Kill me if you want to, old man!" I grin maniacally. "I'm not afraid of death!"

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