When I fall into slumber, my spirit once again goes to the spirit realm like the nights before. The Unknown master swordsman is already waiting for me there.
"Hello my disciple Henry Harvard, Today is the last time I can teach you my swordplay. So I hope you can focus on this training and use this precious moment well"
"Honorable master, is that mean I can see you again?"
"Hmm….i don't know, maybe there's a slight chance we can meet again, but that depends on our fate"
"Then honorable master, let's start our training, don't waste any second"
"Hahaha…what a spirit! I like that. But what I'm going to teach you today is not something you can learn like the previous day. What I'm going to teach you today is the seven ultimate strike"
"Ultimate strike, honorable master?"
"Yes, something that very hard to achieve. But once it achieved, it can turn defeat into victory, turn losing into the win"
My eyes brimmed with excitement hearing his explanation. This is the real ace in my sleeves if I can learn it.
"Is it hard to learn, honorable master?"
"Hard or easy, that depends on you, Henry Harvard. Because the essence of this ultimate strike is sensing the weakness that sometimes only appears within a blink of eyes in your enemy defense, utilize all the power you have and explode it in that weakness. It's all or nothing stakes so it can't be using many times, can't be used when in upper hand condition and need extreme sharp perception about the enemy"
Ugh, hearing his explanation alone already make me having a headache.
"Just talking will not bring us to anywhere Henry Harvard. It's better if you experience it with your body. Let spar, I will just defend myself while you attacking. Sometimes I will lower my guard, it's your task to sense when and where I lower my guard and attack that spot. Do you understand? Then be prepared"
He handed me a wooden sword while holding another wooden sword in his other hand. Oh well, even if I can't master this strike, at least I can be testing my stance and moves with him. So after saluting to each other, we start our sparring.
This man is really a master swordsman, he never makes an unnecessary movement when defending himself from my attack. With simple movement from his footwork, he can evade, deflected or parry all my attack. I almost frustrated when my attack can't even make a scratch on him.
"Remember what you've learned, Henry Harvard"
The man giving his advice when I'm starting to feels frustrated. Remember what I've learned? I've learned many things from you, which one is that? Never mind, it's a good chance to try them all with him. So after taking a deep breath, I start to attack him again. This time I try to make a flow of attack, every time my attack failed, I continue my attack from another direction. This still can't break him, I start to use feint during my attack. The man smiles with the changes pattern in my attack and starts making more complicated movement in his footwork and sword move.
When this move is still not working, I try another way, full body utilization. My other hand and leg start to make subsequent attack following my sword attack. Now the man starts taking my attack seriously and makes my attack like hitting an iron wall. This development makes me frustrated again, all that I've learned already I applied to attack him but no satisfying result. I try to think about what I've missed from his lesson, ah right, the last lesson is not about moves but about sense and perception. So I start watching all his movement, not only his hand that holding sword, but also his legs, his waist, his shoulder and his eyes movement. I try to start predicting where he will move after making certain moves, and sensing the weakness from his movement and waiting perfect time to make a strike.
Minute by minute passing by, I still try to comprehend his movement when I notice his step a bit strange and make his defense a bit decreased. Maybe this is what he meant by lowering his guard. I'm not going to miss this chance, I start executing moves that I already prepared to final attack. I make a quick stab at his chest with my sword, followed with a kick on his knee. When he parries my stab with his sword and move his leg to save his knee, with a flick of my wrist I change the grip on the sword hilt to reverse stab and followed with a spinning kick from my other leg. When he raises his arm to deflect my stab and step back to evade the kick, I lose my grip on the sword hilt and the sword fell only to catch with my left hand and continue to stab while my right-hand catches his wrist. The man surprised when his wrist was captured by my right and see incoming stab from the sword in my left hand. When he tried to pull his wrist, I'm following his pulling force and slam my shoulder to his chest which makes him fall
Surprisingly when he falls he's not panic but using his leg to make a somersault backward to evade my sword that only hit an empty spot where he lying before. After he landed, he no longer holds his sword and laughs heartily
"HAHAHAHA…..GOOD! among my disciples only you can make me fall like that Henry. You passed!"
Eh? Am I passed? What is that means? Seeing me look confused, the man smile and explaining
"That means you can sense the weakness of your opponent Henry. That is important keys to launch the ultimate strike. Now let's take a rest while I explaining the other important keys to launch the ultimate strike"
Oh, finally I can rest. Frankly, I already feel exhausted by this training. So I sit cross-legged in front of him and listen what he wants to tell to me.