The room was big. Toki, Rin, and Shiro stepped aside as Eiji and Ryu began to clash with one another.
"You are not as fast as me yet, but I want you to focus on my movement." Ryu says.
Ryu kept dashing all of Eiji's attacks.
Eiji then breathes in and out as he watches Ryu's movements.
"Your enemy may be faster than you, but outsmarting them is the key to winning." Ryu added.
Eiji was so focused. He then started to attack, but Ryu dashed it all again.
Ryu then parried Eiji's sword away and ended up pointing the sword at him.
"Again! I can do this the 2nd time I promise." Eiji says.
Ryu smiled a little.
"Very well. Pick up your sword again."
Eiji picked up his sword. He then prepared his ready stance and breathes in and out.
Ryu immediately charge even though Eiji was still preparing.
However, Eiji dashed to the left and trips Ryu.
Ryu was surprised and trips himself, but also ended up being pointed at by Eiji's sword.
Ryu was shocked and remembered the time he tripped Shiro. It was the exact same thing that Eiji did.
Ryu then smiled and asks,
"Eiji. Looks like you got that idea from me lately with Shiro. Right?"
"What do you mean? I mean I just basically countered your charge."
Ryu shrugged.
"Never mind, let's continue again."
"Ryu, how to be as fast as you? None of us could do what you can do."
"Use your mind and body. It's basically reflexes."
Eiji shook his head.
"No. Your speed is inhuman, how do you do that?"
Ryu smirked.
"It's all just reflexes. Nothing else."
Toki began to doubt Ryu as if he is hiding something from them.
Eiji and Ryu did eye to eye with one another and began to clash once more.
Eiji increased his speed through reflex while focusing on Ryu's movement.
Ryu then began to try slashing Eiji, but Eiji quickly parried it. However, As Eiji parried it, Ryu began to summon a knife on his right hand and quickly tried stabbing Eiji.
Ryu smirked as he tried to stab Eiji, but was shocked when Eiji's sword began to vaporize, only to find out that he did not successfully stabbed Eiji.
Ryu was shocked because he was supposed to aim at Eiji's abdomen, but not literally going for a real stab. What surprises him is that Eiji summoned his shield which blocks Ryu's knife.
Eiji stepped back as he unsummon his shield only to summon the great sword of Shoto.
As Eiji summoned it, he then quickly spin slashed Ryu from the side, aiming at his sword.
Ryu was so quick to realize and began parrying the great sword. However, it was heavy. So, Ryu quickly received a heavy attack from Eiji, until it pushes him back.
The whole team was surprised. It is as if Eiji learned it all from them.
The fast switch of weapon from Rin, the swordsmanship from Ryu, the heavy spinning slash from Shiro and the use of strength from either Toki or Shoto. It grew their eyes as Eiji did it all.
Rin smirked and then says,
"Hmm.. My turn next. I will be training with you next, Eiji."
Eiji was exhausted from how heavy the great sword was, but what exhausts him more is from that strategy. From one weapon to another.
Eiji positively replied,
"Sure! I actually wanna learn from you all!"
Ryu was exhausted too after parrying a heavy attack from the great sword.
Toki then asks Ryu,
"Ryu. I wanna clash swords with you again."
"Sure.. Just give me a sec."
Rin then brought a bullseye and hangs it on the wall.
"Grab these knives. I want you to learn knife throwing."
Eiji did what Rin told him to do.
"Ok, I want you to focus on the target and throw it." Rin added.
"Um.. How? As in throw it like a rock?"
"Hahaha.. Let me demonstrate it then."
Rin stepped in beside Eiji and threw the knife without even looking.
It was bullseye and hit the center spot.
Eiji was amazed.
"As in how?"
"I told you to just focus on your target. If you're not as confident as I am, you may look at your target, breathe in then as you throw, breathe out, but that's gonna take you long."
"Ok, I'll try my best."
"Use your senses. That even without looking, you may still hit your target. This will help you in melee fights as well because enemies always shows up anywhere, a surprise attack even. With a strong sense, you are able to counter anything."
Eiji nodded and proceeded to try throwing the knife to the bullseye without looking.
"Hahaha.. You hit it, but with less strength and not in the center. Look, it's not even deeply pierced. I want you to focus on its center and throw it with a little more strength. Ok?"
Eiji nodded and tried to throw the knife again.
He took a glimpse of the target and quickly looked away. He then breathes in and prepared himself to throw the knife and then breathes out as he throws it.
Rin then clapped.
"Well done! Very close! It's 5 cm away from the center! You need to practice more!"
Eiji sighed and felt disappointed.
Meanwhile, Ryu and Toki began their sword practice.
Toki prepared her stance as if she was in kendo, while Ryu is in open stance.
They looked at each other with pierce eyes when suddenly, Toki charges in and began to parry with Ryu.
Ryu smirked and quickly pushed Toki backwards.
Toki then proceeds on her 2nd charge, but this time with a barrage of attacks.
Every hit of Toki was parried by Ryu.
Toki was just using one sword as she parries with Ryu when suddenly, she began to summon her 2nd sword and tried a pierce attack on Ryu.
Ryu was so fast that he evaded Toki's pierce attack.
Ryu was so focused as if he is watching her every move.
Toki realized it from the beginning that he will evade her attack so she proceeded to spin around as if she's a tornado.
Ryu backs away as he watches her from a distance.
Toki then charged at Ryu and parried with him once more.
Shiro was just watching them all in distance and observes their practice.
Toki charged and parried with Ryu until he tried to step back. However, Toki stepped on his foot, making him unable to move.
As Toki stepped on Ryu, she quickly parried his sword away and immediately pointed her 2nd sword at the throat of Ryu, resulting to her win.
Ryu was amazed and says,
"Good job. You basically combined kendo and street fight. I must say it is a success."
Toki politely smiled and bowed down to Ryu.
Toki then replied,
"Thank you for letting me try this, I've been wanting to use this to my sister ever since."
Ryu nodded and bowed down as well.
Ryu then asks Shiro,
"Shiro, you wanna try the new weapon I gave you?"
Shiro nodded and prepared his ready stance to Ryu.
Meanwhile, Rin began teaching Eiji new combat style.
Rin introduces the glaive to Eiji and spins it back and forth as if she is performing a show.
Rin then handed Eiji a keychain spear.
"I'm not teaching you how to do this spin trick. I'm teaching you how to use this." Rin says.
"This is to pierce only. Right?"
"You can use this to pierce, yes, but you can learn other ways on how to use this in combat. Once we began our sparring, you'll figure out that this can be used not only for piercing."
Rin and Eiji prepared a battle stance and began to parry with one another.
As Eiji tries his pierce attack on her. Rin parried it to the side and uses the bottom of her glaive to hit Eiji's rib.
Eiji shouted as he felt the pain.
"Just like using a sword, the blade part is not just the lethal one nor the guard and pommel as decoration only. You have to check the weapon you are using so that you'll know how to use it."
As Rin says that. Eiji immediately examines his spear. He observed that even the sides of the spear blade is lethal and it is possible you can slice something with it. He also observed how Rin uses the long stick to push the enemy away or could even use to guard one's self.
After examining it. He asks Rin again,
"One more?"
Rin smirks as they both prepared a ready stance. They then began to clash once more.
Meanwhile, Ryu kept evading all of Shiro's attacks.
Shiro on the other hand tries to increase his strength to hold his weapon like a normal sword in order for him to match Ryu's weapon.
But seeing him do that is still a slow attack, so he can't even parry with Ryu because Ryu is much faster, especially in evading.
As soon as Shiro realizes it, he began to try his tactic. Since Ryu is quick at evading, he tried to push Ryu onto the wall and spins 360° until he hits the wall.
Ryu managed to evade his spin attack when suddenly, Shiro unsummoned his long katana to summon his shortest katana until he eventually parried with Ryu.
Ryu was surprised, but the battle has just started.
Shiro uses his short katana like a knife. As he parries Ryu's sword, he eventually passed the short katana from one hand to another until he pointed it to Ryu.
The result however, is a tie. Shiro points his short katana to Ryu's abdomen, while Ryu pointing his sword at Shiro's head.
Toki was amazed for the both of them.
Ryu then appraised Shiro.
"Well done, can't wait for you to use that tactic. However, I must tell you that you should take precautions since you are switching from mid-range combat to close combat. Who knows what the enemy hides behind their pocket."
Shiro nodded.
"Understood, I'll keep that in mind."
Meanwhile on Rin and Eiji's training.
Rin switches from glaive to bow to katana all the way to a jagdkommando.
A jagdkommando is a type of knife which has a twisted shape on the blade, making it the deadliest knife.
Rin then asked Eiji,
"You have your shield right? And a sword? I gave you a spear just a minute ago."
"Yes. So what are we doing then?"
"If I switch from this knife, you change to either a shield or a spear. If I switch this into a glaive, you must switch it into a spear only. If I switch from a bow, you can switch it into a sword or a shield and if I switch from a katana, you can either use a sword or a spear."
Rin then prepared a ready stance and gazed at Eiji.
Eiji quivered, but at the same time prepared himself for an upcoming fight.
Rin closed her eyes and smirks.
Rin quickly used her bow and pulled her bowstring and fires a piercing wind upon Eiji.
Eiji quickly realized it, so he summoned his shield combined with a sword and defended himself from the coming arrow.
Rin smirks once more and switches her bow to a glaive and charged at Eiji.
Eiji, not realizing Rin already charged. He blocked the attacks of Rin, but also pushes him back as well.
As Rin used a barrage of attack on Eiji. Eiji stepped all the way back and switches the shield into a spear.
They then clashed with one another.
Eiji learned from the previous training on how to use the spear for both offensive and defensive. That is why both of them never hit each other.
Ryu, Shiro and Toki saw what was happening and decided to watch them.
Rin danced elegantly with her glaive which confuses Eiji, but Eiji seems to block all of her attacks. However, Eiji's attacks were also blocked by Rin.
Rin then kept spinning her glaive to push Eiji back until she suddenly, switched it into a jagdkommando.
Eiji grew his eyes wide and was shocked as he saw Rin with a knife charging right at him.
Eiji then stepped back and immediately switch his weapon into shield to block Rin's stab.
Eiji then shield slammed Rin until Rin was pushed back.
Rin smirked. She did it on purpose so that she could switch from knife to a katana.
Eiji saw her switched, so he stayed on guard with his shield. However, as Rin charged, she also dashed to the side and evaded Eiji's shield. As she dashed to the side, she spin to the right and uses a slant attack on Eiji's side.
Eiji realized it in a glimpse so he quickly dodged it and tried to step back away from her.
Eiji saw Rin smirking at him. He then switched from shield to a one-handed sword, his first sword.
Eiji speaked for himself,
'I knew it was a bad idea, she literally said use a sword or a spear against a katana.'
As Eiji and Rin gazes their eyes with one another. They then charged at the same time and began to clash once more.
Eiji fights like an amateur with a lot of openings. Rin however, fights like a samurai.
They both parry and parry endlessly and Ryu was surprised as to what Eiji shows. It is as if Eiji is fighting like Ryu even though it's an amateur style.
Toki on the other hand watches Rin's moves as if she has been through kendo training.
They both fought good. However, Rin has more knowledge in fighting than with Eiji.
So as Rin parried with Eiji, she quickly stepped on Eiji's foot with the use of her right foot, making Eiji unable to move, then uses her left leg to back kick Eiji.
Eiji was shocked and fell to the ground, while also seeing Rin's katana, pointed at him.
Shiro, Ryu, and Toki applause.
Eiji then asked,
"Wait! You never said anything about physical attacks?"
Rin smirks.
"Well now you know. I want you to know that not only our weapons are the lethal ones. You can also use your body as a weapon especially in close combat. Remember that."
Eiji was amazed and didn't even thought of that until Rin explained it at him.
Eiji then bowed down to Rin.
"Please teach me more! I know I can learn more from you!"
"Next time, we have upcoming fight tonight. Remember?"
Eiji remembered.
Ryu then asks the group to come close for he will now explain the plan for the upcoming battle tonight.
"Listen up! There will be two options. It could be either they'll take the fight outside at the park again or they will attack us here at the building. Since we now had training and new strategies, it wouldn't be impossible to beat a normal hoarder now. The only real threat we will be facing is the blood hoarder and Toki's sister." Ryu says.
"Why my sister is separated? Isn't she with the blood hoarder already?" Toki asks.
"Your sister.. Cannot be a blood hoarder. You can only be a blood hoarder if you are a born one. Outsiders can only be normal hoarder and I believed that your sister is still on trial, that is why she is targeting only you."
"And how do you know that?" Toki doubtedly asks.
Ryu then gulped.
"It's because.. I studied our enemies. Ok?"
Toki looked away.
"I also sensed that the sword your sister wields has a special power with it. They're either called rares, super rares or ultra rares. Just like mine.." Ryu added.
"What is your sword's rarity? And what's mine?" Eiji asks.
"Mine is super rare, yours is common."
"I knew it.. Mine is nothing special.."
Eiji sighed from disappointment.
Rin then raised her hand and asks,
"We're talking about the plan right now. What's the plan if they hunts us here in the building?"
Ryu sighed.
"Pretty sure there will be bloodbath from civilians living along side with us in here. I don't know if you can evacuate them, but I doubt it."
Rin then shook her head.
"There is nothing we can do about it. Let's just hope they attacked silently without the locals knowing."
"Well then! It is settled. We must fight them outside rather in here. We must lure them away from the locals or else the locals too will be involved." Ryu says.
Everyone nodded and agreed.
A battle is yet to come once again and the team prepares their equipment once more.
While they are agreeing at their apartment unit. A man in black trench coat seems to have heard all of their plan, listening from outside of their door.
Their plan seems to have been compromised and infiltrated.