Holding the wooden sword in my hand I successfully defended myself against Azreal. He was asked to go "easy" on me however if this was "easy on me" then I would've died more than once if he had gone full out.
I knew I couldn't win against Azreal like this so I had to use my brain. I thought of a few plans however they didn't have much of a chance of winning but they did have a chance.
How did I even get here?
* * * * * *
"Levantes, you will spar with Azreal." Socrates said however it sounded more like an order.
"WHAT!"
My choice did not matter to Socrates as my "growth" was what was important and I should push myself to my full potential.
* * * * * *
I had trained my swordsmanship for many eons however they didn't seem to give me any advantage in this.
As I struggled to defend myself against Azreal, Socrates watched me, analysing my techniques and any flaws in my swordsmanship. I was told not to use any magic as it wouldn't even work against Azreal but Socrates told me to not use it at all. I did have some ideas on why Socrates suggested it but they were only ideas.
Azreal came at me at a speed that I struggled to even see. It seems as if he had disappeared and then appeared in front of me. I struggled to react but if I hadn't I would die.
"Levantes, you are improving." Socrates yelled while Azreal kept attacking me.
An idea bloomed in my head and I was eager yet hesitant to try it. I waited for Azreal to do his "mirage step" and when he did I twisted my body to generate enough momentum and used my strength and I finally hit Azreal on the cheek. Azreal was quick and agile however he lacked speed in his reactions or I was just that quick. Azreal stepped back rubbing the place where I had hit him.
"Levantes, you've improved this much in less than a single day." Azreal praised me.
"I told you that he had potential." Socrates yelled out like a child who felt left out.
Sure.
Azreal then disappeared. I didn't waste time trying to look for him and trusted my demon instincts. I then felt a cold breeze on my neck so I whipped my head around. Azreal was going to attack me from behind but I reacted quickly which allowed me to survive however it wasn't the end.
I calculated where Azreal was most likely going to appear and attack me from so if I deliberately loosen my guard then he will attack and then I could dodge or attack.
I did exactly what I had planned: I made it seem as if I was looking around for Azreal however with my current state there was a chance that it could not work. If I calculate with absolute certainty that it will work then it would take more time than usual.
Now!
I threw the wooden sword like a javelin and Azreal dodged it however I had foreseen this. The wooden sword disappeared and appeared back in my hand and I threw it again within the same second. Azreal dodged this as well and now I had him.
Checkmate!
I bolted to him with the sword in my hand. I also twisted myself for more momentum and I looked like a bullet, only many million times faster than the speed of light. Azreal saw me and reacted exactly as I had planned and then the sword in my hand disappeared.
A decoy!
The real sword pierced Azrael's thigh. Although a normal sword wouldn't work on Azreal, this one did. This was only because I had broken a rule, the rule of not using magic. I had put a few enchantments on the sword which allowed it to do some effect. Although Azreal hadn't felt any pain from it it still made Azrael's thoughts waver from their original line of thought. In this position, Azreal is concentrated on the wooden sword in his thigh and even if it's only for a split second or even shorter such as a single attosecond, I could still attack him.
"Stop." Socrates commanded and everything returned to normal. "Levantes, in less than a day you have progressed this much already."
I have always learned more quickly than others.
"We'll stop now and continue tomorrow."
* * * * * *
I stood in front of Azreal again.
"Just like yesterday, you will fight again however this time you can use magic." Socrates told me of some techniques that the ancient demons of this world used and they seem to be better than the techniques I made myself and developed from Gehenna. "Start."
I only saw a glimpse of Azreal before he disappeared from my sight. I then felt the ground rumble, Azreal then attacked me with a punch however I had reacted fast enough to dodge it and return a punch but Azreal dodged it.
I materialised a katana in my hand and used the mana in the air while also producing mana with my core. With both raw speed and magic I could increase my overall speed significantly, so I increased it. Now I could see Azreal run around me however he was still too fast for my eyes to catch a clear glimpse of him.
Fuck!
I caught a glimpse of Azreal's face which then allowed me to realise that Azreal was going to attack so I defended with the katana I made while also enchanting it. Azreal was instantly knocked back by the enchantments.
Magic is my domain.
I enveloped my hand with destructive magic and struck a beam in Azreal. It had caused an effect as Azreal's expression changed; he looked confused. I then manipulated the particles in the air and removed all oxygen particles. As I had thought it didn't work.
Azreal didn't need oxygen to breathe in the first place.
My train of thought was interrupted by Azreal as he struck me with his fist which knocked me back. I flew into the air until I stopped myself and propelled myself to Azreal like a bullet. I then grabbed Azreal's head and rammed it into my knee. Azreal stopped my attack by grabbing my knee and pushing me back causing me to fall on the floor on my stomach.
Exactly as I planned!
Azreal tried to attack me however I had planned this from the start. A large pillar with a pointed tip penetrated Azreal's torso.
"Hahahaha!! Checkmate!" I yelled. I then turned to Socrates. "How long did we take?"
"According to the clock, you succeeded in 10 seconds." Socrates replied with the same blank expression he always wore.
"To me, it felt like an hour or two." Azreal spoke as he brushed off dust from his clothes.
"You've already regenerated? That was quick." I said.
"A regeneration of this speed is to be expected at my rank." Azreal answered.
"Your rank?"
"Yes, my rank, one of the high-ranking generals of this empire." Azreal spoke in a tone that sounded as if he was annoyed. Perhaps it was because I didn't know his rank, although had just come from a different world it was apparently general knowledge to know Azreal's high status.
"What about Socrates?" I raised a question, expecting an answer. Socrates didn't reply and stayed silent however Azreal answered my question.
"Lord Socrates is the Grand Duke." Azreal explained.
"I did guess that."
"That reminds me, wasn't you some sort of a "king" in your world?" Azreal asked.
"Yeah, I was but the ranking system is a lot different from yours." I replied as I tried to avoid explaining the ranging system of my world.
"Please explain." Azreal pleaded.
"Well, we have to start from the lowest rank to Baron or Baroness, who rule over a town. Then after that are the Viscount and Viscountess who rule over a city."
"I see, so you have multiple rulers who rule over a single part?" Azreal seems to be asking questions which made me think that is generally curious about my world.
"Yeah."
"Could you explain the other ranks then?"
"Yeah, the rank after Viscount is the Earl or Countess who rules over a mega city. Megacities are cities with other cities."
"I had guessed that."
"After those are the Marquis who rules over a country and the ones who rule over a continent are the Duke or Duchess. There is a piece of land which are about the size of two or more continents called mega continents and the governors of those lands are called Lords or Ladys. A ruler of a planet is called a King or a Queen and the ruler of a solar system is called a High King or Queen."
"And I am aware of the next ranks: Emperor who rule over a galaxy, a High Emperor who rules over a universe, and the Overlord who rules over a multiverse." Azreal added. "I know there are others beyond that but all I wanted to know was what you're rank was."
"Oh, my rank was pretty high. There could only be one Dimensional Ruler and the Dimension Ruler rules over everything in their interstellar empire." I said, pridefully. "The only rank above it is the Vasilias who rule over an entire race. There is one rank after that but there has only been one person to have ever had the rank."
"I'm guessing that person was Yaldabaoth."
"You knew him?" I asked. The fact that Yaldabaoth was not only known in my world but also in this world brought many ideas into my head
"He is popular in this world." Azreal spoke as if it was common knowledge.
"I'll guess the reason later. I'll go train now." I said as I left both Azreal and Socrates to train by myself.
I found a clear space surrounded by mountains. The space was wide enough for me to train and the mountains gave it a sort of secrecy that allowed me to train in peace. I jumped down and materialised a wooden katana in my hand.
For as long as I could remember I could master anything that was given to me on at least the first try; it was rare for me to fail. I stood in the middle of my training spot and held the katana in my right hand. I then closed my eyes to visualise the form and stance of the sword style Socrates and Azreal told me. They showed me once and told me that it was enough for me to master.
I conjured my mana and concentrated it in one spot, my hands. I then let it flow in my arms and connected the katana to me with my mana. I then opened my eyes and created multiple golems for me to test the sword style on. Around thirty golems could fit in this space which decreased the space that I could move in so I had to work with the space I now had. The golems were around Class 6 which was on par with Akyros rank beings in my world.
The golems charged at me.
The sword style of the ancient demons specialised not in strength or speed but in precision. The preciseness of the style allowed the user to cut nearly anything no matter how strong it is with little to no strength. It took an average of a few dozen decades to master however I was getting the hang of it after a minute or so.
I could defeat at least five golems with a single movement. My mastery of the Ancient Demon Sword Style still needed training. Azreal defeated more than fifty Class 9 golems in less than two minutes.
A few hours had passed and I was almost completely out of stamina. The sword style of the ancient demons drained a lot of energy as a lot of precision is needed as well as speed. Strength isn't much of a need in this style however this meant that I could use my strength as an addition to the style.
"You seem to be getting the hang of it." A voice spoke from behind me.
I couldn't sense the being behind me meaning they were capable of concealing not only their aura and mana but their whole existence as even my demonic instincts didn't even realise.
"Who are you?" I said as I whipped my head around to see who it was.
I saw a woman. The woman smiled at me as she saw my face. It was as if she had recognised me. The woman wore a long silk robe that almost reached the floor. The silk was pure white, purer than I had ever imagined. It was as if it never had any stains. It looked enchanted however I couldn't sense any. Perhaps it transcended my ability to see enchantments.
The woman's face was pale white, still smiling at me. Her smile warmed my heart and made me feel at ease. Her long white hair draped down her back and shoulders and her eyes were a deep purple. Staring into her eyes was like staring at an endless abyss.
"You've grown."