Luciel didn't have formal training with swordsmanship. His brand of swordsmanship was created from experience. When he had to fight off hoodlums with a pocket knife to get his share of food, when he had to kill the father of a child because he had enough with that drunkard beating his son up for months. The child fortunately got into an orphanage, but Luciel didn't. He went on to kill and survive. He hated the slums.
He also was trained by fighting Elina. He was tired from getting beaten up every day, so steadily he created his own method of survival through a medium called a sword. Luciel didn't know if his sword could be called swordsmanship. It was just a jumble of moves and maximized instincts to survive.
Violet's swordsmanship was proper. He could tell in a single glance. It had discipline and form that served as the foundation for her ice techniques. Luciel's sword art was created with simple or chaotic movement. A thrust for Crimson Bloom. An upward arc slash for Petal Surge. A vertical slash after a backflip behind an opponent for Emberfall Reversal.
There wasn't any problem with them. He was proud of what he had achieved. It was a token of proof of his life. Now that Horus from House Fulgur offered a pure swordsmanship display, Luciel had to destroy him thoroughly, no?
However, Luciel's expression hardened as Horus' sword touched the iron of his sword. A simple slash versus a simple block, yet the shockwave was enough to knock down a person. Horus traced his sword swiftly and precisely just like lightning.
Lightning branches out to small stems that could also be fatal if a person is struck by it. Lightning is lightning, after all. Horus' sword was the same. It felt like the sword was aiming for two or three vital points at once. Each swing was precise, yet unpredictable. A combination of feints and redirection pushed Luciel into a dead-end as he tried to match Horus' tempo.
It was a deadly dance choreographed by Horus, leaving no room for error. Luciel deflected one strike and thrusted his sword to counterattack, only to miss by a hair's breadth as Horus closed in. Luciel urgently stepped back to create distance and blocked Horus' lightning quick sword. It was a rather poor block as his arm was in a weird angle.
It ached time and time again in an attempt to defend against Horus' relentless attacks. Unable to use his arm properly, Luciel began accumulating wounds. A swift slash nicked his chest, another imprinted on his shoulder, thin lines of crimson giving way for blood to flow out.
"You're looking rough," Horus provoked with a sneer, his sword traced an arc toward Luciel's midsection.
Luciel hurriedly swung his sword upward, pushing Horus' sword out of the way. With a fluid motion, Luciel retaliated with his sword coursing down Horus' head. The overwhelming intent of splitting Horus into two was carried by the falling heaven.
Still, it didn't pose any problem for Horus whatsoever. He raised his sword and blocked it just in time, their blades locking momentarily. Horus' silky black hair became a stage for the two swords.
"Your swordsmanship is great," Luciel admitted as he struggled in the battle of strength against Horus.
"Hah! Don't sell yourself short, Luciel. Yours is really unique." Horus replied, his grin widening. "But that's not enough!" Horus' domineering strength repelled Luciel's sword.
Horus immediately jumped in with a thrust while Luciel was losing balance. Composed, Luciel acrobatically shifted just in time, the blade missing him by inches. There were too many close calls for Luciel. If his focus had wavered just slightly, Horus would have had a good attack on him.
Luciel adjusted his stance and brought his blade upward. Seeing Horus reacted the way he wanted, he changed the attack immediately to a thrust. Fast and precise, the sword grazed the fabric of Horus' shirt, leaving a shallow cut across his left flank.
Luciel's blade had adjusted accordingly to Horus chaotic attacks. He found the rhythm of the clash of steel, not letting the sensation go as he kept parrying and counterattacking. It was as if Luciel had three arms, responding to the myriad of blades branching out to aim his vitals.
Horus then suddenly changed his rhythm and footwork, unleashing a battle cry. "I'm not done yet!" If the previous swordplay was rapid lightning striking down, this was the impending storm, slow but heavy.
Each attack made Luciel put all his strength to just block it. He couldn't even perform feints because Horus' defense fortified with the sword. Luciel feigned a high attack and then pivoted for a low slash at his other flank, but even so Horus deflected the strike as if he was waiting for it.
Luciel tried increasing his tempo, his sword flowing toward every possible opening, yet Horus skillfully blocked every strike. "What's wrong, Luciel?" Horus playfully smirked, guiding his blade toward Luciel's left shoulder.
Luciel stepped back in time and immediately closed in, full body. The blades were locked in, their eyes ferocious as they tried pushing each other, but no one was willing to retreat.
[Luciel Gulova - 1990]
It seemed the match between the two was nearing the end. Luciel had held out against Horus, but admittedly, he had lost the battle of swordsmanship. "I lost." Luciel resigned. Their blades were still interlocking. The crowd had been silent, captivated by the display of skill and passion.
Horus disengaged his sword, his eyes smiled. "I look forward to my rival's improvement." He then placed his hand on Luciel's shoulder, encouraging him.
'So he can act like that, huh?' Luciel thought. This was the image he had of Horus until that loud mouth of his opened up.
Luciel held out his hand, offering a handshake. "Don't let me catch up to you. I'm a pretty fast learner, you know?"
Horus excitedly grabbed Luciel's hand and shook it hard. "Now, now, my friend. You're getting overconfident. I'mma give you some pointers." Horus released his hand and started demonstrating, his arms flinging all over the place. "Your sword does only shing and then boom, and that won't work! Add more flavors, you hear? Like pow or shaboom." Horus laughed deliriously.
"Uh...?" Stupefied, Luciel looked at Horus, a madman beyond rehabilitation. "Your words sure are wise, Horus." The fact that Horus had an appearance of an elegant young master of a martial sect but the personality of a berserker made him want to laugh, but he kept it in.
Shortly after, the sound of victory had finally rung across the arena. One by one, cadets stood up and gave a round of booming applause. Luciel found Violet in the crowd. She waved at him with an unforgettable smile, and he waved back.
The tournament ended after Kyus' motivational speech. Everyone returned to their respective classes and was dismissed not long after. It was now lunchtime. Luciel heard that there were many restaurants outside of the academy, so he wanted to find a new cuisine.
"Violet," he called, eyes dodging her. "You want to grab lunch with me?"
Violet dreamy eyes tried finding Luciel's eyes. "If you're willing to pay."
"You're too much..." Luciel sighed. "Alright, I'll treat you. Treat me back next time."
"No. You're rich." Violet smiled as she walked out the classroom, leaving Luciel speechless.
Well, Violet was right that he was swimming in credits right now. The academy had their own credit system to ensure fairness and not let cadets rely on their family status or wealth. Credits were earned by the cadets' abilities. Nothing more, nothing less.
Class Twelve to Class Eight were given allowances per month, but starting from Class Seven, cadets had to earn their own by doing commissions or competitions like the tournaments earlier. So by winning two tournaments, Luciel was rather rich.
Stepping out of the campus, a whole town revealed itself. This was all property of the academy. Everything was under its system.
"Since you're treating, what do you want to eat?" Violet asked.
Luciel and Violet walking together caused quite a commotion among the new cadets. They ignored it, of course. What couldn't be ignored was his heart beating irregularly again. He calmed himself down with a few deep breaths. "I'm thinking of trying something new. Maybe... Let me think."
Violet turned to look at Luciel, her eyes sparkling. "What about ramen?"
"I've eaten so much ramen that I'm sick of it. You don't know how my sister exploited my labor to cook her ramen seven times a week." Luciel smiled wryly. "And if I refuse to cook, she would order delivery."
Violet chuckled meekly as she slightly elbowed Luciel. "You must love your sister a lot then."
"Yeah." Elina was his savior, after all. Someone who took him in without asking anything back. No... wait, that was just plain wrong. Still, it was all love. "But it seems that you don't know my sister. I thought she'd be really popular since she always brags about it."
Violet cocked her head slightly. "I was wondering who she is because people keep buttering you up for being a Gulova."
"You're not curious?" Luciel asked, checking his phone to find a location to eat.
"I want to hear it from you only," Violet said, her voice soft and delicate.
"Really?" Luciel playfully grinned. "You'll meet her soon. She's head instructor of combat training."
The two walked some more, talking and smiling as if they had known each other forever, and finally, they had arrived at the restaurant, but something was amiss.
"Wait... Didn't you say no to ramen?" Violet flustered, but her expression was bright and angelic.
Her eyes told everything. She had the same eyes as his, the ones that barely had any life when he was out in the streets. "Seeing you like that, how could I say no?" Luciel replied.
When her eyes danced at the mention of ramen, he wanted to take her there immediately. It must have been one of the few things that made her truly happy.
Violet then took a step forward, her head down to hide her expressions, but Luciel already saw the blush painted cutely on her face. That was when he knew he made the right choice.