The day passed and the sun rose, meaning the break was over.
Most of the soldiers gathered in the main courtyard, their voices loudly shouting as they struck with spears or wooden swords. Soldiers in armor instructed them, telling them to put strength into their strikes, and improve their posture; some were training in archery.
Meanwhile, the candidates selected by Genichiro were elsewhere, in a higher place, an arena inside a cave. Sunlight streamed through a huge crevice, and torchlight illuminated the interior. In the center of the stone arena stood Genichiro, dressed in training clothes with a wooden sword in hand. The candidates were there, as was their master, all wearing training clothes that were better than the ones they had.
"Alright men, today I will start your training as warriors, but before we begin the lessons, I want to see your current skills. You all have a bokken in your hands. This wooden katana is reinforced with magic, so don't hold back, and of course," he cracked his neck, "choose a sparring partner and don't hold back. The use of your auras is mandatory."
Genichiro then stepped out of the center of the stone arena, and slowly the men began to form pairs. Alexander was looking around; it didn't seem like anyone wanted to pair up with him, except one.
"Mr. Shura!" Yasuo's cheerful voice called out. Alexander had his back to him, so he didn't see him sighing irritably. "Better than being without a partner," Alexander muttered under his breath.
The two went to a more distant part of the other pairs. Perhaps due to his perception status, Alexander could feel Genichiro's eyes focused on him. Time to impress the boss.
"Mr. Genichiro said not to hold back, so be careful," he said, looking at Yasuo. The boy didn't seem to have any instruction on how to use a sword, holding it correctly but with his arms too stretched, his feet not right, his posture unbalanced.
It's not good to use the Tengu style here, it'll just attract unnecessary attention. "Ready?" Alexander asked, taking a similar posture, but much more correct, like a common samurai fighting with his feet on the ground. He invoked his aura, intense like fire but extending only a few centimeters.
"Ready, sir," Yasuo responded, a defiant expression on his face. Yasuo also invoked his aura, a slightly dark red, extending like fierce flames.
"Then come at me."
As clear as day, Yasuo charged at him, raising his bokken and then attacking. A certainly strong blow that Alexander defended without any problem. The feeling of Genichiro watching him certainly made him tense, but it wasn't in his nature.
Well, just once won't hurt.
In two quick strikes, Alexander hit Yasuo's stomach, a certainly painful blow, and then his legs, knocking him down. The elven boy groaned in pain on the ground but quickly got up.
"You're fast," he said.
"I am, so be more attentive," Shura replied. "Come at me."
Yasuo charged again, one, two, three consecutive attacks. It was like predicting the future in a way, so obvious and to his eyes so slow that he barely worried about defending himself. Once again, in two powerful strikes, Alexander hit Yasuo's arm as he attacked, then his ribs. The elven boy screamed in pain, and by the sound, perhaps some ribs broke; controlling his strength was a bit difficult.
Alexander went to him, kneeling beside Yasuo's fallen body.
"Are you okay, kid?" he asked, perhaps feeling a bit guilty.
"I'm fine," he groaned in pain, "just need to catch my breath."
Shortly after, Mr. Genichiro approached a woman in completely white clothes beside him. She knelt next to Yasuo and then revealed her aura. Calm flames of a strong yellow-like gold extended only a few centimeters from her body. She brought her hands close to Yasuo's torso, and her aura then extended, covering part of the elven boy's torso. His expression changed from someone in much pain to a calm, impressed face.
"Does it still hurt?" she asked with a sweet voice, the voice of someone who liked to help.
"...No," Yasuo replied, genuinely impressed by her healing ability, or perhaps by the beauty of the nurse.
"Good. You need to rest; the wound was healed, but the damage is still present," she said, standing up.
Genichiro looked at Yasuo for a few seconds, then turned to Alexander.
"You are fast, young Shura. Your stance was also very stable, and your strikes had strength. You also held your bokken correctly. Do you have any experience with swords?"
"The only experience I had with a sword was when Mr. Naruse was teaching me to fight with a katana during the march to Urazaki, sir," he lied, but every lie has a bit of truth.
"I see, even though young Yasuo here has no experience, you ended him," he laughed. "You seem to have real talent. Would you like to fight me?"
The question was a real shock to him, but sooner or later, it would happen.
"It would be an honor, sir," Alexander replied, not seeming nervous or even worried.
Genichiro's expression changed to a huge smile covering the scarred, wrinkled face of the old warrior. "I'm sure if I asked anyone else to duel with me, they would refuse instantly. Good!" Genichiro laughed, a deep and incredibly loud laugh. He turned to the other men fiercely dueling. "Gentlemen! Please leave the arena; something interesting is about to happen."
(The stone arena was empty; everyone was on the sidelines, seated, and lined up near the cave entrance. In the center were Alexander and Genichiro. The height difference was incredibly obvious, and with this difference came the difference in strength. Just by looking, one could imagine Genichiro tearing Alexander apart with his hands alone.
"Are you ready, young Shura?" Genichiro asked, holding a bokken that, to him, was like a chopstick.
"I am," he replied, feeling both excited and slightly regretful. The pressure that the enormous man exuded was much greater than that of the demon ogre, but certainly not as intense as Kakuri's, so he had a chance.
I'll do my best not to use Tengu techniques; they'll raise questions I can't answer.
"Come at me, young Shura."
Alexander's aura revealed itself once again, more intense red this time, though it extended only a few centimeters from his body. It was fierce like flames fed by gasoline. Alexander advanced quickly, aiming for the giant samurai's knee. A sound like an explosion echoed throughout the cave as the two wooden katanas collided; Genichiro had defended.
"A good strike, very good. If I were weak, this would surely have destroyed my knee, but that doesn't seem to be the case." Genichiro raised his arms, lifting his bokken.
For a second, Alexander's body felt that strangely familiar sensation: death. Genichiro attacked with a powerful blow. The sound of his strike was like a cannon shot, deafening in every sense, carrying such immense power that it made the entire cave tremble and shattered the ground below, raising a cloud of dust.
In the distance, the warrior candidates watched in horror.
Taigen and Yasuo stood up, their expressions full of terror.
"He took a direct hit," Taigen said weakly. "If there's anything left of him, it'll be a miracle."
After a few seconds, the dust settled, and within the cloud, he was still there.
"Hoho, you're truly incredible, boy. You're fast, so I thought you'd dodge without a problem, but you took my blow, and more than that, you're still standing." Genichiro praised with genuine pride in his voice.
Alexander was standing, or at least trying to, holding his bokken with one hand while using the other to try to push the upper part of the blade. He was sweating nervously, panting, still putting strength in his arms to avoid being crushed. The ground beneath him, once rough stone, was now just a hole. He fought, every second, every millisecond holding that enormous strength was difficult.
"I'm in a higher place than you. What will you do now, young Shura?" Genichiro asked, a serious expression on his face. Slowly, Alexander could feel himself being pressed against the ground, his knees, already struggling to stay up, began to give in.
Think… Think! How do I get out of this...
Alexander then focused his eyes on something within his reach, within his hands' reach.
"When pressed… I attack!" he shouted, punching the ground below Genichiro with such force that it shattered the rocks, causing the great samurai to lose balance for a moment, a moment that was enough for Alexander to leap to a safe distance.
"He's out!" Yasuo shouted from the distance.
Alexander gripped his bokken tightly, perhaps trying to ease the trembling of his arms. It felt like hitting the ground with a steel pipe and feeling all the impact's force return to his arms. For a moment, a strange memory came to his mind, of some videos he watched on his phone, all about a man crushing things with a hydraulic press. He laughed.
"I never thought I'd have so much in common with a pumpkin about to be crushed," he said, catching his breath and posture. His eyes were alert to the enormous elf who nearly crushed him, regaining his stance.
"When you had no other option, you attacked the opponent's base and took advantage of the split second I lost balance to get away as far as you could. Clever. Are you sure you have no real experience fighting with swords?" Genichiro asked.
"Only what Mr. Naruse taught me," he replied sarcastically.
"I see, I'll stop asking questions; there must be a reason for continuing to lie." The pressure there changed, and something truly frightening appeared. Genichiro's face turned into a wide, nightmare-worthy smile. "You're quite resilient, young Shura. I think we can play a little."
The air filled with something that had no smell, but everyone could feel it: the smell of danger, the smell of death.
"Prepare yourself, young Shura, now I'm excited," Genichiro announced, once again raising his arms and lifting his bokken.
Shura focused instantly, the arms that still trembled from the impact stopped, and his legs became steady like pillars, he was like a fortress about to receive an attack, in this case, a powerful bomb. Shura started to think, a few milliseconds before the inevitable happened.
It's like in football, facing a much bigger, more resilient, faster, and more experienced opponent. The problem here is speed; if he's faster than me, he'll hit me with all his strength... I hope this works with thought... The system shows me my status.
Instantly, the system message window appeared. [Name: Shura] - [Class: Paladin Warrior] [Level: 11] - [Aura Color: Red] - [Subclass: Herald of the Holy War] [Vitality: 32] - [Endurance: 32] [Strength: 32] - [Agility: 27] [Intelligence: 21] - [Perception: 27]
It works with thought! That's good, saves me the stress of having to announce everything all the time even if no one understands. I took the hit but managed to defend... The system shows my health points.
[HP: 12,632/16,000]
I lost almost four thousand damage. Even with my slightly better resistance, that's still a lot. This guy is really on another level!
In the distance, Genichiro's deep breath could be heard, a sigh indicating that Alexander's time was up.
I don't have time for this... He's faster and stronger than me, I could never win, I'll have to do it like in football, I'll have to use the sixth sense: intuition.
Genichiro made millimetric movements that Alexander watched with full attention, improving his grip on the bokken's hilt, adjusting his foot for better balance, and straightening his back.
That's it, I need to predict, and know when to move. I don't need to keep up with him; I need to know where he'll be and dodge before he even starts the strike.
Genichiro's sigh ended.
One...
He looked at Alexander, his gaze piercing through him like a sword.
Two...
"Prepare yourself."
One...
The moment Alexander blinked, Mr. Genichiro disappeared.
Now!
Once again, an explosion that seemed sudden raised a huge cloud of dust, making the cave tremble. From the massive cloud of dust emerged Genichiro, looking disappointed, but his expression quickly changed to a big satisfied smile. He looked at Alexander, who was a few meters away on the ground. He was panting as if he had run a marathon, sweating as if he had done ten thousand push-ups, his face painted with a strange expression, a victorious look, the smile of someone who narrowly escaped death.
"I apologize for being too hasty in thinking you could keep up with me. But you did very well, much better than any candidate who has faced me in training." He sighed, adjusting a strand of hair that had fallen out of place. "Rest for today, young Shura, I'll speak with you later."
Shura's body then collapsed on the ground, and he started laughing, laughing alone.
"I'm fucking alive!"