In a desolate landscape, wind howls through the branches of gnarled trees.
It wasn't an ideal training ground, but it served its purpose: isolation and focus. At Arthur's side stood Tatewaki, the reanimated form of the once-proud samurai.
He'd chosen Tatewaki for this because, unlike his ideal choice of Minato, controlling the former swordsman didn't require Sage Mode.
Tatewaki's will, though present, was subdued, overridden by Arthur's command: fight him at full strength until he kills Arthur.
The advantage for Arthur was manifold—an opponent with unlimited stamina, regenerative abilities, and access to powerful sword techniques. The disadvantage, of course, was Tatewaki's inherent anger at being turned into a living puppet.
Tatewaki held a katana with resentment. It was the same blade that Arthur had infused with his ice chakra, making it both deadly and incredibly difficult to break.
Arthur himself held his Boltswords, the first of his six weapons he needed to perfect.
"Young man, this is a mockery," Tatewaki bellowed. "Is this all you can do? Defile the dead to fuel your delusions?"
Arthur didn't let the outburst get to him. Words wouldn't deter him.
"Be quiet, NPC… You have your command; now follow it."
He lunged, the Boltswords covered in blue electricity. Tatewaki parried the strike, the ice-infused katana meeting the electrified metal.
Sparks flew as the blades locked. Tatewaki broke the stalemate, attempting to slash at Arthur's torso.
But Arthur was too quick. He leapt over the strike, landed gracefully, and inflicted multiple wounds on his opponent.
The scars on Tatewaki were replaced by more ash, healing his injured state.
Now it was evident why Arthur had chosen a reanimated corpse to train with—no matter how much he fought, it would always get back up with unlimited chakra and stamina!
Their exchanges were a haze of steel and ice, a violent ballet where Arthur displayed a skill that surprised Tatewaki even more since their last encounter in the Land of Silence.
Throughout their clashes, Arthur himself moved with elegance, his strokes precise and calculated. Tatewaki fought a tad recklessly and was bested on many occasions.
"You have talent, shinobi," he grunted. "Waste it not on this dark path."
Arthur scoffed, saying, "Silence… Focus on the task at hand."
Tatewaki held his tongue, rolling his spectral eyes. He was a warrior at heart, and even in this diminished state, he understood his inescapable fate.
All he could do was play his role.
The duel continued, with only the sounds of clanging metal and the exhausted breaths from the only person actually alive.
Arthur pushed Tatewaki back, his own movements fluid and controlled. When he saw an opening and a slight hesitation in Tatewaki's movements, he seized it.
One Boltsword thrust forward in a deceptive maneuver while the other was let go of, whipping around in an unexpected arc and hitting Tatewaki across the chest.
Sparks showered as the ice blade finally shattered. Tatewaki, his reanimated body momentarily stunned, crumpled to the ground. Dust slowly formed and began regenerating the wound.
Arthur was the clear victor.
The attack he had used earlier was a new technique called "Remote Control." It allowed him to manipulate the Boltswords independently from afar without needing to hold them.
It was a technique showcased in the third part of the animated series, which Arthur had never seen. He naturally performed the move.
With this technique, he could keep his hands free, attack from multiple angles at once, and strike with the element of surprise.
There was a second technique he had also perfected: Thunderbolt, a more straightforward application of the Boltswords' unique properties.
It channeled lightning from the sky, creating a devastating blast that could shock anyone in its path.
Both techniques, as Arthur understood, didn't require him to possess the lightning chakra nature. They were tools anyone could theoretically perfect, adding an element of versatility to his arsenal.
He deactivated the electricity on the Boltswords and holstered one, his breathing coming slightly ragged. This wasn't just a test of skill; it was a test of endurance.
This training session, while brutal, had been productive. He'd tested his own limits and gained a deeper understanding of the Boltswords.
But it wasn't enough.
With a clang, Arthur sent the Boltswords clattering to the ground. He shifted his focus to another weapon—the Executioner's Blade.
As he unfurled the scroll containing it, the blade materialized in his hand. It was heavier than the Boltswords, a monstrous cleaver of a weapon.
He hefted it as if it were a feather. Despite its intimidating size, it moved surprisingly well in his grip. He brandished it multiple times with a flick of his wrist, the blade slicing through the air with whooshes.
Tatewaki, after getting back up, watched in wide-eyed astonishment and said, "That... that control… To wield such a weapon with such level of ease… you could be a great samurai."
"Spare me the lecture," Arthur scoffed. "Who was it again who just got defeated by a non-samurai?"
"Touché," Tatewaki conceded, chuckling. "You make a valid point. But your talent with the blade… it shouldn't be wasted on the dark path you walk."
Arthur ignored the comment. He understood the sentiment, but it was a dead end. The words wouldn't sway him.
Before anything, he took out another scroll and unsealed a katana inside it. He then encased it in ice again and tossed it over to Tatewaki, who caught it with a straight face.
Arthur raised the Executioner's Blade, ready to continue practicing.
With a battle cry, Tatewaki charged. This time, however, he didn't feel resentment. He moved as if respecting Arthur as a warrior.
The clang of metal on metal filled the scene as Arthur parried the first blow. Unlike the Boltswords, this was a clash of brute force and skilled technique.
Each swing of the Executioner's Blade felt heavy, demanding precision and power in equal measure.
Arthur reveled in the challenge. He moved with grace despite the weapon's heaviness.
Tatewaki had tireless stamina yet struggled to match Arthur's agility. His attacks were telegraphed, and his movements were predictable.
Arthur saw his opportunity and exploited it efficiently. With a swift maneuver, he spun, unleashing a powerful downward slash, aiming for Tatewaki's chest.
The reanimated samurai reacted instinctively, bringing his own blade up to block. There was a deafening clang as metal met metal, the force of the impact sending a tremour through the ground.
But Arthur wasn't finished. In a move he had been perfecting with each clash, he used the momentum of the blocked strike to his advantage.
With a flick of his wrist, he sent the Executioner's Blade spinning through the air like a frisbee.
'Flying turn slash!'
Tatewaki's eyes widened as he understood the nature of the technique. The Executioner's Blade, like a lethal projectile, hurtled towards him at a terrifying speed. He attempted to dodge, but it was too late.
The blade sliced through the air and slammed into his reanimated form with a thud, cleaving him in two.
A cloud of dust erupted as the blow connected, momentarily obscuring the scene. When it settled, Tatewaki was left lying on the ground, the Executioner's Blade embedded on the floor.
Arthur stood several paces away, unimpressed by the results. He retrieved the weapon, noting that it would have been better had it returned to his hand.
Nevertheless, he was improving, evolving his skills with each passing hour.
As usual, Tatewaki regenerated quickly, his body knitting itself back together.
"Impressive," he praised, getting up. "I've never seen someone use a giant sword like that. A formidable technique, even for a non-samurai."
Arthur ignored the praise, staring at the weapon's blade. Had Tatewaki been a real person and the blade been damaged, it would have fixed itself.
He cast the weapon away with a flourish and wasted no time retrieving another scroll from his pack.
"Time to test this next one," he announced, unfurling the scroll.
In his hand materialized the Blunt Blade, a hulking instrument composed of a sharp axe head mated to a blunt, serrated hammer, both connected by a thick leather cord.
It looked more like a butcher's tool than a warrior's weapon, and Tatewaki couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
"That's new," he said. "What manner of weapon is that?"
Arthur shrugged, hefting the weapon with ease, and answered, "Just another tool, Tatewaki…"
Intrigued, Tatewaki launched himself into another attack. This time, however, he moved with a cautiousness that hadn't been present in the previous skirmishes.
He swung the ice katana in a wide arc, testing Arthur's defense. Arthur, with surprising agility for such a heavy weapon, sidestepped the blow.
Instead of retaliating with a counterattack, he used the momentum of Tatewaki's swing to his advantage. In a swift move, Arthur slammed the Blunt Blade's axe head into Tatewaki's side.
Tatewaki grunted in pain. The reanimated body, however, seemed largely unaffected. He lashed out with the katana, but Arthur was already gone. He'd used the brief window to propel himself past Tatewaki.
Spinning around, Tatewaki faced his opponent once more. Arthur stood several paces away, the Blunt Blade held casually over his shoulder.
Tatewaki wasn't deterred; in fact, he seemed to admire Arthur.
"An unorthodox strategy," he said. "But effective."
Arthur ignored the compliment. He was focused on the weapon in his hand and the feel of its rough leather. He hadn't known of any specific techniques for the Blunt Blade; no intricate forms were talked about in the series.
This weapon was only shown to rely on brute force. As such, Arthur had to improvise.
He wasn't just training; he was creating.
As he charged back at Tatewaki, he unleashed a series of feints and dodges, baiting Tatewaki into a wild swing. The reanimated warrior obliged, swinging the katana willingly.
This time, Arthur didn't dodge fully. Instead, he twisted at the last second, the axe head of the Blunt Blade catching the katana's side. He used the momentum to pull Tatewaki off balance, momentarily creating an opening.
Arthur then slammed the hammerhead of the Blunt Blade onto the spot where the axe head had embedded itself in Tatewaki's side!
A cloud of dust erupted as the blow connected, momentarily obscuring the scene.
The force of the blow wasn't immense, but it detonated, sending a shockwave through the reanimated samurai.
Tatewaki recoiled, feeling quite shocked. The impact, while not fatal, had caused a minor implosion of sorts within his form.
When it settled, he was crumpled on the ground, looking discombobulated.
Arthur, breathing heavily, still had more in him. Or rather, he was content that one of the least talked about swords was this powerful.
The last blow he dealt was a simple maneuver!
Tatewaki, as usual, regenerated quickly, the damage fading away.
"Impressive," he said. "You're not just training, are you? You're… inventing. Some genius I found."
Arthur could feel the sweat trickling down his temples. He ignored both it and Tatewaki, his gaze fixed on the Blunt Blade.
"Genius?" Arthur finally spoke.
He wasn't about to engage in philosophical debates or bask in hollow praise. What he needed now was time.
He cast the Blunt Blade to the floor. Instead of reaching for just one scroll, he reached into his pack and pulled out two. He then unfurled them both, causing two weapons to materialize: the Explosive Blade and the Long Blade.
Tatewaki's eyes widened considerably.
"Two at once?" he said. "That's… reckless, even for a genius like yourself."
"Training with one weapon at a time is too slow," Arthur countered. He hefted the Long Blade in one hand and the Explosive Blade in the other. "My plan is to be able to use all six of them at once…"
"At once?!" Tatewaki scoffed. "Maybe you're not a genius; maybe you're just insane."
"If I don't… it would all have been a wasted effort."
Arthur's words were stated flatly. He understood people's strengths and weaknesses.
More importantly, he understood his own prowess. He was by no means going to fall behind the other players or any NPC.
"Making foolish decisions is the only thing that would harm me here, and I have no thoughts of making any."
Tatewaki fell silent. He understood Arthur's ambition, but he couldn't understand Arthur's complex character.
The person in front of him had a burning desire for what felt like something other than power. Whatever it was, whatever faith he held, it was moving him to something Tatewaki couldn't comprehend.
But alongside the admiration, there was fear. This wasn't just training; it was progress only a select few could achieve, and Arthur was surely one of those few.
The reanimated samurai stepped back, bracing himself for what was to come.
The afternoon sun was still high in the sky. Arthur himself was tired. But regardless of these things, he raised both blades high to prepare for more.