In the open area before the small hillside house, a couple was practicing with their swords.
-Clank! Clank! Clank!
Or, at least, that's how it could be described in simple terms.
-BAM!
More than a couple's play, this seemed more like a bloody fight between two enemies: one fueled by a thirst for blood, while the other enjoyed the enemy's expression with a small smile on his face.
-CLANK!
She was desperate, and her body bore the marks of their struggle... red blood and small scars were painted across her skin.
Her long sword looked ordinary and clean in its inactive form. Though despite clashing against his tree branch, the blade somehow produced sparks in the air.
"Ughh...!"
He was ruthless, and yet she was persistent. This was not merely a sparring match; it was a life-and-death battle for her dignity.
"You might succeed this time-."
"SHUT UP!"
She wore tight pants and a black shirt that accentuated her figure while efficiently concealing the blood that stained her body. He, on the other hand, was dressed in sturdy brown pants and a shirt, with a thick, furry cape draped around his neck which was his only distinctive feature.
-OOOOOOONG!
She was literally trying to kill him with all her strength after frustratingly failing countless times, and the devastation around them reflected that intensity.
-Booooooooom!
Large craters marred the ground, trees had been uprooted from their violent clashes, and cracks snaked across the earth as if caused by a powerful earthquake.
Desperately, she sought to close the distance between them, aiming to break through his defenses and land even a single blow.
-Clank! Clank! Clank!
She fought with all her might, wielding her sword as if she had practiced for years. Each strike contained power and lethal intent, but most importantly, every cut demonstrated her unique flexibility. She moved her body—arms, torso, legs, and eyes—in perfect harmony.
This harmony was mesmerizing; even though her movements consisted of basic vertical and horizontal slashes and cuts at various angles, they appeared as a sophisticated swordplay. It was a sight to behold; watching her graceful form in action... was very captivating.
'Almost...'
On the other hand, her opponent seemed to toy with her as if her powerful attacks, capable of cutting through trees now, were mere games to him.
-Cling!
He didn't attack directly; instead, when she drew near, the 'sword' in his hand would unleash powerful gusts of wind that left her with fresh new scars.
'More fire, Zora.'
The ground around them was dotted with small drops of blood; fortunately, her wounds healed as quickly as they appeared. Her clothes were remarkable too—they mended themselves even when torn by his defenses.
Her attacks were impressive, but she had to defend against those deadly winds that could sever limbs if she wasn't careful. Initially, she had indeed ended up with severed limbs, but, he healed it all effortlessly.
But it was always a painful process that she never wanted to experience again...
She felt pain like never before in her hundred years of life when fighting him, but, with each hour that they clashed against one another, she felt a little better. Her desperate expression to not learn but to kill... spoke volumes about how hard this man had 'trained' her.
-Clank! Clank!
The past five days had been grueling; they had trained day and night to improve her swordsmanship. He had also helped her with her magic, leaving her astonished at the vast knowledge she had previously overlooked in her Mortal stage.
New paths opened up before her with his new teachings... possibilities that once seemed unimaginable were now within her reach.
In these few days, she had thought many times about how her decision to leave the academy was the right one. She certainly did not regret meeting a partner and a teacher like him...
The warmth she experienced during their free moments vanished during training sessions. He was relentless and didn't hesitate to take the hard approach when she struggled with basic concepts.
Surprisingly, complex techniques were easier for her to grasp than seemingly simple ones that took hours of effort to master under his guidance.
Skills like dodging and redirecting attacks were typically difficult for most people but came easily to her; however, mastering basic cuts and thrusts took half a day despite his perfect instructions.
Even now—this being their last spar where all her training would come into play- he wasn't giving her any chances. The smile of his she adored so much felt mocking at these moments, fueling her rage and enhancing her killing intent.
-Ooooooooooong!
These were some of the puzzling aspects about him: why would he make things so difficult when she was giving it her all already? Instead of rewarding her efforts, he seemed intent on raising the stakes even higher.
-Booooooom!
Yet... she couldn't complain because she knew this method had improved her swordsmanship beyond what she thought possible.
-Clung! Clung! Clung!
She was now close to becoming a [Rank-2] Awakened swordsman and nearly ready to harness [Aura], the second most common energy in the world.
'Yes...'
"Aghhhhhh!"
Despite attacking him tirelessly, there remained a clear smile on her face... a smile deepened by the scars he inflicted upon her.
What struck her as strange about his defense was that he never swung his sword with great speed or force; he did just enough to achieve maximum results with some kind of mysterious movements.
This wasn't something normal humans could accomplish; it indicated he was indeed a [Swordmaster] or perhaps something even greater than that. Swordmasters were figures capable of teaching standard classes at the Origin Academy, so someone greater could very well be comparable to the handful of saints!
-Clank!
But this wasn't the time for idle thoughts...
"Nice look you have-."
"Hmph...!"
She glared at him with fierce determination before taking a step back. Gripping her sword firmly in one hand, she summoned violent thunder that crackled loudly around her.
-Ooooooooooong!
This was something new for her; although she had focused on swordsmanship rather than magic during their training sessions, he had never said she couldn't use magic in their spars.
-Crackle! Crackle!
An impressed smile spread across his face as he nodded at her radiantly.
"Yes," he recognized her enlightenment clearly while signaling for her to come to him.
-Swiiiiiiiiish!
In that moment, she understood that he wanted her to discover this on her own... and with this realization came an escalation in their battle's intensity!
-Clank! Clank! Clank!
-Clank! Clank!
She unleashed magic to its fullest extent, even employing high-level spells from her newly mastered (tier-2), [Rank-1]
The harmony between sword and magic reached new heights at this point ; each time she landed a heavy blow, joy filled her heart and deepened the smile on her own face.
-CLANK!
What began as a desperate struggle transformed into an exhilarating clash filled with warm excitement.
'There.'
This was the beauty of combining swords and magic, a phenomenon unto itself.
The one-sided fight shifted into one where he exerted minimal effort against her relentless attacks. Although she remained far from breaking through his defenses, she poured every ounce of effort into landing just one strike against him.
-Swiiiiiiiiiish!
Taking another step back to gather herself, she closed her eyes with determination before summoning a tornado of flames that fused with her sword. Thunder crackled around its edges while fire enveloped most of the blade.
A gust of wind swirled around the outer parts of the sword as it began glowing despite being in its inactive form moments before.
-OOOOOOOOOOONG!
'Good girl.'
This wasn't just simple magic or mere enhancement; it represented something prodigious—something that took others hundreds of years to master even among superior races: [Balance].
True to its name, this technique was an embodiment of harmony: not only between magic and swordplay but also within one's physical control over their body.
'Though still in its most basic form...'
It held incredible potential.
"Good work."
He wore a proud expression as he watched his 'first' student shine for the first time after nearly a millennium... a moment filled with happiness for him and newfound confidence for her.
Though while he was looking forward to praising her for her achievement, she believed this could be the opportunity needed to break through his defenses. So...
"HMPH!"
With these sudden thoughts fueling her determination, she charged forward at the man wielding the deadly tree branch, once again determined to kill the bastard that had put her through so much...