Not even the members of Group 5 themselves realize how wrong they are about themselves, Leonard thought. When he'd fought No. 157, he had felt that the boy's level of skill wasn't much better than the level of the Leonard without Yeon Mu-Hyuk's memories.
No.157 and No. 381. In terms of pure numbers, there were two hundred trainees between them, but in reality, the two were basically at the same skill level. The only difference was in mental factors such as confidence and the thirst for battle, which could change the rankings at any time.
Once you think about it, it should be obvious. All these children receive the same physical training and sword training, so there's no way there would be such a huge skill difference.
Whether they were ranked low or high, all the children were members of the Cardenas bloodline and were born with talent no one could look down upon. Since they received the same amount of training, their difference in power could only be slight.
Even if they're not as powerful as direct descendants, there are trainees ranked in the double digits and even the low hundreds who have some kind of special ability.
Every Group had some of these trainees who were skilled enough to become secondary leaders. Though the so-called weaklings of Group 5 weren't as strong, they still had the capacity to fight the secondary leaders. When they found a reason to go all out, they could do it even though they had very little confidence due to their low rankings.
"See?! You guys can do it, just like No. 25 and I said!" No. 3 shouted in encouragement.
Lo and behold, she was the one who carried out this plan with such great success. Having fought her way up from nothing, No. 3 was a symbol for the branch family members who faced off against the direct descendants. The members of Group 5 hadn't known how great her leadership skills were, allowing her to fight them with ease.
No. 1 soon spotted her. He yelled, "No. 3! First, you run away with your tail between your legs, and now you subordinate yourself to someone weaker than you? You have no shame!"
"Huh? Weaker than me? Who is?" she asked, looking genuinely confused. "Speaking as someone who has fought both of you, No. 25 is stronger. I was at least able to run away from you, but I couldn't even do anything before No. 25 crushed me."
Of course, she'd fought Leonard just as she was about to pass out from fatigue. Not to mention her left arm had been broken and how she hadn't eaten in a day. Since it wasn't a complete lie, No. 3 spoke calmly.
When No. 1 saw her calmness, his face twisted treacherously. No. 3 had undercut his position in front of the whole crowd.
"Interesting. Then there's nothing left to do but prove it, don't you think?" No. 1 said, trying to regain control of the situation. He turned to No. 25 with a thirst for battle burning in his eyes.
Leonard met his gaze and didn't look away. "Just wait a little longer. It'll be over soon."
Leonard was right. We are currently the strongest force in this forest.
Since Groups 1, 2, and 4 had started fighting before Group 5 had joined the fray, the three groups had been reduced to about eighty trainees. Group 2 and Group 4 had been at a disadvantage in the first place, so they had about twenty trainees left. The remaining sixty belonged to Group 1.
If the fight continued as such, No. 1's forces would clean up the stragglers and trap the highest-ranking members before No. 1 could break out of the encirclement.
That was, if the sixty-odd members of Group 5—renamed Group 6—didn't overwhelm them first.
It's over, Leonard thought. No. 3 had taken out the strongest trainees here and there to prevent this very issue, and they could now simply overpower the remainder with numbers and stamina. He'd taught the children the Three Aspects Formation in a matter of days, and now it was paying off.
But you can't even really call it a group tactic. It's just splitting into three groups with different responsibilities and paths, but it creates a world of difference for someone who doesn't know anything about battle formations.
"All right. Now it's your turn," Leonard said, looking at No. 2 and the other trainees before he and No. 1 fought. "Are you going to surrender to No. 1 or join Group 6? Choose now."
The others blinked. They'd never expected something like this.
No. 2, who was most enthusiastic about watching No. 1 lose, threw up her hands and shouted, "I surrender to Group 6! I'm one of you now!"
Even No. 1 was shocked, but No. 2 merely cackled pitilessly.
No. 7 followed suit, though he'd only talked to Leonard once or twice. "I'll join you guys too. Though, I never thought I'd change sides twice."
"No. 3 joined Group 6 too, right? Then, count me in."
"Now that I think about it, you're an indirect descendant, aren't you? Even better. I'll join too."
In the blink of an eye, No. 6, No. 7, and No. 9 switched sides. As the only one left, No. 4 smiled bitterly and raised his hands.
"I surrender. I'll join Group 6." He let out a very deep sigh as he looked at Leonard. He hadn't expected this to be how they would meet again.
No. 1 was now one in the literal sense. He glared at No. 2 and then at No. 4. "You two...! As inheritors of the House, have you no shame?"
"But No. 25 is a Cardenas too, isn't he?" No. 2 remarked.
"I wouldn't like to lose to you. That's all, I suppose," said No. 4.
No. 2 and No. 4 both had provoking smiles on their faces, almost as if they'd rehearsed their responses.
"... Fine." No. 1's rage boiled to the extreme; he felt like he was going mad. He raised his sword and pointed it toward Leonard. "So you're the leader. No. 25, are you sure you have the courage to fight me alone?"
"No need to bait me. That was my plan."
"At least you have a backbone."
The trainees pulled away No. 4, who couldn't stand, and No. 10, who was unconscious, creating a space for Leonard and No. 1.
The members of Group 6, having completely eliminated the other three groups, balled their hands into tight fists when they saw that their leader was about to face off against the strongest of the direct descendants. This was the boy who had encouraged them, telling them that they were stronger than they thought. Over a hundred children crowded in a circle around the two group leaders. Even the instructors climbed up nearby trees to watch the two from above.
"I'm looking forward to seeing how this plays out. No. 25's battle tactics and leadership far exceed what I presumed. If even his combat skills outperform William's," the senior instructor Bruno began.
"We just might witness the birth of a new potential Commander," Colin said, finishing Bruno's sentence.
No. 25 always exceeded their expectations. They anticipated whether he'd do it again this time, and their excitement filled the air like the trainee's.
And then...
"Come, No. 1," said Leonard.
"You're even worse than arrogant. Here I come, No. 25."
It was finally time.
No. 1 charged with all he had. The force behind his sword was enough to break a rock. Even considering the physical capabilities of a direct descendant, his destructive power was unfathomable!
However, Leonard rode his attack like a wave, elegantly redirecting the momentum. No. 1's trajectory is too obvious.
Leonard had learned this technique when he was learning the Zhongnan Sect's Floating Cloud style. If a person couldn't completely interrupt an enemy's attack, they could still use a combination of flow form and exquisite form to deflect a hit, no matter how powerful the hit was.
"Gah!" No. 1 exclaimed. Just as the tip of his sword was redirected downward, it somehow came to a halt and accelerated upward.
No. 1's skill was beyond imagination. Impossible timing, impossible sword trajectories. Not even No. 2's eyes could accurately predict what would happen next. And such attacks rained down on Leonard.
Leonard narrowly dodged an attack and redirected No. 1's impossible attacks over and over without having the time to regain his footing.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
No. 1's sword seemed too sharp to be made of wood, and his power too staggering to belong to a child. The instructors were extremely impressed as they watched his consecutive attacks.
"No. 1 hasn't actually landed an attack. Leonard is reading his movements."
"You're telling me he predicted all those moves without any patterns? "
"His level of skill is absurd. Has No. 25 always been this capable?"
It didn't take long for the instructors to start directing their praise toward No. 25 instead of No. 1.
At first, No. 25 had been cleanly avoiding the attacks, but as the fight continued, he slowly started to counterattack.
Block. Dodge. Deflect.
Two swords tangled and parted over and over, and tiny splinters rained down between them.
No. 1's eyes widened with shock as he met Leonard's sword. He growled. "You...! You see my power!"
"Well, yeah." Though that was how Leonard had responded, Leonard was secretly impressed. No. 1's upper dantian is still closed, but he can already use mind arts. The Cardenas bloodline is truly unmatched.
Typically, a person could open their upper dantian once they reached the level of Creation Realm and gained the ability to see and manipulate others' energy. It was the mark of a master martial artist. The open upper dantian would then become the basis of mind arts such as Qi Control and the Flying Sword Technique.
However, from a murim perspective, because No. 1 couldn't use qi, it seemed that he was using his mind arts to enhance parts of his body and control his inertia. Still, he couldn't even use qi reinforcement, let alone reach the Creation Realm. If martial artists from Yeon Mu-Hyuk's world saw a little kid using such abilities, they would faint from shock.
"Not only can you see how I use my power, but you are also more capable in swordsmanship. No. 25, why did you keep your skills hidden?" No. 1 asked aggressively.
"..."
"Do you not have an answer? Or is it that you don't want to answer? I have to know which one it is!"
Even without using any mind arts, the balance of the fight between the two boys began to tip as they held out their swords.
Leonard inched back. "Are you suggesting we resolve this as a family swordsmen should?"
"That's exactly what I'm suggesting!"
If No. 1 wanted an answer, he would have to defeat No. 25 in battle. That martial artist mindset made No. 1's blood boil with excitement.
Their hands tightened around the hilts of their swords. The two boys charged at each other with all their might, then retreated.
The rage that had been driving No. 1 suddenly disappeared, and now he simply felt a burning fighting spirit within him. He looked at Leonard. "I concede. I cannot defeat you with the sword."
No. 1 was just as prolific in swordplay as he was in using his power. Of course, he'd already broken through the ceiling even before this mission, and he could beat No. 3 without using his power. Despite this, he couldn't sense a sliver of possibility in defeating Leonard. He felt as if he were hitting his sword against a ridiculously tall and sturdy wall, and his instinct was telling him that the difference between them was incomprehensible.
"Here I come." No. 1's eyes flashed, and he used his power in a way he hadn't before.
At that, Leonard sprung back.
Fwoosh!
Only the two of them saw the attack No. 1 used with mind arts. The attack sprayed dust into the air when it struck.
Before Leonard's feet touched the ground, No. 1 ran in and slashed at Leonard with a horizontal cut.
Crack!
Leonard didn't try to redirect No. 1's attack and instead blocked and let himself be pushed. He spun in the air and landed on the ground. He'd reacted perfectly, but his hands and arms stung, as he hadn't been able to use all his strength while in midair.
I see. So he can use mind arts on things other than his own body.
In some ways, this was really the correct way to use mind arts: Qi Control and Weapon Manipulation. These abilities allowed a person to attack an enemy from a long distance, and obtaining them was a sign that a martial artist was beginning to overcome their limits.
"Don't think me cowardly, No. 25," No. 1 said, trembling slightly and somehow seeming ashamed that he couldn't challenge Leonard as a swordsman using basic martial arts.
That made Leonard grin. He gestured with his sword. "You'll have to fight a lot dirtier for me to think that. Come on, take this seriously."
No. 1 had to take a moment to process Leonard's words before his typical smile crept in. He had the face of a vicious, confident, and resolute master.
"I accept! You should take this seriously too, No. 25!" No. 1 exclaimed. He summoned all of his power at once, and the air around him rippled slightly.
Though one of the greatest advantages of the mind arts was that they were invisible, No. 1 knew that Leonard could see them. Therefore, he threw aside any semblance of subtlety.
Leonard stood his ground and raised his sword. "You say to take it seriously?"
He had no cultivated qi. His body was weak. He couldn't use any advanced martial arts yet, and he had no desire to use mind arts like No. 1, lest he catch the Cardenas' attention.
So, what was left?
My sword.
The answer was always the same. The Sword Emperor Yeon Mu-Hyuk smiled from deep within Leonard's soul.
"It's been a while since I've done that."
If a swordsman was met with something they couldn't defend against or avoid, there was only one thing they could do.
"I'll cut you down."
Leonard's wooden sword instantly cut through the air itself.