Chapter 15 - Genius Swordsman

“So how long have you been learning swordsmanship, Zer?”

“Since I was six. How about you, Azrael?”

“Mm. My dad also started teaching me when I was six. I wanted to start earlier, but he kept saying no.”

“Supposedly, if you start learning before the age of six, it can harm your body. That’s why they don’t let children start before then.”

“You two are so lucky. My dad refused to let me train when I was young…”

After dinner, Azrael, Winston, and Zer headed toward the forest at the edge of the school grounds. When Zer had arrived at the school early, he had surveyed the area and found that the forest was the most suitable place for training.

After traveling through the forest for about five minutes, the three stopped and marveled at their surroundings. In front of them was a large grove bathed in moonlight. With flat ground and no obstacles, it was perfect for training.

“Here we are. Not bad, eh?”

“No, it’s perfect, Zer.”

“Of course it is, it’s where I chose, after all, Azrael. Anyway, we should start with you first, Winston.”

“Sounds good. Please teach me well, you two!”

With that, the three of them headed to the center of the grove. Holding the wooden swords Zer had brought from his room, Winston took his position in the center and got into an awkward stance. Zer winced at the sight, moved in front of Winston, and began giving him instructions.

“Are you left-handed or right-handed?”

“Left-handed.”

“Okay then. First, let’s go over your stance. Put your right foot about six inches in front of your body. Do the opposite with your left foot, like… that. Next, grip the upper portion of the sword with your left hand and place your right hand underneath it.”

As Winston adjusted his form, Zer circled around him, correcting any mistakes. Watching this, Azrael couldn’t help but nod in approval. The form Zer was teaching Winston was designed to ensure he could react quickly and move effectively at any moment.

As Winston struggled to get comfortable with the stance, Zer bent his knee and rested his right palm on the ground. Curious, Azrael focused on Zer. After a few moments, the ground quickly rose and took on a humanoid shape.

“Alright, we’ll use this to practice your swings. All you need to do is swing down and hit it. Swing five hundred times tonight, okay?”

“Fi… five hundred times?!”

“Yup, that’s just the basics, man. Everyone does it, right Azrael?”

“Five hundred is too lenient, Zer…”

“... Five hundred swings is light… you monsters.”

For someone who had never swung a sword before, five hundred seemed as far away as the moon in the night sky. Hearing that he had to swing five hundred times and that it was only “light” made Winston’s face lose color. As he tried to think of a way to escape, Winston’s face brightened with an idea.

“Hey guys, why don’t you show me a demonstration of a sword fight? I think it’ll give me a better understanding of what to do and motivate me!”

“... Why does it feel like you’re trying to get out of the training…”

Seeing Azrael’s suspicious gaze, Winston began to sweat. He really didn’t want to swing at the earth doll so many times. Just then, a lifeline came from Zer.

“I don’t think that’s such a bad idea. It will show him what he can aspire to. I’ve been wanting to see how strong you are anyway.”

“Yeah, I guess it would be. Sure, why not? Just watch us and try to see what we’re doing, okay, Winston?”

Seeing him nod, both Zer and Azrael took ten feet of distance from each other and assumed their stances. Zer spread his left leg forward, shifting his center of gravity above his right leg, which was bent and ready to spring. He held his sword at shoulder height and parallel to the ground with both hands.

Azrael, on the other hand, positioned his left leg slightly forward and his right leg back, with both knees bent, ready to spring at any moment. He kept his center of mass centered, extending his sword backwards at an angle parallel to his right leg. Zer, observing this, was intrigued. Even though he had fought against many styles, he had never seen this stance before.

“Ho, that’s quite a unique stance, Azrael. Where did you learn it?”

“Eh, after training with my dad for so long, I found that this stance suited me best.”

In reality, this was the stance Azrael had used countless times in his previous life. Although it felt a bit awkward with a sword instead of his preferred weapon, it was still what Azrael was most comfortable with.

“Hee, that’s interesting. So how should we do this spar?”

“We’ll go at full strength, but no aiming for vital areas. Also, we’ll have a time limit of three minutes. Sound good? And what about the use of magic?”

“The previous conditions sound fine. We don’t want to hurt each other in a spar. Let’s use magic too. I want to see for myself if you’re a tri-elementalist and how strong you are.”

“Alright then. Hey Winston, start the match for us.”

“Sounds good. Alright Zer, you ready? Azrael, you ready? Okay, we’ll start the spar when the countdown reaches 0. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1… 0!”

As Winston reached 0, Zer dashed forward and immediately went for a horizontal slash. Azrael, surprised, moved his body slightly to the left and barely avoided the strike. Zer’s face momentarily showed surprise at his missed attack.

‘Damn, he’s fast!’

Azrael had also been taken aback by Zer’s quick speed and precise attack. His friend was clearly very skilled in swordsmanship. After dodging the strike, Azrael immediately launched a counterattack.

With water converging on his sword, Azrael executed an upward slash aimed from Zer’s left hip to his right shoulder. Seeing Azrael’s magic and preparing a counterattack, Zer also cast a spell in defense.

Realizing that Zer wouldn’t be able to defend himself from the counterattack in time, Azrael quickly struck his body. Although Azrael expected to feel soft skin and muscle, his hand went numb momentarily from hitting a hard object. Jumping back, Azrael created some distance and looked at Zer in surprise. Zer’s originally light skin now had a greyish tint.

“To dodge my slash and counter with an elemental spell. Not bad at all, Azrael!”

Azrael noticed the hint of excitement on Zer’s face. Truthfully, Azrael felt excited and hopeful about the spar. It was clear that Zer was a very skilled swordsman. If they continued sparring, they would both improve rapidly.

“I was surprised that you could cast a spell so quickly too. That must have been a steel element spell, right?”

“Yup, it’s called Wall of Steel. The spell gives your skin a layer of steel to make it harder. Unfortunately, right now I can only manage the most basic steel, iron.”

“Ho… This is the first time I’ve seen steel element magic. It’s quite impressive.”

“Haha, that water spell wasn’t a joke either, Azrael. Well, let’s begin again.”

With that, the two sprinted forward and attacked. Though it was only a friendly spar, anyone watching from afar would be shocked by the advanced level of their combat. Winston, who focused intently on each strike and movement, was astonished. How could two children be so strong? Even some of his guards would easily lose to these two.

Slashes, thrusts, hacks, and feints—both Azrael and Zer used various attacks, trying to find weaknesses in each other’s defenses. If Zer overreached on a slash, Azrael would dodge and attempt a counterattack. If Azrael’s thrust was too far, Zer would parry and try to slash back.

The two also started using magic seriously. Zer employed earth element spells to make Azrael lose his balance or create defensive walls. By leveraging the steel element’s traits, he increased his speed and strength.

Azrael, on the other hand, used darkness magic to momentarily blind Zer while moving in for a strike. He also utilized his affinity with water to create barriers to protect himself from attacks he couldn’t physically react to. Additionally, he used weakened fireballs and sudden bursts of light to blind his opponent.

Even though Azrael had a significant advantage with his use of three elements compared to Zer’s two, the fight was evenly matched. Zer’s affinity with his elements seemed to be just as strong as Azrael’s. He also compensated for the lack of one element with his superior swordsmanship.

‘Zer is really good! Even though I’ve been training in swordsmanship for just as long, he’s much better than me. I would’ve lost long ago if I didn’t have the advantage of one more element and battle experience. I’m not using stronger magic because I want to see his skills and train myself. His natural talent with the sword seems higher than mine. It wouldn’t be a stretch to call him a genius…’

Since Azrael didn’t want to harm his new friend and also wanted to continue training with the sword, he held back from using more advanced spells. Still, it was impressive that a child could be evenly matched with him despite Azrael’s clear advantage in battle experience. Az

rael felt a deep admiration for Zer’s natural talent and battle instincts. He knew his friend would quickly grow stronger and become one of the continent’s best swordsmen.

“Alright, three minutes are up!”

To both Azrael and Zer’s surprise, Winston announced the end of the time limit for the match. They had been so focused on the spar that it felt like they had just begun.

After stepping back, the two looked at each other with grins. They were thrilled to have found someone who could push them further. Having an equal was crucial for people who trained, as it motivated them to improve and not fall behind.

“Are you sure you only learned from your father? It felt like I was fighting against a famous swordsman’s apprentice.”

“Haha, yes, I only learned from my dad. Where would my family get the money to hire an instructor? Anyway, you’re really strong too. I didn’t expect to find someone like you in our class. You don’t mind if we continue practicing together every night, right?”

“Of course not. Training with you will definitely help me improve.”

“Haa… Somehow I feel like I’ve been turned into a side character in a story. Don’t leave me out, guys!”

Hearing Winston’s sudden retort, both Azrael and Zer turned in surprise to see him with a discontented look. Almost immediately, they both broke into laughter and went over to Winston.

“Don’t worry, Winston. I’ll make sure you become strong enough to spar with us too.”

“You’d better strengthen your heart, Winston! We won’t be going easy on you!”

“... It really is my rotten luck to have two demons as instructors… I must have sold out an empire in my previous life…”

Hearing that, both Azrael and Zer burst into laughter. Afterward, Winston began his routine of five hundred slashes under Zer’s supervision, who occasionally stopped him to give advice.

Two hours later, Winston lay on the ground in exhaustion with his wooden sword beside him. Breathing heavily, he glared at the two “demons” who had forced him to continuously swing five hundred times.

“You guys are demons, demons I say!”

“Haha, you think we’re demons already, Winston? Just wait until tomorrow night.”

With Winston making an appalled face, the two helped him up and laughed as they headed back toward the school, ready to prepare for the next day.