Chapter 159 Sparring with elder! Alphonso's decision!
Chapter 159
Slap!
Amber slapped his back, her face carrying a heavy frown.
"Ouch! What was that for, Amber?" he asked as he winced in pain.
"Are you kidding me!? Do you expect demons to follow your so-called morals and etiquette during a battle of life and death?" she snarled.
"Do you think they will say, 'Oh, it's Mister Alphonso, the human noble! We can't fight him in groups! Let's fight him one by one!' Do you even have a brain!?"
Amber voiced out, clearly pissed off at such a pathetic excuse on his end.
"I-I never thought like that!" Alphonso flushed red while he denied her accusations.
"T-That is different, h-here we are conducting a proper spar with the elder!" he tried to reason, but Amber only made a face that was too bored to listen to him.
"Do whatever you want. If you want to die so badly, then go and jump off the mountain cliff. I don't care."
She said as she picked up gauntlets, wearing them. Her fingers tightened around the leather straps, knuckles turning white. She too went to fight the elder, who easily parried her sluggish punches with ease.
Evelyn also came forward. She brandished her katana as she concentrated on the elder's open spots, striking with her sword.
Swish!
Clang!
However, Sigfor didn't even move and blocked her with his spear.
Suddenly, Oliver jumped onto him from behind while he was blocking Evelyn's sword. He aimed for Sigfor's head.
Sigfor sensed him and bent his head backwards, making Oliver's sword pass by him by just a hair's distance.
'Damn brat! He is really coming to get the kill!' Sigfor smirked. He liked that sort of decisiveness and ruthlessness.
A sharp dagger came flying towards the back of his neck.
Sigfor moved his free hand behind his back and caught the dagger with two fingers.
'Not bad,' he thought as he threw the dagger away and looked at Nadia standing some distance away, her eyes without expression.
'As expected from the heirs of the Mystic Purge Clan, always so ruthless and indifferent.'
'Not bad,' he thought as he threw the dagger away and looked at Nadia standing some distance away, her eyes without expression.
'As expected from the heirs of the Mystic Purge Clan, always so ruthless and indifferent.'
He liked that trait of this clan. They never hesitated to kill their enemies. While his principles did not align well with the Mystic Purge Clan's principles, he still held some level of admiration for the latter.
It was obvious that he hated how they would even sacrifice their allies and comrades to achieve victory, but their decisiveness in situations and tactics were top-notch.
Daniel attacked him again. This time, Sigfor kicked his stomach, throwing him back.
"Pfft!" Daniel coughed up some spit as the air in his lungs almost vanished with that kick.
He took continuous deep breaths to steady himself. He felt disappointed at having such a gap in their abilities and power, but he knew it made sense. Otherwise, how would Sigfor have been qualified to tutor them in the first place?
He heard Sigfor say, "Focus on one technique at a time. Don't act smart and use all of them at once. You cannot defeat me as you are right now. So push that thought out of your mind and focus on improving yourself."
Daniel gritted his teeth. He had to accept that he really could not touch the old man. He had to focus on improving his techniques first. The elder was right when he said that.
"Remember, this is not just about attacking. Learn to read your opponent, understand their movements, and adapt. Now, come!"
"Haah!" He weakly got up and flexed his muscles as energy filled his core. He was now using espera to try and combat the old man.
However, in the end, it did not matter at all. The old elder, who looked weak from the front, was not weak at all. He easily countered it with his spear and threw him back again.
It was very frustrating to be wrapped up so easily.
The others did not stop either for Daniel and launched attacks of their own while Sigfor blocked them and parried back.
Sweat poured down their faces, mixing with the dirt and blood from minor cuts. Each failed attempt only fueled their determination.
Only Alphonso was the odd one out, watching from the side uncomfortably.
Amber's words kept ringing in his ears continuously. Maybe he wanted to deny that she was right.
Biting his lip, he watched them train under Sigfor's guidance, despite the unfair advantage they were having in a spar with the old elder.
He clutched the spear in his hand tightly, his knuckles turning pale. He watched every second pass by with conflicted emotions.
One part of his mind said to jump in and join his friends, while his heart remained stubborn and refused to follow such a crude way of training.
It was then that Sigfor's voice, as calm as water, sounded as he addressed him.
"There's nothing to think about. If you believe that I will be defeated by the likes of you brats, then I would not be a veteran from the borders for nothing. If you actually think that, then you are quite foolish. It's not etiquette but rudeness to underestimate your opponent during a battle."
"Did I ask for your opinion, boy?" he asked, wondering when Alphonso had heard him ask for his opinion.
Clang!
Sigfor blocked Evelyn's katana as he finished saying what he wanted to. If even after all this, Alphonso was not able to realize that the opportunity was right in front of him, then he would not help him.
He was a clan heir. Despite his age, there were things that he should be able to deduce on his own. There was no need for him to intervene. This was the simple logical thought process that he needed to build.
The weight of the spear grew heavier in Alphonso's hand. He stared at his reflection in the polished blade, searching for the courage he needed.
In the end, Alphonso still did not move and listened to his heart. He quietly left the area and went to a corner to train on his own.
Sigfor could not help but feel disappointed in him. Nonetheless, he was not there to babysit him.
If this was what he had decided, then so be it.