Chapter 54
Thud!
Caron effortlessly parried the wooden sword that was aimed at his side as he planted his feet firmly on the ground. This was the Imperial Sword, the sword style of the Imperial Guards. It was also the one Caron had mastered long ago.
The Imperial Sword was different from the Oceanwolf Sword Arts. Unlike the Oceanwolf Sword Arts, which relied on overwhelming strength to dominate opponents, the Imperial Sword focused on unorthodox techniques to gain the upper hand. In short, it was a style that relied heavily on quick thinking and adaptability in battle.
This is why real combat is essential, Caron thought.
For those trained in the Imperial Sword, actual combat experience was invaluable. Without it, their techniques lacked depth.
Thud!
"Urgh!" a pained voice groaned.
"It's too predictable," Caron said.
The attack had been far from sharp enough. It seemed as if the sword's path had been predetermined. Caron smirked as he thrust his wooden sword into Amy's abdomen. Her sword, though it looked sharp in form, was no more dangerous than a decorative piece.
Still, Amy didn't give up. She lowered her stance and a surge of mana erupted from her feet, rapidly increasing her speed. Her wooden sword shot toward Caron's right leg. But even so, it didn't reach him.
"It was a good attempt to disrupt my balance. But again, it's too straightforward," Caron said.
Caron had easily countered her attack without even moving his feet. However, he acknowledged that her last move wasn't too bad. By expelling mana through her feet, she had managed to gain a burst of acceleration. That also meant she had control over her mana.
But her application is lacking, Caron thought. That was the limit of her abilities.
While her control over mana was commendable, she'd failed to create any real unpredictability. A predictable Imperial Sword would never surpass the Oceanwolf Sword Arts. The difference lay in their very foundations.
The Oceanwolf Sword Arts created a path of purity and power, designed to maximize the natural force of Azure Mana. Because of that, it didn't need to rely on irregular techniques. In contrast, while the Imperial Sword also emphasized fundamentals, its philosophy diverged completely.
If the Oceanwolf Sword Arts was like a vast ocean, the Imperial Sword was like a raging fire. It was a sword art born to claim lives by any means necessary, to destroy not only personal enemies but also the enemies of the empire itself. That was why the Imperial Sword was known as a style grounded in real combat.
This era can't be compared to mine, Caron mused.
He had lived during the reign of the Malevolent Emperor, an era plagued by rebellion, one of the most chaotic periods in the empire's history.
To suppress the rebellion, the Imperial Guards had been mobilized, and as a result, they had fought relentlessly without rest. It was an environment where constant battle was unavoidable. In contrast, the current era was one of peace.
The role of the Imperial Guards had been reduced to staying in the palace, taking care of the royal family and nobles' menial tasks. If those who trained in practical swordsmanship lacked real battle experience, the outcome was obvious.
They regress, Caron thought.
Though their swordsmanship had improved in form, it had grown weaker in essence. Caron furrowed his brow as he looked at Amy and grimaced, his expression filled with distaste.
"That's not how you do it," he said sharply.
"...Pardon?" Amy asked.
"Watch closely," Caron instructed, his voice firm.
He could have overpowered her with sheer strength right then and there, but that wasn't the point. He wanted to show her the path she would have to take. So without hesitation, Caron surged forward.
Amy tensed, raising her sword up to a mid-guard position. She could clearly see his attack coming. She could see the length of his stride and the shift in his shoulders.
Whoosh.
Amy gathered every ounce of mana she had as she focused intently on Caron's approaching strike.
The chest, Amy thought.
As soon as she was sure of his aim, she angled her sword diagonally and prepared to defend. Caron's movements seemed reckless; his sword was swinging in far too wide an arc, and it looked as if it was filled with brute force. It would be foolish to try to fight off that sword head-on.
I'll deflect it, she decided.
All she needed to do was twist his strike slightly. If she managed that, Caron would be left wide open. She quickly made her decision and locked her gaze onto Caron's incoming sword. He was almost upon her now.
Whoosh!
The sword whistled through the air, just as she'd predicted, aiming straight for her chest. Amy shifted her stance, stepping slightly to the right to brace herself for the impact.
I've got this— Amy thought.
But just as the blade was about to pass harmlessly by, its path suddenly curved.
Thud!
The strike landed brutally on her exposed side. Before she could react from that unexpected force, her body flew into the air.
Boom!
Amy slammed into the outer wall of the training grounds. Dust billowed up from the impact, and murmurs of disbelief escaped the onlookers.
However, the one who had caused this spectacle, Caron, simply laughed as he approached the crumbling wall. He remarked with a grin, "Wow, your instincts are still sharp. Is this what they call true talent?"
Just before his sword could reach her, he had unleashed mana through his feet, twisting the blade's trajectory at the last second. It was a technique he had frequently used in his previous life. It was a move where he'd let the opponent clearly see his sword's path, only to make it swerve at the final moment.
Still, his original intent hadn't been fully achieved. He had hoped to finish the duel with that last strike.
"You gathered your mana in that brief instant and dispersed the impact..." Caron muttered, impressed. Amy had reacted faster than he expected. As he watched her struggle to her feet from the cracked wall, he smiled with genuine pleasure and said, "Very good."
Amy's condition, however, told a different story. Her face was pale, and she was limping on her left leg. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, which suggested internal injuries. But despite all that, she still gripped her wooden sword tightly. Even as she crashed into the wall, she hadn't let go of her sword.
"Caron! That's enough!" Leo shouted from afar, his voice filled with concern.
But Caron raised a hand and silenced him. He then turned to Amy and said, "You can stop if you want. Should we call it here?"
Amy, still defiant, shook her head firmly. She spat blood-tinged saliva onto the ground, then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand with a smile. Her voice was filled with determination as she said, "That's not fair. It wouldn't sit right if this ended when I was the only one who got hit."
"You want to land a hit on me? You're being too harsh on a patient," Caron teased.
"Well, I'm a patient too now, so we're even," Amy countered with a smirk.
"That's a fair point," Caron admitted.
"You said my attacks were too straightforward and predictable. I think I get what you mean now. So, let's keep going," Amy declared as her grip tightened on her sword, and she fixed her gaze on him.
Seeing her resolve, Caron nodded with satisfaction and said, "Now that's the spirit."
She was proving to be a promising student, one worth teaching. With that thought in mind, Caron didn't hesitate and charged at her once again.
***
As Leo watched the duel between Amy and Caron, he clicked his tongue and said, "Brutal. Just brutal."
He had always known that Caron didn't care whether his opponent was a man or a woman. Any so-called duel for him was just a thinly veiled excuse for what looked like a merciless beating. Caron's wooden sword struck Amy relentlessly, blow after blow. But Leo wasn't calling Caron brutal. Caron was more than that; he was utterly insane.
What truly impressed Leo was Amy's sheer willpower. Despite her obvious injuries, Amy kept swinging her sword. And what made that even more shocking was the faint smile that played on her lips, even as her body had to be screaming in pain.
"Why in the world is she pushing herself so hard...?" Leo muttered under his breath.
"She's in the process of a breakthrough," Zerath responded in a low voice, answering Leo's question. "In order to break through a plateau, one has to push themselves to the extreme. It's the same reason knights ranked 4-Star and above at Azureocean Castle are given the most difficult missions."
"...Getting beat up like that helps?" Leo asked, skeptical as he watched Amy take hit after hit.
"Her strikes may still lack power, but compared to when she started, they flow much more naturally, don't they?" Zerath pointed out calmly.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. But, Sir Zerath," Leo began, furrowing his brow.
"Yes, Young Master Leo," Zerath said.
"That sword style that Caron's using... It doesn't look like the Oceanwolf Sword Arts. Is that just me...? It feels more like—" Leo pointed out.
"Your perception has improved, Young Master Leo," Zerath interjected, nodding slowly.
Just as Leo had said, Caron wasn't using the traditional Oceanwolf Sword Arts style. His movements were much more flexible and unpredictable, which seemed closer to the Imperial Sword style. But even that wasn't quite right.
What Caron wielded was something in between, a blend of the Oceanwolf Sword Arts and the Imperial Sword. He planted his feet with firm stability, then shifted his weight smoothly, launching strikes from unexpected angles.
...In terms of pure swordsmanship, he's already surpassed the masters. He's started developing his own unique style, Zerath thought.
He was already aware that Caron's swordsmanship was unique. His version of the Oceanwolf Sword Arts wasn't like anyone else's. While most knights' Oceanwolf Sword Arts style evoked the majesty of a calm sea, Caron's felt like a raging storm. It seemed dangerous and unpredictable, impossible to anticipate.
"Young Master Caron seems to have taken quite a liking to Lady Amy," Zerath remarked as he watched the scene unfold.
"...What kind of lunatic beats up someone they like this badly? Oh, wait... Caron is a lunatic," Leo admitted.
"He's showing her the path she needs to take," Zerath explained.
The core principles of the Imperial Sword style were analysis, unpredictability, and overcoming odds. It required quickly analyzing the opponent, then creating unpredictable situations through unconventional moves, and finally, overcoming the opponent through adaptability.
That made the flexible Imperial Sword style the complete opposite of the Oceanwolf Sword Arts, which relied on direct, unwavering strength. For someone who trained in the Oceanwolf Sword Arts, learning the Imperial Sword style was a near-impossible task. Blending such different styles of swordsmanship was no easy task. And yet, before Zerath's eyes, Caron was doing it effortlessly.
At Azureocean Castle, they only teach the Oceanwolf Sword style. So... he must've learned the rest on his own. He must've spent all that time in the castle's library studying various sword techniques, including the Imperial Sword, Zerath thought as his gaze tracked Caron's blade.
But even with access to swordsmanship manuals, mastering a new style was far from simple. If learning swordsmanship from books alone was enough, no one would need a teacher. Moreover, trying to combine two distinct forms of swordsmanship often led to distorting their original essence. And yet, Caron had somehow fused them seamlessly, without losing the integrity of either.
Zerath recalled something Sabina had said when he first saw Caron.
"A monster should be called a monster. What else can I call him? A genius? That would be an insult to his gift."
Perhaps Caron was a monster who would even surpass Duke Halo, the very man Zerath currently served. Caron's talent was real, and it was dazzling in its brilliance. As Zerath guided Caron, that thought had often come to mind, but in this moment, he realized it once again.
Caron, this monster, would one day bring new glory to Azureocean Castle. Of that, Zerath had no doubt.
He knew that there'd be questions about Caron's swordsmanship when they returned. But knowing Halo's personality, Zerath thought it probably wouldn't matter much. The rules stated that knights had to learn the Oceanwolf Sword Arts, but there was no rule saying they couldn't learn another swordsmanship style.
"It seems as if he's provoking them," Zerath murmured as the duel neared its conclusion.
"Provoking?" Leo repeated, confused.
"Ah, I was just talking to myself," Zerath replied, his eyes drifting toward the Imperial Guards watching the duel from a distance.
Even he, someone well-versed in the Oceanwolf Sword Arts, had recognized the Imperial Sword style in Caron's movements. There was no way those guards, all trained in the Imperial Sword style, could have missed it. Their earlier hostility had begun to waver, replaced by uncertainty and fear. Caron's skill had provoked them.
It was a direct challenge to the Imperial Guards. But Zerath didn't know the purpose of it.
What are you thinking of? Zerath silently wondered, his gaze fixed on Caron.
The duel disguised as a sparring session eventually came to an end. Amy lay collapsed on the ground, utterly battered, while Caron stood over her, looking normal.
Soon, Zerath heard Caron's voice. "Wow, looks like you really did get a hit in."
Zerath lowered his gaze and looked at Caron's feet. Amy's wooden sword, cracked in several places, was touching Caron's foot.
"I... got... you..." Amy whispered, her voice faint as her body went limp.
Caron looked down at her unconscious form and smiled, remarking, "You passed. You were amazing, Amy. So..."
It seemed like the sparring match had finally ended. But then, Caron did something that made Zerath's face go pale.
The youngest master, wild and reckless like a thunderbolt, gestured with his finger toward the other Imperial Guards and spoke.
"Next."