Chapter 291
A little spar
IAM smiled faintly before drying himself off and getting dressed in the proper training kit.
He slipped his blazer and trousers into a bag since he didn't plan on heading back to his dorm anytime soon, then started making his way toward his usual meeting spot with Henry.
As he walked, another thought surfaced—something he had noticed earlier. He had managed to piece together a vague understanding of Blaze's path.
IAM still didn't know why Blaze sometimes emitted heat or vapor, but he had a feeling that it was probably the result of whatever path methods Blaze practiced.
But he had a feeling Blaze's path centered around the idea of being brave—or at least around not fearing anything at all. The more IAM thought about it, the more it made sense.
He had come to that conclusion through nothing but careful, quiet observation. IAM replayed the first time he had met Blaze, the memory still sharp in his mind.
Blaze had been… overbearing, to say the least. Everything about him—from the way he walked to the way he spoke—radiated a kind of unshakable confidence, a certainty that made it feel like fear simply didn't register in his body. Everything was done with assurance, like someone who simply didn't consider the possibility of failure.
Even back then, before IAM properly understood somethings about paths, Blaze had stood out. His movements had been bold, decisive, almost reckless in a way that only someone completely sure of themselves could manage. He had taken on three people at once without even dipping into any of his path methods.
And he had nearly won, too. If IAM hadn't stepped in when he did, the outcome would have been very different.
When he had crashed into him with a mini car, and even when IAM had pointed KASSARA at his head with a clear threat, Blaze had still shown that same brazen fearlessness—at least for most of it. It wasn't until the moment he realised IAM truly meant it that the cracks appeared, the first hints of fear slipping through. IAM hadn't thought too deeply about it back then… not until their second fight.
While Blaze had done his best, IAM noticed something was off. There was a subtle difference to him, something slightly unnatural in the way he held himself. It was as if Blaze was forcing his usual attitude rather than naturally embodying it. The difference was small—barely noticeable—but IAM could feel it. And the more he replayed the moments in his mind, the more he realised that Blaze may not have challenged him solely out of suspicion that he was an experienced-level ascender. It might actually have been an attempt to recover something connected to his concept.
During the fight, Blaze's attacks were fierce, but they lacked a weight IAM had expected from him. It wasn't until IAM's killing intent slipped… until it washed over Blaze uncontrollably… that he finally saw genuine fear in Blaze's eyes. In that instant, his guess solidified.
Afterwards, IAM also felt something else—something Vanessa had explained to him before. In those final moments of the fight, right before IAM had Blaze in a chokehold, he realised Blaze's attacks had noticeably weakened, losing a sharpness that should have been there.
There were two ways to defend against another person's path methods.
The first was known as the stable defensive path method.
This type of defense was created entirely from your own path, built on your own concept, and shaped by your own understanding. As the name suggested, it was the most reliable and steady form of defense an ascender could develop.
It wasn't always enough to counter extremely strange or unorthodox paths, and it didn't guarantee victory in unpredictable fights, but it was safe. It was consistent. It was dependable. That was exactly why it remained the most widely used method among ascenders. In the end, stability was survival.
The second method—the one far fewer ascenders ever dared to attempt—was called the risky defensive path methods. And as the name made painfully clear, it was far more dangerous.
Risky defensive path methods were the complete opposite. They weren't built from your own path at all. Instead, they relied entirely on your opponent's path—specifically, your understanding of it.
If your comprehension of their path and its underlying concept was deep enough, you could weaken or even outright neutralize their path methods. In some cases, the strength of their attacks could drop all the way to zero, so long as your understanding was accurate enough.
But if that understanding was even slightly off—if you assumed something incorrectly, overlooked a detail, or misunderstood the true core of their concept—then you wouldn't simply fail to defend. You could die. That was the price of using someone else's path against them. One misjudgment, one wrong interpretation, and your defense wouldn't form correctly.
This was also one of the biggest reasons most ascenders avoided revealing anything about their paths—let alone the actual concept behind them. Sharing that information was practically the same as handing your enemy a weapon. It took a ridiculous amount of trust for anyone to openly discuss the details of their path.
IAM believed that the weakened attacks and strength from Blaze were caused by that very phenomenon. If he had to estimate, he would say Blaze was around five to ten percent weaker than before.
IAM found the entire thing extremely interesting. The idea that one's understanding of another person's path could directly affect the outcome of a fight… it was strange, almost unreal. Two people facing the same opponent could end up with completely different results, all because of how deeply they understood that opponent's concept.
He couldn't help but wonder why such a phenomenon would even happened in the first place. It was quite… "magical" he had to admit.
IAM realised he had arrived at his destination. With a quiet exhale, the door open and stepped inside, letting it slide shut behind him.
The familiar scent of metal and sweat greeted him instantly, warm and sharp in the air. His eyes adjusted, and the first thing he saw was Henry fully immersed in his training with his sword.
IAM slowed his steps instinctively. He didn't want to interrupt.