Chapter 6: Swordsmanship Training
After just two days of sword training, the newly arrived Eric and Akame were separated into different routines.
"Akame's swordsmanship is excellent. I can feel the experience of real battle in every move. But you, Eric , are different. Even some of your basic stances and power control are incorrect. You'll need to unlearn those mistakes and rebuild your fundamentals," Koushirou said with a smile .
'He didn't even say it mockingly, but that still hurt!' Eric thought painfully. Koushirou's words pierced his heart like arrows.
Eric had never trained in martial arts in his previous life, so it made sense that he didn't use the sword properly. That's why he focused on improving his physical fitness—to avoid being instantly killed by some powerful pirate.
"Luckily you're still young. The damage to your body from improper technique isn't too bad yet. You can recover with proper rest. If you were older, it would lead to a lifetime of pain and injuries," Koushirou said while applying ointment to Eric 's arms.
"Thank you, Master!" Eric replied with conviction.
...
"Akame, I can feel your past in the way you use your sword," Koushirou said, raising his hand to stop Akame from Speaking. "I know you might not want to share your story, and I won't ask you to."
Koushirou picked up a bamboo sword and smiled at her. "A sword can convey the feelings and words of its wielder. It's not just a lifeless tool. Speak to me through your blade, Akame."
...
"Watch closely, Eric , Akame," Koushirou said, tossing a pure white sheet of paper into the air. With a sharp "Hah!" he swung his sword through it. The paper floated gently to the ground, completely unharmed.
"Listen well. In this world, there are swordsmen who can cut nothing at all. But these same swordsmen can also cut through steel and anything else—with the very same sword," Koushirou taught.
"The strongest sword is one that protects what it wants to protect and cuts only what it wants to cut. A sword that harms everything it touches isn't really a sword, in my opinion. Understand?"
'Isn't that what he said in Zoro's flashback?' Eric thought.
Akame closed her eyes. She began sensing the presence of every living thing—not just Eric and Koushirou around her, but everything in the courtyard… no, it wasn't presence—it was breathing. The breathing of stones, trees, the earth, the walls…
"Hm? That fast?" Koushirou said in surprise, watching Akame.
"What's going on?" asked a confused Eric .
Akame opened her eyes and looked at a nearby stone. She turned to Koushirou and asked, "May I try?"
"Eh? Of course," Koushirou replied a smile .
"Execution." Akame drew her sword and slashed at the stone. A wave of black sword energy burst from Murasame, slicing the stone cleanly like tofu. The slash continued on, cutting through the wall behind it and leaving a pitch-black fissure. If you leaned in close, you could see the scenery outside through the gap.
"Amazing! Akame!" Eric clapped loudly.
"Wow, you reached the level of cutting steel so soon? Truly remarkable," Koushirou said proudly.
Eric took a peek at Akame's status panel and noticed her swordsmanship had risen to 4.5 stars. Not only had she returned to her full four-star condition, she had gained another half-star. Her Observation Haki also went up from 2 to 2.5 stars.
'Wait! How does swordsmanship training boost her Observation Haki too?! Now I'm falling even further behind! Is my protagonist halo fake?!' Eric was both amazed and bitter, envious of Akame's absurd talent—to the point it reminded him of plasmolysis (where a plant cell's membrane pulls away from the wall in a hypertonic solution).
Still, despite the jealousy, Eric was genuinely happy for Akame's progress. The stronger his teammates, the less pressure on him. After all, no one wants to fight nine enemies alone, right?
'Oh, right.' Eric suddenly bowed to Koushirou. "I sincerely apologize for damaging the wall! We'll fix it!"
"Haha, it's fine. I'm just glad to see my disciples grow stronger," Koushirou said, waving his hands.
"No way! I'm getting the tools now!"
...It took Eric and Akame two hours to repair the wall.
By the tenth day of training, Eric had managed to raise his swordsmanship to 1.5 stars. Hard work always pays off—even if the gain wasn't as dramatic as Akame's, he used his adult stamina to make steady progress.
"Kuina! Let's duel!" Zoro once again challenged Kuina.
"Let's go." Kuina accepted without hesitation.
"That's the fifth duel today… he's full of energy," Eric muttered. Zoro and Kuina sparred 5–10 times a day. Eric had watched so many that he was bored out of his mind. Still, it explained how they reached duel number 2001 in just a year—until Kuina's fateful accident.
Thwack! Kuina struck Zoro on the head with her bamboo sword again.
"That's my 1,735th win!" she said proudly.
"Damn it!" Zoro shouted and ran off. Judging by the direction, he was heading to the training grounds for more strength training.
'He's amazing… constantly pushing himself like that. He's just a nine-year-old kid, but his drive surpasses all those keyboard warriors who waste time complaining online.' Eric thought, completely forgetting he used to be one of them.
'1,735 duels already? That means Kuina's death is just two to four weeks away…' Eric couldn't help thinking about her tragic end and resolved to prevent it.
"Kuina, spar with me too. Just swordsmanship, no powers," Eric said as she was practicing strikes on a wooden post.
"Sure." Still bitter about losing last time because Eric used Shave, Kuina welcomed the chance to prove her swordsmanship was equal to any man's.
Whap! Whap! Kuina's bamboo sword struck Eric 's abdomen and head.
"Wow, impressive. I lost." Eric admitted defeat without hesitation. Losing to someone more skilled wasn't shameful—denying it would be.
"Your swordsmanship has improved..." Kuina mumbled, then went back to her training.
"These kids are seriously too intense. Not cute at all," Eric muttered under his breath.
...
"Akame, let's keep a close eye on Kuina for the next month," Eric told her.
"Alright." Akame answered simply. She didn't even ask why—her trust in her new captain was absolute.
...
"Kuina! Duel me again!" Zoro returned.
Whap! Whap! "That's win number 1,957," Kuina said with a smile to the once again flattened Zoro.
"Ugh… Eric ! Duel me!" Zoro was unwilling to let it go. Since Eric 's arrival, Zoro had two new training partners. Akame was way too strong, so Zoro turned his attention to Eric instead. Eric was exhausted by the constant duels, worried that if he messed up the timing, he might not be able to save Kuina. Luckily, Akame and Kuina slept together and trained together at night, so he wasn't too concerned for now.
"Zoro, have you thought about using Three-Sword Style?" Eric asked. At the moment, Zoro still used Two-Sword Style—he would only adopt Three-Sword Style after Kuina's death, using Wado Ichimonji as a symbol of her soul and dreams.
"Three-Sword Style? I'll think about it later. First, fight me!" Zoro shouted, already swinging his bamboo sword at Eric .
Clack! Clack! The sharp sounds of bamboo swords clashing echoed through the dojo. The sweat of a young boy and a grown man filled the air, accompanied by spirited shouts. Under the sunlight, their shadows crossed each other. (Yeah, someone in the comments is definitely going to say this sounds suggestive.)
...Fifteen minutes later, Zoro's bamboo sword was knocked out of his hands, his stamina depleted.
"Damn it!" He'd lost not just to Kuina again but to the new "junior" student too.
"I only beat you with stamina. In terms of technique, I'm no match for you. If you were seventeen like me, I wouldn't stand a chance," Eric said gently, afraid Zoro might lose confidence.
"Hmph, I'll beat you one day!" Zoro shouted before running off for more training.
'If he got depressed from a single loss, he wouldn't be Zoro…' Eric thought, watching his back.
Then he turned and walked back to where Kuina was, ready to resume his own training.
(END CHAPTER)
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