I stood up slowly, grasped my sword, and gazed at it for a moment.
I felt like I understood something... but what was it?
Without responding to my grandfather, I just gave him a heavy glance.
My eyes were cold and empty. He looked at me with a hint of sadness.
But why?
I was sure I was serious and determined... so why did my gaze feel so empty?
I lowered my gaze to the reflection of my sword and saw eyes that weren't mine.
Eyes filled with sudden emptiness.
I realized then... that I had gained something from my stay here. But I had also lost something.
There was no playfulness or curiosity in my eyes. Just a cold calmness and emptiness that ignored everything.
I took my stance...
And in that moment... I changed my path.
I shattered my plans with my own hands.
Now—
I decided to show the Eclipse Dance...
With seriousness.
For a moment, he forgot about the sword... and looked directly into my eyes. His expression changed, but he quickly regained his composure and said casually:
"Hmm, what's this new stance?"
I didn't respond. I felt heavy, not physically, but internally. In that exact moment, I felt the emptiness. My eyes weren't dull anymore; they were the eyes of a dead person.
My thoughts were interrupted when I said:
"... Sword Formation Art 'Eclipse Dance' Step One: Partial Convergence."
My grandfather made a face like Dian's, but he quickly refocused and said:
"Sword Formation Art 'Protection' Step One: Illumination."
That was my grandfather's sword style.
We charged at each other. As I expected, my grandfather couldn't keep up well due to my super speed and the chaos. But he was resilient, unlike Dian. However, he wasn't completely unscathed.
He counterattacked, and his sword was incredibly fast, but not as fast as mine. However, there was something unique about it – sufficiency. Yes, his sword was truly sufficient. As time passed, he got used to my attacks a bit, and he started to counterattack. His wooden sword shone with a white light, and with each clash, it grew stronger. But my sword was weakening. Why? I realized something strange was happening and quickly retreated backward, creating distance between us.
My grandfather smiled. "It seems you figured it out quickly."
"... What's this?"
"This is my style, Illumination. It allows me to absorb the momentum of your attack, unless you're using your aura, of course."
I understood now. It was a useful style. Suddenly, my grandfather charged towards me without giving me a chance to defend myself.
Our swords clashed, and I managed to parry it, but I was pushed backward, closer and closer to the wall. I couldn't move.
Think! Think!
Then, I had an idea. I pretended to be helpless, and when I was close to the wall, I used the Null Law with minimal power so I wouldn't crash into it. Then, I jumped up, making my grandfather crash into the wall instead.
I stared at the marble and the dust falling after the wall's destruction, waiting to see my grandfather. But then...
Damn! This old man is really tough, huh?!
My grandfather had his foot raised towards the wall, looking at me, with a huge hole in the wall. He decided to kick the wall? At that brief moment?!
"Sigh... Young one, do you think you can defeat me like this? But I must say, I'm really impressed by your intelligence."
He was perfectly fine, but instead of feeling trapped, I smiled slightly. Even my grandfather did the same. He pulled out his foot, and we stared at each other for a long time before clashing again.
But I did something my grandfather didn't expect at all. Something no ordinary person would do. As soon as we got close, I dropped my sword and activated Balance. My grandfather quickly reacted, expecting me to be behind him, but I was right above him. When he realized it, it was too late. I delivered a kick to his midsection, and he spat out blood.
"Ugh... Hahaha... I didn't expect that. To think you'd do that at that exact moment."
He stood up straight and looked at me. "Yes! This is good!"
As he shouted this, he unleashed his full power. I did the same, not holding back at 80%, but using my full strength. I didn't care about the consequences. Here and now, I had to test myself.
We clashed with our swords imbued with aura. Despite his sword being a masterwork, I managed to keep up. One strike, two strikes, three... I stopped counting and just enjoyed the moment. We exchanged blows for a long time, but I wouldn't last much longer. My sword would break first. But I didn't stop. I started using my hands, unleashing rapid punches, forgetting he was my grandfather. Clarence realized he couldn't keep up like this and decided to drop his sword as well. He regained control of the situation, and his punches were faster and stronger. I tasted blood in my mouth, but I kept going. I was using some tricks to keep up. I didn't want to use my abilities because, without realizing it, I was smiling now.
After a few minutes, I was thrown to the ground.
"Young one, are you okay?"
"... I don't know."
He sat in front of me and began to speak:
"Daniel, you're strong. Really strong. To be able to match a master swordsman like me is impressive."
"It's nice to think you don't know I'm holding back, right?"
"Hahaha! Just enjoy the praise, young one."
Of course, he was being lenient. If he were serious, I would have been dead long ago.
"Anyway, you're good at healing magic, right? Heal yourself and go rest. You'll be leaving tomorrow morning. I'll ask the servants to bring dinner to your room."
"Okay, thanks."
Then he turned around and left. I stayed there, thinking... Since my training here is over, there's only one thing left to do – get that thing.
I headed to my room and took a shower, then packed my belongings and gear, preparing to leave. I lay down on the bed but couldn't sleep. I was thinking about that thing. I felt like I had lost something and gained something else. Suddenly, Sylvia entered, interrupting my thoughts.
"You're back. Where were you?"
I noticed the coldness and emptiness inside me. She stared at me for a second too long.
Like she wanted to say something... but swallowed it.
"I went to the neighboring village. Why?"
"You're in your human form?"
"Did some guys block your way?"
"Yes, but I sent them back."
"... That's how it is. Anyway, I'll rest a bit. We have a tough task ahead of us later."
"You're serious about challenging him? Even in your past life, you struggled to defeat him and didn't get anything. If you go with your current strength, you'll die."
"I know, but this time... we'll be fine."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Sylvia, I've found the key.