Chapter 219
Chapter 219
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 219
Chapter Title: Reminiscence (3)
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Plate armor forged from shadows.
When Siu first came up with the idea, he'd modeled it after armor from RPG games, so at first glance, it didn't look practical for real combat.
Even setting aside the needless decorations, the structure clung so tightly to the body that it offered almost no shock dispersion whatsoever.
However, it was precisely that design that had aided Siu greatly with the black armor.
It moved as one with his body, free of any hindrance, while doubling as a powered suit that boosted his strength.
The armor's core function of shock absorption was handled by the laws of shadow—a novel material unknown anywhere in the world.
It was the star performer that had pulled Siu from the brink of death time and again, letting him shine in battle.
Siu knew his own power well.
Given enough time in this armor, he could demolish a massive building with his bare hands.
He knew a sword swung while wearing it could cleave a cargo truck clean in half, ferocious as could be.
So against the willowy Tiphereth, was it really okay to swing this weapon?
The question arose instinctively.
Her figure, wielding a blade as long as her own body, looked so fragile it made one forget she was a duke of the 23rd hierarchy.
However.
The instant Tiphereth gripped her sword and took her stance.
All worries proved laughable unfounded fears.
An unshakable center of gravity.
Muscles relaxed throughout her body yet primed to react at any moment.
Straightforward eyes piercing his movements without a flicker.
"Come."
Even hearing Tiphereth's low declaration, Siu couldn't move right away.
Until now, he'd thought wildly swinging weapons had ingrained a decent level of 'swordsmanship' into his body.
Reflexively spotting openings in foes.
Wielding sword and shield as freely as his own limbs.
He figured it wouldn't draw any complaints anywhere.
But not a single opening in sight.
She merely held the sword loosely in one hand, angled downward, yet there was no way to exploit her.
As Siu stood frozen, Eloa urged him on.
"She won't hurt you. Show her every move you've got."
"...Understood."
Testing the distance, he stepped forward lightly and swung his sword.
Eloa's response was utterly simple.
Before Siu could complete his swing, her blade slipped into his trajectory, snuffing out all momentum.
"Ugh...!"
Blocked before the attack could even begin.
It wasn't a matter of raw power.
From what Siu could observe, Tiphereth wasn't channeling vast mana.
Reverse-engineering it, she was using perhaps a quarter of the strength Siu could muster.
She'd simply layered exquisite technique atop that modest force to neutralize his strike effortlessly.
"Again."
-Clang!
Tiphereth swung her sword, parting their blades, and Siu carefully gauged the distance once more.
Ditching the flashy flair, he conjured a shield this time.
Half-covering his body, he probed cautiously for any gaps.
"Huu... huu..."
Sweat beaded despite barely moving.
A pressure like being smothered under thick cotton.
Even knowing no real harm would come, her overwhelming presence bloated her slight frame in his eyes.
"Hap!"
Faster than the shout, Siu kicked off the rooftop.
To avoid a sloppy midway block, he swung with full power from the outset.
Aiming for the midsection.
Intending to bisect her waist, he poured everything into the slash.
-Thud!
The ensuing sound left Siu flustered.
He'd swung with all his might, and Tiphereth had parried with her sword.
Normally, such a clash would boom like Kwang! or Thwack!.
Yet the noise was merely that of plucking a string instrument.
And the rebound force transmitted to his hands was next to nothing.
But he had no intention of backing off.
Even amid the baffling result, Siu's body and mind were already groping for answers.
From the downward slash stance, he unleashed an upward slice in the complete opposite direction.
A harsh motion defying inertia, but the shadow armor made it effortless.
This time, a total whiff.
Tiphereth didn't even raise her sword—just tilted her head to evade the tip.
-Whoosh!
That was exactly what Siu had baited.
What he wielded was a shadow sword.
Its length, thickness, weight—all could shift instantly to his whim.
He could adjust range without the hassle of regripping the hilt.
The slightly extended blade now arced down toward Eloa again.
If she tried to block casually with her body, it could deal a fatal blow.
-Thunk!
The same phenomenon.
Eloa's sword rose languidly upward, deflecting the thrust without a hint of recoil.
"Hah!"
Siu had anticipated this far.
The instant his sword was blocked, he disrupted the shadow blade.
Thrusting his shield forward at once to blind Eloa.
In the blind spot the shield created, he reshaped the shadow into a spear and unleashed three rapid thrusts.
Not just a shift in distance—the weapon itself had changed.
His prior slashes had all been setup for this thrust.
A technique he'd memorized visually from battling the white knight.
As he lunged with the spear, he snapped his wrist and twisted his waist.
The rotation infused the thrust with a bizarre motion, creating an illusion of the tip bending.
-Clang! Clang! Clang!
And Tiphereth's response was more than enough to stun Siu.
This was a sure-kill triple thrust, built on no fewer than three setups and feints.
Moreover, that curving spear tip had troubled him endlessly in the past.
Yet...
"Isn't that a bit much?"
Eloa blocked all three thrusts flawlessly.
Blade tip precisely meeting spear tip, halting them midair.
By the final thrust's end, their weapons hovered with tips clashing.
Even matching the tips of two chopsticks held in one's own hands is tricky—let alone an opponent's flailing weapon.
It felt like watching a circus act.
The performer herself lowered her sword with a perfectly composed expression.
Tiphereth hadn't counterattacked even once.
This spar was meant solely to gauge his level, after all.
By the exchanges' conclusion, Tiphereth felt it.
A profound disappointment.
Rafi had been a genius.
Not just in magic but in martial arts as well—with only the Contract of the King of All Diseases inherited, she'd amassed the prowess to hunt homunculi.
And so, Tiphereth had harbored some expectations.
She'd thought the man who'd inherited Rafi's vessel might display respectable skill.
But had her expectations been too high?
No—objectively speaking, it was dismal.
His movements were dictated by his armament.
He could mimic a passable show by borrowing the contract's power, but there was no underlying law, no subtlety, no enlightenment.
She'd at least hoped to glimpse a fragment of Rafi's dazzling sword dance...
Eloa regarded him without betraying her deep disappointment.
"I can tell it's still unfamiliar. You'll need more practice."
"Is that right? Truth be told, I've only recently started using it consciously like this..."
"Take off the armor."
Eloa reverse-summoned her Contract Sword.
Siu dispelled his shadow armor as well.
Out stepped Siu, utterly drenched in sweat.
A short clash, yet it attested to his full effort throughout this mere taste of training.
"First, you need to practice handling your body. Armaments are extensions of the limbs, after all, no matter the form."
"You mean a bare-handed spar?"
"Precisely."
Had he shown even the tiniest sprout of talent.
Had he handled the 'contract' with even a modicum of skill.
Tiphereth wouldn't have bothered starting from the basics.
But after centuries encountering countless martial artists, she could spot it immediately.
When it came to martial arts, his talent was woefully vague.
Even inheriting the contract—even under her tutelage—it wouldn't amount to much.
The wall of talent was that heavy, that thick.
Magically gifted as he was, it might be better to focus and specialize.
Even if it meant paying the promised 'compensation for the misunderstanding-induced incident' some other way.
But she'd already made the vow.
Even if he quit midway, she'd polish him to the utmost of her ability.
"I don't do coddling, step-by-step lessons. True mastery of the body comes from learning with the body."
Eloa clenched her fist and assumed a stance.
Siu mimicked her awkwardly.
"Half-hearted resolve won't keep up."
"I've got the resolve."
"We'll see."
A gentle push off the ground.
Eloa closed the gap in a flash, slipping into Siu's guard on his left side.
Even unarmed, the 'contract' reacted.
To leverage their reaches, Siu instinctively thrust a fist at the diving Eloa.
The moment Eloa deflected the strike with her elbow and seized his wrist...
"Ugh!"
Siu's body flipped.
It launched into the air before slamming back-first onto the rooftop.
No chance to even parse what happened.
Looking up, Tiphereth loomed with cold magenta eyes.
"Commanding your body by will and whim—that's the foundation. Without it, no esoteric technique or trickery has meaning."
"I understand."
"Your attacks have far too many openings."
Siu brushed himself off and rose.
Unable to enhance his ethereal body with mana, he was limited to the strength of a healthy man.
Without the armor's aid, the toss alone delivered a massive shock.
But if he'd crumple here, he wouldn't have asked for training in the first place.
This time, Siu charged first.
His extended fist was blocked midair by a hand blade, followed by Eloa's palm lightly tapping his abdomen.
A counter that shoved at his gut.
"Guh!"
Turning his charging momentum against him, Siu's body flipped airborne.
Not the excruciating agony he'd known before, but pain enough to spike stress and tension.
"Prepare for when your attack's blocked. Always have a follow-up ready."
"Ugh, got it. Stings a little."
"Pain's an excellent catalyst. Your body will remember—and next time, it'll dodge the same mistake."
Afterward, Siu lunged at Eloa time and again.
"Fixed timing on your steps makes distance easy to read."
"Don't stare so intently at your target."
"Drop the habit of brute-forcing ahead. How do you plan to face someone stronger?"
"Always keep your center balanced in the middle. It wobbles, so even a foot snag topples you."
Tiphereth offered pointers with every clash.
After some two hours, not a spot on Siu's body remained unscathed.
Tiphereth had relentlessly hurled him aside, shoved him back, and flicked him away.
In the end, from start to finish, Siu hadn't so much as brushed Eloa's hem.
Siu sprawled starfished on the rooftop, gasping raggedly.
Sweat poured so heavily it had soaked not just his shirt but his underwear too.
"That's enough for today."
Tiphereth declared the training's close, no fresh disappointment needed.
She'd moderated her strength.
No intent to inflict major wounds.
But with his deficient talent, grit, and endurance, Siu would drop out first.
Perhaps that was the kinder path for him.
"Yes... thank you... for today."
Siu struggled to rise, only to flop back with his head hitting the ground.
His eyes slid shut.