The Sword Immortal's Test
59. Cafe near Wall Academy.
“······.”
“······.”
Strangely, the second floor was empty. In the quiet atmosphere with only three people present, Adel and Shan sat facing each other. Serah sat beside Adel.
‘······I don’t like this.’
From the fact that she sat next to Adel instead of him, to his first impression overall, nothing sat well with Shan. In truth, Shan’s first impression of Adel could never have been good. After the written exam ended, there had been a short break. Shan had met Serah then. More than half of what Serah said at the time had been about Adel. It was to the point that even Beren had jokingly remarked that Serah seemed to like Adel. And that was to Shan, a man who was an extreme doting father.
His first impression had included a hint of jealousy.
‘······The way she sits beside him, the way she brightly calls his name.’
Serah had started calling Shan “Father” instead of “Dad” at some point. Shan, who had wanted to savor the cuteness of the days when she still called him “Dad,” couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy.
Shan’s red eyes turned toward Adel.
‘If she likes him, that wouldn’t matter much······ The real problem is this guy’s heart.’
No, maybe it did matter. He had once said that if someone of the same age was stronger than Serah and liked her more than he did, he would allow it. Since he had already said those words, he was willing to accept Adel if the two conditions were met.
Two thoughts coexisted in Shan’s mind: the desire for Serah’s happiness, and the thoughts of a doting father. Which thought would gain the upper hand depended on Adel’s actions.
‘Well, I’ll find out once we spar.’
Shan had fought countless battles, thousands upon tens of thousands of times. Reaching transcendence at such a young age had sharpened his senses to the point where even a minor fight could reveal an opponent’s emotions.
Shan opened his mouth.
“Adel Ifrit. Class S?”
He remembered because Serah had mentioned it in passing.
“······Yes.”
“Then you must have a personal training room?”
“That’s right?”
“Let’s go there.”
“······Didn’t you say Lord Beren was coming too?”
The reason the three of them had come to the cafe was to wait for Beren. He had probably gone to meet Daren. Since he had said it would take some time, they had been waiting with some leisure.
“He’s already here.”
“······?”
Just as Adel felt puzzled, he heard the sound of a door opening with a jingle. Thud. When he thought it might be him, he heard footsteps ascending the stairs.
“So you were here.”
When he turned his head, he saw Beren, a middle-aged man with light brown hair, walking over.
‘So this is a transcendent?’
Shan had reached transcendence through countless struggles. His senses were on a higher level than Adel’s. Something about Beren felt different.
Scrape. Shan stood up from his seat.
“This should be fine, right? Then let’s go.”
The four of them headed to Adel’s personal training room.
***
“······Lord Beren. Who do you think will win?”
Serah looked at Adel and Shan, who were standing ready to spar, with slightly anxious eyes.
‘What if Father doesn’t like him?’
It wasn’t a great anxiety. Adel’s fighting skills were at least not to the point where her father would be disappointed. It was just that the situation had arisen, so these feelings were slowly creeping up.
“Hmm. Of course Shan will win. But what you’re asking is how long Adel can hold out, right?”
“······Yes.”
She had spoken a little too highly of Adel out of her concern for him. As if Adel could even hold his own against Shan. Serah felt a bit embarrassed.
“Hmm······. I don’t know. Judging from the momentum he showed in today’s exam, he might hold out for quite a while.”
Beren muttered.
“······Considering Father’s penalties, is the win rate zero?”
“It’s not impossible, but Shan’s experience is enough to make even me shudder.”
“······.”
If even Beren, another transcendent, said that, then there was truly no hope.
“It’ll start soon.”
Beren muttered as he watched Adel draw his sword. He, who had been appointed as the referee for this spar, slowly walked out.
‘······How did it come to this?’
Adel had never imagined he would end up sparring with Shan. The moment they arrived at the personal training room, Shan had said:
-Let’s talk later. Adel Ifrit. Fight me.
Shan’s eyes as he said that were a tangle of interest and displeasure. There was no way to refuse. Beren and Serah had also expected this situation and said nothing.
‘······Even with the penalties······.’
Still, this wasn’t an opponent he could beat. He was a transcendent, after all.
‘I’ll do my best.’
With the mindset of showing everything he had and learning from it. With Adel’s talent, it was possible.
Shing. He fully drew his sword and ran his hand along the flat of the blade.
‘A swordsman, huh.’
Shan naturally reached out his hand as he watched Adel handle his sword.
Whoooong. With a faint vibration, a supply sword from afar flew into his grasp. It was a technique only those who had reached that level could perform.
“I’m ready.”
“Me too.”
Shan said that and hid his right hand behind his waist. One of the many penalties: using only one hand.
‘Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I held a sword.’
Shan could handle all kinds of weapons. Lately, he had been using a staff because it was somewhat fun, so it had been a long time since he held a sword. He was only using a sword because Adel seemed to be a swordsman; there was no particular intention behind it. Even so, he wasn’t at a level where Adel could beat him. Serah’s talent had started from Shan, after all.
Whoooong. Beren, standing between Adel and Shan, raised his mana to control their movements. Both accepted it quietly. Shan was used to it, and Adel knew there was no intent to harm. This was a restraint to start the spar on equal footing.
Feeling their movements, Beren opened his mouth.
“Spar, begin.”
With that, the mana was withdrawn. Both were free.
“······.”
“······.”
But neither moved first. It was the basics of fighting. They were assessing each other.
“Is this about it?”
Shan swung his sword very lightly to match Adel’s level and sent out sword qi. The second penalty: equalizing the level with Adel. This attack was adjusted to Serah’s level.
Claaaaang!
“Kugh.”
The sword qi, sent out at a level as if he were just taking a light stroll, carried enough force that merely blocking it was difficult.
‘Just a little weaker.’
Whoooong! Mana gathered on Shan’s blade, forming a sword qi with a fierce red aura. He slowly sent the sword qi flying.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Shan thought as he watched Adel block, neither struggling too much nor too easily.
‘Should I raise my battle qi too?’
If you asked who handled battle qi best on the continent right now, most people would say Shan.
Whooooooosh! The moment he thought that, Adel felt an unbelievable pressure. Yet the thought that arose was:
‘······This isn’t his full power.’
It absolutely couldn’t be his full power. If it were, Adel would have been torn to shreds by now, his form unrecognizable.
“You raise yours too. I heard you were going to be with Serah.”
Shan spoke with a somewhat displeased expression. It was because he was reminded once again that Serah had only talked about Adel. But he quickly became serious. Shan gave his all even in trivial fights. It was these actions that had allowed him to reach the heavens.
Hearing Shan’s words, Adel immediately raised his battle qi.
“Oho?”
Shan’s red eyes shone like the sun as he watched.
‘This is two months.’
That was how long Adel had trained in battle qi. No matter the training, two months wasn’t a long time. But the aura he felt now was something he wouldn’t have believed came from only two months of training.
Shan flicked his hand.
“Come.”
He could have gone first, but for some reason, he wanted to receive the attack. It felt like he should.
Whoosh! Adel nodded slightly and charged forward, raising his sword. Whoosh! Vast amounts of fire gathered, aside from the sword qi formed on his blade.
Boooom! When he brought it down, a thunderous roar erupted. In the faintly spreading smoke, red light flashed. Whoosh! As a sword cut through the smoke, Adel barely reacted and dodged. A single sword strike. A single exchange. With just this, Shan had grasped Adel’s level and condition.
‘Top tier among academy students. Talent is also the best.’
One might ask what he saw in a single exchange to think that, but Shan could see it. Adel’s movements were gradually becoming more precise, and his control of fire was becoming cleaner. It was a realm of super-senses that even ordinary transcendents couldn’t easily witness.
‘But it’s a wall.’
A wall that might break at any moment. Shan wanted Adel to break it himself. Even with his help, he wanted Adel to find the answer on his own.
Shan slowly received Adel’s attacks.
Claaaaang!
‘······This isn’t it.’
Even as he attacked, Adel felt an indescribable frustration.
‘I need to learn.’
How Shan received attacks, how he counterattacked each time, how he operated his mana. He had to watch everything and make it his own.
‘······But it’s dark.’
His mind was pitch black. It felt stuffy, as if shrouded in fog. This was a phenomenon that had started recently, at some point. It felt as if there was a wall right in front of him. He thought it was because he hadn’t been able to create a martial art.
Swish. Shan raised his sword and gathered mana. Delicate black characters were engraved on the red surface of the blade. He swung the sword horizontally. Shan didn’t really have any techniques. Winning was all that mattered. Even if he lost, there was something to learn. Because he fought with that mindset, most of his movements and fights were instinctive. Shan knew this but didn’t bother to categorize them. His instinctive fighting style so far had been more efficient.
But this sword was different. The only sword that had been categorized and could impart enlightenment. Spirit Sword. The moment Adel received the sword and felt the soul and years contained within it, he felt as if his mind had cleared a little.