The Creation of My Martial Art
It was the day before the second test. Shan was heading toward the center of the Demon Realm.
'...I really shouldn't have packed the schedule so tightly.'
He had to head into the Demon Realm during lunch on the first day of the Heiden Academy exam and return before the morning of the second day. Physically there was no issue, but it was bound to be mentally exhausting.
Whoooong—.
Upon reaching a certain point, a sinister fog began swirling from every direction. Shan reached out to it as though it were an old friend. The fog slowly parted, opening a path before him. It felt as if the mist itself had rendered some sort of judgment.
'He's still alive.'
This fog was a detection-type mist deployed by the head of the Helen family, Arad. Anyone the fog touched who was known to Arad would pass freely; anyone else would be restrained. It also served as the boundary separating the mid and early sections.
Even with that safeguard in place, gaps existed because the defenders were only human. That was why the strong had to guard the midsection every single day.
'About time.'
The appearance of the detection fog meant he had reached the midsection.
Goooooo!
Shan slowly raised his Battle Qi. He had avoided detection so far by maintaining perfect stealth, but his level of concealment no longer worked in the midsection.
Rustle. Rustle.
The bushes shook as if responding to his Battle Qi. Just as Shan casually reached for a branch lying on the ground, a man burst out from the undergrowth.
"Lord Shan."
"Allen."
A grim-faced Allen approached slowly. Shan rose to his feet.
"Is your body all ri—"
He never finished the sentence. Because Shan had driven the branch straight through Allen's heart.
"Imposter. Begone."
"......"
Sssssk.
Allen's body gradually melted into black liquid and crumbled away. Proof that it was a doppelganger.
"......"
Shan stared at the sight and thought.
'What a pain.'
The moment he saw Allen worrying about him for no reason, he had suspected a doppelganger and struck. This sort of thing was probably going to happen often. Since Shan needed to finish his business quickly and return, he felt a headache coming on.
Afterward he encountered Arad's doppelganger, and even Elena's—who should never have been there—before finally reaching an open clearing in the center where he saw a man.
"Long time no see. Lion King."
"......I don't particularly like that title. It's cringeworthy."
"That's exactly why I use it."
The man known as the Lion King—Arad—lifted his head.
"Shan."
"Yeah. So why'd you call me?"
Shan's casual, playful attitude toward him was one of the reasons Arad's humanity hadn't completely eroded away.
"I'll tell you later."
"Looks like someone else is coming besides me?"
"......Always so sharp."
While escaping from the center, once he'd put some distance between himself and the place, Arad had sent identical messages via carrier pigeons to several people. The message simply said to come find him.
It was slightly unexpected that Shan, whom he'd assumed would be at Heiden Academy, had shown up. Since Arad had already memorized the exam dates for Heiden Academy—where his daughters would eventually enroll—he could roughly guess Shan's schedule.
Tap.
An old man lightly landed between the two conversing men, his traditional Eastern robes fluttering.
"It's been a while."
"Sword Immortal, sir."
It was the legendary transcendent swordsman known throughout the world as having reached the heavens through the sword alone.
"Shan, is it? And Arad beside you."
"You've come."
"Yes. Does it please you to summon an old man at your whim?"
"......That wasn't my intention."
"What a dull fellow."
As the Sword Immortal casually adjusted his stance, Arad spoke.
"I'd like you to lend me your strength."
"Of course. You wouldn't have called if you didn't need help."
"......"
For some reason, Arad felt irritated. Calming his emotions, he spoke in a grave voice.
"Today, let's kill a Demon King."
"......I need to be back at the academy by tomorrow morning, you know?"
"It doesn't matter. Half a day is more than enough for this."
"Is that so?"
The Sword Immortal asked as he slightly drew his sword from its sheath. The exposed black blade was so dark it seemed to swallow all light.
"Yes. On my way out from the center, I discovered a Demon King that is still at the Low Rank of Transcendence."
Sensing something strange in Arad's words, the Sword Immortal thought.
'A Low Rank among Transcendents.'
It wasn't something Arad couldn't handle alone. In a one-on-one fight, he would likely win handily. That meant there must be another reason for calling both him and Shan.
"......You called us to hold back the other demons, didn't you?"
"I apologize, but yes."
If it was a low-ranking transcendent, Arad could finish it in an hour, let alone half a day. The reason he had sent the signal was that he wouldn't be able to handle the other demons on top of that.
'...A pity.'
As someone who had wanted to cross blades with a Demon King, the Sword Immortal felt a twinge of disappointment.
"......Well, if it's a Demon King, I'll help out."
"Thank you."
When Shan and Arad turned their gazes to him, the Sword Immortal fully drew his sword and released the aura he had been suppressing. The completely revealed black blade glowed softly in harmony with his power.
"I'm coming too."
"Thank you."
Arad gave a slight bow.
"Let's go. We must move quickly."
Goooooooo!
The three of them radiated overwhelming presence as they headed into the dark depths of the center.
"Disciple. Your master killed a Demon King today."
"......"
Inside the private training room. After meeting Shan today, I heard the most absurd nonsense from him.
"......Don't lie."
"I can't believe you're not buying it......"
Shan muttered under his breath.
"Your master is sulking now and probably won't be able to teach today."
"......Fine. What did the Demon King look like?"
I asked, deciding to humor him. Shan's face lit up.
"Pure white skin with striking black stripes, just like the stories say. Not very large in stature, with heterochromatic eyes and a single long horn. His ability involved manipulating lightning."
"......"
"He seemed to have the intelligence of something freshly born, so Arad finished him off quickly. Shall I tell you more?"
"......"
The description was far more detailed than I'd expected. It really sounded like he'd actually met and slain a Demon King.
"......It was real?"
"I don't lie often."
It was perfectly reasonable not to believe it. Who would believe that the person you met at the academy yesterday had gone off and killed a Demon King? Time-wise, it seemed impossible.
"That's incredible."
I said it with genuine feeling.
"Hmm. I wasn't saying it to get that kind of reaction."
"......But do Demon Kings really die that easily?"
The term Demon King referred to something like the kings of all demons. Yet Shan had spoken of it so casually. There had to be a reason.
"Ah, for convenience's sake, we call any demon above the Transcendent rank a Demon King. Besides, it's not my first time killing one."
"......I see."
It was the first time I'd heard that, but I took it in stride. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I'd suspected as much.
"Raise your Fire Qi."
The lesson was beginning. I nodded and drew forth my Fire Qi.
Fwoooosh.
Flames whirled around me.
Hah!
Shan threw a punch. It was calibrated to my level, so I barely managed to evade it.
"True teaching is learned through combat."
"......"
I thought it was both right and wrong to some degree. For ordinary people, fighting would only result in them getting beaten. But I was someone who could learn from the experience.
Shan smiled widely.
"Adel. Your martial art will be completed today. Look forward to it."
He raised his Battle Qi and lifted the sword he'd drawn at some point.
Kwaaaaaaaaang!
A real fight with Shan carried the power to make one grow naturally just from getting hit.
'...Whew.'
I couldn't even counterattack properly. Yet while dodging, I sometimes felt my movements becoming smoother. Shan was deliberately shortening his attack paths to refine my motion.
Fwoooosh!
Using that foundation, I gathered flames along my sword's edge.
Clang!
The collision with Shan's blade ignited even the invisible flames.
"Not much left now," he said.
"......"
What was he seeing to make him say that? Would I say the same once I became a Transcendent? Though whether I could even reach that level was the first question.
Fwoooosh!
As I recovered from a deflected strike, Shan's sword grazed my collar. To avoid the increasingly faster blade, I explosively released Fire Qi from my feet in an instant. It was almost entirely unconscious.
Hah!
Suddenly a sword swept into my path. I hastily blocked with my own blade and came to a stop. But there was no sound of impact.
Because Shan had already withdrawn his sword.
"......?"
When I looked at him in confusion, he spoke as if it were nothing.
"I made it. Your martial art."
At those words, I examined my body.
'...Nothing feels different?'
The only change was a slight adjustment in movement. That was all.
"That's enough. You'll naturally come to understand the martial art by tomorrow."
"......"
"And that's it for training today. Rest up for tomorrow."
Shan smiled expectantly.
'What is this about?'
It was a martial art I had created, yet he was acting like he already knew all about it. I wondered if all Transcendents were like that.
'I'll trust him.'
Though I was a bit doubtful, I decided to believe Shan's words. He had no reason to lie.
'Tomorrow, huh.'
That was when I too would first come to know my own martial art. Tomorrow was a day to look forward to.