Thunder Cannon
My god! Norton—no, Norun—couldn’t hide his inner shock as he stared at Aleck’s sword.
Clang—!
He had raised his own blade to deflect Aleck’s strike, but he realized how close he’d come to having his sword shattered.
‘You saw the grain in my sword?’
Norton swallowed the words that nearly burst from his lips.
‘Ha! This is fun.’
Fun indeed. It was just a spar between a juvenile and his instructor, yet it felt like facing a rival he’d clashed with for ages.
The more he watched, the less sense it made—this radiant, transcendent talent. He’d long suspected Aleck could sense a blade’s grain. After all, the boy had performed feats impossible without that insight.
‘It’s not some realm of enlightenment; it’s an innate instinct. A talent for the ages.’
But even among such gifts, there were levels. In Norton’s eyes, Aleck’s was peerless, unmatched by any.
That last strike had confirmed it beyond doubt. Aleck had definitely glimpsed the grain in the sword Norton himself wielded.
‘For a mere juvenile to read the grain in a blade held by a powerhouse like me... It’s shocking. Maddeningly thrilling.’
Goosebumps prickled his arms as Norton parried Aleck’s relentless assaults.
Boom, boom, boom-boom!
The explosive clashes echoed without end. Undeterred by his opening gambit being blocked, Aleck unleashed form after form.
‘I knew it’d be stopped anyway.’
Destroy Norton’s sword with this juvenile body? Even for him, who defied common sense, it was impossible.
Spotting the grain and striking there had been his best shot.
‘Might as well test the limits of my power while I’m at it.’
Aleck had grown explosively lately, but he’d never unleashed his full might against anyone.
Norton was the perfect opponent for an objective self-assessment.
Whoosh.
Aleck’s aura thickened further. His sword danced through the air like a living thing, surging toward Norton.
Wind White Swordsmanship. Fourth Form: Gale Heart Rain.
Aleck’s blade split into phantom afterimages, then coalesced into a gale-force torrent that battered Norton.
Faint traces of wind ether began to cloak his sword.
“Hah...!”
Norton let out a sigh laced with admiration and regret.
‘A peerless sword art that rivals my own Heavenly Thunder Swordsmanship.’
He saw right through the value of Aleck’s technique.
He’d glimpsed it a few times before, but this was the first time Aleck had wielded Wind White Swordsmanship after reaching juvenile stage and fully mastering Wind Qi Gong as a skill. It shone with true brilliance now.
‘And that’s... wind-attributed ether?’
But the wind aura gathering on Aleck’s blade was something Norton hadn’t anticipated at all.
‘The first time I met him, he carried the faint scent of thunder.’
That was part of why he’d decided Aleck had to be his disciple.
Not just because of that history-making talent, but...
‘No way I mistook wind for lightning.’
Aleck had exuded the same thunder aura as his own. It meant he could pass down his thunder arts and Heavenly Thunder Swordsmanship.
‘I thought he was the heaven-sent successor for my lineage...’
To awaken wind ether instead! Had he kept practicing what seemed like Heinz’s technique?
If so, it was a profound loss.
He should have taught his own arts before the attributes solidified.
‘What a tragedy!’
Norton bit his lower lip hard, drowning in regret.
If only he’d acted sooner.
‘Why’d I think I could only teach thunder arts as his master?’
Master-disciple formalities? What did outdated rituals matter?
Bound by them, he’d let slip a once-in-a-lifetime gem.
‘If I could turn back time... Huh?’
As Norton wallowed in remorse, an anomaly sparked from Aleck’s sword.
Crackle.
‘Thun—thunder?’
Amid the wind aura on Aleck’s blade, faint thunder ether overlaid it.
Norton gaped at the impossible sight.
* * *
‘He’s strong, as expected.’
I couldn’t even graze Norton’s clothes at full power, which only fueled my fighting spirit.
My modest goal for this spar: slice at least the hem of his robe.
‘Body’s holding up surprisingly well.’
I’d worried the thunder and wind ethers might clash when I drew them up.
But I’d accepted Norton’s challenge precisely to test it safely.
‘Dodging the issue won’t solve it.’
I couldn’t guarantee I’d never need full power again before resolving this.
Better to experiment now, with an absolute like Norton here. If anything went wrong inside me, he could force it back in line.
Yet drawing full power revealed the ethers seeking harmony instead.
‘They can coexist?’
Music to my ears. No certainty yet, but instinct said they’d blend.
So I pushed harder, confirming my hunch—and aiming to nick Norton’s sleeve.
Wind White Swordsmanship. Seventh Form: Storm Mountain Sweep.
The form pierced defenses like no other. Storm ether thickened on my blade.
Crackle.
And faint lightning overlaid it.
Kaboom!
My body rocketed past Norton like a cannonball.
“...!”
Maybe because of the dual attributes, Norton blocked with wide-eyed shock.
Slice.
The tip of his sleeve fluttered free—tiny, barely a fingernail’s width, but I’d done it.
Something impossible for my level.
“...”
Norton stared, shock lingering, then noticed his severed cuff.
“Heh.”
He chuckled suddenly.
“Heh... heh-heh, hahaha! As expected of you, Aleck—you never disappoint! Haha!”
What had him so thrilled? Norton burst into full-throated laughter, then strode over grinning, clapping my shoulder.
“Wielding two ethers at once—you’re the first on this continent!”
I knew. No record in history, past or future. Not even in my game days.
“Is that so.”
I replied coolly. Like Karimru, Norton was an ally now. He’d help nurture this unprecedented dual affinity—and ensure it stayed secret.
“From your reaction, you don’t grasp how immense this power is. Listen well, Aleck. Dual attributes don’t just double your offense; they unlock multiples more possibilities!”
Norton spoke with feverish excitement. I knew exactly what he meant.
Awakening only wind would’ve limited me. Now, endless paths opened.
Future runes might gain extra effects tied to both. Partial primalization in maturity, full in complete body—diverse awakenings awaited.
‘After primalization, I gained mantis forelimb traits granting Wind White Sword. Wind awakening’s influence. Now with thunder too—who knows what extras?’
Not just additions—maybe fused traits surpassing my old Wind White Sword.
Dual elements meant exponentially greater destruction.
As I mulled his words inwardly,
he grew solemn. “Aleck, one question. Still no thoughts of becoming my disciple?”
“...I’m sorry. I’m not ready to take a master yet.”
“I see. Understood.”
Regret tinged his tone, but no choice.
Becoming his disciple might yield huge gains—like learning his thunder arts to tame this ticking bomb ether.
‘But blindly joining binds me to him. Limits my freedom, constant vigilance. And a nominal master would insult him and my principles.’
Regrettable, but necessary.
Yet Norton pressed on, as if expecting it. “Dual attributes are new to me, but your instability’s obvious at a glance.”
As expected of such a powerhouse—gauging me just from crossed blades.
“Thunder’s the culprit, right? Even I, who awakened it, struggle with its wild temper.”
Spot on. Why I’d planned to contact Estelle for a quick fix.
“Without control, the ethers will clash endlessly. You know that.”
True again. His ether mastery shone—deducing this without close inspection.
“So, here’s my proposal.”
“...”
A strange déjà vu hit.
‘No way...’
I swallowed, awaiting his words.
And heard the unthinkable offer.
“Aleck, I’ll teach you my unique art, Thunder Cannon. Master it, and you’ll control your awakened thunder ether. No need to be my disciple—I’ll pass it on anyway. What do you say? Will you learn?”
“...!”
My eyes went wide at Norton’s bombshell proposal.