***
The Gordian Korō-ryū Dojo
The day after Rion arrived in Gaun, Touya’s training continued at the Korō-ryū dojo. However, Gerard had replaced Gordiana as the current instructor, and the content of the training had shifted to a more practical approach.
“Plant your feet more – that’s it!”
“Like this, Sensei!”
“Hmm, you’re getting the hang of it!”
Gerard blocked and deflected the Sacred Sword Touya swung. Touya’s swordsmanship was remarkably sharper than it had been a few days ago, and it had also become heavier. Even Miyabi and Nana, amateurs when it came to swords, could clearly see the change.
(Is it thanks to Gordiana-san’s teachings? My body feels incredibly light, and I can move just as I intend!)
Touya’s body, which had been diligently practicing the Gordian style, was not betrayed by his efforts. The physical modifications, combined with increased flexibility from Gordian massages and the nutrient-rich meals from Gordian cuisine, created a synergistic effect that enhanced his progress. With Gerard’s swordsmanship instruction added to the mix, it was inevitable that his skills would grow.
“Uoooooohhhh—!”
“That’s the spirit! Again, one more!”
The clash of swords once again echoed through the dojo. Nana and Miyabi, the party’s mood maker and chaos maker, who were currently on break, could hear the sound.
“Kanzaki-kun is really fired up, isn’t he?”
“I don’t understand the language of the body. But I feel like we’ve gotten stronger too. Hmph! Hmph!”
“About those biceps… they’re there, or maybe not. But we’re definitely getting stronger, right!”
Even though their primary combat methods involved magic and staves rather than swords, the two had become more robust through their training here. They had honed their minds in Delamis and their bodies in Gaun. In the Underworld, they had gained an abundance of practical combat experience. Touya and the others could now proudly claim to be as strong as any past Hero.
“Ah, thank you very much—!”
“Hmm, well done. Get some good rest.”
As soon as the training ended, Touya collapsed onto the dojo floor. He had pushed himself to his absolute limit.
“Here, Kanzaki-kun. Towel and water.”
“Th-Thanks… Phew, it’s sinking into my whole body. Still, Gerard-san doesn’t seem tired at all. As expected, I can really feel the difference in power.”
“Oh, is that so? Well, this much is nothing. When I’m sparring with Sera or Rion, I move more than twice this much.”
“T-Twice…?”
“Monsters. There are monsters here.”
“M-Miyabi-chan…” _ _
Indeed, if Kelvin and the others were to spar, their exertion would be incomparable to this training. The difference in levels, and even racial performance, was overwhelming. There was that much of a gap between humans, majin, and angels.
“Hmm. I’ve also been incorporating hunts of angel-type monsters between training sessions, and I think it’s about time you all evolved too. You must have defeated quite a number of monsters in the Underworld last time, right?”
“Yes, we’ve been doing our best in our own way…”
“I think it’s because of the way we’ve been fighting until now.”
Miyabi, placing her conical witch hat on her lap, suddenly spoke up.
“Oh? What do you mean?”
“When gaining experience points to level up by fighting monsters, the one who lands the final blow gets most of them. We always try to distribute them evenly, but there were naturally battles where we didn’t have that luxury. In those situations, we always relied on Setsuna’s power.”
“Setsuna, that black-haired girl? Indeed, with her ‘Iron Cutting Fist,’ she can cut down enemies regardless of their strength.”
“Yes. As a result, Setsuna has grown significantly ahead of the rest of us.”
“That’s right.”
“Yep~.”
What Miyabi and the others were saying was all true, and it was clear that they had managed to get through critical situations by relying on Setsuna’s power. Gerard, too, understood this perfectly. And as a warrior, he was eager to meet her.
“So, where is this Setsuna now? I haven’t met her since I arrived here.”
“Now that you mention it, we haven’t seen her in a while either. She’s been holed up in a different dojo for several days now, hasn’t she?”
“That’s true. It’s been three days already… Hah! Could it be that the middle-aged man is making her do something lewd…!?”
“No, no, I don’t think that’s possible. nito-san, his words and gaze might be lewd, but he seemed more delighted to have a disciple.”
“I don’t know. You can’t tell what that middle-aged man is thinking. Therefore, he is dangerous. Extremely dangerous.”
“Miyabi, you have rather biased thinking.”
Touya and Nana offered wry smiles at Miyabi’s harsh words, but they didn’t seem entirely at ease. While they thought it unlikely, the possibility lingered in their minds. Their trust in the old man was… shaky.
“Alright! Then, I’ll go take a peek at her training. Where is that dojo located?”
” ” ” Eh? ” ” ”
***
Roma, the master of Korō-ryū Swordsmanship, was in the second dojo where Setsuna and Nito were training. As someone who walked the path of the sword, and moreover, the same style, he was interested in the training of Nito, the founder of Korō-ryū, and his disciple. He had grudgingly been allowed by Nito to observe from the side of the dojo and had been watching the training while sitting in seiza since morning.
(Is this… training!?)
What was unfolding before Roma’s eyes was a deathmatch with real swords. Setsuna, holding Nirvanajyaku, was in an iaijutsu stance. Facing her were Nito’s doppelgangers, ten in total, surrounding Setsuna in various forms. The two of them had been fighting and cutting each other within the dojo for hours on end. Setsuna swiftly cut down Nito’s successive attacks from all directions with her high-speed sword, and blood splattered. However, Nito was immediately revived by Kishikaisei and parried once more. If Setsuna’s skill severed a sword, one of Nito’s doppelgangers would pick up one of the countless swords piled on the floor. And so they fought again. This cycle repeated.
Setsuna accumulated as much experience in cutting people as she could, physically mastering how to cut them more effectively. As her skills improved, Nito’s restraint gradually disappeared, and the combat had now reached terrifying speeds. There was no opening for Roma to insert himself, and the sword clashing was happening at speeds faster than his iaijutsu.
Then, in the next moment, Setsuna displayed a technique Roma had never witnessed before. One swing. It was indeed just one swing. All of Nito’s doppelgangers surrounding Setsuna, along with their swords, were sliced into pieces and turned into chunks of flesh. To Roma, it looked as if Setsuna had simply drawn her sword, and he couldn’t comprehend what had happened. However, the goosebumps that rose all over his body and his involuntarily weakened knees attested to the abnormality of the event.
“Excellent, truly excellent. Better than I expected, old man.”
The sword placed beside Roma spoke in an admiring tone. Roma still didn’t quite understand, but this seemed to be Nito’s true form.
“No, I haven’t been able to use it to its full potential yet. And I was bedridden for a whole day. I need to make up for this delay soon…!”
“Setsuna-chan, don’t be so hasty. Listen? Humans have three main evolutionary paths, broadly speaking. The ‘Majin,’ who excel in magical abilities and acquire Unique Skills focused on magic. The ‘Saint,’ who creates a Unique Skill that bestows some benefit upon themselves and is well-balanced with no significant weaknesses. And the ‘Superhuman,’ like Pritia-chan, who excels in physical abilities. Of course, their acquired Unique Skills correspond to this. What you, Setsuna-chan, have become is the latter, a Superhuman, the perfect race to inherit my style. Your new Unique Skill will make my ultimate techniques even more powerful. My, I hope someday you’ll conquer the world with that sword.”
“Please stop joking. One more match, please!”
The deathmatch resumed. Meanwhile, behind the stunned Roma, the onlookers who had been peeking through the gaps in the dojo door were no longer there. Perhaps seeing this training had motivated them, as hurried footsteps receded towards the first dojo.
