(Part 2)
10 YEARS AGO, 10,450, WINTER MONTH 5, DAY 21, YEAR 10,450 SAMURAI COUNTRY NAGASUKE
Skrylla Yokuta felt danger and started noticing how it had become a trend in his recent battles.
Anyways, he was going to get food, so why not?
The boy before him rolled his neck and cracked his knuckles, also doing a few warmup exercises before taking a stance as Skrylla Yokuta dropped his bin and box after picking a Wooden Sword to use.
The boy had a condescending look as he literally and metaphorically looked at this poor Samurai rat.
Skrylla Yokuta was smiling like an idiot with his full set of teeth out, without even realizing it.
He was tired of fighting wildlife and Mother Nature’s Spawn.
“What is your name?”
“What?”
“What is your name, peasant?”
“Why do you want to know my name?”
The Young master face palmed.
“Between you and my parents I don’t know who would win a game of stubbornness.”
“Make sense, Idiot!”
The boy blanched then laughed.
“Good, good.
I take it that you don’t know how to behave civilized and I do not fault you for your lack of home training.
So, I’ll go first.”
“Oh, I do have a parent.
But my dad’s never really around so it’s just my mom.”
The Young Master arced a brow.
“Are you crazy?”
“No, I’m Skrylla Yokuta!”
The boy took a glance at his Old Fool who was stifling a smile like his guards.
“How old are you?”
Skrylla Yokuta clapped his hands and pointed at him as though he understood.
“I know this one, so you go first.”
“Why should I go fi-“
“Ladies first.”
His innocent laugh caught the Young Master’s guardian off guard and made him begin with laugh but turn it into a violent cough.
The soldiers all shouting ‘Young Master’ like a chant to cover up their laugh.
“I’m not a lady.”
Skrylla Yokuta huffed his chest.
“Well, whenever I ask women their age they never tell me theirs.”
Even the old man nodded in contemplation.
“Ah, are you afraid of the fight?”
“Nope, why would I be scared of someone who will become a stepping stone?”
The Old man was happy that his Young Master was finally getting something that regarded him as an equal or a lesser.
He would need it to grow and develop later on.
“Hah, I Firial Xenowatt fear no man, or king or peasant.
You shall fall to my cl-“
“Hey buddy doesn’t this guy talk too much?” Turning back to the rich young man, he spoke again.
“Hurry up, I have not fought another human in a while.”
“Fine then, suffer your arrogance.”
The old man had still thought his Young Master would win because people from privileged families usually had the advantage of being able to procure pills and items that would boost the speed of their child’s cultivation at the price of a shaky foundation which would limit their potential in the future.
However, Firial Xenowatt had truly trained himself until he got those pills.
He was disappointed, though.
Skrylla Yokuta struck at the boy who used his forearm to block it.
None of them stepped back and Skrylla Yokuta’s full smile revealed his teeth again.
A whip kick aiming at his sword and his head came into view but Skrylla Yokuta was already ducking and spinning to cut at his feet.
Shockingly, though, the boy got hit on his calf but the swipe did not get past his skin.
“Hey buddy, I might have to take this guy half seriously.”
“How dare You!??”
A stomp aimed for his neck was coming down on him so he stood up and slid to the side then leapt back in for a stab that was caught with both hands even though Firial Xenowatt took a few steps back before finally stabilizing himself.
“You are slightly better than I thoug-“
“Hey buddy, he likes his balance.”
Skrylla Yokuta pulled until Firial Xenowatt was almost thrown behind himself before the Young Master suddenly frowned and stabilized the tug.
“Hey buddy we need to step it up.”
Firial Xenowatt was beginning to lean into Skrylla Yokuta’s proximity until Skrylla Yokuta… slipped and fell because Firial Xenowatt let go.
However, the fall turned to a backflip and Firial Xenowatt missed his stomp.
And in the crouch Skrylla Yokuta found himself in, he sprung forward like a released coil which made Firial Xenowatt have to block it with the foot he had already extended for the earlier stomp.
The wooden blade passed through his foot but it did not extend too far.
And in anger, the Young Master twisted his body to the side and whipped out his second leg at Skrylla Yokuta who had already positioned his arm for a block.
He landed no too far away and referred to his Sword again.
“Buddy, are you having fun?”
On the other hand, the old man was happy that his Young Master would have a chance to grow and he could not thank Skrylla Yokuta for showing up.
However, the guards were gritting their teeth at the peasant boy.
“You are better than I expected.”
“Yeah, my Sword is AWESOME!!”
“No, I mean you.”
“Oh, well I really did have good home training.”
The old man laughed and so did some of the soldiers.
“Hey buddy, let’s go again.”
“I’m going to be serious this time.”
Firial Xenowatt’s stance changed but Skrylla Yokuta remained the same.
“Twin Claw!”
WHOOSH
The approach was as sudden as it was powerful and Skrylla Yokuta dropped until his but kissed his heels, avoiding a double palm strike.
Then returning back up like a spring, Firial Xenowatt returned both hands to under his chin so that they took the brunt of the damage before he flew back for 3 meters.
WHOOSH!
The flying kick was caught on the edge of the Sharpened Wooden blade, its owner bending until his head touched the ground and Firial Xenowatt was redirected to the sky, spinning as he ascended the air.
“Meteor Kick!”
Landing with one leg extended and the other at a sharp 45 degree angle, the ground splintered, a line of cracks growing where Firial Xenowatt’s foot made contact with the ground.
“Flamingo Stance!”
He finished uttering the technique just before Skrylla Yokuta arrived with a swipe that he knocked aside using a forearm.
Another was redirected and the final was blocked.
“Twin Claw!”
Blocking the double attacks, Skrylla Yokuta twisted his body to disperse most of its momentum before dragging the edge of his weapon to leave a cut along his flank.
But Firial Xenowatt caught the sword, prompting an axe kick that he did not see coming.
So shocking was its arrival to his face that he fell to the ground in daze before getting back up.
“You fight with your limbs too?”
“Why not?”
“Aren’t swordsmen only supposed to use their Swords?”
“Well, I pledged my love to my weapon by only using it during practice.
Everything I have learned about my fist and legs were beaten into me.”
“Beaten into you, are you weak?”
“My sister has speed, she could crush you before you can even begin.”
Firial Xenowatt blanched as he realized that the boy was saying this while he fought him.
Meaning that Skrylla Yokuta had made his judgements through experience and relativity.
Still, he found both claims ridiculous because he himself was not fully serious and also because the kick he had performed had almost perfect form.
“Are you saying you will never train with your limbs?”
“At this point in time, it is my confession to my way of the sword.”
“Way Of The Sword?” Firial Xenowatt laughed uproariously.
“What do you know about the Way Of The Sword?”
“It is simply my confession of the passion I have for it.” He then shrugged and dived back into battle but the Young Master’s curiosity was not sated.
So, he jumped back and avoided the clash.
“Buddy, I think he just toying with us.”
“You said for now.”
“Way Of The Sword.
The Sword’s Way, So I have ask the Sword about its own way first”
“I don’t understand.”
The old man nodded gravely as he tried to study this kid.
“Its hard to explain, let’s continue.”
“Okay.”
“Twin Claw!”
Though Skrylla Yokuta had dispersed most of the technique the last time, he would rather avoid it.
So, he stepped to the side and cut across his flank.
But like last time, it did not even draw shallow blood.
“Swinging Claw!”
Skrylla Yokuta rolled his neck under an attack and swung with both hands at the open shins.
So that, Firial Xenowatt was lifted off the ground before he smacked him back down, although the last strike was blocked.
The Young Master continued the attack and pushed himself up after tucking his knees in and bracing his palms on the ground to spring back up and throw a double kick at the same time.
“Double Rising Stomp!”
One think Skrylla Yokuta envied was the continuous stream of techniques the boy had been calling out.
He had not began cultivation yet, so it was more of Martial Art Techniques.
But still, he himself did not have any.
And Skrylla Yokuta pouted but that was not why he got caught by a flying kick that threw him back 19 meters.
Weirdly, through the battle, he had not really seen any Gas Trails.
But what he saw had confused him because it had come like a flash that distracted him.
And if that was all maybe he would have still redirected the area of attack.
But he had spaced out… almost like what had happened the first time he had seen the Gas Trails.
Lying on the floor, he knew he had improved but he now had the imprint of a foot on his clothes and a nose upturned in the air not far from himself.
“1st Clean Hit!”