Chapter 76 - Training with the exorcists

Thomas stood, sword at the ready, facing down Touji. Thankfully for them, Myra put down a barrier around the backyard so that none of the neighbors might see what he and Touji were about to do. Once the barrier was erected, Thomas backed slowly across the dirt floor, preparing himself for the inevitable strike that would come any moment now. Trickles of sweat ran down from his temples, but his grip was firm as Touji advanced on him.

Suddenly, Touji attacked, sword lancing forward in a straight thrust delivered for maximum speed. While he can't be called a master swordsman, even Thomas could see that this was, a bold strike, made more effective because Touji fought in tandem with Myra, who attack Thomas almost as soon as her husband strike forward, while she attack Thomas's left. Luckily for him, he managed to counter Touji's strike with his own blade, knocking aside the strike and going for the legs in one sweep. It wasn't intended to hit, however; it was a defensive move, meant to enable him to keep an eye on both opponents. Myra tried to hit Thomas in the back, but he used his magic to launch himself in the air, carefully knocking aside the blow while preparing himself for another from Touji, who, Thomas considered the more dangerous of the two.

At the same time, while Thomas was still in the air, Touji repositioned, taking smooth steps, keeping his blade to the side as he set his back to the house. Without waiting for any attack to come for him, Thomas charged toward Myra as she tried to hit him with an exorcist spell made specifically to bind an enemy. While the spell wasn't exactly the best way to use in such an attack since it was rarely useful against someone on the defensive, faster or stronger than the one who cast it, Myra was obviously trying to end this fight sooner and without injuring her daughter's friend.

Meanwhile, Touji was advancing again. Thomas brought his sword back in to guard as Irina's parents approached in tandem. Knowing very well that if he gets caught between them like this, he would lose, Thomas readied himself before attacking. His blade flashed three times, pushing a wide-eyed woman back while at the same time hearing her curse her luck. Not wanting to give Touji a chance, he threw himself forward, but Touji brought his sword up and moved fluidly into range.

Thomas braced himself as Touji's sword descended upon him. He swiftly raised his own sword, attempting to parry the strike, but the impact was too much. The strength behind Touji's attack sent Thomas stumbling backward, his footing faltering. Determined not to be defeated so easily, he regained his balance and tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword, ready to face Touji once again.

As Thomas regained his balance, he keep his eyes on Touji, which was the immediate threat before him. However, his instincts failed to anticipate the danger lurking from behind. In a swift and calculated move, Myra lunged at him with her blade aimed at his unprotected back.

Reacting on pure instinct, Thomas spun around, barely deflecting Myra's strike with a desperate parry. While he grappled with Myra, a sudden thought appeared in his mind as he remember a part from Brother Aurelius' book, making him realize that he had fallen into a trap. They had maneuvered him towards the house, effectively limiting his movements and cornering him. In the end, he was still not ready to face better fighters than he was and while he could in theory use magic to his advantage, this spar wasn't about that.

While Thomas was slightly lost in his thoughts, Touji seized the opportunity and pressed forward, his strikes becoming more aggressive and precise. Thomas found himself locked in a relentless exchange of blows, desperately parrying Touji's attacks, and struggling to find an opening for his own counterattacks.

A second later, Myra joined her husband forcing Thomas to parry even more desperately, almost as if his life was depending on it. Each parried attack was draining his strength, and he could feel his body slowly but surely becoming sore.

Even though this wasn't a battle for life or death, Thomas desperately parried the attacks of both Touji and Myra, he felt his strength waning. Every fiber of his being screamed with exhaustion, and the soreness in his muscles became more pronounced with each passing second. He knew he couldn't keep up this defense for much longer.

Unbeknownst to Thomas, both Touji and Myra noticed that the boy was getting tired at an alarming pace. With a subtle grin, he decided it was time to teach the young boy a valuable lesson—one that many exorcists learned the hard way.

Signaling his wife to continue putting pressure on the boy, Touji stepped to the right, in a way that Thomas would notice him and attack him since he lowered his guard,  making Thomas believe he had an opening to counterattack.

Seeing this glimmer of hope, Thomas seized the apparent opportunity and lunged forward to strike at Touji. But just as his sword was about to connect, Touji's foot kicked the ground, sending a cloud of dirt and dust into the air. Blinded and disoriented, Thomas had lost track of both Touji and Myra and panic began to set in as he swung his sword blindly, hoping to fend off an imminent strike.

Despite the boy blindly and desperately swinging his sword in the air, Touji guided his sword, not for a direct attack, but to disarm his opponent. He aimed for Thomas's weapon hand, knowing that if he could force the boy to drop his sword, then this spar will end. The blade struck and Thomas lost his grip on his sword, feeling it slip from his grasp before ending with Touji's blade against the boy's neck.

Once the boy's shoulder dropped, Touji removed his blade and stepped away, sheathing it. He offered a hand to Thomas, who took it, as Touji was guiding him back to the house to wash his face. "You are getting better, Thomas. I was to admit that at first, I doubt you will fight only using your sword, and while you did briefly use magic to save yourself, I'd say that was a smart choice."

While Touji gently helped the boy to the house, Myra walked beside him, with a smile on her face. Even though the boy wasn't her son, she was proud of him for surprising even her and her husband at their age. "You've come a long way, Thomas," she said warmly. "If you keep training like this, you'll soon surpass both Touji and me."

Thomas, still catching his breath, nodded gratefully at Myra's words. After all, if not for Touji and Irina, he doubts he would have been able to learn so much in such a short time. Especially since, Mars told him that if he did train purely from what he had read in Brother Aurelius' book, chances are that he would have still been at the begging of his journey.

Once they reached the house, Thomas washed his face, feeling the cool water wash away the remnants of dirt and dust. He then made his way back to the living room where Touji was waiting.

As soon as he was sitting down on the sofa, Touji decided to ask Thomas something. "How long do you plan to stay with your grandparents?"

Thomas thought for a moment before responding, "Just two weeks since I plan to visit my friends this summer and then spend some time with my parents."

"In that case," he proposed, "how about we spar every day for those two weeks? We'll create various scenarios, test your skills, and help you grow even more."

Without a moment's hesitation, Thomas accepted the opportunity. And so, the next two weeks became a whirlwind of intense training sessions, with Touji pushing Thomas to his limits. The rising sun marked the beginning of each day, as they would start their training in the backyard of Touji's house.

Touji devised a variety of scenarios to test Thomas's mettle. They dueled in cramped spaces, forcing Thomas to adapt to close-quarters combat, where every movement had to be precise and efficient. They simulated battles against multiple opponents, where Thomas learned the art of strategic positioning and quick decision-making. Under Touji's watchful eye, Thomas absorbed every lesson, honing his technique, refining his footwork, and perfecting his timing. With each challenge, Thomas pushed himself further, learning to control his breathing, and finding a calm center amidst the chaos of combat.

On the last day before Thomas was set to leave, he made up his mind to do something he wanted ever since Touji started training him.

"Uncle Touji," Thomas said. "I've learned so much during these past weeks, and I'm grateful for all your guidance. But before I leave, I have one more request. Could we have a real fight, with no rules in place?"

"Are you sure about this?" Touji asked, surprised to hear the boy asking him such a difficult request, While this could be seen as an opportunity for Thomas, fighting with no rules against an almost twelve years old boy was not exactly something he was keen on doing.

"I'm sure ."

"Very well." Touji then gave Thomas one of the swords before distancing himself from the boy.

Not even a second after he got the sword, Thomas took a stance ready to defend himself and defend he did as Touji charged at him pushing the boy with one swing.

However, to his merit, Thomas nearly landed a hit, his sword brushing Touji's clothing. He heard a curse, but the next moment, Touji swung once more. Thomas braced himself and took it on the side, casting a quick Protego to ease the damage.

The sword didn't draw blood, mostly due to both the shield charm and his sword taking the brunt of the attack, but Touji's strike did carry a huge amount of force behind it and the blow tossed Thomas out to the ground.

As he tried to regain his bearing, Touji appeared above him a second later, plunging down with his sword. Using every bit of strength he could muster, Thomas parried it to the side just before it could cut him. Before he could be attacked in such a way again, Thomas sprang to his feet, raising his sword in defense.

Seeing this made Touji impressed by the boy's resilience, as he smirked before he launched a series of rapid strikes, which could barely parry. With each exchange, Thomas could feel himself growing more attuned to the rhythm of the fight. At some point he let his instincts guide him, allowing him to anticipate Touji's next move and counter each strike, as he aimed for an opening in Touji's defense.

Since Thomas wanted a real fight, Touji switched his strategy and began to vary his attacks, testing Thomas's adaptability. Feints, swift slashes, and strange footwork, and yet, Thomas responded in the same way, almost as if he was copying his teacher.

"You are getting better at stealing my style," Touji said with a smile on his face. "But you still have a lot to learn."

The man was trying to use Thomas's age to enrage him and make him charge blindly, trying to prove him wrong. But he did not succeed as Thomas swung low at Touji's feet, but the man responded with something very similar, slapping away Thomas' attack, before he stepped back, walking around the perimeter of the backyard, keeping his sword out to the side.

If Touji wants to play like this, well then let's play. Thought Thomas as they circled each other.

"Come now," Touji said. "I'm waiting."

But Thomas remained silent. Each moment he stalled was a moment Touji was not attacking him thus giving him some breathing room. Sadly for him, Touji seemed to realize it, for he came in swiftly and four strikes followed. One down, one to the side, one to the backhand, and one to the head.

By some miracle, Thomas dodges all four of them in time when a rock hit his chest leaving him out of breath. The next moment, Touji slashed and despite everything he did to dodge it, and even raising his sword against the slash, the blade still cut his forearm.

And with that Touji stepped back, his sword dripping Thomas' blood.

Thomas felt a searing pain as the blade grazed his forearm, blood trickling down his arm. He staggered back, breathing heavy and labored before he took a deep sigh.

"I... I admit defeat. You're the better swordsman, Uncle Touji."

Lowering his sword, Thomas looked up at Touji, as the man sheathed his sword and approached Thomas, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You fought well, Thomas. Remember, defeat is not the end. It's a chance to learn and grow. And you've shown great progress during our time together. Besides I doubt there's anyone in that school of your that could ever defeat you in close combat."

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