A new fighting style

Nao looked towards Keita. Keita was still clenching his chest and had difficulty breathing. Right now wasn't the time for doubts though.

"You want to change targets?" Nao asked.

"No... Right now, I doubt I can dodge a simple swing from that Death Knight. Besides, me keeping busy the Mage should be easier for you, right?" Keita responded. He still hasn't recovered but he was able to think clearly at least.

"Well, that's true." Nao remarked with a teasing smile. "Although you going mental on me like that doesn't make things easier for me at all."

'Quite remarkable that he can make jokes in this situation.' Keita thought and smiled wryly.

Keita and Nao exited the small swamp Morran had created. They looked one last time at each other before nodding and splitting up. The Death Knight has started running towards them, after checking it's masters condition. Morran wasn't visible.

'There is no way that this was all it took. Hurry up and come!' Keita thought as he reaffirmed his stance. He closed his eyes to better sense Morran's Magic Power. Before he could sense anything though-

"That was a surprise. I understand now. No wonder you think you are the Irregular. Indeed, a existence like yours can not be found anywhere in the Lerien continent." Morran said, as a dark portal revealed itself a dozen steps in front of Keita. "I would have liked to take you apart and study this body of yours" Morran paused and revealed a sadistic smile that send a chill to Keita's spine "but alas, I can not."

Keita didn't move from his position. He felt that this was fine. If the Elder Lich wanted to waste time spouting garbage, that was even better for Keita. His objective was to buy as much time as possible after all.

"And? Why did you seal this black magic power? Can you nor control it properly? Or do you think you do not need it?" Morran said, finally getting serious. He was seemingly unscathed, but even an Elder Lich could feel pain. He seemed furious at the moment.

Keita did not respond. He closed the distance, one step at the time. Because of his transformation - even though partial - Shroud disappeared. His wounds on the other hand remained, leaving him in a complete disadvantage. He tried to put as much weight as he could to his unharmed leg as he dashed.

"This again? You never lea-" Morran started saying but a certain urgency caused him to stop.

Diagonal slash, abdomen, neck, eyes, face, shoulder, thighs, heart.

Keita's sword style has completely changed, as he started making small attacks one after the other. Was it because he couldn't use any Skills? Morran questioned but his hypothesis was immediately disregarded. Morran was being pushed back. His confidence that he could take Keita on close combat shattered. He was dodging and barely parrying Keita's attacks but he had no time to counter attack. Was he getting faster? He thought as decided he had to make distance as fast as possible.

Morran jumped backwards while casting a simple floating spell to increase the distance even further. He was able to widen the distance to the original one.

"You are a monster..." Morran muttered delighted. Giving him the smallest hint was enough to transform Keita to this extend. He stopped using big swings, trying to end everything in one attack and started chaining his attacks. His most obvious weakness was just fixed just like that.

It would be more literal to say that Keita's swordsmanship was at the level of a child's. He it made up though with superb instincts and reflexes and with a speed augment Skill. Take his speed away though and he was just a small fry. Morran who thought he completely saw though Keita, was now struck with such a quick and radical change. Normally he should have been scared by such a sudden transformation but he felt even more excited.

"That's right, Keita Raigon. Find wisdom. That is how humans get stronger!" he said, with a exhilarating expression while extending his hands towards Keita as if he wanted to hug him.

"Shut up..." Keita finally broke his silence. He was angry with himself. He hated his weakness and the fact that he was able to grow stronger thanks to his enemy's words. Right now all his frustration and hatred was aiming towards Morran with a killing intend that made even the Elder Lich falter.

'What is this?' Morran thought as he was struck with a thirst for blood that froze him. 'How can a human possess such killing intend at such a young age?' Morran for the first time since the fight begun... no, for the fist time since he became Undead, he felt fear. A natural response for one whose life was in danger.

The killing intend radiating from Keita felt like a wave, attacking Morran. Not only his perception, even his own eyes sensed the killing intend, showing the illusion that Keita's dark silhouette was towering over him with red eyes and a red aura sipping out of his body, made of blood lust.

"Ridiculous!" Morran shouted, freeing himself of the illusion of his own making. His will was not so easily broken.

"Magic Missile Barrage!" Morran waved his staff to the air and slowly pointed it towards Keita. Magic Missiles were formed one after the other.

While that was the most basic of spells, Magic Missiles were akin to edge-less spears thrown at the target. Their destructive power relied mostly on the speed and numbers. Ten Magic Missiles were heading towards Keita and more were being summoned every moment. Keita did not move to dodge. He placed both his hands on his sword and started swinging. The missile's speed wasn't anywhere close to the Magic Bullet but for Keita who would normally rely on his mobility in such situation... His skill level wasn't enough to attack every single Missile.

"It's not even close to being over!" Morran said with delight as more Magic Missiles headed towards Keita. Torturing Keita to death... Morran's true nature was seeping out from his facade, revealing a dangerous smile.

Keita was hit twice for every one Magic Missile he was able to parry. The moment his sword met with the Magic Missile, the dark coloured spear was broken to pieces.

"I see you want more!" Morran shouted as more missiles formed above him.

Even though Keita was hit, his stance didn't falter. He managed to parry the incoming attacks, as he got used to their speed.

"More..." Morran once again summoned more Magic Missiles but he wasn't able to smile anymore.

'What is happening?' he thought as he saw Keita's form.

Keita hasn't moved a single step from where he originally planted himself and took the Spell head on. He didn't even try to dodge the attacks that he was unable to parry, simply letting himself get hit over and over. But now... too few attacks met their mark.

"What is happening? What did you do?" Morran wasn't able to hold himself anymore. Keita who originally wasn't able to defend even against half the Magic Missiles was now perfectly and with amazing speed able to break every single one. Morran could not see Keita's expression but he understood very clearly. This was not the poise of someone being cornered.

After Keita slashed at the last Magic Missile, he straightened his back and Morran was finally able to meet his eyes.

His was completely calm. There was no emotion shown in his eyes. Even though he was bruised all over, even though his mouth was bleeding, Keita's eyes were looking at Morran as if nothing has happened.

'Training... This guy was actually training in this situation...' Morran's astonishment could not be hidden. He could not understand those eyes but only Keita's actions.

Keita had taken every word Morran had said to heart. After realizing his weakness, this was the only method he could think of improving. Keita's swordsmanship was truly at a low level. He could not remember ever training his sword. Every move, every attack that he ever did, was the result of a crude fighting style, he had as Pride. A fighting style, forged from the heart of combat. But this fighting style would not carry him any further. He had to change himself and fast. On the other hand, he couldn't just start training himself. He was already an Aerch Militia soldier after all, not a kid playing around with a wooden stick. So her decided to reforge it. This fighting style that was completely compatible with his abilities as Pride was thrown away and something new has started to grow in it's place. Keita Raigon's fighting style.

"Not coming...?" Keita muttered. In an instant, he lowered his center of gravity and dashed towards Morran.

Morran, still in a daze snapped himself out of it. He hurriedly chant a spell.

'It's here!' Keita thought, realizing what this spell was. This was the moment he was waiting for. Since he first met Morran face to face, this was the kind of spell he was waiting for him to cast.

"Blazing Spear!" Morran screamed, as Keita was just a breath away.

The Spear made out of fire, hit Keita's chest and Keita was engulfed in a ball of scorching flame.

"Heh..." Morran allowed himself a moment of relaxation. He could not afford to kill Keita, in case he was the irregular so he could not use any of his numerous Spells to hit a vital point. Blazing Spear, while it was a high level Spell, would not be able to kill an opponent in a single go. It had to be repeatedly fire, like Magic Missile Barrage and completely engulf it's target in a sea of flame to be lethal. But for knocking someone unconscious and close to death, it was more than enough. And that was where it's weakness laid.

A white flash, cut the ball of fire apart and Keita emerged out of it. Keita was someone who learned form his experiences, or so he would like to think. Since he fought the Orc War-chief with the fire axe, all these months ago, resistance against fire was something he valued. That was why when he was able to gather the considerable sum that it took, he enchanted his clothe armor. He wasn't able to completely resist the flames but he didn't take any considerable damage.

Morran tried defending with his staff. Since the wooden staff was able to even block Keita's blade with Shroud active, he was going to be stopped. But Keita's aim wasn't towards Morran's body. With a horizontal slash of his sword, Keita cut off both of Morran's hands.

"Gyaaaahhh!!!" Morran screamed in an uncharacteristic manner. With both his hands cut off, he could no longer hold his staff - which Keita immediately grabbed and threw away over his shoulder.

"Damn you!" Morran screamed.

Without his staff, he was going to be unable to cast any high level magic spells - in theory. Even the low level spells that he could cast, where going to be significantly weaker and it would take longer time to cast even a simple Magic Missile.

Morran jumped backwards twice to make distance. He glared Keita with eyes of a madman. Keita on the other hand, was feeling all the pain and exhaustion that he had managed to forget for all this time. He was barely able to stand but still wore a triumphant smile.

"Serves you right!" Keita said, as he gazed at the Elder Lich's pained and astonished expression.