Sparring Against the Strongest

"The rules are simple, we can't use mana, or in your case, soul power. We will only use our swordsmanship and sabersmanship to compete."

"I understand."

"Then are you ready?" The old man asked Bloed with a smile.

Bloed took a deep breath and held his saber in front of him before nodding.

"I am."

"Then, here I come."

In the next instant, the old man charged forward.

Bloed's eyes opened wide. The old man's speed was so fast that it did not seem like he was not using mana.

Bloed barely managed to react and raised his saber to block the old man's sword.

*Clang!*

The clash between the weapons created sparks in the air. The power behind the old man's sword was so great that Bloed was forced to take several steps backward.

The old man followed up with a sword thrust. Bloed twisted his body aside and parried the sword with his saber, but the old man twisted his wrist slightly, making the sword entangle Bloed's saber and continue towards his chest.

Bloed's mind moved at great speed. His brain calculated quickly the next movement as he used the handle of his saber to push the sword away.

Then, he stomped on the ground, filling his entire body with strength as he slashed toward the old man's waist.

But to his surprise, the old man's figure disappeared from his sight.

"!!!" Bloed's eyes opened wide, but the sensors on his hair picked up that the old man was behind him and his sword was about to pierce his back.

Without hesitating, he threw himself forward, avoiding the strike. Then, he kicked back towards the old man's hip.

The old man raised an eyebrow, not expecting Bloed to avoid that blow. He received Bloed's kick with the flat part of his sword, but Bloed was expecting that and used the counterforce to throw a spinning kick towards the old man's head.

The old man raised his sword calmly, blocking Bloed's attack. He then smiled and rushed towards Bloed, arriving in front of him in an instant.

'So fast!'

Bloed was astonished. Even with his special eyes, he barely could keep up with the old man's movements.

In fact, he had lost the old man's movements for an instant just now. Without the sensors on his hair that allowed him to feel everything a few meters around him, he would have been defeated already.

The old man struck down with his sword fiercely. Unlike when he was fighting Eres, this time, his swordsmanship was fast, powerful, and accurate. It forced Bloed to defend constantly, not giving him the chance to counterattack.

Bloed's blue eyes were glowing brightly, doing their best to follow the old man's movements and predict his attacks, however, it was useless.

The old man's swordsmanship was so exquisite that it was unpredictable. Bloed's predictions proved to be wrong several times, making his situation worse and almost costing him the spar a couple of times.

In the end, he was forced to stop relying on the ability of his eyes to predict movements and just focus on reacting to the attacks to the best of his ability.

However, that put Bloed's in a passive position. The old man's constant attacks suppressed him until he could do nothing but defend himself.

Bloed got the feeling that the old man was like a mountain pressing on him. No matter how much he struggled, the weight of the mountain made him feel powerless.

Plus, judging from the old man's slight smile, it was obvious that he was not going all out. He was just exerting the necessary pressure to bring the most out of Bloed's abilities.

'His speed and strength are less than mine, but even so, he is suppressing me completely just by virtue of his swordsmanship! As expected of the Sword Absolute!'

Bloed could only admit that the old man was on a whole another level when it came to martial arts.

At that moment, the old man struck with his sword again. Bloed instinctively used his saber to block the attack, but when the sword and the saber clashed, he noticed that the sword did not have any strength behind it.

'Crap!'

He cursed in his mind as his stance was destroyed. With a quick reaction, he stomped his right leg on the ground to stop his onward momentum, but even so, he ended up showing a small opening.

The old man's eyes glinted as he caught that opening. He held his sword with his right hand and performed three quick thrusts.

Bloed quickly used his saber to block the sword thrusts, however, the old man's first thrust destroyed his stance, the second thrust pushed his saber away, and the third thrust stopped before piercing his chest.

"It's my win." The old man stated calmly.

Bloed took a deep breath and bowed.

"Thank you for your guidance."

The old man nodded. "Your martial arts are quite good. They are very stable. Also, your senses are very sharp, and your eyes are exceptional." He said while staring at Bloed's bright blue eyes. "You were trying to predict my movements, right?"

Bloed was startled before nodding.

"I failed, though."

"Well, it would have been shameful for me if my movements can be predicted that easily, however, your idea was good. You should not have trouble predicting the movements of anyone else."

The old man then sighed and looked at Bloed with a complicated expression.

"Really, you are very good. However, I feel that your movements are very mechanized. I did not feel that I was fighting a human, but a golem. To be honest, I like your sister's martial arts more."

Bloed forced out a smile.

Well, his martial arts were based on calculations. He understood the old man's point, but Bloed knew that this was the method that suited him the most.

"Thank you for your guidance, Mr. Bart. It was very useful."

"Don't worry, don't worry, it's not every day that this old man meets such talented youngsters. I'm hungry after all the exercise, though, and I smell something nice."

Bloed smiled wryly. Just now, Regina had told him that dinner was ready through their soul connection.

It seemed that the old man had noticed that dinner was ready, so he was smiling with an expression of anticipation.

Bloed did not know whether to laugh or to cry.

...

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