#109 Training

When I finally arrived at the training field, I took the spear I used previously into my hands. Although I called this place a training field, it didn't have any special functions but I can go as much crazy as I want here.

Location surrounded only by a few trees and numerous medium-sized boulders.

I am no longer making any major progress in my swordsmanship...I can see Taeko's swordsmanship keep improving but I am no longer improving at a steady pace. It feels like I am at the end of the path but...I don't believe that it's the end with how many possibilities swordsmanship can be enhanced in this world.

Instead of thinking about it as the end of the path, I should think of it only as the beginning of the path.

I thought with my closed eyes and relaxed body, trying to look for any major thing that could make me breakthrough that bottleneck I am experiencing.

Maybe I am too focused on the sword itself. Do I really want to focus on swordsmanship? If I want to break through this bottleneck in my swordsmanship, I am sure that I will have to abandon all other weapons. Can I do that when I trained with almost all weapons and started my career as a killer with daggers and also ended it with daggers?

---(3rd POV)---

Akashi who was thinking spent already more than an hour of standing still with closed eyes while firmly holding his spear.

Taeko who previously followed after him caught up with him much earlier but when she saw him just standing there with closed eyes, she decided not to disturb him. However, after she noticed that he has yet to move for more than 30 minutes and saw how sweat was pouring down his face, she couldn't help but worry about him a bit. Still, instead of disturbing him, she went for Mera and Babara since she didn't know what was happening to him.

When they hurriedly arrived at the training field, both Mera and Babara were surprised by this.

"...I have no idea what is going on" Mera admitted with a confused expression while pressing her hand fan to her lips.

"Grandma?" Taeko decided to ask the last person who could answer her worries since Babara was the oldest one in the group and she traveled through the world and saw a lot of things.

"...Seeing how much he is concentrating and sweating but still maintaining calm expression as if he was thinking about something simple, I think that he is trying to solve something extremely important without even knowing himself. Most likely he isn't even aware of his surroundings but let's talk in whispers just to be sure not to disturb him" Babara said what her speculation was.

"Not aware of his surroundings? What if someone tried to assassinate him right now?" Mera asked with an amused smile but she still whispered it.

"?!" Taeko tensed up when she heard her question, she didn't turn her head at Mera but she still looked at her from the corner of her cold eyes hidden behind her bangs. The air around them changed slightly despite Taeko doing her best not to show it to others.

*Smack*

"Oh?!" Taeko exclaimed when someone smacked her ass.

"Calm down idiot, she is just joking. And you...I hope you won't joke about such things in front of Taeko ever again. We don't want to have any misunderstanding, right?" Babara was the one who smacked Taeko's ass while explaining to her before she started to criticize Mera for her stupid humor.

'*sigh* I guess Taeko already converted to Akashi's side. Well, it's not like we, Oarburghs, are any different. After all, we are working for him right now and I can see changes in Mera's attitude. She is also enjoying this type of cooperation between her and Akashi. This guy is really monster to be able to sway us to his side. Something like that never happened in the past despite the fact that world has seen many shining talents.' Babara thought with a tired expression when she recalled Taeko's killing intent directed towards Mera which would have never happened in the past.

"Ye, ye, it was just a little joke. We are working for him so it would be unprofessional from us to kill him." Mera half-assed apologized while hiding her lower face behind her hand fan.

'...I doubt that's the reason but I guess it serves as a good excuse' Babara saw through her tsundere act.

All 3 of them sat down on the nearby boulders and continued observing Akashi from a safe distance.

Suddenly after a few more minutes, a previously calm wind started picking up, it became much stronger but very oddly it was concentrated mostly around Akashi. Leaves started flying all around him making it almost impossible to see his figure.

Mera, Babara, and Taeko could only watch this sight with their mouths wide open in shock.

Akashi suddenly moved his right leg a bit to the back while tightening his grip on his spear and after a few seconds of not moving once again, he started swinging with his spear all around him at an unbelievable speed.

After a few seconds of seeing just flashes and afterimages of his attacks, he stopped in the exact same position he was in previously before he started swinging his spear around. Only once he stopped swinging his spear, the wind that was all around him, making all leaves float around him got released to the surroundings, enveloping Mera, Babara, and Taeko.

All of them had to put a hand in front of their eyes while also squinting them with a serious expression on their faces.

Oddly enough, the leaves that should have been blown away together with the wind, remained in the same position while slowly falling down on the ground. All of the leaves there were precisely cut in half, there wasn't any exception.

"?! How is it possible? He cut all of them precisely at the same place over and over!" Mera exclaimed when a few of those halves of leaves were blown to her. She saw that all of them were cut at the same location. Not to mention that all of this was done with his eyes closed.

"..." Babara didn't say anything and only narrowed her eyes while watching Akashi.

Taeko was also surprised by this but she only smiled as if she was saying 'as expected of Akashi'.

"...Huh?" Akashi suddenly opened his eyes and when he saw all the leaves cut in half around him, he looked a bit confused.

---(3rd POV end)---

? What the hell happened?

I looked around just to see Mera, Babara, and Taeko looking at me with a shocked expression.

...These leaves...I remember being in my consciousness, similarly when I learned how to control Wrigglers and how to remove my limiters. While I was thinking about my own path, I was suddenly attacked by insects looking beasts, slightly similar to my wriggles but I couldn't talk with them in any way and they just kept attacking me. I also couldn't use my flames, or more like they were completely resistant to it which led me to think that they were "part" of me. Since flames didn't manage to do anything to them, I was only left with the spear that remained in my hand.

When I was finally done slaughtering all of them, I was kicked out of my consciousness, most likely due to staying there for too long. Still, I was attacked only when I kept thinking that I can't keep relying on this system and its power it gives me. However, this fight also led me to an answer I was looking for.

"Akashi? Are you alright?!" Taeko approached me with a worried expression while Babara and Mera followed after her.

"...Yes, sorry for worrying you." I replied with an apologetic smile when I saw the position of the sun and recalled the position of the sun before I went into my consciousness.

"What was that, boy?" Babara asked me with a curious expression.

I only smiled at her which told her to wait a bit.

"Taeko...I am afraid that I will no longer be able to teach you swordsmanship." I looked straight into Taeko's lime eyes while informing her with a slightly sad smile.

"Huh? W-Why?" She was quite shocked by this judging from her expression and voice. I just hope she doesn't think like she has done something bad...

"You haven't done anything wrong. It's me...I no longer focus on swordsmanship or anything particular at all." I explained, making all of them stare at me in shock once again.

"What do you mean? Aren't you swordsman? You could also be spearman with the amount of skill you have demonstrated here." Mera asked with a confused expression and narrowed eyes.

"No...my path isn't anything. Swordsmanship isn't suitable for me, nothing particular is suitable for me in this world because everything is suitable for me if that even makes any sense, heh" I explained, and only then I realized that it didn't even make any sense so I chuckled a bit.

In my past life, I also wasn't specializing in any particular fighting style because I was practicing anything I could.

I am Blade Master but that doesn't necessarily relate only to swords. Anything can become a blade, be it your own hand, nails, or even a blade of the leaf.

"...Well, since you are fine and looks like your head is even clearer than ever, I see no reason to remain here any longer..." Babara just stared at me with a suspicious look before she turned around and left with those words behind.

"I don't really understand what happened but it looks like you have become much stronger yet again...You currently look like a kid who just realized his goal in life~" Mera said with a teasing tone but there was an honest smile on her face.

"Is-" I wanted to ask her something but she stopped me by putting her hand fan in front of my mouth.

"I have already sent spies to look over Chouri. I will be going ahead." Mera said and gracefully started leaving.

What is she playing at?

I thought with a weird expression while staring at her back.

"Thanks" Nevertheless, I thanked her but not necessarily for this matter, simply for everything.

She just waved her hand when she heard me before she disappeared from our sight.

"Akashi...Do you really mean it that you will no longer be able to teach me and point out my mistakes?" Taeko asked with a serious and slightly disappointed expression.

"Not really, I will be able to point out your mistakes but you will have to correct them yourself." I replied with a small smile.

And since this day, I spent a few more days at Oarburgh's hideout training with various weapons. No matter what it was, when I was in the mood for training with daggers, I practiced with daggers. Even during meals, I practiced a bit with chopsticks. Practically anything sharp enough that can take people's lives.