[81] Good Lesson

"Thank you for the lesson. Please continue." Aiden nodded thoughtfully. Despite understanding the gravity of Takemikazuchi's words, he couldn't help but suppress a laugh. Takemikazuchi seemed to think Aiden's sharp intake of breath was due to his divine presence, but in reality, it was just concern for his delicate area.

However, Aiden grasped the underlying message: not to be constrained by identity or methods; any means could be used to defeat the enemy.

Even though Aiden wasn't one of his followers, Takemikazuchi held nothing back in his teachings.

For the next hour, Aiden found himself constantly on the losing end. Time and again, he was just one step away from landing a critical strike on Takemikazuchi.

Aiden felt the full force of Takemikazuchi's prowess as a god of war. Despite his continuous improvement, whether attacking or defending, Takemikazuchi countered effortlessly. He didn't limit himself to the wooden sword, employing punches, kicks, and elbow strikes, targeting Aiden's eyes, groin, and other vulnerable spots. If it were the Aiden who had just arrived in Orario, even at full strength, he wouldn't stand a chance against Takemikazuchi.

Restricted by his current mortal stamina, Takemikazuchi only sparred or rather dominated Aiden for an hour.

Having lived for billions of years, Takemikazuchi quickly identified Aiden's weaknesses, spending the remaining time practicing with him.

During the final bout, Aiden launched a fierce attack on Takemikazuchi, more restrained than before, but grew impatient as he failed to break through.

Takemikazuchi, now visibly fatigued, with black strands of hair sticking to his sweaty forehead, panted heavily while dodging Aiden's relentless strikes. Over time, his movements slowed.

Noticing Takemikazuchi's diminishing stamina, Aiden's eyes narrowed. He decisively executed a sudden, aggressive thrust. To Aiden's surprise, Takemikazuchi smiled at the unexpected move.

The moment Aiden saw the smile, he knew he had been baited. It was too late; with a slight sidestep, Takemikazuchi dodged the thrust, his wooden sword grazing Aiden's as he brought it to a halt at Aiden's left chest.

Takemikazuchi had deliberately shown a weakness to lure Aiden into making a mistake.

Although this thrust was just practice and could be easily altered, in a real battle, it would have been a full-force strike with no chance to change course.

Takemikazuchi withdrew the wooden sword pointed at Aiden's chest and smiled. "As expected of a genius who reached Level 2 in just a month. You've made remarkable progress in just an hour."

"Despite the progress, I still can't surpass you." Aiden said quietly, taking out a towel from the training room.

"Haha, well, I am a god of war after all. I can't keep going; I'm exhausted. Let's call it a day." Takemikazuchi laughed heartily, placing the wooden sword back on the weapon rack before taking a towel from Aiden.

"Next, I'll point out the shortcomings in your combat techniques based on my experience." Takemikazuchi began straightforwardly.

"Please do." Aiden replied earnestly.

"It's clear that you've been relying solely on your monstrous instincts to fight. I'm sorry, but that's the best way I can describe it." Takemikazuchi started.

"No need to apologize." Aiden shook his head with a smile. It was an undeniable fact; his fighting style was indeed rough and unrefined. Over the past month, he had mostly relied on instinct, which often resulted in injuries.

"It's truly a miracle that you've achieved such results. Moreover, have you noticed that when you swing your sword, you primarily use your upper body strength instead of engaging your whole body?"

"Although I haven't seen you swing with full force, according to Mikoto, your speed and power are impressive. However, there is much room for improvement in the angle, timing, and force of your strikes, especially in controlling your strength. You need to master both exerting and restraining your power. I believe you realized this during our sparring session." Takemikazuchi said seriously while wiping his sweat.

Hearing this, Aiden nodded repeatedly.

Indeed, Takemikazuchi had pinpointed the weaknesses hidden beneath Aiden's brute strength and speed.

"Another crucial point is your swordsmanship. Strength, agility, endurance, dexterity, and magic power... these basic abilities determine your lower limit, while your skills determine your upper limit. Every first class adventurer specializing in close combat possesses exceptional combat skills." Having finished wiping his sweat, Takemikazuchi draped the towel over his shoulder as he spoke.

"Yes, yes." Aiden nodded eagerly, like a chicken pecking at grains.

"For instance, take Ais Wallenstein from the Loki Familia. The reason the gods bestowed her with the title of Sword Princess isn't just due to her extraordinary growth speed, but also because of her unparalleled swordsmanship among all Level 5 adventurers." Takemikazuchi explained, using Ais as an example.

Aiden contemplated this. As Takemikazuchi mentioned, true strength isn't just about raw power; it also requires skill.

Unless one's strength reaches the level of Saitama, relying solely on brute force is impractical. Even someone as powerful as Saitama has a profound mastery over his strength, which is truly exceptional. Similarly, in Devil May Cry 3, Dante and Vergil created a vacuum in the pouring rain using just their swords, a feat not achievable by sheer force and speed alone, but rather a combination of strength, speed, and swordsmanship.

After all, even Goku who can shatter space with his bare hands, hones his techniques diligently. So, it made perfect sense for Aiden to do the same.

"Next, I'll teach you some basic swordsmanship. While I can't impart much, just the fundamentals and a few combat techniques, I'm confident that with your talent, you'll develop your own style through your adventures and battles." Takemikazuchi smiled with satisfaction at Aiden's contemplative expression. He had encountered many arrogant geniuses, but ones like Aiden, who remained composed despite an hour of constant failure, were rare.

"Our Familia doesn't have much to offer in return, except perhaps the value in my guidance." Takemikazuchi laughed heartily, self-deprecatingly.

"I should be the one thanking you, Takemikazuchi-sama, for your guidance. Without it, I would have remained stuck in my reliance on speed and brute force, potentially leading myself astray." Aiden said quickly.

"With your talent, you would have realized it eventually. Now, let's begin. I took special leave to come here." Takemikazuchi said with a smile.

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