Renjiro's fingers brushed the hilt of his sword as his gaze lingered on Mikael. The quiet stretched for several seconds… then he turned.
"Don't waste it."
Mikael raised an eyebrow, his breathing slowly steadying. "Waste what?"
Renjiro paused mid-step, still not turning back. "…Your talent." Another moment passed before he added, "I'll come back. Same time tomorrow." His tone remained as cold and detached as ever. "Sparring polishes the sword."
And with that, he disappeared, leaving behind only the faint rustle of disturbed wind and the echo of his strange, blunt declaration.
Mikael stayed still for a while, staring at the spot Renjiro had just occupied, before exhaling quietly and sliding Sangrelia back into its sheath.
'…That was his way of being helpful, wasn't it?'
He shook his head slightly, then lifted his gaze to the moon as it slowly descended across the sky.
'Seems like what I heard about Renjiro's legendary social awkwardness wasn't an exaggeration… I mean, who the fuck thinks suddenly ambushing your new Junior Brother—someone you've exchanged, what, five words with—is a good idea for training?'
'I get that he saw my swordplay and wanted to train me or something like that, but how he went about it… Yeah, let's not talk about it…'
Mikael shook his head, but even as he inwardly complained, he couldn't suppress the small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. After all, while his first instinct had been anger—ready to retaliate lethally at the unexpected ambush—that reaction had quickly shifted to annoyance once he realized it was Renjiro's unorthodox way of offering training.
But as the clash went on and he felt himself growing through battle, that annoyance melted away like snow under morning sun. Soon enough, the frustration gave way to something else entirely. Gratitude. The spar had been incredibly efficient, far more effective than most traditional training sessions, and Mikael couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret that it had ended so quickly.
With these thoughts circling in his mind, Mikael began practicing the third movement of the Moonpiercer Sword Art once more, determined to continue training until he reached the Entry of the Moonpiercer Sword Art.
From that day forward, his routine remained largely the same. However, one significant change marked the passing days—each night, when the moon reached its zenith in the sky, Renjiro would appear. Without a word, they would engage in fierce, high-paced sparring sessions that pushed Mikael to his limits. And each time, Mikael seized the opportunity to apply the techniques and insights he had honed throughout the day, using the clashes as both testing grounds and fuel for comprehension.
These nightly duels allowed him to polish his Moonpiercer Sword Art at a speed that far exceeded what he had managed on his own. More than that, they helped him steadily reinforce the very foundation of his swordsmanship.
Solitary training had its merits, but at the end of the day, the sword was a weapon forged for battle. And no amount of shadow slashing or wooden post cutting could ever compare to the raw intensity of clashing blades with a powerful opponent. Through these relentless encounters, Mikael was being tempered like steel, his path as a swordsman becoming clearer with every swing.
And so, time passed—until six days later.
***
At this moment, it was still early morning, just two or three hours before sunrise—when his sword training for the night would normally end. Mikael, however, remained immersed in his practice, executing the movements of the Moonpiercer Sword Art with focused intensity.
But tonight, he wasn't practicing the First Move—Lunar Shadow Slash—nor the Second Move—Eclipsing Crescent Cut. Not even the Third Move—Silver Dawn Requiem—that he had recently mastered over the past few days.
No. Tonight, his focus was entirely on the Fourth Move—Nightfall Piercer. The last and only true 'obstacle' standing between him and the Entry of the Moonpiercer Sword Art.
Moonpiercer Sword Art – Fourth Movement: Nightfall Piercer
Again and again, Mikael launched the Fourth Move, his blade cutting through the air with unwavering resolve. He trained tirelessly, refusing to stop even as his Qi neared depletion and his arms ached with the weight of fatigue. Every muscle screamed for rest, but he silenced them with sheer willpower, pushing forward with a renewed, almost desperate intensity.
'It's there—I can feel it!' he inwardly exclaimed, ignoring his exhaustion as he intensified his movements. Just a few minutes later, his efforts bore fruit.
As he executed another Nightfall Piercer, something shifted. The technique, so familiar after thousands of repetitions, now felt different. The moment Sangrelia pierced the air, he sensed a change—not just in the motion, but within himself.
A 'barrier' that had long stood in his path, already riddled with cracks, finally shattered. In that instant, his comprehension of the Moonpiercer Sword Art deepened, transforming at its very core.
At the same time, the Nightfall Piercer erupted with newfound power. Silver energy enveloped Sangrelia, enhancing the sword's aura and drastically amplifying the move's might.
Instead of the clean, silent arc it usually traced through the air, this time a burst of silver energy exploded forth as the move was executed.
The silver light surged across the clearing and struck a thick tree just a few meters away. At first glance, it seemed as though nothing had happened—the tree remained upright, unmarred. But a closer inspection would reveal a small, incredibly precise hole bored straight through its trunk.
It was a perfect manifestation of the essence behind Nightfall Piercer—an elegant, deadly technique designed to concentrate all its destructive force into a single point, capable of piercing even the most heavily armored opponents with surgical precision.
Yet Mikael paid no attention to the tree or the aftermath of his strike. In truth, he barely even registered the impact. His gaze remained fixed on Sangrelia, where the silver energy still shimmered faintly around the blade.
"Lunar Qi… It's finally here—the Entry of Moonpiercer Sword Art!" he exclaimed with rare delight, a wide smile breaking across his normally stoic face.
Moonpiercer Sword Art – First Movement: Lunar Shadow Slash
Mikael immediately followed up, executing the First Movement. As his sword cleaved through the air, he could feel the amplified force behind it—an intimate connection to the moon above, as though the heavens themselves were lending strength to his blade. The beautiful, silver-hued Lunar Qi swirling around Sangrelia stood as undeniable proof of his breakthrough to Entry.
Following this advancement, Mikael continued to execute the first four movements of the Moonpiercer Sword Art. Part of him simply wanted to witness the fruits of his relentless effort over the past weeks. But more importantly, he needed to understand the current power of his sword art. In real combat, being unaware of one's own capabilities could easily prove fatal, and Mikael wasn't foolish enough to make such a mistake.
Time flowed steadily as he kept testing the refined techniques, his movements sharp and fluid. Eventually, Mikael judged that his understanding of the Moonpiercer Sword Art at Entry level was solid enough for now.
Without hesitation, he ceased the movements and took a lotus position, his body still but his mind fully alert. From there, he returned to studying the Sword Nurturing Art manual, diving back into the sea of comprehension.
From that moment on, his training schedule shifted. Whereas he had previously split his day evenly between cultivation techniques, he now dedicated nearly all his time to the Sword Nurturing Art. This new focus naturally accelerated his progress. At night, however, he continued engaging in a short but intense spar with Renjiro. Though this change caused his pace in the Moonpiercer Sword Art to slow, he still advanced—steadily, if more gradually.
And so the days passed, his grasp of the Sword Nurturing Art growing deeper with each session. At this stage, he could already infuse almost all of his Qi into Sangrelia. But he consistently failed at the final step, something that irritated him—though not enough to discourage him. In fact, with every attempt, he could feel that a breakthrough was approaching.
Three days later, that feeling proved true. At long last, Mikael succeeded in fully and permanently infusing his Qi into Sangrelia. It marked his official breakthrough to Entry in the Sword Nurturing Art.
The moment it happened, he knew it was time to turn his attention to the other cultivation arts he had yet to begin comprehending. Technically speaking, he hadn't even taken the first step with most of them. Still, before diving into new manuals, his thoughts shifted to the Core Disciple Ranking Trial.
By now, he knew it must have concluded the day prior. Under normal circumstances, this would have been a missed opportunity. Had he been absorbed in his training without realizing the timing, he would have lost the chance to observe the powerful cultivators of the sect and gain valuable insights through their battles.
Or at least, that would have been the case—if he hadn't deliberately chosen to miss the Core Disciple Ranking Trial because he had something else in mind, something he considered far more worthwhile.
Wasting no time, Mikael soared into the sky from his secluded training spot. Guided by his identification plaque, which worked much like a 'GPS', he headed toward the location where he knew his Master would be.
Yet just as he reached the general area, he abruptly stopped mid-air—not because he had arrived, but because the sight before him was simply too bizarre.
Great Elder Jianhai was lying on his back in the middle of a grassy clearing, a blade of grass hanging loosely from his lips as he casually chewed on it.
Up to that point, it was a little odd, sure—but nothing too out of place for a quirky elder. What truly made the scene bizarre was that the old man had his eyes closed… and was singing.
Mikael's expression twisted into a grimace as he caught the sound of his Master's dreadful chanting. 'Okay… what the fuck?' he cursed inwardly, dumbfounded. But before he could make sense of what he was hearing, something even stranger occurred.
A second voice joined in—a voice that clearly wasn't human. Its chant was rough, echoing with a strange resonance, and the language it spoke was nearly incomprehensible. Still, Mikael could vaguely sense something about stone and sword in the cryptic verses.
Confused, his gaze drifted downward—until it landed on a small stone nestled in the Great Elder's open palm. Mikael blinked. Then blinked again. He rubbed his eyes to be sure he wasn't hallucinating.
'I think I might be going insane… but I have the impression that it's the stone that's chanting?' he thought in utter disbelief, glancing around just in case there was another source of the eerie voice.
Yet after a few moments of silent observation, it became evident that there was nothing else nearby. His eyes returned to the stone just as his ears confirmed the surreal truth—the chant was indeed coming from it. His brows twitched, his lips parted, and his confusion boiled over.
"A chanting stone… Okay, like, what the fuck!? A CHANTING STONE!!!???" he loudly exclaimed, utterly stupefied.
Jianhai's eyes, previously shut in serene concentration, snapped open at Mikael's outburst. The inhuman chant abruptly ceased. The old man's gaze met Mikael's with calm amusement, and then a wide, almost mischievous smile stretched across his face.
"Good disciple, you heard the stone chant!?" he exclaimed with a hearty laugh, floating over to him with light steps.
Mikael gave a slow, cautious nod in reply.
The old man's grin widened even more as he casually tossed the small chanting stone toward him. "I wasn't wrong with your talent…Keep this stone close when you practice your sword techniques—it may yield unexpected results," he said cryptically, his tone as mysterious as ever.
A sharp glint of intrigue passed through Mikael's eyes. He accepted the stone with a grateful nod and carefully placed it into his storage ring.
Then, recalling the reason he had come, Mikael turned his gaze toward his master and asked, "Master, I remember you once mentioned a Recording Artifact. Would it be possible for me to borrow it so I can study the Core Disciples Ranking Trial?"
"The Recording Artifact?" Jianhai repeated, a flicker of surprise passing through his eyes. After a brief pause, he nodded and retrieved a small, translucent blue cube from his storage ring. Just before handing it over, he offered a pointed warning.
"Be cautious with this artifact. It's extremely precious—and quite fragile. I don't have a spare. This came directly from the Central Core, so treat it as if your life depends on it."
Mikael accepted the cube with both hands, his expression steady, serious. "I'll be careful with it," he said, voice calm and resolute.
Seeing the clear resolve in his disciple's eyes, Great Elder Jianhai gave a small, approving nod. Without another word, he floated back to the grassy hill where he'd been reclining earlier and resumed his previous position—sprawled across the grass with a single blade of it lazily resting between his lips. Moments later, his atrocious chanting resumed at full force, more nightmarish than before.
Taking that as a very clear sign to leave, Mikael didn't hesitate. He vanished from the scene in an instant, moving with a speed slightly greater than usual—not out of urgency, but from an urgent need to preserve his auditory sanity.
Author Note:
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