Yuri and his group returned to Briol.
From the guerrilla training grounds near the royal palace, the sound of an owl hooting continued to echo.
"Uaaaaah!"
"Kyaaaagh!"
"Hyaaaah!"
It was said that when Johannes was in danger, even young men who weren't knights would volunteer to come here.
Yuri reunited with the instructors for the first time in a while.
"How's it going?"
"It's going well."
"Shouldn't we start training Briol soldiers, not just Johannes's men?"
"Yes. We've already begun recruiting standard-bearers."
Yuri thought that Briol also needed this kind of special unit.
Since Briol had forests too, and once war broke out, they would have to fight in a variety of ways.
A lot of data had been gathered so far, so it was possible to provide a more systematic and efficient training program for Briol's soldiers.
"I'm counting on you."
"Yes, sir!"
Yuri smiled as he looked at the new standard-bearers crawling on the ground in the distance.
Before long, they would be reborn as true Owls and strengthen Johannes's forces.
Yuri left the guerrilla training ground and entered the royal palace.
He was heading toward the training hall.
He had a prior appointment today.
"Huu…"
Arriving first, Yuri stood alone on the training floor, spinning his sword in circles as he imagined the upcoming spar.
It wouldn't be easy.
Then his opponent appeared.
"You're early."
"Yeah."
It was Bernard.
Bernard had immediately recognized the level Yuri had reached upon returning to the palace, and requested to cross swords with him.
Once, they were teacher and student, but the difference in skill was no longer so great.
Yuri believed that if he used the power of chaos he gained from defeating Yalta, he might even be able to defeat Bernard.
"Your Highness."
"Bernard."
"It has been a long time since I began teaching you. You have always shown remarkable growth, constantly surprising me with your unexpected ideas and rapid progress."
"Did I?"
"Yes."
Bernard swung his sword through the air. The movement was both clean and sharp.
"Today, I expect you to show me that same brilliance."
"What if I don't?"
"You'll get hurt."
"Then I'll return the favor."
Bernard smiled.
"Do you think you can?"
"Of course."
He said the words, but he knew it wouldn't be easy. Bernard was a warrior on par with Jose. But their styles were different.
For Yuri, Bernard was more difficult to deal with.
"Well then, shall we begin?"
"Yes."
The two raised their swords and locked eyes.
Yuri curled his lips into a smile as he wrapped his hand around Guilty.
Who would've thought he could stand on equal footing with Bernard?
In his previous life, he had been an unreachable master on a far higher plane.
But not anymore.
As Yuri felt the energy of the Heart-Soul Slash circulating from his heart, he stepped forward toward Bernard.
Although there was still a considerable distance before their swords could meet, Yuri felt the hairs on his body stand on end.
Clearly, the gap was still wide—yet he was already within Bernard's domain.
Yuri unleashed sword aura through Heart-Soul Slash, expanding his own domain in turn.
The two domains overlapped.
Yuri began to circle Bernard, trying to find an opening. But he saw none.
He truly was a magnificent swordsman.
And to think that his father had easily defeated such a man and kept him working for years—just how strong was he?
Would he one day be able to cross swords with his father?
Yuri grinned.
"Here I come."
He was the first to strike.
Guilty tore through the air and shot toward Bernard's chest. Bernard deflected it effortlessly and launched a counterattack.
The sound of clashing swords rang out several times in a short span.
"Impressive."
"You as well."
Sword aura flared up along Bernard's blade. He was going to get serious. Yuri responded by summoning Heart-Soul Slash.
Their energies collided.
Yuri struck at Bernard's lower body. Bernard twisted his body in an odd way to avoid the blow, and with his sword-hand, struck Yuri on the shoulder.
"Ugh!"
Had it been a sword, Yuri would've dodged, but the strike with the hand was too sudden to react to.
Seizing the opportunity, Bernard shifted his stance to press the attack. His sword grew even faster.
Yuri also increased his speed.
His shoulder throbbed with pain, but not enough to stop him from swinging his sword.
As Yuri crossed blades with Bernard, he felt a rising joy from deep within his chest.
In terms of understanding the sword, Bernard wasn't all that different from Yuri. Their exchanges, the tactical back-and-forth, the brilliant moves—they stirred something within Yuri.
It was proof that they were now on an equal level.
If one's opponent is clearly stronger or weaker, this kind of thrill doesn't arise.
Yuri couldn't help but laugh.
Bernard had always felt distant. But now, he could stand shoulder to shoulder with him. It was both exhilarating and fulfilling.
And it seemed he wasn't the only one who felt that way.
Bernard, whose face had been expressionless, now wore a faint smile.
"Your Highness."
"Hmm?"
"You've improved greatly."
"I know, right?"
"I was getting bored sparring with Jose every day. It's good to have a new opponent."
A fitting response for a sword demon.
Instead of replying, Yuri summoned a vortex of sword aura. It was the Whirling Vortex Blade. He had grown far more proficient with it now—it was no longer hard to summon.
Bernard didn't step closer. He adopted a defensive stance from a distance.
The spinning cogs on Yuri's sword formed a single entity, becoming a gale of sword aura that surged toward Bernard.
Just as it reached him, Bernard struck like a bolt of light, intercepting it.
As if choking on a massive, indigestible mass, the cogs stopped spinning and began to collapse.
Bernard's sword aura had nullified the Whirling Vortex Blade.
"…Ah."
Yuri's eyes widened.
What Bernard had just shown was an extraordinary technique. It may have looked like a simple thrust—but it was not.
He had found the minuscule gap between the cogs, slipped his sword into it, and even synchronized its movement with the vortex in that instant.
Yuri gaped in admiration.
"Incredible."
"Did you really think I'd lose to you, Your Highness?"
"Yep."
Bernard lifted the corners of his mouth.
"That won't be happening."
This time, Bernard charged. Yuri blocked.
A boom echoed out.
Bernard swung for Yuri's legs, but Yuri leapt to dodge. As Bernard tried to strike again, Yuri stabbed at his throat.
Bernard dodged. Landing on the ground, Yuri swept at Bernard's lower body again.
Bernard leapt this time.
Yuri waited for the moment Bernard began to fall, aiming to stab his stomach while he was airborne.
But Bernard twisted in midair, parried the blade with a flowing motion, and countered with a spinning kick.
Yuri barely ducked in time to avoid it. His hair scattered in the wind.
Both the leap and the spinning kick were impressive moves, but both involved wide motions, creating an opening in Bernard's stance.
He had thrown the spinning kick to cover the gap created when jumping, but because of that, Bernard was once again exposed to Yuri's sword.
Yuri struck with a clean, simple thrust.
But Bernard responded in yet another unexpected way.
"Oh…"
He leaned into the sword instead.
As a result, the angle of the sword didn't align properly. It only left a shallow wound on Bernard's body.
Bernard then infused mana into his gauntlet, knocked Guilty's blade aside, landed, and took a step forward, thrusting his sword.
There had been two openings, but Yuri missed them, and because of that, Bernard had seized the initiative instead.
Yuri burst into laughter.
He had faced many strong opponents, but there were very few who fought in such unpredictable ways.
Back when the gap in skill had been too wide, he hadn't noticed, but now he could truly feel just how formidable a swordsman Bernard was.
Bernard, too, smiled faintly.
And so, the two clashed swords over and over again.
Yuri felt himself becoming more and more absorbed in the duel.
When fighting Jose or other swordsmen, differences in strength or speed had always been more pronounced than technique—but with Bernard, they were purely competing through sword control.
Yuri spoke.
"Bernard. You're going to have to train even harder from now on."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm going to keep getting stronger. If you don't hurry up and grow too, you won't be able to have fun sparring like this anymore."
"Hahaha…"
Bernard laughed.
"That can't happen."
And with that, Bernard began to move even more intensely.
His speed increased, and his rhythm quickened.
Yuri's eyes widened. If he didn't stay focused, he'd fall behind—and then, he'd get hit.
To stay in sync with Bernard's flow, Yuri too unleashed a powerful Heart-Soul Slash.
"Your Highness, show me more. I know this isn't your limit."
"Yeah?"
Yuri grinned.
Then, he infused his sword with the power of chaos he had gained from fighting Yalta.
Back then, he had entered a momentary awakened state, drawing out power beyond his normal limits—this was slightly weaker than that.
But even so, it was still an astonishing sword.
"This is…"
Bernard faltered. He clearly felt it right away.
"A new sword technique, is it?"
"It's not entirely new."
Yuri was now halfway into the domain of the heart-soul.
The world's scenery shifted, and his senses became tangled and jumbled. Within that state, Yuri discovered chaos—capable of transforming into anything.
Yuri's sword, now brimming with immense power, came crashing down on Bernard.
A tremendous crashing sound erupted.
***
There were eyes watching Yuri and Bernard's duel.
Moyong Chan, arms crossed, observed the two from afar.
As expected, his student was a prodigy.
Even within such a short time, he had grown tremendously, now reaching a level comparable to Bernard.
Such rapid growth was something Moyong Chan had never witnessed in his life.
[When heaven-given talent is matched by effort, this is what happens.]
No matter how great one's aptitude, without effort, it's meaningless.
Moyong Chan's gaze deepened.
The way the two exchanged blows was like a dance.
Their deep understanding of the sword allowed them to use acrobatic techniques, and their movements were even beautiful.
Even for one at his level, it was a joy to watch.
[Outstanding.]
Then suddenly, Yuri's aura shifted.
A strange energy arose from his body.
Moyong Chan's eyes widened.
[That is…]
Suddenly, his sword's power surged, and its speed exceeded its limits. The unstructured, ever-changing nature of it, without any pattern or form, resembled pure chaos.
A groan-like murmur escaped Moyong Chan's lips.
[Heavenly Demon's martial art...]
Bernard began to be pushed back.
It was only natural. Who could maintain composure against a sword that moved so chaotically?
No matter how skilled Bernard was, if this was his first time facing such chaotic swordplay, he wouldn't be able to deal with it.
Moyong Chan watched Yuri's sword with a grim expression.
Perhaps because Yuri wasn't yet familiar with the power, the scale of it was gradually diminishing.
Bernard, who had been on the verge of defeat, managed to recover and reestablish the balance.
In the end, the two were unable to decide a winner and lowered their swords.
It had been a superb duel.
But Moyong Chan felt uneasy.
There was a reason why the martial arts of the Heavenly Demon were rejected as heretical in the martial world.
Chaos can become anything.
If one wished, even the most wicked evil could emerge from it.
Moyong Chan closed his eyes.
Perhaps this was inevitable.
History repeats, and the realm pioneered by one genius would always be reached again by another. Suppressing it forcefully wouldn't erase it forever.
Moyong Chan had never met the Heavenly Demon himself, but he had encountered followers of the demonic sect that pursued his level.
The Heavenly Demon martial arts they practiced were crude and evil.
But the chaotic power his student wielded was different.
[Perhaps it is a fate bestowed upon humanity.]
The Heavenly Demon had once ruled as an absolute terror. But then, the Heaven-Conquering Sword Saint appeared and stopped him.
If his student were to go down the wrong path, someone would inevitably rise to oppose him.
Perhaps, the very existence of Yuri, wielder of chaos, was a ripple stirred by the world to stop an even greater evil.
Such dialectic—the cycle of thesis, antithesis, and synthesis—had always repeated throughout human history.
Moyong Chan simply nodded.
[The endless current of history flows onward.]
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