Sound of metal ringing as sharp edges clashed against each other resounds within the courtyard of the Draconia Household's Manor in the empire's capital, gust weaving all across this open field as two figures, both standing tall, each wield a sword of their choosing, with each exchange, said sword being chipped bit by bit, almost as if even such strong metal couldn't handle the weight of their strikes.
"Impressive"
Staring at the young man in front of him, one of the greatest swords of the Kyrios Empire, the Sword Dragon himself, couldn't help but praise as he felt his hand shaking for a moment due to the clash between his own sword and the armament of the young man in front of him, a smile appearing on his face as he watches the young man, his own son, move once again.
"I learned from the best."
Continuing his movements, the young man then proceeds to make a sharp, simple swing as he reaches near the other swordsman's body, his attack being met by another strike, completely rendering all the force he put into this attack useless, locking both cold weapons into a bind that doesn't last for more than a few moments.
Taking the opportunity opened up by his blocking his son's attack, the father then proceeds to push the opponent's sword to the side before swinging his own weapon inwards, aiming directly for the neck as if he intends to finish this little duel now.
Sensing the danger from that sword's trajectory, Argus immediately moved out of the way, his body, tempered and improved continuously by spirit energy, providing him enough dexterity to completely avoid the dangerous, crescent arc of his father's sword, forcing him to take a few steps back in order to regain some semblance of structure to his stance.
"That seems right."
Seeing how the young man reacts to his offensives, Arthur couldn't prevent the smile from growing wider on his slightly wrinkled face, gone were the gaze of worry and pity whenever he looks into his son whose incapable of utilizing mana even at his current age yet possessing a potential for the sword far exceeds his, and in place of them, a gaze of pride and anticipation, almost as if he couldn't wait to see just how much this young man will grow in the future.
'Just how is he keeping up, though?'
Despite the pride however, the father still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that his son is completely capable of keeping up with his movements, something no mere mortal without augmentation of mana should be capable of doing, and yet here his child is, not only managing to parry and block his blows but also slip in his own counters every now and then as well.
'Really a monster.'
Meanwhile, staring at his old man with a little bit of a baffled thought in his mind, Argus remarked as he expanded his senses to get a feel of his surroundings, allowing him to feel even minute changes so long as it's not past five meters away from him, which also allowed him to see something.
'Is that even a single percent of his real limit?'
The war veteran in front of him barely uses any mana to reinforce his own body, and yet even then, the body cultivated by mana, barely an improvement over a mortal body if mana is not being circulated with the intent to augment it, stands equal against his own, a body that entered the stage of refining that is capable of exerting tons of force without the help of spirit energy, through sheer, brute force alone.
"Hmm? Look at that, the sun's quite high already, huh? Argus, how about we finish this duel now?"
Feeling the warmth of the sun hitting his skin, along with the fact that his aide is already waiting for him, Arthur asked, a smile still on his face, but now one that seems to hold a little bit of regret to it, as if he doesn't want this duel between himself and his own child to stop anytime soon.
"Up to you, old man."
Argus replies as he lifts the sword towards his front, this time, instead of wielding it with a single hand that not only him, but also his father did since the beginning of their duel, he held the sword with both hands as he bent his knees, lowering his stance as he puts his front foot a little bit more forward than usual, making the old veteran wonder what he is planning to do.
'Hoh? Look at this little monster.'
Feeling the sharp, calculated and burning gaze that his son is sporting underneath those calm eyes, even Arthur himself couldn't help but feel that he should take it a little bit more seriously, the hand wielding the armament clenching the sword a tad bit tighter than his previous grip, his stance appearing more solid, more impenetrable than before as instead of just letting the sword on his side, he also puts it forward as he twisted his body sidewards to cover his body more with the sword now in front of him.
That was a moment that no words needed to be spoken between these two men, the older, standing there tall and solid, an immovable shield like a great chasm that wants to be overcome by the younger, who is an unstoppable spear that needs to break through the barrier and continue moving forward, to reach beyond realms he had never reached before.
It take just a single blink of an eye for the young man to disappear from his previous position, where a towering body once was, only dust from the explosive strength of his legs bringing himself forward was left behind, and on the distance, a shadow dashes forwards, closing the gap between the old veteran still standing and the young man doing his best to force this veteran even just a little bit.
Approaching striking distance, the son replied, thrusting the sword forward as he lunges, moving at an incredible speed that made even the powerful father feel the need to brace for the impact of such strike, forcing him to wield the sword with two hands, touching the edge of the young man's weapon before controlling its direction as he presses weight to force the young man's strike to the side.
Feeling the trajectory of his weapon changing, drastically at that, Argus smiles as he just allows his sword to fall towards his father's intended path, a smile appearing on his face as his heart starts surging, beating like drums of war marking the start of the true battle, immense power filling his entire being as blood circulates extreme, yet comforting heat all across his body.
And along with it, his meridians burst forth with energy too, further reinforcing his flesh, pushing not only his strength and abilities, but his senses as well, spirit energy flowing into each and every single part of his body almost as if it were a hungry monster just waiting for the opportunity to pounce and rage.
Indeed, for the first time during his and his father's exchange with swords, Argus uses his spirit energy for the first time.