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Chapter 492
🕑 Added 2019-08-01 23:38:03 +0000 UTChttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1osa5kXxj_1ZcpBmNXSV_N8wLcJ4IGyTErb98OGLHWuE/edit?usp=sharing
Brimming with disgust and disappointment, Mila stood over her defeated sparring partner with her spear at his throat. Yield?
I yield, Senior Sister. Laid out flat on the stage, Fung flashed what he thought was a charming smile and held his hands up in submission, conceding far too easily in her eyes. Losing wasnt the issue which irked her so, but rather the way he just accepted his losses as if they were a foregone conclusion. A defeatist outlook which would see his progress suffer and skills stagnate, he wasnt even trying to win anymore when he still had so much room for improvement. Mila telegraphed her initial thrust and Fung saw it coming, but instead of side-stepping out of the way, he tried to match her in raw strength, so of course he lost. How many times must he lose the same way before adjusting his tactics? Weakness was one thing, but stupidity another, and Mila would not stand for a stupid Junior Brother.
She already had an idiot betrothed, she didnt need more mule-headed fools in her life.
Having secured her victory, Mila stepped back and scowled when Fung extended a hand for help. Batting it aside with the rim of her shield, she prodded his ribs with her boot and said, Again.
Mercy Senior Sister. Though not quite whiny or vexed, Fungs tone held hints of both as he pushed himself to his feet. Weve been at this for at least half an hour and I dont know how many matches. How many more before your thirst for victory is quenched? Or perhaps you could pick a different partner, like BoShui or Dastan, someone who offers more of a challenge for your superlative skills.
Ungrateful little... Upon hearing Fungs suggestion, the two named idiots pretended to fight even harder while drawing out their match, no doubt hoping to silently avoid her ire. Even Zian and Sahb backed off from their opponents, Yan and Wu Gam respectively, as if worried Mila might call them over if they ended their matches prematurely. Annoyed by all these cowardly men, Mila focused her frustrations on her junior brother, who was far and away the most lackluster of the bunch. This isnt about victory or challenge, idiot, she snapped, resisting the urge to club him for good measure. Im not sparring with you to feel better about myself, Im here to help you improve. Shoving him none too gently with her shield, she glared until he skulked off to retrieve his spear from across the room, which was where it landed after she sent it flying thanks to his poorly thought out response. Honestly, I dont know what Mama was thinking when she took you in as a Disciple. Youve talent a plenty, but lacking ambition. If you worked half as hard as Song, then...
Berating him in hopes of lighting a fire in his chest, Fung merely smiled and nodded along with Milas scathing criticism, a hateful and conceited expression if shed ever seen one. That was the worst thing about him, how satisfied he was with his mediocre strength when he could easily stand alongside her at the forefront of their peers if he put in more effort. Instead, he treated combat as another means to show off and impress women, the same way he liked to dress pretty or flaunt his poetry and calligraphy. Mama was too busy these days to correct him, but even if she had the time, how was she supposed to train her Disciple if he was off in another Citadel? Were it not for Seoyoon coming to visit alongside her sister Dain and Yan, then Fung mightve spent the rest of the new year festivities chasing skirts instead of being filial and paying his respects to his family, friends, and Mentor.
An utter disgrace...
They sparred for another half-hour before she finally gave up, even going as far as doing nothing but defend for three minutes per match to let him set the pace, but sadly, he showed no signs of improvement. Even after several years with the weapon in hand, Fung still had yet to wholly adapt to the spear, his slim and lanky build unsuited for a weapon as heavy as his. This wasnt entirely his fault, because the weapons balance was all off, weighted too heavily towards the tip for a spear its size. A hundred and eighty centimetres from base to tip, the weapon was shorter than Fung was tall and awkward for his long limbs to wield, a situation exacerbated by the stylized, double-axehead cross guard which limited his grip to the lower two-thirds of the weapon.
A pretty weapon which was all form and no substance, if Mila crafted such a worthless Spiritual Weapon, Papa wouldve disowned her and melted it down for scrap.
Stick to the sword, Mila advised, and not for the first time. Fung was passable with the longsword, not quite as talented as Zian, but close to it, which meant he was better than most. Better to use your spear as a cavalry lance and nothing else until you either grow as big as BoShui or Develop your Domain. At that point, he should be strong enough to properly control his spear, but not without cost. If you had to Reinforce to use your weapon, then you were better off using a lighter weapon, and the held true for the Domain equivalent.
Thank you for your advice, Senior Sister, Fung replied with a bow, always the gentleman in the presence of witnesses, but Junior Brother feels he has more potential with the spear.
Typical men, always fixated on bigger is better. Smacking the spear out of his hands for the umpteenth time, Mila ignored his surprise and said, Draw your sword.
Wh
Leaving him no time to think, Mila launched a controlled offensive to force him into action, presenting enough threat to break his bones while leaving enough leeway for him to draw his sword. Once he had his weapon in hand, she stepped back and paused for a full second to let him take his stance before resuming her attacks, and this time, he reacted appropriately. Instead of trying to match her blow for blow, Fung finally moved his feet to avoid a head on clash, which was exactly what he shouldve been doing all along. Fighting on your opponents terms would at best yield half the results for twice the effort, and even though his spear was ten times heavier than hers, it still wasnt enough to make up for the difference in raw strength.
Not only that, but since his longsword didnt require both hands to wield, he was both faster and more agile in attack and defence, his feints and counters on point as he blunted her offensive. Round and round they went atop the stage, Mila moving ever forward while Fung gave ground with every step, yet he lasted a full five minutes before exposing a critical weakness and allowing her to disarm him. Standing over him with spear to his throat once more, Mila grinned and asked, Yield?
Yes, yes, yield. Rolling his eyes, Fung stood up and brushed himself off, his chest heaving and brow dripping with sweat. Youve made your point, but I still stand by my previous statement. I am standing on the precipice of Insight with regards to the spear, and once I figure it out, then perhaps next time, itll be me standing over you asking if you yield, Senior Sister.
Careful there. Grinning like a fool from the audience seats, Rain threw a knotted face-cloth at Fung and said, Thats my betrothed youre talking to. You keep making statements like that and I might get jealous.
Catching the cotton projectile after it bounced off his cheek, Fung faked a glower and glared. And you call yourself a friend, impugning my honour like so. Im wounded by your lack of trust. My Senior Sister and I share a platonic relationship and nothing more.
I trust you, Rain replied, tossing another knotted face cloth at Fung, but this time Mila snatched it out of mid-air and dabbed away her non-existent sweat, noting Seoyoons all too real hostility directed towards Rain. Fung could easily have caught the towel, but he put banter with Rain over his dignity, which wouldnt matter in normal circumstances, but to do so in front of his lady love was just asking for trouble. At least they werent in public, having reserved the arena for the entire afternoon for all their friends and guests, but Mila didnt understand friendships between men. Though Rain and Fung seemed to get along fine, they did so without real conversation, sharing, or even being nice to one another. All they did was drink and banter, and somehow this was enough. It mattered little to Mila, but if Rain expected Seoyoon to overlook his slights the same way Fung would, then he was in for a rude awakening.
Wholly ignorant of Milas silent warning, Rain cackled and continued with his joke. I trust you to be true to your nature, which means Id be a fool to leave you alone with my beloved.
Idiot. As if shed ever fall for Fungs sickening sonnets or bawdy poetry. What Seoyoon saw in him besides a pretty face, Mila couldnt say, though the same could be said of the reverse, for the youngest Ryo daughter was a prickly, quiet sort who was slow to warm up and quick to anger. Worried Rains words might hold a grain of truth, Seoyoon fixed Mila with a warning glared while Rain and Fung continued trading insults, but the frigid maiden was no threat and Mila treated her as such. Instead, she saluted the older Ryo sister and smiled, one every bit as cold as Seoyoons glare. This one has long heard of Ryo Dains skills, and invites her to the stage for a demonstration.
Unlike her icy younger sister, Dain possessed a warm and almost bubbly personality, her eyes burning with joy and teeth bared in a cute and predatory smile. Wonderful, she said, her clasped hands pressed against her check in girlish delight. Yan told me you were strong and domineering, but I never imagined youd be so... ferociously adorable!
As much as Mila hated being called adorable, she couldnt help but blush at the praise from the formidable Expert. Feminine, yet militant in bearing, Dain was a warrior woman in every sense of the term, a combination of grace, elegance, and danger. A slender, sinuous woman with silken, shoulder-length hair and enough curves to be noticed, yet not so much as to ooze sexuality, she was a beauty to behold with her arched posture to her refined, sashaying gait. Making no effort to hide her womanly charms, she wore skin-tight leggings and a fashionably serviceable tunic which clung to her skin and left little to the imagination, but rather than give the appearance of a sultry vixen, the outfit only made her look all the more dangerous, like a venomous serpent ready to strike, both deadly and beautiful.
In short, Dain gave off the exact impression Mila wished she could pull off, but sadly couldnt.
Leaping up from her seated position, Dain made the movement look so effortless it gave off the illusion that shed been scooped up in a giant, invisible hand and placed gently on stage. Strutting over with her gliding grace, she shooed Fung away and said, I agree with your Senior Sister by the way, but not for the same reasons. Perhaps you will find Insight and grow by leaps and bounds with the spear, but the sword will always hold more potential. The spear is king of the battlefield, but the sword, divine.
A lofty statement, but if any one could back those words, it would be the famed daughter of the Sword King, a woman so strong she was expected to become a Peak Expert before forty like her father.
Relishing this chance to face such a formidable opponent, Mila raised her shield, lowered her stance, and watched her dangerous foe with wary eyes. Standing with hands folded before her, Dain sighed in contentment before reaching for her sword, and while little else changed, Milas instincts screamed at her to flee. This wasnt Aura or killing intent, but merely the suppression one felt when placed in grave danger, for Dains seemingly relaxed posture was full of menace and threat.
Odd how the mind wanders when thrust into peril, for only now did Mila notice that Dain wore no jewelry or accessories, not even a ribbon in her hair or a decorated sheathe, though her swords hilt was wrapped in a purple diamond pattern, so similar to how Mila wrapped Rains. The only difference was the colour and the base of Dains hilt bore a bright red tassel which doubled as a wrist strap. Ornamental, most likely, or possibly even religious, a talisman blessed by monks or woven from the hair of some Divine Beast or the other.
Ready? Dains sickly sweet tone brought Mila back to the moment, and she realized she couldve lost to a single move thanks to her distraction. Cognizant of the cold sweat dripping down her neck, she took a moment to compose herself before nodding in answer. Still smiling her predatory smile, Dain nodded back and said, Good. Here I come then.
Despite the warning, Mila didnt even see her opponent move before being rocked aside by the blow. Domain, that had to be it, because Reinforcement wasnt enough to explain the overwhelming power contained within Dains slender arms. Her sword couldnt even be considered heavy, a double-edged jian with a thin, flexible blade less than two fingers wide, yet still she put enough power into her attack to sting Mila through the shield. Reeling in place, she grit her teeth and hunkered down for the next strike, only to find Dain still standing in place with her hand on the hilt of her re-sheathed sword. Wonderful, the fearsome woman said, her eyes glowing in admiration. Youre still standing. Its been ages since I faced someone my age who could defend against a full-strength attack, but youre almost a decade younger. An outstanding talent.
Irked by the undeserved praised, Mila snarled, Why did you aim for my shield? This match would be over if youd gone for my head.
Her predatory smile darkening without having changed, Dain replied, Its not about victory or challenge, sweet Mila. Im here to help you improve. Having thrown Milas words back at her, Dain cocked her head and asked, Its clear from your disdain of Fungs attacks that youve never faced an opponent physically stronger than you, or if you have, they held back too much. I will not be so kind, sweet Mila, so if youre ready, then Im going to attack again.
Mila had just enough time to settle into her stance before the powerful blow landed, and though she still didnt see the attack, or the next one, or the one after that, by the fifth attack, shed puzzled out why. The attack was an easily recognizable movement from the Forms, Deer Parts the Underbrush, a basic sweep of the weapon even Tali and Tate could pull off, but in Dains hands, this basic sweep turned into a deadly killing blow. From the moment she drew her sword until she slammed it back in its sheath once more, Dains upper body remained perfectly, utterly still, so still that if one were to only look at her shoulders and up, as Mila did due to her limited field of view from behind her shield, then there was no indication of movement from start to finish. A monstrous feat which had nothing to do with talent and everything to do with skill, how many times did Dain draw and sheathe her sword before reaching this level of perfection? By eliminating every extraneous movement and telltale twitch from her attack, she only shaved a tenth of a second off her opponents reaction time, but that was all she needed to force Mila into dire straits.
As time wore on and Mila got used to the powerful attacks, she realized Dain wasnt particularly fast, but the optical illusion left her unable to actively parry or Deflect the attacks because couldnt see them coming or react fast enough. Hoping to create distance between them, Mila feinted a thrust and backed away, but Dains image never wavered in her sights. Mother in Heaven, the formidable woman could even move around without wavering, and the next attack almost knocked Mila clean off her feet. Shifting with the impact, she kept her shield up and spear ready, but her opponent was ready and waiting, smashing into Milas shield again and again until her forearm went numb and senseless. Even if she wanted to, she couldnt pull out Paragon to use here, because not only was it a poor stage to reveal her greatest work, but she lacked the fine control to use it in a friendly spar.
Clang. Clang. Clang. The blows rang out against Milas shield in a steady rhythm, the tempo so constant she could set a watch by them, but still she had no recourse to defend. All she could do was turtle behind her shield while this sadistic monster tormented her on stage. Jaw clenched so tight she worried she might crack a tooth, Mila considered surrendering but her pride would not allow it. Defeat was nothing, but to give up before she even tried to attack? Never.
Mustering every bit of strength she had left, Mila didnt use it to resist Dains next attack, but to escape it. Leaping back with all her might, she heard the telltale hiss of air and shriek of metal as the sword glanced across her shield instead of striking it directly. Blood surging with glee, Mila slammed her feet down and reversed her momentum with Bull Traverses the Mountain, charging forward shield first to bash into
Nothing.
Without the expected impact to greet her, Mila tripped over her own two feet and went head over heels off the stage. Landing with a heavy crash, she jumped back to her feet with cheeks burning in embarrassment, but luckily no one was laughing. Seoyoon wore the tiniest of smiles, but it disappeared once she met Milas gaze, and the icy maiden quickly looked away. Good. Taking a deep breath to calm her anger, Mila hopped back onto stage where Dain stood waiting, her sword sheathed and hands folded once more. Id like to see you attack without my shield blocking my view, Mila said, leaving out the obvious part where shed also like to keep her body in one piece.
Cocking her head to one side, Dain asked, Why? Eyes lighting up before Mila could respond, she continued, Oh, you think it wouldnt be an issue if your shield wasnt obstructing your view. Cold metal touched Milas burning cheeks, and she flinched at the unexpected sensation, only to freeze in place as she realized Dain sword was already at her face. Even without the shield, Dain purred as she withdrew her sword, there are other ways to interfere with your opponents perception. You think it merely a single movement, Deer Parts the Underbrush, yes? Its more than that, a combination of three movements, in fact.
Snake Shakes the Branch and Oriole Raises the Winds. Surprised to hear Rain chime in, everyone turned to stare, Dain and Mila included, but he simply shrugged and said, Why you all look so surprised? She wasnt moving very fast and used the same move like twenty times. Its not hard to figure out the trick once you know what to look for, especially from the audience. Raising his head with pride, he added, Its not like I forgot all my Martial skills you know. Im still frigging brilliant.
Brilliant indeed. Lacking even a hint of sarcasm, Dain studied Rain with far too much interest before turning back to Mila. Your betrothed is correct. It is easier to discern from the audience, though few have eyes as keen as his. Regardless, my father is called the Sword King not because he is stronger than all other sword-wielding Martial Warriors, but because with all else being equal, his victory would be assured through mastery of the Forms alone. This is why the sword reigns supreme, for there is no other weapon versatile enough to unlock the full potential of the Forms. Stepping in close to pat Milas cheeks, Dain added, Dont fret, sweet Mila, you did much better than most Martial Warriors ten years your senior would. Not only did you refuse to concede and offer a counterattack at the end, I also meant to disarm you more than once, but you kept adjusting your shield by instinct so my next attack landed closer to the center rather than the outer edges. So young yet so strong, I do hope you and Seoyoon can get along and learn from one another.
Girlishly skipping off the stage, Dain sat down beside Lin and beamed prettily at no one in particular, though Mila felt a shudder whenever those brown eyes met her own. Only twenty-nine years old, Ryo Dain won not through superior strength, speed, or Martial skill, but using sheer mastery of the Forms, truly an eye-opening experience. How strong would she be if she fought without holding back? From what little she displayed, even Alsantset might not be her match, though Tursinai might, and Dain was even strong enough to threaten Gerel, though she would obviously be at a disadvantage if they were to fight.
At least, Mila hoped Dain would be at a disadvantage, else she was far more monstrous than she let on...
Either way, this dominance through mastery of the Forms was not something Mila had ever seen or heard of, but it opened new avenues of training shed never considered before, ones worth exploring. Ugh. She couldnt leave this be, but there was still so much to do, like craft a Spiritual Launcher for the Tyrant and spend more time with Yan before she went back to the front lines. Then there was the matter of Papa taking on more contracts than he could handle, and she also wanted more time with Rain, and not just to scold him for all his past sins coming back to bite him on the ass. She shouldve never let him go to Sanshu unsupervised or explore Yo Lings stupid island
Well, there was no cure for regret, so Mila could only plan for the future. If Yang Jixing persisted with his foolishness of sending Rain to the front lines, then she intended to stand for her betrothed as his champion. None of this foolishness of accepting a veritable death sentence when he could simply prove his innocence through trial by combat, and so long as her opponent was under twenty-five, she was confident she could defeat them now that she had an Aura of her own.
Because regardless if the public recognized her title, she was still Sumila of the People, Number One Talent in the Empire.
Comments
The small details added throughout 486 to 487 Made for a drastic improvement
Dude! does that mean the cannon production is on hiatus? noooo the dream of ox- mounted boom or a Quin mounted double bang bang.
Ethan Hand
I love Mila though D:
Malcolm Tent
I want to see Da'in fight Rain once he has his core fixed and can use his domain right. Almost as bad as I want him to fight Gerel. Though seeing her fight Alsanset would be almost as good.
lala jhones
dang it, this chapter felt so short though it was probably over the average length....seriously though I find it hilariously awesome how everyone keeps getting surprised about the crazy sh' t rain does.
Tycho Green
Mila is really annoying. Good chapter though and just don't post the sunday chapter since your are already behind with editing everything.
Indeed she is!
