Sparring with a god

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When I heard Tsukuyomi's instructions, I steeled myself internally. The air was still, with only the soft rustling of leaves in the wind. Tsukuyomi stood opposite me, his eyes half-closed, a smile on his lips. His relaxed stance contrasted with my tense posture, making me even more nervous. I knew I couldn't make any mistakes.

"Ready?" Tsukuyomi asked, raising his katana slightly. I nodded, my heart racing with excitement. Without another warning, he took the first step, moving with a speed that my eyes could barely follow. His sword whistled through the air, slicing the space in front of him with a hiss. From the tip of his sword emerged a flying slash, something I had previously thought impossible. In the shape of a crescent moon, the flying slash raced toward me, and before I could react, it grazed my cheek. Surprised, I touched the wound and saw the blood on my hand. I swallowed hard and looked at Tsukuyomi in astonishment.

"Just because you think something is impossible doesn't mean it is. Focus on your strengths; leave the thinking to others, it's not your strength," said the god with a provocative smile.

Then he disappeared before my eyes, and the next moment, Tsukuyomi stood directly in front of me. Again, he struck with his katana. His katana aimed directly at my shoulder. Instinctively, I raised my blade to block the strike, but the force of his attack made me stagger back.

"Concentrate, boy!" Tsukuyomi shouted, using the opportunity to attack me again. His movements were fluid, almost dance-like, yet powerful. I could see why he was a god. Each of his strikes was precise, calculated, and left me little time to react. His millennia of experience with the blade were making my life hell.

I tried to gather myself and counterattack. My strikes were wild and uncoordinated compared to his. Tsukuyomi parried each of my attacks effortlessly and countered with quick, targeted thrusts that continually pushed me back.

"Sun breathing," he reminded me as he threw me back again. I forced myself to breathe slower, to control my movements, and not just strike blindly. I breathed as I had learned from Amaterasu, and my left eye and sword flamed up. But not only that... unconsciously, I switched into the flow, and my thoughts cleared up.

My attacks became more precise, and I began to block some of his strikes.

"Not bad," Tsukuyomi commented and increased the pace. His blade was a blurred flash in the air, and I had to muster all my concentration to keep up. Sweat ran down my forehead, and my arms began to ache. Yet, I didn't relent. I stopped thinking, increasingly relying on my intuition and my body's reflexes.

I noticed a gap in his defense and attacked, my sword aiming for his stomach. But Tsukuyomi was faster. With a smooth motion, he sidestepped and parried my strike with ease, making me stagger again.

"Better, but you need to be faster!" he shouted and kicked me back with a powerful kick. I crashed to the ground, my sword flying out of my hand. Gasping for breath and in pain, I looked up at him.

"Get up! The fight isn't over," Tsukuyomi commanded. I gritted my teeth, got up, and grabbed my sword. The pain in my body was unbearable, but I couldn't and didn't want to give up.

A brief flashback of the Shibuya Incident brought me back to reality. If I were to give up, everything would be in vain. I would be nothing but a murderer. I had to atone and stop Susanoo.

With a renewed scream, I stood up and attacked again, my movements now wilder but also more determined. Tsukuyomi retreated, his eyes sparkling with joy. It seemed as though he was enjoying the fight. His blade met mine in a shower of sparks, and for a moment, we stood still, blade to blade, our gazes locked.

"Do you feel it?" he asked quietly. "The fire in your heart? The blessing of my sister burning within you. Let it guide your movements."

I closed my eyes and concentrated on the feeling in my chest. A warm glow spread through my limbs. When I opened my eyes again, my mind was clearer, my body felt lighter. In that moment, I didn't realize it, but I had another breakthrough. My eyes were open, yet I could perceive the mist around me. However, the adrenaline in my blood prevented this realization from reaching my brain. Tsukuyomi noticed it immediately and smiled.

Provoked by his smile, which reminded me of Susanoo's wild grin, I attacked again, and this time it was different. My strikes were more precise, faster, more powerful. I read the mist intuitively, could discern where the god would move, how he would attack.

Today, I can proudly say that this moment was the beginning of my strongest technique. But back then, I didn't think about anything. I fought with all my heart, filled from head to toe with Amaterasu's blessing.

Tsukuyomi seemed surprised but pleased. He dodged my attacks, parried, and for a moment, it seemed as though we were evenly matched. But with a grin, Tsukuyomi got slightly more serious and quickly overwhelmed my new abilities. With a swift strike, he knocked my blade aside and kicked me back again.

I landed hard on the ground, the air knocked out of my lungs. But I forced myself to get up, to grab my sword again. My legs trembled, and every muscle in my body screamed in pain. But I knew I couldn't give up.

"You're making progress," Tsukuyomi said, his voice calm. "But you're not ready yet."

I shook my head and raised my sword. "Once more," I panted.

A smile played on his lips. "Good. Then let's finish it."

He attacked, his movements faster than before, almost invisible. I could barely follow his blade, but I didn't give up. I focused on the feeling in my heart, the fire driving me. Each strike I blocked, each time our blades met, I felt stronger, faster.

Then, in a moment of clarity, I saw a chance. Tsukuyomi stepped to the side, and for a split second, his guard was down. I put all my strength and speed into my strike.

But it was all in vain. Tsukuyomi had intentionally opened his guard to bait me. In a fluid motion, he parried my blade effortlessly and struck me on the head with the hilt of his katana.

I collapsed like a sack of potatoes, severely dazed by the blow. I lay on the ground, breathing heavily. I tried to get up again, but I had no strength left. The fight was over.

"Relying on your intuition only works if it is sharpened and trained to the utmost, Amateran-kun... If not, you walk openly into the traps and pitfalls of your opponents. But still, very good fight, you made plenty of progress today. Rest now; I need to discuss something with my sister..."

Exhausted, I collapsed and lay there, just breathing. I could faintly hear the conversation between Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu.

"You saw it too, didn't you, sister? He unconsciously used mist sight and could read more from it than some who have trained their whole lives!" Tsukuyomi said toward the shrine.

Amaterasu's thoughtful voice responded, "You're right. I may have been mistaken... Perhaps we should change our training plan. He has a huge talent for fighting. He learned more and faster in this fight than in the previous weeks combined!"

Tsukuyomi nodded excitedly, "Definitely! I've never seen anything like it in my long life! We could forge him into an incredible blade!"

"You said 'we,' brother..."

Embarrassed, Tsukuyomi replied, "Well, uh... maybe I do care about the boy. Why do you always get the best talents... I would have loved to make him my blade..."

After a brief silence, I could still hear, "How about we..." before the darkness of