章 11: Training- Arc (final)
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Routine returned to my daily life. My training was truly the living hell on earth, as I was beaten and pummeled by Tsukuyomi all day long, but the results of my efforts were undeniable.
Despite how tough it was, the training was incredibly fun. And like all things that are enjoyable, time flew by. Two months passed, and as every day, the clashing of blades could be heard.
The greatest progress I made was in my ability to see the mist. We quickly realized that any other form of mist manipulation was beyond my talent, so we focused entirely on improving and training my existing ability.
I learned to recognize and interpret the various changes in the mist, which helped me anticipate my opponents' motives and act accordingly in my fights. Additionally, Tsukuyomi practically beat my intuition to a high level, allowing me to sense whether my opponent was setting up a feint or trap just from my gut feeling.
And my Kenjutsu, well, maybe I should just describe how my sparring with Tsukuyomi went that day. Like every day now, we started fighting right after breakfast without many words.
I opened the fight with a quick sprint straight toward Tsukuyomi, aiming to nullify his greatest advantage, his Flying Slashes.
I took a deep breath, letting the Sun Breathing flow through my body and feeling Amaterasu's blessing rise within me. Tsukuyomi was already prepared, his blade drawing a semicircle in the air, ready to hit me with one of his feared flying slashes. But I could see the mist, the subtle changes in its structure that told me where his strike would land.
With an elegant leap to the side, I evaded the attack, feeling the wind from his blade just barely miss me. Tsukuyomi grinned, his eyes sparkling with challenge.
"Not bad, Amateran-kun," he called out, jumping back to create distance between us. But I was faster. With another deep breath, I activated the Sun Breathing again and charged at him, my blade ready to fend off the next attack.
Tsukuyomi didn't relent; his strikes came in quick succession, each one deadly precise. But I saw the mist dancing around his movements, saw how the swirls changed and revealed his next attacks. With a fluid motion, I blocked his strikes and landed a few of my own, which he skillfully parried.
"You're getting better each day," Tsukuyomi acknowledged as we continued to fight. "But let's see how you handle my mist illusions."
With those words, the mist around us thickened, and I knew he would try to trap me in one of his illusions. But I was prepared. I closed my eyes for a millisecond and let my mind calm, feeling the mist around me and the subtle change as the illusion began to form.
When I opened my eyes again, I saw the changes in the mist clearly. The illusions Tsukuyomi created were impressive, but they had small irregularities, unnatural swirls in the mist that kept me from falling into them. With a precise slash, I broke through the first illusion and saw Tsukuyomi's smile widen.
"Impressive," he said, intensifying his efforts. The mist grew denser, the illusions more complex. But with each attempt to deceive me, I became better at recognizing and seeing through the changes. This had been our training for days, and by now, I was highly skilled at distinguishing reality from illusion.
Our blades clashed, sparkling in the sunlight, as we pushed each other to the limits. Each of Tsukuyomi's strikes was a challenge, each feint a test of my mind and senses. But I held firm, undeterred, responding with swift, precise strikes.
"Focus on what's essential," I murmured to myself, letting the Sun Breathing flow through my body again. I felt the blessing burning within me and the clarity in my mind that helped me foresee Tsukuyomi's movements and break through his illusions.
With a powerful step, I moved into a better position and prepared for a swift strike, forcing Tsukuyomi to retreat. But he countered immediately, his blade sweeping towards me in a lightning-fast arc. I saw the mist condense around his blade and could predict the direction of his attack. With a skillful twist, I blocked his strike and launched a counterattack.
Tsukuyomi grinned broadly as our blades clashed again. "You've really got it, Amateran-kun," he said, increasing his assault. The illusions grew more intense, the mist around us thicker. But I wasn't fooled.
I concentrated on the mist, on the subtle changes and swirls that revealed Tsukuyomi's intentions. With each strike I blocked, I grew more confident in my abilities. I could not only foresee his attacks but also counter them with precision.
Then I saw my chance. Tsukuyomi stepped to the side to prepare another illusion attack, and I seized the moment of distraction. With a deep breath and a leap, I prepared for a swift strike aimed directly at his heart.
But Tsukuyomi was faster. With a fluid motion, he sidestepped and parried my strike, his blade flashing in the sunlight. I could feel the mist around us, the change in its structure as Tsukuyomi prepared another illusion. I had to be faster this time, so i chosed my new technique. The fastest Attack i was able to deliver.
I let the Sun Breathing flow through my body and concentrated it in my arms and legs. My sword and eye flamed up, and with a broad grin, I held my sword at my hip as if drawing it from a sheath.
"Shishi Sonson!" I shouted as I executed my newest technique. Like a flash of lightning, I accelerated to a speed invisible to the human eye.
Despite the incredible speed, I had perfect control of my body, and with a precise slash, I broke through the illusion before it could fully form and raced towards Tsukuyomi.
With a burst of energy, I became even faster, appearing as if I had teleported behind the god.
With a smooth movement, I brought my sword back to my hip and, with the words "Flaming Flash!" ended my technique by letting the fire in my left eye flare up to counterbalance my acceleration, preventing me from falling on my face.
A flaming cut appeared directly in front of Tsukuyomi, but he simply blew it out with his breath.
Still, Tsukuyomi was impressed, I could see that. His eyes sparkled as he watched my movements, and though he quickly parried my strike, his eyes were smiling. He was proud of my progress.
"That's enough for now," he said, sheathing his sword. "You've made great strides, Amateran-kun. Your Shishi Sonson is now so fast that I have to rely on a hint of my divinity to counter it. You even managed to cut the edge of my kimono. Good work. And your ability to see through and read the mist is becoming truly strong! But let's have a little break first."
After a short break came round two, then three, and so on, until the day ended. My homework from Tsukuyomi, as always, was to blindfold myself and navigate the rest of the day using only my ability to see the mist.
By now, I was quite adept at it, but I still remember my actions when he first suggested and enforced this practice.
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*Flashback*
*DISH*
"OUCH, WHAT THE—! Stupid wall!"
*BAM!*
"NO CURSING IN MY HOME!"
*BAM!*
*KRRRRKKK*
"AHHHHH, my poor little toe!"
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*Flashback ends*
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Yes, not a fond memory. Fortunately, I could now move through our house with the grace of a figure skater, even with my eyes covered. I knew how to recognize walls, objects, or other people by detecting changes in the mist.
My mental health was slowly improving as well. The nightmares were becoming less frequent, though they were still no less painful for my soul. My reflection in the mirror hadn't changed; I still saw myself as I felt—like a murderer. It really troubled me to see my bloodstained self every time, as it constantly brought me back to that day.
This state led me to one of my biggest mistakes, but perhaps also to one of my smartest decisions, but more on that later.
During dinner, I discussed our next steps with Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi. It was becoming increasingly clear that my time for training was running out. Amaterasu often reported incidents involving murderous Oni and Yokai.
Something was rallying them under one banner and turning them against humans and the millennia-old Pact of Silence. And who were we kidding, it was clear to all of us that it was Susanoo. So, it was decided that in exactly one month, I would embark on my next mission as Amaterasu's Blade.
週次パワーステータス
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