Lucius was walking along the corridor, going to the Ashleigh Archives, grinning widely.
'The 2nd and 3rd volumes and the Basic Core Forging technique?!'
'With those 3 techniques I can already reach the late stages of a martial artist!'
"Lucius!"
Lucius was surprised by the calling of his name; he looked back and saw someone that looked only 2 years older than him and was wearing identical clothes as him.
The person halted, clutching his knees, panting; his eyes glistened as he looked up at Lucius in wonder. His eyes then widened as he looked at himself.
'How pathetic of me! I can't be looking like this in front of my younger brother!'
His expression changed from one of awe to one of seriousness as he stood up correctly and cleared his throat.
"Hello there, brother."
Lucius gave him a bewildered look before he clutched his forehead to conceal his dissatisfied face.
'Who could've guessed someone like him was this pathetic back then..'
Lucius' expression changed from disappointed to worried.
'If I remember correctly, he's Arthur, the 12th child of the Tyrant. The same one who destroyed an empire alone 10 years later.'
'I must get on his good side..'
Arthur then looked at Lucius, maintaining his serious expression.
'Shoot! Is he mad at me?! Is he dissapointed?!'
'I blew away my cover too quickly! If I had just maintained this serious expression before running here, I could've given Lucius a good impression!'
He was surprised to see Lucius' expression suddenly become happy. His body was shivering.
'D-did I do it? Do I finally have a friend in this damn household?!'
He maintained the serious expression, but on the inside he was a little worried.
Lucius then looked at his body, surprised.
'Hey fool, I should be the one shivering in front of you…'
Lucius cleared his throat.
"Is there anything you need from me, Arthur?"
"Yes, I do."
Arthur's face remained the same, but on the inside.
'Holy! What do I do?! This is my first interaction with a family member!'
'Okay, just take it slow, Arthur. I just have to ask him how he's doing-'
"I request a sparring match."
Arthur was screaming within.
'F*ck! Why did I ask that instead of normal things?!'
The request caused Lucius's eyes to widen, and his face once more took on an anxious look.
'He is still weak now, but Arthur has already mastered up to the 5th volume of Ashleigh's swordsmanship.'
Lucius composed himself and smiled.
"Sure! I can do that!"
Arthur was shocked at his answer.
'He accepted..?'
He never expected Lucius to accept his sparring request; he broke character, smiling widely.
"R-really?! You would like to spar with me?!"
Lucius then started to sweat intensely. regretting his decision.
"Y-yea..! Do you want to do it now, or.."
"Of course I want to do it now!"
Lucius laughed awkwardly.
'Why did I accept his request?! It won't even take 5 hits before I get killed by this demon!'
'I guess it's not so bad, since I can test out the skills I inherited from the first volume.'
'In any case, I can also use that.'
"Alright then! Let's go!"
As Lucius was walking, Arthur did a little celebration.
'Yes! I finally have someone I can talk to!'
'If this was a dream, I would never want to wake up!'
He then ran to catch up to Lucius.
Inside the training room, Lucius was on the right side whilst Arthur was on the left. They both wore gloves and held wooden swords.
Lucius then went into a stance.
'Arthur, even though he's not Ashleigh's Devil at the moment, he's still Arthur Ashleigh.'
'Even with all my stats, I don't think I can beat him.'
He smirked.
'But it's worth a shot, isn't it?'
'I just have to get this over with, then I can go to the archives.'
Sweating profusely, Arthur took a stance.
'What should I do? I said I wanted a spar, but what if I actually kill him..?'
'He only mastered the 1st volume a while back, and I mastered the 5th volume..'
Lucius looked at Arthur seriously.
"Don't hold back! It'll take more than that to kill me, Arthur!"
Arthur chuckled.
'He's right; he's also an Ashleigh. Has someone seen an Ashleigh hold back even when sparring with their siblings?'
He then changed his stance to just standing still?
Lucius looked at Arthur, confusedly.
'That's new, considering Arthur is the type of person that'll keep on using anything as long as it works; having a new stance is odd.'
'Unless this is the changes because me and the monstrous entity is here.'
'In that case,'
Lucius lowered his wooden sword and assumed a combat position.
'If I use my fists, it'll be easier for me to move quicker.'
'If you're going to do your best, I'll do so as well and get some knowledge on that new stance of yours!'
Arthur smiled.
"Well, you did this to yourself, younger brother."
Lucius' eyes were filled with determination.
"Bring it on!"
Arthur dashes at Lucius' left side. Lucius then followed through with a jab to where he was going.
'Take a good look at my fists, Arthur!'
Arthur suddenly disappeared. Lucius was surprised he cancelled his jab and looked around him.
'Where is he?! Damn it! I was too cocky and forgot he's still an Ashleigh!'
He looked around once more before he heard a sound.
"Right behind you, little brother."
Lucius quickly looked back and saw no one.
'That pest really had to toy with me like this?!'
'Even in this life, he's as fast as ever!'
He then heard footsteps everywhere, looking everywhere. But he couldn't find him.
'He was only going easy on me with his first dash?! Is he going all out?!'
Arthur then dashed to Lucius' back,
'Crap. I can't react quickly enough!'
Arthur then landed a swing, sending Lucius flying.
"What do you think, little brother?"
"Can you still fight?"
Lucius stood up, spitting out his blood.
"Of course I can! I'm Ashleigh. Do you really think I'll give up this easily?!"
Arthur chuckled, reaching his hand out.
"Then come at me."
Lucius looked a little annoyed.
'I did say I can still fight, but I want to forfeit so bad.'
'Well, if my body is going to burst, I might as well make it worth a while'
'It's been a while since I've used this.'
He then went into a stance where his hands were straightened. It was bizarre enough to make Arthur confused.
'The Storm Blade variant that I created!'
Lucius then dashed at Arthur, barraging him with attacks.
Some are hitting him, and some are not. Arthur was barely able to block some of them, leaving him with a few scars as he backed off.
Arthur gasped for air, somewhat tired from all the blocking he did.
'What a terrifying technique..'
'A hand blade that can cut through your skin—just where on earth did Lucius learn this?'
He grasped his cheek and looked at his hand as he saw some blood.
'Ah, he actually landed a decent blow on me'
He looked at the clock in the training room.
'Crap! I'm going to be late for training!'
"Sorry, brother!"
Lucius looked confused.
"What do you mean, sorry?"
Arthur then dashed at his maximum speed; Lucius, unable to see it all, could only back off.
'That wasn't his all?!'
Arthur then jumped, lifting his sword.
"Ashleigh's Swordsmanship - 5th Volume: Chapter 2."
"Phantom Strike!"