Chapter 31: I See, I Cut
Rudeus blinked at the news.
A Water God-rank swordsman, the head of a style's main dojo... the pinnacle of the Water God Style is named Reida Lilia... It sounds like the name of a magnificent and tall older-sister type. First off, we can rule out her being an old hag... Allen is so lucky to have met such a person.
"Allen... you've met someone that important? Did you get to see her use her sword skills?"
Allen looked up at him.
"Yes. I guess you could say I was lucky."
Paul, however, shot Allen a deeply meaningful glance.
Allen tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword and continued, "That's my understanding of the Water God Style. As for the Sword God Style, I still don't know much."
As he said this, he looked up at Paul. Seeing this, Paul's lip twitched.
"Uh... I'm an instinct-based fighter. If I had to pin down an essence, I'd say it's 'intuition'."
Rudeus's eyes lit up.
"Intuition, that sounds amazing..."
Allen's temple twitched slightly.
Brother Paul, isn't 'intuition' basically the same as 'instinct'? Are you sure you don't just mean your own, Paul-specific intuition?
Paul looked up and saw Zenith's smiling face on the second floor. He exchanged a smile with his wife and then said.
"To be precise, it's combat intuition. The way it manifests is..."
At this, his expression turned solemn, as if he'd changed masks.
"The sword must be faster than thought."
Rudeus was an excellent audience, immediately starting to clap with great speed.
Allen, on the other hand, felt a bit helpless.
He had heard this phrase no less than twenty times, but it was too abstract, and he could never grasp its meaning. He understood combat intuition, but "the sword must be faster than thought"—was that about concentration? He felt he was always extremely focused when he fought.
He shook his head, preparing to ask something, but Rudeus beat him to it with a serious question.
"Then what about the North God Style?"
Allen looked at him in surprise. Rudeus winked at him, then glanced at Paul.
Paul was frowning, deep in thought, looking like he was about to tear his hair out.
Seeing this, Allen cleared his throat.
"As for the North God Style—"
Before he could finish, Paul's brow smoothed out in relief, and he looked at Allen.
Allen paused, realizing he wasn't going to pry any useful information out of Paul. He continued with a slightly helpless tone.
"The North God Style is different from the other two sword styles. It doesn't have a strict 'first principle.' It has numerous schools, and each one has its own focus."
"Let's take the most popular school among adventurers, the North God Style's Eccentric School, as an example. The Eccentric School doesn't first think about analyzing the opponent's information like the Water God Style, nor does it just think about nothing but stabbing a sword into the opponent's stomach like the Sword God Style. Instead, it relies entirely on the situation at hand to employ the best and most effective means of defeating the enemy."
Rudeus frowned.
"That sounds a bit like the Water God Style, choosing the most suitable response for the moment..."
"No, the means are completely different."
At this, Allen suddenly remembered that Rudeus would have many encounters with the North God Style in the future. He blinked and said, "For example."
The moment he spoke, Allen swiftly drew his sword and slashed at Rudeus. The latter jumped in fright, instinctively dodging in the direction his center of gravity was already shifting.
Then, a foot tripped him, sending him stumbling.
He looked in astonishment at Allen's blade, which was suspended in mid-air with no intention of striking, then at the leg Allen had silently extended to his side. He rebuked him angrily.
"You're despicable!"
Allen nodded.
"Yes! It's despicable. As long as you can win, any means are acceptable. To be honest, I was originally planning to kick you in the groin—"
"Don't!"
Rudeus immediately covered his crotch with both hands, his pupils then constricting.
Allen's hand-chop was already hovering right in front of his eyes.
Allen reversed the motion and flicked Rudeus on the forehead. He then leisurely retracted his hand and gestured for Rudeus to sit down. The latter immediately hugged his stool and glared at Allen.
"Are you going to pull my stool out from under me, too?!"
Allen's lip twitched.
He read my mind.
"Of course not, it's really over. Anyway, with this example, you should understand now, right? The North God Style's Eccentric School is a style that wins by any means necessary. It uses everything it can—verbal taunts, hidden weapons, feints—those are all just forms of its expression. You must be careful if you encounter it in the future."
Rudeus nodded and sat down.
The moment he sat, Allen flicked a fallen leaf. It spun through the air and slapped against Rudeus's forehead.
Rudeus glared at Allen.
Allen returned a smile.
"If this were the North God Style's Eccentric School, that would have been a hidden weapon."
But just then, both of them felt an intense gaze.
Allen turned in surprise to look at Paul, who spoke with a serious expression.
"Allen... even as an example, do not draw your sword on family."
Allen was a bit stunned, but he could feel that Paul was being completely serious, so he nodded.
"...Yes. My apologies."
Paul nodded for Allen to continue. The latter, however, changed the subject.
"That basically sums it up. Master, you should have seen that I'm not very familiar with the Sword God Style, so I still have some questions for you. I'll ask, and you can just answer. You don't have to summarize anything special."
Paul's brow twitched. He realized he couldn't escape this today and could only put on a stern face and play the adult.
"Ask."
His reply was concise.
"First, the Sword God Style. I've heard some people say that to practice it, you train by doing empty swings with all your might every day, maintaining focus. It's even said that some people have managed to learn the Sword God Style's secret art, the Sword of Light, this way. Is this true?"
Hearing this, Paul wore a conflicted expression, not knowing what to say. He muttered under his breath.
"That sounds like Ghislaine's training method... hmm... how should I put it..."
Allen smiled and answered him with his thoughts.
That's right, Brother Paul. It's one of the ways Ghislaine and Eris practice the Sword God Style.
After a long moment, Paul said with a frown, "Everyone's method of training is different, but the 'slash' itself is undoubtedly effective. I have also seen swordsmen who train the Sword God Style this way."
Allen narrowed his eyes.
"The slash itself?"
"Yes, the slash itself... how to put it... I know! Let's use the Water God Style, which you're very good at, as a reverse comparison. First, when facing an enemy, the sequence of response for the Water God Style is: Perceive and analyze the environment and the opponent—think about how to respond—then move to dodge or defend—and finally, counter the move and complete the slash to defeat the enemy. The focus is on perception and observation, while the slash is just a means."
Allen raised an eyebrow.
"Then the Sword God Style..."
Paul looked straight at Allen.
"The Sword God Style doesn't have all those intermediate steps of analysis. It goes directly to the slash itself. It's very simple. To give an example, it's: I see,"
The words were still in Paul's mouth, unfinished.
The wind moved.
The next instant, the tip of his wooden sword was already hovering in front of Rudeus. A fallen leaf was cut in two, sliding down Rudeus's dazed face.
Along with the second half of Paul's sentence.
"I cut."
Allen looked at the leaf fragments slowly fluttering to the ground, then looked up dazedly at Paul.
Everything was silent.
Paul was very satisfied with their reaction and nodded to himself.
"This is the Sword God Style—the Silent Sword. I held back most of its power. In a real battle, it would be much faster than this."
Then Rudeus, his face crestfallen, immediately picked up the conversation.
"Father, you just said that even as an example, you shouldn't draw your sword on family..."
Paul's face stiffened. He looked at the two of them and declared, "A wooden sword doesn't count as a sword."
Rudeus: ...
Allen: ...
Paul looked at Allen's dazed expression and said seriously, "Since you're skilled in the Water God Style, this reaction is normal. After all, the Water God Style and the Sword God Style are complete opposites."
My reaction is because your double standard is too damn dazzling!
Allen shook his head, driving the chaotic thoughts from his mind. He caressed the hilt of his sword, feeling the cool feedback from the touch.
Although it's still an instinct-based explanation... this time it feels different...
'I see, I cut...'
***
Join my patreon For Early access to Chapter : patreon.com/TheWorldGod
Tiamat 200 Chapter (Final)
Honkai 228 Chapter
Lobotomy 110 Chapter
MushokuTensei 65Chapter
'Pure Evil' Simulator Chapter Ending
Crossover Fic Blue-Eyes 223 Chapter