"I'll show you four basic slashes, master it in one month then only we can proceed further" Bastro gave Felix a wooden sword and took one for himself. After a whole month of running, push-ups, squats and many other exercises which train body strength was the first phase of training of swordsmanship which Felix completed yesterday and today is the first time he get to hold the sword even though it was wooden but Felix was disappointed and annoyed by something else 'I trained like dog for last month and still now I will only get four basic slashes to learn?!', "An overhand slash" a powerful strike from above, often involving a step but because of Bastro's condition he did it while standing without any step. "Next is a middle cut slash" a horizontal cut across the body. "Now an underhand slash" is a rising cut from below, just the opposite of an overhand slash but it is a bit more complex than overhand slash because it requires more strength. "Lastly a diagonal slash" A specific 45-degree diagonal downward cut, "This all may look too easy and basic but these are the fundamental sword strike, practice it as many times as you can use it even in sleep" Bastro left the knights' ground with a deadline of a month for Felix to master it. 'He shows all four slashes but I don't think it's that hard to learn and one month is more than enough time to learn this, Heh!'
"Ahh!, please don't touch my hand!" Felix was shouting in pain because after coming back in the evening from the training sprains on his wrist, shoulder, and knees were hurting like hell but at this moment also Bastro was teasing Felix. "It could be worse if you have not done that training for one month, don't cry over this because it is still the first day hahaha!" Bastro tried to cheer up Felix but it made him more uncomfortable 'Till a few hundred swings I was good but after that it started getting worse, and it is just beginning, I will show this damn blacksmith my mastery in twenty days!'. After twenty days, 'Shit!, I still can't properly master the middle cut slash, it is tough to continue using it in long term' even after training day and night Felix learn all slashes perfectly and is able to perform all fluently except the middle cut slash because of its horizontal swinging trajectory. Felix has broken seven wooden dummies and four wooden swords in his practice of twenty days which is showing his dedication in practice but Bastro was not convince and decided to check his son's growth today, after the first day Bastro didn't went to knights' ground again but today he went with Vomon and a patrolling knight to test Felix's training. "Felix, come here!" Bastro called out Felix and this was surprising for him because he didn't feel the presence of his father even though he was not far away. "What happened?", "Nothing much, you just have to give a test today" Bastro said with a smirk, "I still have ten days left to master those slashes" Felix understand that the test was about his mastery over those four basic slashes even without telling the content of test. "Don't worry, your dedication of twenty days touch my heart~ , so you just have to endure this knight's attack for fifteen minutes and no need to sweat because he will also use only the four basic slashes" Bastro's evil grin was scaring all of them but Felix didn't get scared and accept this challenge wholeheartedly.
"Begin!" Felix strike first but it was easy to block, before the knight can launch a counterstrike Felix use his leg to hit knight's hand and was able to loosen the grip of knight's sword, even though Felix's strength was less compared to his opponent but he still have advantage in speed, Knight quickly regained his composure and launched a strike which was meant to dodge but Felix took it head on to block but it didn't work and knight gained the upperhand and launch another slash but 'he is going to use overhand slash, I can use diagonal slash to counter!' It worked and Felix showed them one move which he has hidden as a secret technique he learned by himself. Felix threw his sword upward and used both his hands to strike the opponent's hand and lastly the sword which was thrown up came down and felix hit knight's leg and defeated him. Bastro and Vomon were shock but both have different thoughts on it, Bastro shouted at Felix "What did you try to do now?! It is not a game or children's match, how dare you throw your sword?!" Bastro start storming and the thought of a nice trick from Vomon's mind flew out and he understand why Bastro was angry. "What is wrong with this trick?, I made this while training and you just saw that it worked" Felix can't think a single reason of this anger and defend himself.
After that for two days neither Bastro said anything to Felix nor Felix utter a word, Nellie got annoyed with this continuous ruckus and tension in house and decided to arrange a conversation between them, she called both of them in dining room and "Now you both, tell me what is the issue and solve it today", Felix shouted first "I made a new sword technique and it work but dad was shouting at me even though I pass the test!" Nellie looks at Bastro and tries to give a gesture to speak his mind but he strikes his points before the permission "You idiot! How the hell it is a sword technique if you throw your sword?!, and for a swordsman it is the most common knowledge to never let go his sword!, but you, sigh~, looks like it was too early to let you train" these words of Bastro was like a disappointment which struck at Felix's heart and he ran in his room without any more thoughts, "Ah Felix, wait where are you go-", "Let him go, he is just an idio-" Bastro cut Nellie's word and more importantly he hurt Felix for which he got a smack from Nellie "Stupid!", and after giving this wonderful compliment to Bastro she went after Felix.
Later at that night when Felix didn't listen to Nellie and didn't even eat his dinner, Bastro went in Felix's room on Nellie's command but he didn't find his son in room and check the whole house, he was nowhere to be seen, Bastro start sweating tons and got so scared that "What are you doing here?" "Uaahhhh! Sorryyy! I don't know where Felix is!" Bastro screamed like a child with his hands joined as if he was begging for mercy. "Dad, I am right here" Felix said with a smile but he was laughing in his mind when he saw this scene of his great and powerful dad, "Where were you?" Bastro's whole face turned red by his act of just now and trying to calm the situation, "I was in the workshop to put back the…. Sword" Bastro understand what his son meant by putting back the sword, it was that he will not continue swordsmanship anymore, "I didn't say to abandon sword, uhh.. let me clear this your sword performance and techniques which you master were perfect, problem was that trick of throwing the sword" Felix again can't comprehend the reason and ask "Why is it a problem?", Bastro hesitate to tell as if all sort of bad memories came just by remembering but he just said it with a face of guilt "I let go just the grip of my sword a little but.. it took the life of my comrades besides me and even this loss of one limb was just because of a loosened grip" Felix's face showed shock, sadness and horror just by imagining it, "I understand, I will not use that reckless technique again" Felix said with his head down and was feeling guilty to making Bastro remember of those past, "Just stay safe and don't get full of yourself with sword".