Chapter 2: I Need More Power
...
"Got it." I replied, getting a nod from the man, who then turned to Kem to tell him what he needed to work on.
"As for you, Kem, your problem is the exact opposite of Luka's. Being aggressive in a fight is not always a bad thing, but it can be if you rely on it." Simon said calmly. "Focusing too much on it will get in the way of your precision and thinking. You're purposely giving yourself tunnel vision, making your attack not land the way you imagine. You need to get out of your own way."
Kem nodded quietly, though I wasn't sure if he was going to follow through or not. Simon then took the wooden sword from his hands and sent him back to the group before turning his attention back to me.
"Luka," He said. "Since you proved you're well enough to fight properly, why don't you fight me? Take what I told you and put it to use, alright?"
"Like you had to ask." Unlike with Kem, I didn't need to hold back against an experienced warrior like Simon.
The other students immediately perked up. Whenever Simon and Luka clashed swords, it eclipsed their spars by miles. Things would escalate to another level.
The other trainee acting as the ref for our match raised a hand to ask, "Same rules?"
Simon nodded. "That's right, only this time we'll go for three rounds. Best two out of three wins."
We stepped back into the dirt and took our places. The moment the signal was given, we both moved simultaneously.
We rushed each other, our wooden swords flashing in a brown blur. Simon, already being in his prime, got to me a step first and went in for a downward strike, but I expected that and swung my weapon upwards.
*CLUNK!*
We both grinned when we made contact, already switching our positions for our next course of action. Simon pressed forward relentlessly, chaining attacks together, forcing me to react rather than dictate the pace.
*CLUNK!*
*CREAK!*
'Dios mio…Hmp!…He's really putting on the pressure.' My eyes worked overtime to best guess what he would do next as I moved my body to attack from his right side with a thrust.
He expected that and blocked the hit. Stepping back to me, he countered, forcing me to twist aside, the edge of his weapon grazing my sleeve, where I then proceeded to duck and sweep at his legs.
"HUP!" Simon leapt back just in time, chuckling under his breath. "Not a bad attempt." He praised with an approving nod. "But don't think you'll beat me with just this." He went back to me.
*CANK!*
The man stepped up the pressure another notch. His strikes became much heavier to get me off balance. My arms vibrated against his attack. He was trying to loosen my grip!
Not giving him the chance, I switch to the opposite. I added more light steps to my movements, letting the air take me instead of fighting him like I had been, which I knew wouldn't help me stay in the fight for long instead of fighting him at his own game. My strokes became more rapid than usual, keeping me afloat. However, Simon still wasn't giving me room to breathe, but I didn't panic.
When Simon lunged for what should've been a thrust, I did the unexpected and moved into the attack instead. My blade slid along his, redirecting it just enough as I twisted my wrist and stepped inside his guard.
In one smooth motion, I reversed my grip and tapped the flat of my sword against his throat. I knew this was where I needed to strike hard, but I guess I'm nicer than I thought.
Everyone went dead silent.
Simon froze, feeling the wood at his neck. He was stunned, but his shocked face then grew into a smile. "Well… I'll be. Fantastic job, Luka!"
I stepped back immediately, lowering my blade. "Didn't expect that, did you?"
"No, not in the slightest." He admitted, breaking into a wide grin. "That was very clean, kiddo. Your talent really shows when you stop hesitating. Remember that feeling. That clarity of being one with your sword. It'll no doubt come in handy in the future."
'That's more true than you think.' I sigh internally as I nod. "I'll be sure to."
"Good, now let's go again. We still have two more rounds ahead of us, and I'm not planning on losing right after the second." He went to his position, as did I.
"Ready when you are!" I flipped back into my stance.
The moment the signal was given, I advanced first. I tightened my footwork this time to be the one in the lead. Reaching Simon, I took my first few swings, making them short as a bluff to get him to overcommit. That was the plan.
I began with three fast strikes, high, mid, and low. Each one he blocked skillfully, getting me to disengage before he could counter. Simon blocked the hits easily enough as he proceeded to move in on me, but I simply shifted my footwork to go hard, refusing to give the guy any breathing room.
The man's smile faded as he was forced to parry more now, his steps growing sharper, his stance widening as I kept him at bay. I specifically targeted his weaknesses, like his shoulders or elbows, to keep him guessing.
*CHUNK!*
*CLACK!*
My attacks hit him optimally, helping me manage to slip past and clip his side, where I proceeded to go at his ribs.
The observing students gasped, looking on in amazement, thinking to themselves how I was going to win, and I got to say I did too for a second. But to my shock Simon retreated two full steps back just before I reached him.
"You think I wouldn't see through that." Simon remarked as he raised his weapon with both hands and drove it down on me.
*CLACK!*
I barely managed to defend myself. "HUGHH!" My teeth grit as I struggle to keep Simon from hitting me, our wooden swords edging at each other. 'Ok, that sounded wrong.' I deadpanned.
With all my strength I slowly raised myself up little by little while keeping my teacher in check. If I let go now, he would hit me. "HRRRMM!" The entire time, Simon looked on with awe.
"Dyah!" I pushed myself back before going at him again, and he was more than happy to oblige. "HAAAH!"
My breath quickened as I increased the number of hits to get the better of the experienced soldier, pushing myself far harder than before. Like a badass, Simon simply went with the flow, stepping back as he parried each and every single one of my hits.
'NOW!' When I found my chance, I closed in and moved my weapon into a thrust position and went for it, but that was my mistake. I ended up overextending just slightly, and he capitalized on that moment.
He twisted my weapon, hooked my foot behind my ankle, and the next thing I knew, he shoved me off balance and placed his sword at my throat before I could recover. "Damn it." I tisked under my breath. I was so close.
The man stepped back, letting me fall on my butt. "That was a very neat plan you had there, Luka. You almost had me. You did great." He admitted it, giving me his hand.
I took his hand and got up, patting the dirt from my pants. "Thanks, but the next one's mine."
"We'll see." Was all he said before we went back to take our spots.
My fellow trainee gave the signal, and we went at it. This time I put all my focus as I closed in. I wanted to win.
We got in each other's personal space quickly, both our weapons swinging at each other. I struck at Simon with a wide, powerful swing, but I knew he would catch that, so midway into the move I slid my feet on the ground and switched into a sharp thrust, which Simon answered with equal force.
Our wooden swords crashed again and again.
*CUNCK!*
"AAAGH!" I swung at his shoulder.
Much to my regret, Simon anticipated it and went for my arm. 'Fuck!' I narrowly moved out of the way. I was beginning to breathe hard now, sweat dripping down my forehead"
'I got you now!' I pressed harder, letting the fight take my body, and swiveled around, sending a kick to Simon.
"Woh!" He barely blocked it as he skidded back a bit.
Taking the opportunity presented to me, I lunged, committing fully, as I went into a downward strike. At the time, I didn't know if it was because of the euphoria or my drive to win, but at that moment it felt like everything connected. I felt a wave of strength enter me. I didn't notice because I was too in the zone, but my left eye was gleaming a faint golden color.
Simon's eyes widened at the incoming strike but hardened in a moment's notice. At the last instant, he pivots inside my reach before driving the hilt of the sword into my sternum. "CAUGH!" My weapon slipped out of my fingers as the impact knocked the air out of my lungs.
I fell down, rolling on the ground as I gasped for air. 'Mielda, I was so close…' I buckled from the pain.
"Luka, are you alright?" He went to check up on me. "I didn't go too hard on you, did I?"
I struggled to raise my head up. "I'll—I'll be ok…" I replied weakly, clutching my stomach. "But I'll get you back someday." I was going to remember that move, and the next time we fought, I would win. Vengeance will be mine!
Seeing my determination, Simon let out a sigh of relief. "Luka, I don't know what's gotten into you, but I like it." He helped me up. "You were amazing, kiddo. Keep it up, and I have no doubt you'll surpass me someday." He placed his fist on my chest.
"Look forward to it." I grinned back as I got up.
The others came up to me, complimenting me on how I got so far against our instructor besides Kem.
"Alright, alright. All of you." He clapped his hands, getting our attention. "So, who wants next?" He bent down to pick up the weapon I used, and when he did, it split apart.
Everyone went silent, staring at the broken part of the wooden sword on the ground. Even Simon was stunlocked, as this had never happened, but he chalked it up to the wooden sword being worn out from months of being used, but somehow in the back of my mind I didn't believe that was the case.
The rest of the morning passed with the rest of the trainees taking their turns. Their fights, while not terrible, didn't come close to the level of Simon and me. After that was over, we went on to training our sword swings against the practice dummies. I especially wasn't going easy on them, trying to see if I could bring out the same burst of power I had done earlier, but I couldn't manage to do it, which was a bummer.
Our sword training lasted until midday, when we needed to eat and take a break. The afternoon was reserved for when we'd help guard and survey the village to give the soldiers sent from San Ilia time for themselves. It was pretty boring. All we did was walk around the village in groups of two with swords in hand.
When the day ended, we were released to go home, but I stayed behind to have a chat with Simon. "Hey Simon, there's something I need to ask you."
"What is it?"
"I'd like to ask you if you can train me more intensely in the morning and afternoon."
Simon blinked in confusion. "You want more training? Why? You're already doing so well at the pace you're going."
"I know, but it's not enough. I'm too weak right now. And I—" I stop myself. I couldn't tell the man about Ilias. If I did, he'd be a target, and so would I. I couldn't tell anyone. "I just need more power." I said simply.
Looking at the resolution in my eyes, he didn't press further. Instead, he only nodded and said, "Alright, I can see this is important to you. We'll begin now." He went to the sword rack.
"Hold on—Now!" I sputtered, catching the weapon he tossed me.
"You're the one who said you needed power." He questioned me as he picked another wooden sword from the rack. "Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to take it like a man?" He yelled as he went into his stance.
My only answer to that was to get in my stance.
"That's the spirit." He wasted no time and went at me. "RAAAAGH!" He went for a downward strike.
"HAAAAAGH!" I did the opposite and met him head-on.
…
"Mmmm… Mi cuerpo—duele mucho." I groaned as I went inside my house.
We sparred several more times, breaking only to rest and eat before going right back to fighting until he told me to go home to rest. He also told me we'll be doing this every day until I can beat him one-sidedly.
Inside, I pick up a candle and light it. Because this was the medieval times, people used candles to see in the dark. I couldn't complain too much about it. My family always used candles frequently whenever the power in the neighborhood ran out back in D.R., so I was used to it. I only wished they were scented.
"I wonder if I can make a business out of it in this world." I smiled at my business strategy. If I did, I could end up really rich.
Putting that awesome business idea to the side for now, I make my way up to my room.
Shutting the door behind me, I place the candle at my bedside post and immediately crash on my bed, my mind full of nothing but the fast-paced fights and my ass getting handed to me. "I'm starting to think that guy isn't completely human." I managed to get out.
It wouldn't surprise me. Monsters and humans can make children together. That's how monster girls are born in the first place, but a human and a monster can make a human with monster blood together, though that seemed to be rare for some reason in both senses because of Ilias and just naturally. If I remember right, there was a king and his daughter on one of the continents who were the descendants of a Sphynx monster. What was his name again? "Meh, I'm too tired to remember."
Bringing myself up, I sat down on the floor cross-legged. Since yesterday I've been meaning to go more in-depth about my angel powers, and after my bout with Simon, when I felt that explosion of energy, it made me want to experiment.
And to do that, I decided to go back to my roots and gloss over exactly what I was. 'Alright, so I'm Luka, that's fucking clear. I'm the son of Marcelous, who is the descendant of the legendary hero Heinrich from 500 years ago, making me his descendant too. Yay me. 'Then there's my mother, Lucifina.' I looked at the ring on my finger.
Lucifina wasn't human. She was an angel. A powerful one too. She was the Second Great Seraph, and she was the first angel to rebel against that crazy goddess. She was also a complete badass who gained the moniker Daystar for her unmatched combat prowess in battle. So like I said, badass.
Because of her, I wasn't completely human either. I was a half angel. A Nephilim. I had inherited her abilities, which were sealed by the ring she gave Luka before her death. 'So how do I activate them?' I hummed.
I brushed the edge of the ring with my thumb. In the games my angel powers awakened fully when an army of angels led by an archangel attacked the village. The village was destroyed, and in his rage, Luka destroyed the ring and unleashed his full power and kicked their asses.
I didn't want to go on that route yet. My body warned me that if I did, there would be consequences. The purpose of the ring was meant to stop my powers from awakening early and killing me in the process. 'But that doesn't mean it's not there. Not completely.' My fight with Simon was proof my angelic abilities can be released. 'So what to do?' I began thinking up ways to go around this.
In the games, whenever a monster girl tried using some kind of mental ability on Luka, his Nephilim powers would instinctively kick in to counteract it, resulting in a giant backlash of power that would hurt… a lot.
Going by that logic, it meant the seal wasn't as absolute as it looked.
That was a very useful hint.
"…Oh well." I muttered. "Not like I can make myself look more stupid."
Getting off my bed, I reached over and blew out the candle. For what I was about to try, I didn't want any light.
Rubbing my hands together, I place my arms to the side as I take a deep, calm breath. "Let's do this." I closed my eyes and began meditating.
I was very unsure if this would show any results, and I sure as hell was no expert on Nephilim physiology. This was completely uncharted territory for me, but I was willing to try anything to get stronger before canon. A war was going to happen, and I needed every edge I could get.
I imagined absolute darkness and pushed my awareness deeper, commanding whatever was sealed inside me to respond. I mentally ordered whatever was inside me to reveal itself. "Show yourself."
That's when I felt something in me answer, like a pulling sensation. In that darkness sprouted a flame.
A bright, warm, beautiful golden flame.
"Holy shit." I whispered, feeling indescribable warmth well within me. "It's actually working!" I exclaimed but quickly regained my concentration. No way in hell was I going to screw this up.
The flame swerved in the darkness, swaying gently in time with my breathing. Curious, I told it to swerve in one direction just to see if I could. It responded to my will and leaned to the right.
"…Okay," I muttered. "Let's try something else." I ordered it to change shape but stopped as I realized I needed to be more precise in what specifically I wanted it to do. From all the fantasy mangas I read, visualization mattered.
So I pictured something simple and specific. A sphere.
The golden flame folded inward, compressing smoothly until it became a perfect orb, just like I imagined. "Nice." I nodded to myself.
I told it to return to its original state, watching it unravel back into fire. "Alright." I thought carefully, feeling my pulse quicken. Now came the hard part. "When I open my eyes, you will appear in the real world, floating above my right hand." I emphasized every word.
"…Here goes nothing." I then go to open my eyes, with the expectation that when I do, my dark room will be flooded in light.
Back in the real world, I found myself disappointed to see my room still dark. "Oh man," I sighed disappointedly. "Guess I was too n—"
Just then I felt something warm bloom in my right palm. My breath hitched. "No freaking way." My eyes widened as my dark room was being bathed in a yellow light, soft at first, but it became brighter.
Hovering just above my right hand was a tiny orb of light, glowing like a miniature sun. "Que hermosa…" I breathed out, staring at it in awe.
I was just a normal guy before all this weird shit happened to me. No magic. No powers. I was sent to a dangerous world with danger looming all around me without any sort of cheat or explanation. But seeing this… this magic in my hand, this warm light, it gave me a sense of security and reassurance.
Curious, I slowly reached out to touch it. Contrary to what I expected, my finger passed straight through harmlessly. I pumped my fist up in triumph. "Hell yeah! Hell ye—!" I shouted before immediately clamping a hand over my mouth. "—Shit. Quiet."
Calming myself down, I kept staring at the small ball of light. "Hmm, up." I told it, and it floated higher in my palm. Wanting to test more, I think about what to tell it to do next. "Alright, get big."
Slowly it began growing in size until it was the size of a tennis ball. A grin split my face. I was getting giddy. "Hehe… ok, now move."
The orb drifted free from my palm, circling me like a moon. I laughed softly. I wouldn't need to use candles anymore, which was good because I definitely didn't want to do that just to eat dinner in my own place.
"Faster." I told it, and it began picking up speed. At first it was only moving slightly, but after a few seconds or so, it went faster and faster until it was blitzing around me like a golden firefly."
Worried something bad was going to happen, like me getting split in half, I tell it to halt. "Stop!" I spoke firmly, and it halted above my shoulder. "Now back to my hand."
It seemed that the clearer and more direct the intent, the better it would follow. I'd have to test that some more.
Thinking of what else to make it do, I wondered how big I could make it. "Grow." I told it with the intent to not just become a bit bigger but more. That was my first mistake.
It began expanding further like a water balloon. At the same time, the light began glowing brighter as it grew to the size of a basketball. "Whoa, what?!" I turned around to see the things in my room begin trembling.
All around me loose items like my sword, blanket, and pillow slowly began to slide toward the orb as if pulled by gravity.
"Oh no. Stop—stop!" I shouted, panic setting in, but it did the opposite and only grew brighter and larger. "No no no! Small! Small!!!" I yelled at it, holding my arm to rein it in, but it wasn't listening at all.
I felt something was wrong with me. My arm tingled painfully as the orb swelled to the size of my bed. I kept yelling at it to stop as I shut my eyes from the blinding light. "STOOOOP!"
*BOOM!*
The light orb detonated, sending my things, myself included, flying back. "WAH!" I was thrown back into the wall, gasping for air as the glow vanished, making my room go dark.
I looked at everything in stunned silence. The room was a mess. My bed was on the wall, my mirror was cracked, and my drawer was upside down.
"Heh…HAHAHA! Yes!" I laughed as I stood up, dusting myself off. "That was loco, I can't—Oh shit!" I immediately ran to check myself in the mirror.
I was checking to see if there were any side effects. I stripped myself naked and checked my body. I breathed a sigh of relief to find no part of me turning into stone. "Phew, I almost thought something might've happened." I went to sit back on my bed, but not before getting it back to how it was before. I can't sleep sideways. I collapsed onto my bed, mentally drained but equally exhilarated.
I controlled light. Actual light. The possibilities of this were limitless. I watched tons of anime, so I can think of many ways to use it. "I bet I can make it into a whip." I smirked, thinking of Patri from Black Clover and how the elf used his whips of light to cleave apart a mountain.
"Hmph, Daystar indeed." Now that I touched upon my angelic power, I'd set my sights on training and honing this. Just… not in my room.
...
..
.