~Notes~
Remember when I said there would be 81 chapters? Well, it’s now at 104. And that number will definitely go up as I finish revising.

Episode 45 Glimmering Blade

“Then,” Kunai replies, “let’s get this done in three days.”

“Fine,” Azuma retorts. “If you insist upon it, we shall complete your training in three days. I shall teach you using the quicker method, but it is much more dangerous. Do not make me regret showing it to you.”

“Heh,” Kunai replies haughtily, “don’t worry. I won’t.”

“Well then,” Azuma says, “shall we begin? Lesson Two: Sword Training.”

“Sword training?” Kunai repeats.

“Yes,” Azuma replies, “I have told you before, haven’t I? You are a Beginner now. I have isolated you from your other soul processes. Therefore, rather than form a Hybrid Seal, we shall build you from the ground up, and mold you into the perfect Crusader.”

“Why Crusader? I mean, why not anything else?” Kunai asks.

“Because,” Azuma explains grimly, “you will soon realize that that seal written on Myou is there for more than just decoration.”

“Seal?” Kunai murmurs, looking down at the claw he is clutching in his hands. His fingers run over the smooth, dull color of the seal imprinted on its surface. “Yeah, I kinda realized that already. Whenever I was in real great need, it would sorta lend me this warm power from within.”

“There is more to it than that,” Azuma continues. “In fact, you’ve only experienced a partial release of its powers so far. If you were to completely release it, you would find that you would be able to mold Myou into a much more powerful weapon.”

“And what do you mean by that, exactly?” Kunai replies.

“I mean,” Azuma begins, “that the reason I am teaching you to wield a sword is so you may release Myou, and turn it into a sword.”

“Myou…is a sword?!” Kunai cries, staring at his claw incredulously. “That’s impossible!”

“No it is not,” Azuma retorts. “With Myou in its released form, you will be able to shape it into a sword. However, in doing so, you shall first need to reach 3rd Job Advancement as a Crusader in order to wield it.”

“And how are you gonna do that?” Kunai blinks, staring at Azuma blankly as if he is hiding something behind his back.

“We shall use a method,” Azuma begins, “that I call the ‘Forced Start Method.’ In less than one day, you will reach the 3rd Job Advancement with this method.”

“And what exactly is this ‘Forced Start Method?’” Kunai asks.

“Hi, Kunai!” Arai shouts, popping out of nowhere with a fully charged Thunder Spear in his arm.

“WAHH!” Kunai cries, jumping into the air. “NOT AGAAIINNN!”

The Thunder Spear explodes on the ground under Kunai, uprooting and sending him darting through the air like an arrow. Kunai lands with a plop on the hard ground some feet away, and jumps right back up, grabbing his butt where he’s fallen.

“What the hell kind of method is this?!” Kunai yells to Azuma.

“With this method, you will grow strong enough to be at 3rd Job Advance level in no time!” Azuma shouts back, as Arai comes darting out from nowhere again.

“Hey! Get away from me, you!” Kunai shouts, jumping away. He lands at the foot of a stalagmite, and attempts to leap to its peak. ‘Damn, no good…I can’t use Flash Jump anymore.’ His unsurely feet merely slide back down to the base of the huge rock.

“Look out, Kunai!” Arai cries, just as the stalagmite explodes with an electrifying sizzle next to Kunai.

“Don’t say ‘look out’ when you’re the one firing!” Kunai cries desperately, running away as fast as he can. He makes a U-turn as Arai persistently chases him, rounding right back towards Azuma.

“Help me at least fight, y’know!” Kunai pleads, as he stumbles past Azuma.

“Here!” Azuma calls out, tossing a puny Beginner Sword at him.

Kunai catches it in his hands, fumbling around with it awkwardly. “I was expecting something better than that!”

“You won’t pull out of this alive if you refuse to fight!” Azuma shouts out to Kunai.

“What?!” Kunai cries unbelievably. “How the hell do you expect me to fight against someone who’s ten times stronger than me in this state?!”

“Fool, think about it,” Azuma shouts back, his voice falling into complete seriousness once more. “Warriors do not run from a battle. If the opponent is weak, they continue to fight, and quickly finish it off in order to further their goals. If the opponent is strong, they continue to fight, and quickly fight it to see if they can match its strength. They do not run. They fight, because they need to. Will you run now from a stronger opponent? Only because an opponent appears stronger does not mean you are weaker.”

Kunai suddenly pauses right in his tracks, back faced to both Azuma and Arai. “You mean to say, old man,” he mutters to Azuma, “that if I fight now, I can beat Arai like this?”

“Will you try, or will you run?” Azuma replies.

“Neither!” Kunai shouts, turning around, “I’m gonna train first in order to try!” He spins, just as Arai comes crashing into him with a charged Thunder Spear.

Using all of his strength, Kunai pushes his own weight on his frail Sword, pushing it deep into Arai’s chest. Arai’s eyes widen from the contact, as his Thunder Spear disappears from his hand.

Kunai withdraws his sword, as the shock etches itself all over Arai’s face. No blood spills as Kunai retrieves his sword with a crunch. Suddenly, he is overwhelmed with a glowing, golden light, as a new power surges through him.

Azuma claps, his applause ringing strangely in the stunned silence. “Congratulations. You have just reached 1st Job Advancement level.”

“Not bad,” Kunai grunts, casting aside his Beginner’s Sword. “I feel stronger already.”

“N-Nice work, Kunai!” Arai cheers, still grasping his stomach gingerly.

Kunai hesitates, noting the widening wound held tightly under Arai’s hand. “Arai…are you sure you’re gonna be alright with that wound? I’m sorry about giving it to you…”

“It’s okay, Kunai,” Arai replies. “The benefit of being dead is that you no longer feel any pain, nor do you shed blood when suffering a mortal wound. Even so—”

Yttrius rushes in, intercepting Arai just as he falls to the ground. Yttrius holds him in his arms for some time, as he covers Arai with the same nurturing green light that had healed Kunai.

“Kunai,” Azuma’s voice sounds behind him.

Kunai turns, addressing the man standing before him. He hands Kunai a larger, heavier Two-Handed Sword, which Kunai gladly takes in his hands. “A new sword, huh?” Kunai murmurs, staring at the smooth, silvery blade.

“It should hold you through for now,” Azuma replies. “However, you must now master your newly acquired skills as a Warrior. And that means—”

“More fighting,” Kunai groans.

“Right again, Kunai!” Arai sneers from just behind Kunai.

He feels a hand grip his shoulder, and is whipped around as Arai throws a shockwave of electric energy in the shape of a spear at Kunai.

Kunai blocks the attack just in time with his new sword, holding it up under the intense pressure of Arai’s lightning attack. “Dammit!” Kunai shouts, as he concentrates his will to push the spear of lightning back. “Get away from me!”

All of a sudden, a powerful, blood red slash emits from Kunai’s sword, thrusting Arai heavily back. Arai regains his composure, but not before Kunai rushes at him again, landing a vertical blow on Arai.

The mage protects himself at the last moment from a heavy cut, as he creates a shield of ice separating himself and Kunai. The next second, however, the ice shield breaks, as Kunai easily overpowers the thin layer of frost.

“Not enough!” Kunai shouts, slashing at Arai.

Arai blocks the recklessly swinging sword with his staff, intercepting it in the air before Kunai can bring it down on Arai. “Really,” he murmurs, “you shouldn’t be so rash, Kunai. It’s almost as if you’re trying to kill me! Try to concentrate your attacks more, instead of recklessly letting your strength overflow all over the place.”

“What?” Kunai mutters into the silence.

The next moment, a powerful explosion thrusts Kunai high into the air, as Arai unleashes a string of frighteningly powerful lightning attacks. The bolts shoot through the air, chasing after Kunai, enveloping and shocking him several times.

As the wave of crashing thunder returns to Arai’s disposal, Kunai falls crashing to the floor in a heavy heap. Kunai weakly raises himself from the floor, coughing loudly.

“It’s not over yet!” Kunai shouts, leaping to his feet. “Power Strike!”

Arai teleports to the left of the ferocious attack, and disappears out of sight. A loud whirlwind of noise and flashes suddenly surrounds Kunai, as he spins around in wonder. “What the hell is that?” Kunai murmurs, staring at the continual flashes of blue.

Without warning, a jolt of lightning floats out from within the flashes. Kunai dodges just in time, leaping out of the way with a puff. “Heh. He’s trying to confuse me with his speed. I’ll get him…but how?”

“Use Slash Blast!” Azuma orders from behind.

“Huh?” Kunai mutters, craning his head to get a better view of Azuma. “Slash…Blast? But I don’t know how to use that skill yet!”

“Idiot! Learn it then!” Azuma shouts.

“How do I do that?!” Kunai shouts back.

“Concentrate your mana,” Azuma replies, “concentrate it, and focus it so you can release it in a chain of multiple explosions. Only when you have your mana concentrated can you release it into the air in the form of energy!”

“All right,” Kunai mutters, “I gotta focus! Concentrate!” He places his sword in front of him, growling loudly into the air. “Focus! Concentrate! Ahh!”

A feeble mass of red oozes out of Kunai’s sword, but merely seeps into the air, before disappearing altogether. “Uh…like that?” Kunai wonders.

“You’re not concentrating enough! Focus!” Azuma barks.

“Easy for you to say, old man!” Kunai mutters irritably. “Okay. Again!” He closes his eyes, this time searching for the feel of his mana. “Okay…come on…” he murmurs, still clenching his eyes tightly. “Focus! Slash Blast!”

A rush of power surges forth from the circle of blue; the bolt of lightning strikes Kunai, knocking him sideways even as a surge of red light explodes from his sword.

Kunai loses balance and focus, stumbling to the floor in a crumpled heap. His mass of released energy merely dissipates in the air with a thin sizzle. “Dammit! I had it!” Kunai shouts angrily at Arai.

As Arai continues to swing past in dizzying spurts of blue, the flashing suddenly gleams in Kunai’s eyes, reflecting his opponent’s every movement. “Wait a minute…!” Kunai mutters to himself, his eyes tracking the constant movement of the teleportation patterns.

“I can see him!” Kunai holds his sword straight out into the air, standing erect and waiting patiently to time his attack. “Now!”

Kunai swings down with his sword, unleashing terrifying red-black waves of mana. They crawl thickly through the air, before exploding heavily with loud pops and explosions, each consecutive one exponentially stronger.

Arai is forced to pause in his tracks, as the waves of blasting energy overwhelm him. Using the opening, Kunai thrusts his sword through the air, shouting, “Power Strike!”

A second wave of golden energy flows through Kunai, even as he swings his sword down. A loud thud sounds, as Arai blocks Kunai’s metal sword with his staff in defense.

The next second, a piercing, shattering sound echoes through the air, as Kunai’s sword breaks in half inches above the guard. The better half of the metal blade slides to the ground, lying helplessly on the floor, crunched and broken.

Kunai holds the remainder of the sword in his hands, panting heavily as he leans over Arai and his staff. He stares at the broken sword, with only the hilt and a few fragments of the blade left.

Kunai shrugs, and casts aside the useless sword, to another round of applause by Azuma. “Very good. You are proceeding at a considerable rate. You have now acquired 2nd Job Advancement. All that is left is to master your newfound skills and reach the peak of 3rd Job.”

Azuma snaps his fingers, and Yttrius comes into view, carrying in his arms a new sword for Kunai. “You are now in need of another new sword. Take this Zard, and please continue your training.”

Kunai nods, grasping the iron hilt of the sword and waves it in the air experimentally. Arai smiles, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly as he watches Kunai. “Well, if you’re ready, Kunai, here I come!”

“You better watch out, Arai!” Kunai shouts tauntingly. “I’m getting stronger again. I won’t let you have my way with me this time!”

Kunai dashes forward, sidestepping another one of Arai’s lightning attacks and thrusting his sword towards the standing mage.

Arai leaps out of the way, firing several missiles of icicles Kunai’s way. Kunai skillfully raises his sword, blocking each icicle with patient talent. “Not this time!” Kunai yells, stampeding forward.

The clink of metal rings loudly in Kunai’s ears, as he draws back his sword once more, spinning to dodge Arai’s Thunder Spear, while placing his weight on his Sparta. He throws it forward in one forceful stabbing motion.

“Final Attack: Sword!”

Arai fails to react in time, and takes the bulk of the damage from the attack. He leaps back, using a thin layer of ice as a shield between himself and Kunai. “Well, well, Kunai! It seems you’re finally regaining some of that swagger you had earlier. You look like you’ve been fighting with a sword all your life!”

“Arai.”

Arai blinks, turning slightly in surprise at the seriousness in Kunai’s voice. “What is it, Kunai?”

“Let’s finish this!” Kunai darts out of nowhere, his sword poised high and ready to strike. Kunai brings his Sparta crashing down, but not before Arai challenges it by expertly weaving a net of electrifying lightning.

As the two opposing forces collide, a loud explosion quakes through the immediate vicinity. Several stalagmites collapse from the reverberating ground, as dust is thrown up into the air.

Finally, the scene clears, and Kunai stands, yet again, with a broken sword. He kicks the shattered pieces away, and throws away the hilt of his sword.

Arai remains feebly standing, leaning under the aide of Kunai. Yttrius rushes over to help Arai, coating him once again with that comfortable, humming green light.

Azuma steps slowly out of the shadows where he has been watching, failing to applaud Kunai this time. Kunai turns grimly, the better to see the approaching man.

“Impressive, Kunai. You have achieved what many fail to do in years of training. You have now gained the 3rd Job Advancement level in less than one day.”

Kunai smiles faintly. “That’s good, then. Because all this training has really drained me.”

“No. There is no time to rest,” Azuma mutters, “because we are not yet done with Lesson Two.”

Next Time: Episode 46 C.C.C.

Arai: Next time, we learn the fundamental three C’s!

Kunai: Uh…what were they again? Control, concentrate…copulate?

Azuma: I do not think so. Try again.

Arai: Cookies!

Azuma: [sigh]

Episode 46 C.C.C. coming soon!