Chapter 13 Chapter 13: Training and Instruction
Chapter 13: Training and Instruction
......
Two months later—
In an open clearing, two figures stood facing each other.
The man was tall and straight, with his arms crossed, his gaze sharp and focused.
"Channel the Arts within your body and attack with all your might. Hold nothing back."
Kevin said solemnly.
This statement was not arrogance, but rather a composure born from the disparity in their strengths.
"Yes! Teacher!"
After a month of training, the young girl had begun to shed her initial naivety, her agile form resembling a spirit in the snowy fields.
Yelena's right hand formed a loose grip, a crystal-clear ice sword instantly materializing from below. With a tap of her toes, an icy wind enveloped her body, unleashing terrifying speed.
But strangely, her body suddenly vanished.
Countless ice crystals and snowflakes drifted down, reflecting the glaring sunlight, creating a breathtakingly beautiful scene like a paradise on earth.
Yet within this beautiful scenery lay a terrifying killing intent!
The ice sword stabbed cunningly from the waist and abdomen, piercing through the icy mist like a viper striking.
Kevin shifted his body, perfectly dodging this long-planned strike.
As if casually, he reached out his hand.
Crack—
The ice sword was easily snapped. Yelena showed no panic; in nearly a month of sparring with Kevin, she had experienced this countless times.
Another ice sword, already pre-formed in her left hand, decisively swung out!
The translucent ice sword erupted with countless sword lights mixed with frigid air at that moment.
Chaotic Blossoms [Plum]!
It was unimaginable that in just one month, her previously inexperienced swordsmanship had progressed to such a level.
Kevin's calm gaze remained unchanged. The greatsword casually formed in his hand slashed and chopped; his body barely moved with any significant motion. Yet the greatsword in his hand seemed to possess a soul of its own, precisely and effortlessly sweeping away each sword light and frigid air.
It was as if it were not a weapon, but an impregnable fortress wall!
Since he had accepted this student, he would naturally devote himself wholeheartedly.
Perhaps he didn't have much experience teaching others, but he knew that actual combat was the best teacher.
Kevin's memories were vast as an ocean; finding a swordsmanship style suitable for Yelena wasn't difficult. For example, Sakura's swordsmanship was very suitable in many ways.
Clang!
Chaotic Blossoms [Chrysanthemum]!
Chaotic Blossoms [Iris]!
Sword lights flickered. Yelena might not have reached the exquisite level of the original master of this swordsmanship, but she had already mastered it quite proficiently.
Thrust! Sweep!
During the month of recuperation, her gradually developing body was utilized to its fullest extent.
Every move was decisive and ruthless; this was a swordsmanship born specifically for killing!
But...
"No openings."
Even though he spent most of the time defending, only occasionally counterattacking, the pressure Kevin exerted on her was as heavy as an abyss. An assassination-type swordsmanship couldn't find even a single opening in the enemy—was there anything more terrifying than this?
Yelena raised her ice sword horizontally to shoulder level and took a deep breath.
"Then... I'll create one!"
After another clash of sword tips, she extended her hand. Endless icy mist gathered around her. With a push, a terrifying cold wave madly surged towards Kevin to engulf him.
The scale of this Originium Art was almost stronger than some seasoned practitioners, yet she was only in her teens.
"You should know these things are useless against me. Unless..."
Kevin ignored the cold wave. His greatsword turned and swung down with simple, unadorned force towards an empty spot behind him.
Clang! Crack!
The ice mirror shattered, but there was no sign of Yelena's figure. Both were fakes?
Only at this moment did that chilling sword light finally reveal its killing intent!
She descended from above, the howling cold wind blowing the hair on her forehead back.
Yelena finally unleashed the move she had intentionally concealed throughout this entire battle—the move that could become the deciding factor!
Instant Slash [Sakura's Curtain]!
The crystal-clear ice sword seemed to steal the color from all things. Within sight, only that one chilling, fierce sword light remained between heaven and earth!
In Yelena's hands, this long-sealed swordsmanship finally regained a trace of Sakura's essence!
Checkmate! Teacher!
?... No, not yet.
Kevin hadn't fully committed to striking that ice mirror. The greatsword, already held with reserve strength, moved with even greater speed and from a more cunning angle, shattering that move which held Yelena's hopes with a domineering posture.
The greatsword effortlessly tore through that sky-like curtain seemingly woven from swords from its weak point, crushing it completely and sending Yelena flying back along with her ice sword.
Takeoff, adjust posture, maintain composure.
Thump!
Accompanied by a sound of impact into snow, Yelena's body traced a perfect arc through the air before cleanly crashing into a snowdrift.
The entire sequence was executed smoothly in one go, practiced to a heartbreaking degree.
"A very good idea."
Kevin lowered his greatsword and offered rare praise.
Using the ice mirror to refract light combined with the snow screen to achieve a double decoy effect, plus that long-concealed swordsmanship move—Yelena's performance had completely exceeded his expectations.
"Sigh. No matter how good the idea is, I still couldn't beat you, Teacher."
Yelena emerged from the snowdrift, shaking off the snowflakes clinging to her ash-white hair. Her rabbit ears drooped as she spoke with considerable frustration.
Kevin walked over slowly. With his right hand gripping her collar, he pulled the exhausted Yelena out of the snowdrift and shook his head noncommittally.
He wasn't keen on discouraging his student's enthusiasm, but some of her thoughts were somewhat unrealistic.
Even Sakura herself, who had mastered this swordsmanship to its extreme—capable of freezing time for an instant—was not his match in a direct confrontation.
"I have nothing more to teach you regarding the sword forms. They are roughly as such. What you lack is experience. As for the later stages of this swordsmanship, I also don't know much about them."
Kevin spoke calmly as he carried the little Amiya towards the direction of the camp.
"So-called 'Instant,' is merely a miracle that can only be revealed in the fleeting moment between life and death. I rarely face such situations myself, so I can only say this much. The later realms should be comprehended by you yourself."
Listening to her teacher's words, Yelena nodded her little head with partial understanding.
——
"Back?"
"Mhm."
Pozëmka tucked the hair at her forehead behind her ear and asked gently, her exquisite face bearing an intellectual radiance.
Kevin responded softly. Everything seemed natural and effortless—of course, if one ignored the little rabbit being carried...
In the past, her father had criticized some of her thoughts as being too idealistic and naive. Pozëmka had always been unwilling to admit it.
Only after experiencing turmoil and now settling down under Kevin's protection could she contemplate more things.
Since fleeing as refugees, she had witnessed the darkness among nobles, the scheming among citizens, villagers' ill intentions towards outsiders, and the suffering of the Infected...
The noble young lady who had lived over a decade in that gilded cage gradually transformed during this process. She shed her aristocratic arrogance and matured.
Pozëmka was quite content with her current life. Although following the guerrilla force meant relocating every so often without a permanent settlement...
But wherever Kevin was, that place was home—a sense of security that no person or thing could provide.
.......
At night, Kevin sat by the campfire. A piece of ice crystal spun nimbly in his palm. Yelena sat obediently beside him, somewhat puzzled as she watched her teacher.
This ice crystal represented Kevin's research results on Originium Arts based on Yelena.
As early as half a month ago, he had roughly understood the principle behind so-called "Arts."
For example, this ice crystal in his hand—when forming it, he didn't use a single bit of Honkai energy. It relied purely on energy released from Originium dust particles in the air.
damn as always kevin goat never fails to surprise me with his genius the glaze is necessary