"Attention, everyone! We've invited a new coach for this joint training session!"
Amidst the chaos on the field, a Sensei from Kyomon Academy strode into the training ground, clapping his hands to draw everyone's attention.
"You two over there, please stop your sparring for now!" He called out loudly to the two girls locked in a heated battle in the center of the field.
"It's fine, it's fine. Let them continue!"
A raspy voice interrupted him. It belonged to a wizened old man with thinning hair. He appeared to be at least ninety years old. Though his body seemed frail, his psychic energy remained remarkably vigorous, his eyes gleaming with vitality. Dressed in a gray kimono and leaning on a cane, he wore a cheerful smile.
"Old Man? What are you doing here?" Ryoji blurted out in astonishment, his eyes widening.
"What's this, aren't you happy to see me, you little rascal?" The old man teased, winking mischievously.
"The God of War!"
"Did the academy actually hire the God of War as a coach?"
"Unbelievable! Does our school really have that much clout?"
"Maybe they're doing it for their disciples' sake?"
The representative contestants from Kyomon Academy erupted in gasps of astonishment.
To ordinary students, the God of War was a legendary figure. A Blazer of his advanced age and immense power was practically a national treasure; even Kurogane Gen treated him with utmost respect. They usually only saw glimpses of him on television.
Meeting him in person and yet hesitating to ask for a photo immediately was due to their awe of his legendary reputation.
"Why would the God of War agree to be our coach?"
"Because the other coaches Kyomon Academy invited were all defeated!"
Under Eight Hearts' questioning, Kusakabe Kagami feigned helplessness, but in reality, he spread his hands with immense pride.
For this joint training camp, Kyomon Academy had specially invited several professional knights to serve as instructors. Each was at least a C-Rank Blazer Knight, considered elite even within professional knight circles.
Unfortunately.
On their very first day, they were all utterly defeated.
And not just once or twice, but they were repeatedly thrashed in a grueling gauntlet.
Ryoji led the first wave, followed by Kurogane Ikki in the second.
Seeing how effortlessly the two of them crushed the instructors, the remaining participants grew eager to join the fray. Stella, Toudou Touka, and Kurogane Shizuku took their turns dismantling the professionals as well.
Of course, this wasn't bullying; it was simply the rigorous nature of the intensive training curriculum.
The purpose of the intensive training was to enhance practical combat skills and allow the representative contestants, who had previously lacked real combat experience, to acclimate to the atmosphere of the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival ahead of time. Therefore, sparring with the coaches formed the core of the training. Being defeated simply meant the current batch of coaches wasn't up to par.
The coaches' morale crumbled under the onslaught. One female coach even broke down in tears on the spot, leaving the contestants feeling somewhat ashamed. As a result, all the coaches resigned, refusing to stay despite the teacher's desperate attempts to persuade them.
With all the coaches gone, Ryoji and the others were forced to practice sparring among themselves.
The Giant Gate Sensei couldn't vent his frustration on the students, so he resorted to desperately seeking new coaches.
That's when the God of War showed up.
"Master, long time no see. Forgive my belated greetings." Toudou Touka stepped down from the training arena.
Unlike Ryoji's casual attitude, Toudou Touka treated God of War with deep reverence.
"Aiya, little Touka is blossoming more beautifully every day! The glow of love really does make a difference, doesn't it?" Nangou Torajirou teased, eyeing him up and down with a sly grin.
"Master, what are you saying!" Toudou Touka flushed crimson.
"Is the spar over?" Ryoji glanced behind him.
Stella looked visibly reluctant, while Kurogane Ikki was busy comforting her.
"Mm, I narrowly edged out a victory," Toudou Touka said proudly with his hand on his hips.
Stella's strength remained formidable, especially her overwhelming Magic Power, which surpassed everyone else's, after all, she was universally recognized as the world's strongest Magic Power wielder.
However, she was still too inexperienced to fully unleash her potential.
"Old Man, are you here to coach? Then enough talk, let's fight!" A fierce fighting spirit blazed in Ryoji's eyes as he spoke.
Nangou Torajirou was undoubtedly a world-class expert, and unlike the "legal loli," he focused more on close-quarters combat, making him the perfect opponent to test Ryoji's current progress!
"Hehehe, after not seeing you for a few months, you've grown quite cocky, brat!" Nangou Torajirou's eyes flashed with malice.
'While you may have surpassed the Old Man's swordsmanship, that doesn't mean that my strength ends there. It's time to teach you some respect for your elders!'
Three minutes later...
Hiss!
Ryoji limped off the training ground, his body bruised and battered.
"Let me heal you," Kurogane Shizuku offered, stepping forward to use Hydromancer's unique healing ability. Within half a minute, she had cleared the blood stasis and healed his physical injuries completely.
The God of War had shown restraint, leaving Ryoji with only superficial flesh wounds.
"Amazing! Our strongest Aurora Swordsman was completely helpless against him!"
"No wonder he's a legend!"
The surrounding students simultaneously cast worshipful glances at Nangou Torajirou.
And it was true. Ryoji had been utterly helpless.
Because Ryoji hadn't even touched him once!
Despite Ryoji's every strike feeling like it should have landed, Torajirou's figure would inexplicably slip out of sight at the last moment, turning all his attacks into empty swings.
"The Old Man definitely used a special ability!" Ryoji grumbled through gritted teeth.
Having witnessed the Old Man's sword techniques before, Ryoji knew he could now see through them completely. He could spot two or three weaknesses in the blink of an eye and defeat him in under a minute. Even Trackless Step wouldn't be enough to make his strikes miss completely.
He completely dominated the fight. There's no other explanation besides his special ability!
"Junior Brother, you should really stop talking. If you hadn't provoked Master, you wouldn't have ended up like this," Toudou Touka said, her face filled with helplessness as she tried to soothe him.
"I'm next!" Kurogane Ikki strode forward, his eyes shining with excitement.
Three minutes later, he stepped off the stage completely unscathed. Kurogane Shizuku, eager to heal him, was left with nothing to do, her face filled with a wistful disappointment.
"Your swordsmanship seems to have hit a bottleneck," Nangou Torajirou advised without offering a critique. "Fighting powerful swordsmen is the only way for you to break through and grow stronger!"
"Thank you for your guidance," Kurogane Ikki replied, bowing respectfully.
"I'm next!" Stella charged onto the stage with fierce ambition, channeling all her frustration from her earlier loss to Toudou Touka into this battle.
A few minutes later, she was sent flying backward by a cane strike, skidding back over a dozen steps before barely regaining her footing. Her body remained unscathed.
"Too green," He remarked. "You haven't faced a truly formidable opponent before, have you?"
Stella's face filled with admiration. He had hit the nail on the head.
"Amazing! The Aurora Swordsman getting injured was just an accident! The God of War truly looks after his juniors! Let's go!"
In an instant, Nangou Torajirou became the darling of all the Student Knights. Everyone clamored for his guidance, even the teachers from Giant Gate grew eager to test their skills against him.
Nangou Torajirou sparred with each of them individually, offering personalized critiques after each match.
The only exception was his initial clash with Ryoji, where he offered no advice at all.
This was only natural.
After all, even God of War had no wisdom to impart to him.
(End Of This Chapter)
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