*Content Warning: This chapter contains mature themes, violence, blood, and morally dark actions. Reader discretion advised.*
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The battle raged on beneath the indifferent sky.
Leon's blade met the old man's in a shower of sparks. The old man's strikes were relentless — precise, economical, each one designed to expose weakness. A diagonal cut forced Leon to parry high; the old man immediately reversed, slashing low at the knees. Leon leaped back, landing awkwardly on his injured leg. Blood soaked his thigh, warm and sticky, but the Soul Resonance Art kept him upright — soul bound to body, sword, and world, turning pain into fuel.
The old man advanced again, blade weaving a tight pattern: thrust, feint, rising cut. Leon blocked the thrust, slipped the feint, but the rising cut grazed his forearm — another shallow line of red. He countered with a desperate thrust of his own, but the old man pivoted smoothly, pommel striking Leon's wrist. The sword nearly flew from his grip.
Leon retreated, breath ragged. "This… is getting harder. I can definitely feel it — I am getting stronger with each move… but at the same time… I have the same feeling I got when I fought the God of Lightning. My body is giving up again. What should I do? Should I keep fighting… or not?"
The old man pressed forward without pause. His sword danced — high guard shifting to middle, then low in a single fluid motion. Leon parried the first two, but the low cut slipped past his guard, slicing across his ribs. Pain exploded white-hot. He staggered, sword dipping.
The old man's eyes narrowed — not with triumph, but quiet assessment.
Leon gritted his teeth. The Soul Resonance still thrummed — body and blade one, environment guiding his steps — but the backlash was mounting. Every clash drained him further, the fusion of soul and steel pulling at his core like a slowly tightening noose.
The old man feinted left — Leon overcommitted, blade wide. The real strike came from the right — a clean thrust aimed at the shoulder. Leon twisted at the last second; the tip carved a shallow arc across his chest. Blood welled instantly.
Leon stumbled back against a tree, chest heaving. The old man lowered his sword slightly, watching.
"You're still standing," the old man said quietly. "That alone is more than most could manage."
Leon pushed off the trunk, sword trembling but raised. "I'm… not done yet."
He lunged — a desperate combination: high feint, low cut, rising thrust. The old man parried the feint, sidestepped the low cut, and met the thrust with a perfect block. The force traveled up Leon's arms, shaking his bones. The old man countered instantly — a quick downward chop that Leon barely deflected, followed by a pommel strike to the solar plexus.
Air exploded from Leon's lungs. He dropped to one knee, sword planted in the dirt to keep himself upright.
The old man stepped back, blade lowered.
"That's enough."
Leon tried to rise. His legs refused. Vision swam. The world tilted. He collapsed forward, sword clattering beside him, face pressing into cool earth.
The old man knelt beside him, expression shifting — shock flickering across his weathered features as he looked down at the boy who had pushed him further than expected.
"Haha… hahahaha…" The laugh was soft at first, then louder, almost disbelieving. "To think someone can push me this far… and on top of that, a child. Just how can someone know a technique like that? Just who is the master of this child? I wonder… will I be able to meet him someday?"
The old man shook his head, still smiling — a mix of awe and quiet sorrow. He sheathed his sword, then carefully lifted Leon — one arm under the knees, the other supporting his back. The boy's weight was light, almost fragile now that the fight was over.
He carried Leon back to the house in silence.
Inside, the old man laid him gently on the mat near the hearth. He checked the wounds — shallow but numerous — cleaned them with a damp cloth, applied herbal salve from a jar on the shelf. The fire had been banked low; he added a few logs, coaxing it back to life.
Then he sat in his chair by the window, resuming his usual household work — mending a tear in his robe, polishing the watering can, humming an old tune under his breath.
Eight hours passed.
Leon woke suddenly, bolting upright with sweat beading on his chin and neck. His chest heaved.
"Huff… huff… huff… what happened?"
The old man was already sitting in front of him, a glass of water in hand, kind smile on his face.
"Nothing happened. You just lost. That's all."
Leon stared at the floor. His expression crumpled — sorrowful, almost childlike.
"So… after all… I lost, huh."
He looked toward the window. Outside, the forest was bathed in soft afternoon light, leaves rustling gently.
He mumbled under his breath, voice low enough that the old man wouldn't catch every word.
"What is this feeling?" he whispered. "It feels quite bitter… and at the same time… a little sorrowful too. I don't know how to say it, but it just doesn't feel right. I am getting defeated again and again. Back to back. I got defeated by that God… and after that… I got defeated by this old man. And not just once — twice… or even three times."
The old man set the glass of water on the table beside him.
"Leon… listen to me, boy."
Leon looked up, eyes glassy.
"You don't have to be sad. No — to begin with, you have no right and no reason to be sad. Instead… you should feel proud about it."
Leon blinked, shock cutting through the haze.
"I… should be proud… about it?"
The old man nodded slowly, smile kind but unyielding.
"Yes… that's right. You don't have to feel sad at all. Even though I am just an old man… I can still say with absolute confidence that I am better than an average person."
Leon stared at him. A small, hesitant smile tugged at his lips.
"No, old man… I am not sad at all. The thing is… I was just wondering why I am losing again and again. Is there something wrong with me? Was I doing something wrong? Was I perhaps not wielding the sword in the correct way? But either way… I lost. So that's all that matters. But… still… I will keep wondering about what mistake I made while we were fighting."
The old man closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again — expression serious now, almost stern.
"Tell me, Leon… why do you think you made a mistake?"
Leon opened his mouth. "But I—I lo—"
The old man cut him off gently but firmly, expression unyielding.
"No. You didn't make a single mistake. Tell me, Leon… is losing a battle something you can call a mistake? No. It isn't. Instead… you are making your battle even worse."
Leon frowned, confusion deepening.
"I am making my battle even worse?"
The old man leaned forward.
"Yes… that is right. Now listen to me very carefully. The battle — or rather, the spar — we had just now was not something you should be ashamed of. Or rather… you shouldn't be sad about it at all. Instead… you should feel proud. And better. At the same time. Because of this spar… you were able to experience something new. Something like… you were able to gain a new level of experience."
Leon's eyes widened.
"I… should feel proud about it?"
The old man nodded once.
"Yes… that's right. Even though I am nothing more than an old man… I can definitely say this: you shouldn't be ashamed after losing this spar. Instead… you should feel a kind of rage. A kind of goal. And use that goal — that rage — to reach higher realms. That's what you should be doing, Leon."
The forest outside remained silent, as if the trees themselves were listening to the old man's words.
Leon stared at him. Something shifted in his expression — the sorrow softening, replaced by a slow, burning determination.
"I should use that rage to reach higher realms, huh? Well… old man… thank you for that. But can you at least tell me… why did I lose? And in which things should I improve on?"
The old man smiled — kind, but now with a quiet fire behind it.
"Defeat is not the end. It is the forge. Let it temper you. Let it sharpen you. And when you rise again… you will be stronger than before."
Leon exhaled slowly. The weight on his chest eased — not gone, but lighter.
A little note from author.
Hello there reader I am sorry for this late chapter there has been quite some trouble within my family that's why it is getting a little difficult to upload chapter but don't worry i will try to upload chapter daily from Tommorow.