Chapter 23: Three Cuts (part 2)
The mana core, the heart of Martial Arts, and the mana roads, its skeleton.
These two elements determine the characteristics of a Martial Arts technique.
The Martial Arts technique Johan had newly created was based on the Redner family's Martial Arts.
To be precise, Johan had simply improved upon the existing techniques.
Therefore, it was natural for Yuri's mastered Martial Arts to possess the characteristics of the Redner family's techniques.
One such characteristic manifested through Yuri's body.
Thump-
Yuri's body propelled forward as his feet touched the ground.
There was no better way to describe it than "floating."
As if treading on clouds, or defying gravity entirely, a bizarre sight.
Yunbo, also known as Cloud Step, the first technique of the Redner family.
Johan had once said about this Martial Arts technique, said to originate from an ancient Eastern sage:
[If you ever master Yunbo... you'll truly be able to walk on clouds.]
Yuri clearly remembered that day.
The day Johan had blown up an entire cliff.
The day he had descended as if walking on air, holding Yuri.
'That was Yunbo.'
Johan's claim that he could truly walk on clouds was no mere exaggeration.
'Although I'm just running on the ground now…'
One day, he too would be able to walk on clouds.
Yuri believed it.
'Well, even this is enough for now.'
Swoosh-
Yuri approached like a ghost, navigating through the destructive red aura created by Mu-chi.
He dove into it without hesitation.
It looked like a moth flying into a flame.
Anyone who didn't know better would have assumed that Yuri would be torn to shreds.
However, what happened next defied expectations.
Slit-
Yuri moved amidst the barrage of red spearheads swirling around him.
Sway-
Yuri's movements weren't particularly fast.
But they were light, flexible, and strange.
He weaved through the dense attacks like a cephalopod.
Swoosh-
A red spearhead approached, and Yuri dodged it by a mere 5 millimeters.
Johan's voice echoed in Yuri's ears, words he had spoken long ago.
[Yunbo is not something you can master simply by having strong legs! It's your entire body, your entire body! Only when you can utilize your whole body to its fullest will you truly understand Yunbo!]
Yuri hadn't forgotten Johan's advice.
He had repeated it thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of times, replaying it even in his dreams.
'Lower limbs are the link between the earth and the upper body.'
Woooong-
His feet pressed against the ground, and the force he gained from that transfered through his legs and spread to his entire body.
The moment his mana core channeled mana along a predetermined path, Yuri's movements transcended their limits.
Shush-
Dozens, perhaps hundreds of attacks failed to even brush his clothes.
Seeing Yuri moving freely within the red glow of Frenzy, Ralph let out a soft sigh.
“…Yunbo."
And a pretty accomplished one at that.
Ralph, who knew better than anyone the intricacies of Yunbo, recognized it instantly.
He smiled wryly, remembering his own experience with Yunbo, but then he gasped in surprise, realizing something.
'Wait, that means... he mastered Yunbo in just six months?!'
There were countless families and secret Martial Arts techniques in the world.
If you were to rank them all, the Redner family's Martial Arts would be among the top five.
Which is to say, the Redner family's techniques were notoriously difficult.
So difficult that most people wouldn't master them even in a lifetime.
'He's mastered it to that level in just six months? This is unbelievable.'
He knew how hard Yuri had been training over the past six months.
But even if someone trained several times harder, those who weren't cut out for it wouldn't succeed.
'In that regard, he's destined for greatness.'
And a "very successful" one at that.
Ralph couldn't deny Yuri's talent.
If Yuri had had more than six months.
If he had just a little more time, this sparring match would have ended in his victory.
But.
"Not yet."
Ralph said, watching Yuri move amidst Mu-chi's attacks.
"He can't break through."
As he said, Yuri was skillfully dodging Mu-chi's attacks, but he couldn't advance any further.
It was as if he was trapped within Mu-chi's attacks.
If things continued like this, Yuri, with his lower total mana reserves, would be the one to fall first.
Anticipating Mu-chi's victory, Ralph smirked at Johan.
"Well, that's a shame. If he had a little more mastery over Yunbo, it would have been a great match."
There was a subtle sense of triumph in his words.
Ralph wanted to see Johan's annoyed reaction, but all he got was a bitter smile.
"Right, he can't break through that way."
"……?"
"Of course, that is, if that's all he has."
"What do you mean?"
"Puhuhu."
Ralph's eyes widened as Johan let out a low chuckle, realizing something.
“…Don't tell me?!"
His gaze darted to Yuri.
Red aura enveloped Yuri from all sides.
Every time he dodged one attack, another would fly towards him, stubbornly blocking his path forward.
As this pattern repeated, Yuri realized something.
That nothing would change if he continued like this.
Therefore, change was necessary.
'Faster… even faster!'
To break through this red barrage, he needed to move faster than he was now.
'Faster than this red aura can follow!'
Yuri's mana core pulsed, supplying mana to a new mana road.
Mana flowed along a path completely different from Yunbo's.
Snap-
At the same time, Yuri heard a spark ignite within him.
[Remember what I told you? That you'd learn the fastest and freest Martial Arts in the world. Yunbo embodies freedom, and what you're about to learn is….]
The small spark that erupted within his body quickly spread.
[Ultimate speed.]
Tzzzt-Tzzzt-
In an instant, Yuri's entire body was engulfed in lightning.
Redner family's secret Martial Arts skill.
Lightning Wings.
Crack-Ptzzt!
The moment white lightning writhed, Yuri moved.
Flash-
A white flash illuminated the scene, and two Yuris appeared.
The real Yuri and an afterimage left behind where he had been.
The prison of red spearheads could no longer contain Yuri, who had spread his Lightning Wings.
Pchitt-
Mu-chi's red aura domain had a radius of about three meters.
Yuri pierced through it in one stride.
And he reappeared behind Mu-chi.
Click-
The tip of a blade rested on Mu-chi's shoulder.
The sharp blade pressed against his neck, drawing a thin line of blood.
Mu-chi froze in shock, and Yuri, holding the hilt of the dagger, grinned and said.
"That makes it 1 on 1, you little punk."
Seeing Yuri with his dagger at Mu-chi's throat, Ralph burst into laughter, utterly astonished.
"Ha!"
If Yunbo originated from an ancient Eastern sage, Lightning Wings was a refinement of the Redner family's history, spanning a thousand years.
Yunbo and Lightning Wings.
The two techniques of the Redner family, known as Thundercloud.
With these two techniques alone, the Redner family had earned a prestigious reputation throughout the continent.
And it was through Thundercloud that Johan had earned the right to challenge the Sword Saint.
However, they were equally difficult techniques, requiring years to master even the basics.
'He mastered them in just six months? Both of them?'
Yunbo and Lightning Wings.
Yuri's mastery was far beyond mere imitation.
He understood the two techniques perfectly and was using them beyond the basic level.
Ralph looked at Johan in disbelief and asked.
“…What did you do?”
"What?"
"I'm asking about that kid. How in the world did you teach him in half a year to reach this level?"
Johan puffed out his chest proudly in response to Ralph's question.
“Ahem, so you finally realize, do you? That this body is a prodigy in the art of teaching!”
"……"
"You want to know my secret? Then ask politely. Ahem!"
Ralph's face immediately soured at Johan's arrogance.
He was in a state of immense internal conflict.
Should he endure this unbearable personality and ask?
Or should he swallow his pride and ask for the secret?
After much deliberation, he chose the latter.
He sacrificed his pride for the sake of his beloved grandson's education.
“Ahem, well… if my esteemed senior would grace this junior with his wisdom… it would be… most… appreciated… sniff!"
“Is that it?”
"Please, I beg you."
"Hmph, so you finally adopt the proper attitude of a junior."
“Ugh!”
“Oh, well, how can I ignore a junior's plea?”
“…So, what is it?”
"My secret? It's nothing special. I just…."
"Just?"
"I take intelligent kids and teach them. Then, they just grow well on their own."
“…Is that it?”
"That's it."
"……"
The moment Ralph saw Johan's carefree expression, his hand clenched, making a cracking sound.
Ralph's fist trembled violently, his knuckles white.
He wanted to punch him, senior or not.
But the last vestiges of reason kept him from acting on his impulse.
Meanwhile, Johan chuckled inwardly as he watched Ralph fume.
'Secret? I don't have any of those.'
Even if he wanted to tell him, he had no secret to reveal.
What he had told Ralph was the truth.
'I just pointed him in the right direction, and he did the rest.'
Actually, Johan hadn't expected Yuri to be this good.
He had thought it would be a success if Yuri mastered Yunbo within six months.
Mastering Lightning Wings on top of that?
'I didn't think it was possible.'
Even he had taken a year to master the basics of Yunbo before starting Lightning Wings, and it took him a total of three years to reach Yuri's current level.
He had been praised as the greatest prodigy in the history of the Redner family since the fifth patriarch, the creator of Lightning Wings…
'I had a hunch that he was exceptionally talented. But this is….'
Upon closer inspection, the kid was a monster beyond his imagination.
[What kind of nonsense is that? If he asks how I did it after I tell him, what am I supposed to say?]
Yunbo, that was one thing.
He had mastered Yunbo the day he learned it.
But seeing Yuri master Lightning Wings the moment he learned it, Johan was surprised and asked.
He remembered Yuri's calm expression, pretending he didn't know what he had done.
A sense of helplessness washed over him.
'That damn kid.'
This was only the second time in his life.
That he felt envy and jealousy at someone else's talent.
The first was the Sword Saint, and the second was Yuri.
And what fueled Johan's burning jealousy was Yuri's attitude.
[Old man, wake up! It's time to train!]
The ability to learn quickly meant losing interest just as quickly.
Of course, that didn't apply to everyone, but many prodigies lost interest in learning because of their overwhelming talent.
This was especially true in the early stages of learning.
That's when a teacher was needed to guide them.
But Yuri was different.
[What? It's me who's training, why are you looking so tired?]
He didn't need to be pushed.
He didn't need anyone to cheer him on.
Yuri kept moving forward on his own path.
[You're saying it's over? I refuse! I decide when my training ends!]
[Wait… just… one more… this, this is the last one… I’ll… I’ll rest… ugh! Ughh!]
[Old man, one more bowl! Even eating is training! This bowl right now will become your muscles and bones tomorrow!]
[Wait… I can… I’m not… tired. I’ll, I’ll get up… now.]
Despite his monstrous talent, Yuri strived for his best every single day.
He never compromised his promise to himself.
But what about Johan at the same age?
'I couldn't do that.'
I was surrounded by praise and flattery. I thought, 'I've accomplished this much… maybe I can take a break?' and compromised.
That was during the most crucial period of growth.
That's why watching Yuri filled him with regret.
'If I had been like Yuri back then… would the outcome of my duel with the Sword Saint have been different?'
Perhaps that's why.
He was doing what he couldn't do.
Or maybe, he was simply inspired by Yuri's talent and effort.
'I only intended to give him a taste, then teach him up to Lightning Wings…'
He had ended up teaching Yuri more than he had initially planned.
"That damn annoying kid."
Despite his grumbling, a pleasant smile curved Johan's lips.
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