I See, I Cut

Rudy blinked at his words.

"A Water God-level Swordsman, the top existence of the Water God Style, the head of the main dojo of a style, is named Rieda Lia? Sounds like a very imposing and tall older sister's name, so I can rule out her being an old woman right away. Allen is so lucky to have met someone like that."

"Allen, you've actually met someone that important? And you've seen her use her Swordsmanship?"

Allen looked up at him.

"Yes, I guess I was just lucky."

Paul, meanwhile, gave Allen a meaningful glance.

Allen gripped the hilt of his sword and continued, "That's my understanding of the Water God Style. As for the Sword God Style, I don't know much about it yet."

With that, he looked up at Paul, who twitched at the corner of his mouth seeing his gaze.

"Uh, I'm more of a 'feeling' type. If I had to say there's any core principle, it would be 'intuition'."

Rudy's eyes lit up at that.

"Intuition? Sounds really impressive!"

Allen's brow twitched slightly.

"Brother Paul, isn't your 'intuition' pretty much the same as 'feeling'? Are you sure it's not just your own intuition, Paul?"

Paul looked up and saw Zenith's smiling face upstairs. He exchanged a smile with his wife, then said, "To be precise, it's combat intuition. What it manifests as is…"

At this point, his expression turned serious, like a sudden change in demeanor.

"The sword must be faster than thought."

Rudy was very supportive and immediately started clapping, very quickly.

Allen, on the other hand, looked a bit helpless.

He had heard that phrase at least twenty times, but it was too abstract, so he never quite grasped its essence.

He understood combat intuition, but was "the sword must be faster than thought" about concentration? Yet, he always felt extremely focused when he fought.

He shook his head, preparing to ask something, but then Rudy asked very earnestly, "What about the North God Style?"

Allen looked at him in surprise. Rudy blinked at Allen, then glanced at Paul.

Paul was frowning and deep in thought, almost pulling his hair out.

Seeing this, Allen cleared his throat.

"As for the North God Style…"

Before he could finish, Paul, relieved, immediately relaxed his brows and looked at Allen.

Allen paused slightly, realizing he wouldn't get any useful information out of Paul. He continued with a slightly helpless tone, "Unlike the other two Swordsmanship styles, the North God Style doesn't have a strict 'first principle,' and there are many different factions, each with its own focus."

"For example, let's take the North God Style Qiba Faction, which is the most popular among adventurers. The Qiba Faction doesn't try to analyze the opponent's information first like the Water God Style, nor does it just blindly thrust the sword into the opponent's belly like the Sword God Style. Instead, it relies entirely on the situation at hand to employ the best and most effective means of subduing the enemy."

Rudy frowned.

"That sounds somewhat similar to the Water God Style, choosing the most suitable response for the current situation…"

"No, the methods are completely different."

At this point, Allen suddenly remembered that Rudy would have many encounters with the North God Style in the future. He blinked and said, "Let me give you an example."

No sooner had he spoken than Allen swiftly drew his sword and slashed at Rudy. The latter was startled, instinctively dodging to where his center of gravity shifted.

Then he stumbled over a foot.

He looked in astonishment at Allen's sword, which hung in mid-air with no intention of striking, then at the leg Allen had quietly extended beside him. He angrily reprimanded him, "You're despicable!"

Allen nodded.

"That's right! It is despicable. As long as you can win, any means are acceptable. To be honest, I was going to kick you in the groin…"

"Don't!"

Rudy immediately covered his crotch with both hands, then his pupils constricted.

He saw Allen's palm-strike already hovering before his eyes.

Allen then backhanded Rudy on the head, then casually withdrew his hand, gesturing for Rudy to sit down. But Rudy immediately hugged his stool and angrily reprimanded Allen, "Are you going to pull my stool out from under me too?!"

Allen's mouth twitched.

"He predicted it."

"No, it really is over. Anyway, I think you understand with that example, right? The North God Style Qiba Faction is a style that wins by any means necessary. They use everything they can—verbal provocations, hidden weapons to injure, feinting one way and attacking another—those are all just manifestations. You absolutely must be careful if you ever encounter them."

Rudy nodded and sat down.

The moment he sat, Allen flicked a fallen leaf, and it spun down to gently tap Rudy on the forehead.

Rudy glared at Allen.

Allen returned a smile.

"If it were the North God Style Qiba Faction, that would be a hidden weapon."

But just then, both of them felt an intense gaze.

Allen turned in surprise to look at Paul, who spoke with a serious expression.

"Allen, even when giving an example, don't draw a sword on family."

Allen was a bit stunned, but he sensed Paul was genuinely serious, so he nodded.

"…Yes, my apologies."

Paul nodded, signaling Allen to continue, but Allen changed the subject.

"I've basically summarized everything. Lord, you've probably noticed I don't know much about the Sword God Style, so I have some more questions I'd like to ask you. I'll ask, and you can just answer, no need for special summaries."

Paul's brow twitched. He realized he couldn't avoid this today and could only maintain a stern adult demeanor.

"Ask."

His words were concise.

"First, about the Sword God Style. I heard some people say that Sword God Style training involves daily, full-effort, focused empty swings, and that some can even reach the point of mastering the Sword God Style's ultimate technique—the Sword of Light—through this? Is that true?"

Upon hearing this, Paul showed a conflicted expression, unsure how to respond, and quietly mumbled.

"That sounds like Ghislaine's training method… Hmm… How should I put it…"

Allen smiled and replied telepathically.

'That's right, it's one of Ghislaine and Eris's Sword God Style training methods, Paul.'

After a moment, Paul frowned and said, "Everyone's training method is different, but 'swinging and cutting' itself is undoubtedly effective. I've seen Swordsmen train the Sword God Style that way too."

Allen narrowed his eyes.

"Swinging and cutting itself?"

"Yes, swinging and cutting itself… How to put it… Ah, let's use the Water God Style, which you're very proficient in, as a reverse comparison. First, when the Water God Style confronts an enemy, the sequence is: perceive and analyze the environment and opponent—think about how to react—then move to dodge or defend—finally, counter the move and complete the swing to defeat the enemy. The focus is on perception and observation, and the swing is merely a means."

Allen raised an eyebrow.

"Then the Sword God Style…"

Paul looked straight at Allen.

"The Sword God Style doesn't have all those intermediate analysis steps; it directly commands the swing itself, very simple. To give an example, it's: I see,"

His words were still in Paul's mouth, unfinished.

The wind stirred.

The next instant, the tip of his wooden sword was hovering in front of Rudy, a fallen leaf sliced in half, sliding down Rudy's stunned face.

Along with the latter half of Paul's sentence:

"I cut."

Allen looked at the leaf slowly drifting to the ground, then lifted his head, staring blankly at Paul.

All was silent.

Paul was very satisfied with their reactions and nodded to himself.

"That is the Sword of Light—Soundless Katana. I restrained most of its power; in actual combat, the performance would be much faster than this swing."

Then, Rudy, with a mournful face, immediately interjected.

"Father, you just said not to draw a sword on family, even when giving an example…"

Paul's face stiffened, and he looked at them, confidently stating, "A wooden sword isn't a sword."

Rudy: …

Allen: …

Paul looked at Allen's dazed expression and said earnestly, "Since you're proficient in the Water God Style, this reaction is normal. After all, the Water God Style and the Sword God Style are completely opposite."

'My reaction is because your double standards are too dazzling, hey!'

Allen shook his head, clearing the jumbled thoughts from his mind, and rubbed the hilt of his sword, feeling its cold touch feedback.

'Although it's still a feeling-based explanation, this time it feels different…'

'I see, I cut.'