Battle Aura Training

Zoldat looked utterly baffled. What did Cain mean by "qualified"? Had all that just been a test?

Sword God Style swordsmen tended to be blunt, and Cain was no exception. He told Zoldat everything.

"If you had some other overwhelming desire, I'd teach you swordsmanship, but you couldn't inherit my Sword God Style. It isn't suited to people held captive by their desires."

Cain smiled faintly and patted the even more confused Zoldat on the shoulder, looking him in the eye.

"Of course, I'll write to my master, Sword God Gall. After teaching you for a while, I'll recommend you to him. My master values sound principles in swordsmanship."

"My swordsmanship, on the other hand, throws sound principles out the window. It's all about attacking faster and harder. It abandons defense entirely in favor of relentless offense."

"Relentless offense?!" Zoldat's eyes widened. The Sword God Style already demanded the greatest speed and attacking power, but he had never heard of a branch this extreme.

"Yes. More precisely, it pursues the power and speed to cut through anything, making your sword and your heart one."

Cain slowly raised his beginner's Wooden Sword and pointed it at a massive boulder over two meters tall beside them. Then he glanced back with a faint smile.

"Zoldat, do you believe in the power of the heart?"

"The heart...? I have no idea what you're talking about."

Cain shook his head and explained, "It sounds complicated, but it's actually simple. The heart is the sum of all your emotions. Only by believing in yourself can you draw out the full power of my Sword God Style."

"Uh, now I'm even more lost..."

Cain watched Zoldat scratch his cheek in confusion, and his smile gradually turned serious.

"Courage, miracles, hope—even fear and despair can give rise to the heart's power. Always believe in what you can do. Even if you fail, even if you know you'll die, as long as you're still alive, get back up and keep swinging your sword. That's the core of this style. That's the power of the heart."

Cain faced the enormous boulder, his expression solemn. He slowly exhaled, then brought his sword down at the speed of light. The Blade of Light flashed like a meteor and vanished in an instant, too fast for the naked eye to follow.

All Zoldat saw was the Wooden Sword raised one moment and buried in the ground the next. Snow flew, a deep fissure split the earth, and the boulder broke apart with a rumble, its two halves cut as neatly as tofu.

Cain slowly exhaled, tucked the Wooden Sword into his belt, and smiled at Zoldat's stunned expression.

"Even when you're cornered, summon your courage. Fight your way out even if you have to stake your life on it. Believe in miracles and hope. Then give it everything you've got."

"Swing your sword in the face of despair, certain you'll win. That's my Sword God Style. After that, you just keep refining your battle aura until it's as sharp as a blade."

That sounded embarrassingly dramatic...

And I get the idea, but you still haven't told me how to refine battle aura...

Cain saw Zoldat's helpless expression and scratched his cheek with a sheepish smile. Maybe he'd gone a little overboard.

Zoldat gave Cain a firm pat on the shoulder.

"Cain, I understand the principle. Can you teach me how to refine battle aura now?!"

"R-right."

This is why I said I'm not cut out to be a teacher...

Cain scratched his cheek and smiled awkwardly. At least no one else had heard that embarrassing speech. He really didn't want rumors about some overly dramatic Sword God getting around.

"Ahem. Anyway, there are several ways to train battle aura. I know three."

Cain raised one finger, his expression earnest.

"First, keep swinging your sword. Swing it again and again, forgetting food and sleep. Give everything you are to your sword until you become one with it!

"Then gradually sense the invisible battle aura around you, draw it into yourself, and wrap it around your whole body. Once you can do that, you won't be far from becoming a King-class Sword God Style swordsman."

Zoldat's mouth twitched.

"Cain, you know I'm the captain of the Thunder Adventurer Squad. I don't exactly have the time to train my battle aura by swinging a sword all day..."

"Yes, I've taken that into account."

Cain nodded, raised a second finger, and looked Zoldat in the eye.

"Then fight me. Feel how the battle aura flows through my body. The rest depends on how quickly you pick it up. But you're a Sword Saint, Zoldat, so you definitely have a talent for swordsmanship. If you can cultivate battle aura like mine, you should be able to grasp the Blade of Light."

Cain continued.

"Once you reach that point, your Blade of Light will be faster than that of an ordinary King-class Sword God Style swordsman, with a wider reach, too."

"I could do that... But Cain, be careful when we spar. Don't accidentally cut me down in one stroke..."

"It'll be fine. I know Intermediate-class healing magic. Even if all four of your limbs suffer compound fractures, I can restore them completely with an Intermediate-class healing spell!"

Cain said it with a perfectly straight face.

"Don't say something so terrifying!"

Zoldat's mouth twitched again. Then curiosity got the better of him, and he looked at Cain.

"You've told me the first two methods. What's the third?"

Cain fell silent. His smile faded as his expression turned grave, as though the question had stirred up an unpleasant memory.

He slowly raised a third finger.

"The third tests your willpower. It also takes a great deal of luck, courage, and strength. If you succeed, though, your understanding of swordsmanship will advance by leaps and bounds. Sword King will only be your starting point. But..."

Zoldat's mouth twitched. He had a feeling Cain's dramatic talk was about to lead to something impossible.

As if he had read Zoldat's mind, Cain spoke with a stern gaze.

"That's right, Zoldat. You have to do something you can't do. At a minimum, you must fight your way out of the depths of an S-rank labyrinth alone and alive. That only counts as passing the first challenge. The challenges after that grow even more dangerous. Training this way is practically suicide.

"But only in such extreme danger can you forge truly unbreakable willpower and swordsmanship."

What kind of ridiculous speech was that...?

Zoldat stared at Cain, who stood with his arms folded and a perfectly serious face. Was Cain hopelessly dramatic? How was that any different from throwing your life away? Who would train like that?!

Cain noticed Zoldat's displeasure and cleared his throat twice.

"Anyway, I don't recommend training by risking your life like that. If you want to become a Sword King, fight me using the second method and learn to wield battle aura. Even if you manage to develop just thirty percent as much as I have, it'll still make you much stronger."

Cain paused, his expression turning serious.

"But there's a drawback to training battle aura this way. I need to warn you about it."

"What drawback?"

"Battle aura as sharp as a blade loses much of its defensive power. In return, if you apply it to a weapon properly, you can cut through solid rock even with a Wooden Sword."

Zoldat was tempted. As the Second Sword God of the Sword God Style, Cain had no reason to lie to him.

"All right! I choose the second method!"