Outside the city, at the Glory Legion's encampment.
The training ground was brightly lit, illuminating the entire three-hundred-by-three-hundred-meter field as though it were daytime. After years of trampling and fighting, the granite paving had been worn as smooth as a mirror, yet remained exceptionally hard.
The knights, who had been getting ready for bed, now gathered around the training ground. Word had spread quickly-the commander was going to spar with a young man who had returned with him. Who would want to miss a sight like that?
Loa stood on the eastern side of the training ground, Marcus on the western side, a hundred meters apart.
Both wore casual clothes. Each held an ironwood training weapon-made from a special wood, they weighed as much as real weapons, but they were still wood and could not withstand Battle-qi infusion for very long.
"Loa." Marcus rested his wooden saber on his shoulder and grinned. "How about you attack first?"
Loa rolled his wrist and nodded. "Then you'd better be careful, Commander Marcus."
"Bring it on!"
Before he had finished speaking, Loa moved.
Unpredictable Thunder Shadow Step!
Nine figures split from his body at once, fanning out to surround Marcus. Each was lifelike, identical in footwork, posture, and even the way it held its sword. All nine swung their swords simultaneously, sending nine enormous blades of sword Qi tearing through the air toward Marcus at the center of their encirclement from different angles!
"Excellent!"
Marcus's eyes lit up. Planting his feet, he gripped his saber in both hands and slashed forward!
The slash was plain and unadorned, yet swift as lightning. White Light Battle Qi erupted from the blade, forming an enormous wave of saber Qi that cleaved straight ahead. He neither dodged nor evaded, intending to overwhelm finesse with force and tear