Time flew by, and half a year had passed since Roxy came to teach at the Greyrat home.
In Radeus and Rudeus's room, Rudeus sat on the bed sculpting figurines with earth magic while Radeus offered comments from the side.
"Oh, oh! Just what I'd expect from you, Rudeus. This figurine is really intricate."
"Heh-heh, who do you think I am? I'm a figurine master!"
Rudeus looked proud. Honestly, when it came to making figurines, Radeus couldn't hold a candle to him!
His craftsmanship was incredible. It wasn't that Radeus couldn't sculpt exquisite figurines.
Radeus possessed the Six Eyes, and his control over mana was on an entirely different level from Rudeus's. When it came to precise mana control, if he claimed second place, no one in the world would dare claim first.
But Rudeus's ideas were simply far ahead of their time: removable equipment (exactly what you're thinking), meticulously detailed internal structures, and carefully crafted poses for every figurine. They gave off a lewd impression, but a closer look revealed they were perfectly wholesome.
Radeus was willing to call it an ultra-wholesome space!
With a wave of his hand, Rudeus turned all the figurines on the floor into sand and tossed it out the window.
"Isn't it about time for bed?"
"Definitely. We have to get up early for sword practice tomorrow!" Radeus replied.
Over the past six months, Radeus and Rudeus had progressed rapidly in magic. They could now proficiently use all kinds of intermediate-rank attack magic, thanks to Roxy's guidance.
Incidentally, Rudeus's total mana reserves now far exceeded Radeus's, amounting to roughly eight times his.
Those terrifying mana reserves made Radeus feel like Satoru Gojo looking at Yuta Okkotsu's cursed energy reserves.
In that case, did that mean Radeus himself was Satoru Gojo, while Rudeus was Yuta Okkotsu?
That seemed pretty nice.
The two shared a blanket and slept until dawn.
After breakfast, Radeus and Rudeus went out into the courtyard to wait for Paul's new lesson.
For the past six months, Paul had taught them nothing beyond practicing sword swings, only telling them to build a solid foundation first. Today, however, he was finally going to begin formally teaching them swordsmanship.
Only after quite a while did Paul reluctantly leave Zenith's embrace and come out to the courtyard.
"Rad, Rudeus, just like magic, swordsmanship is divided into seven ranks: Beginner Rank, Intermediate Rank, Advanced Rank, Saint Rank, King Rank, Emperor Rank, and God Rank."
"In magic, the highest level humans can reach is generally King Rank. Even King Rank mages themselves are very rare. Swordsmanship is different, though. Quite a few swordsmen have reached God Rank."
"Father, why can humans only reach King Rank in magic?" Rudeus raised his hand and asked Paul.
"Because magic is almost all-purpose, and the barrier to learning it is extremely high. Humans have very short lifespans, so their upper limit is generally King Rank. But you could probably go beyond King Rank, Rudeus."
Paul glanced at Rudeus. Roxy frequently reported Radeus and Rudeus's progress to Paul and Zenith, so Paul knew very well just how outrageously gifted this son of his was at magic.
At the very least, Paul had never found anyone as talented as Rudeus even in fairy tales. That was limited to humans, of course. Comparing him with dragons or the like would be pointless.
Having received Paul's recognition, Rudeus said nothing, but his head was already tilted toward the sky.
Paul couldn't help chuckling at the sight.
"You're like a rooster that's won a fight, Rudeus!"
"All right, all right, let me continue."
"Aside from that, swordsmanship is broadly divided into three great styles: Sword God Style, Water God Style, and North God Style."
"Sword God Style follows the principle that offense is the best defense. They believe in striking first to win and killing with a single blow, so they primarily practice extremely high-speed sword-drawing techniques."
"The Sound Sword is required at Advanced Rank, while the Sword of Light is required at Saint Rank. That means once you've learned the Sword of Light, you're basically a Saint Rank swordsman."
"Water God Style focuses on defense and trains counterattack techniques. Its defining features are redirecting attacks with their momentum, disrupting balance, and delivering lethal counterattacks. In theory, it's unbeatable against opponents of the same rank, and it can even counter magic and ranged attacks."
"Lastly, there's North God Style. How should I put it? This style is all about practicality. You can use any move, even concealed weapons, magic, and so on. Its main aim is to keep you alive. It's also divided into the practical school and the eccentric school."
When Paul finished, neither Radeus nor Rudeus spoke as they digested the information. After a while, Radeus asked a question.
"Dad, which style are you going to teach us, then?"
"Heh-heh!"
"Your dad knows all three styles, and I'm an Advanced Swordsman in every one of them. I even reached that level when I was young. Well? Pretty impressive, right?"
Paul flashed a broad grin, his eyes seeming to say, "You finally asked the right question."
"Wow, that's amazing!"
Radeus obligingly praised Paul, but Rudeus seemed to be acting up again.
"Then why haven't you broken through to Saint Rank in even one of them yet, Father?"
"Well, um..."
Rudeus's pointed words left Paul speechless.
Paul was a genius, a genius through and through. With his talent, he could theoretically reach King Rank in all three styles, but he had spent years indulging in women, had a lax disposition, and lacked an obsession with growing stronger. Most importantly, he had retired too early.
Paul was now having trouble saving face. This was where Radeus needed to step in.
"Rudeus, that's so rude. Dad hasn't had time to reach Saint Rank because he has to protect this family and us. Right, Dad?"
Seeing the way out Radeus had offered him, Paul hurriedly took it.
"Rad's right. That's exactly it. This discussion is over!"
Paul forcibly ended the topic and continued his lecture quite naturally, as though nothing had happened.
"Like mages, swordsmen use mana, too. It's just a little different for swordsmen. They use battle aura, which is a converted form of mana, something like a second kind of mana."
"Battle aura is mana drawn inward, used to strengthen the body and weapons. The stronger the battle aura, the stronger the swordsman. Basically, all high-level sword techniques rely on battle aura. Without it, you'll generally stop at Intermediate Rank."
So it's basically Armament Haki, right? Radeus thought.
"Armament Haki? What the heck is that?" Rudeus asked.
You heard me again? This thing's been so unstable lately, Radeus complained.
One Piece! The pirate manga! Get it now?
Oh, right, it does have Armament Haki. It's been so long since I watched it that I forgot.
Rudeus caught on. As a shut-in otaku, he mainly focused on games-shooters, for instance?
He only dabbled in anime and manga, and couldn't compare with a longtime anime nerd like Radeus. That was the difference between a gamer and an anime fan.
Before you continue