Why did it feel as though they had only just arrived today?
Once they had received their blades, they should have left, but their training had only just gotten into full swing, and neither of them quite wanted to go.
They felt that this training had brought their grasp of combat to a higher level.
It was a feeling akin to controlling the course of a battle.
Their past battles had been one-on-one affairs, trading blows and countering each move as it came.
Now, however, they could step beyond that framework and view the shifts in a battle from a higher perspective.
Sometimes, an opening was not necessarily an opening at all, but a way to lure an opponent into a predetermined situation before delivering a killing blow.
Of course, with all three of them training in a free-for-all, not one of those killing blows had succeeded. Every attempt had been completely dismantled.
Those attempts had also given the other two more ideas.
That was what it meant to learn one thing and apply it to another.
In the end, the Wind Pillar decided to stay for another two days of training. Seeing this, the Flame Pillar loudly insisted on staying too. Of course, they could not stay too long; neither of them could simply abandon his duties like this. Still, another two days would not be much of a problem.
Tetsu no Sosuke had no reason to refuse. In fact, he felt he had not had his fill yet either, so he readily agreed.
Besides, he would not have to forge any Nichirin Blades tomorrow, leaving him more time to train.
Originally... that really should have been how things went!
But early the next morning, an unexpected visitor arrived.
"Long time no see!"
The newcomer looked Tetsu no Sosuke