The Water Magician

Thus, the mock battle between the two came to an end.

When Zack was struck in the torso, he collapsed, but of course, he did not suffer any serious damage.

After all, it was a mock battle, and they were using wooden swords.

He fell not because of physical defeat, but rather due to a break in spirit...

"That was impressive. Were you using the hilt to block at the end?"

"Yes. I was invited to perform a kesagake, so I went along with it, and when the downward strike came, I used the hilt... I received it between both fists and then lifted it up before hitting the torso."

"That's typical of Ryo, with both fists open."

"It's a cool technique."

I had seen that technique during the All Japan Kendo Championships when I was on Earth.

"Still, I learned a lot. As expected of the squad captain of the Royal Knight Order. Being able to maintain such a series of consecutive strikes is certainly because you train every day, right? Your swordsmanship is proper, and your body movements, or should I say footwork, are also on point. I felt there was no slacking off in anything related to swordsmanship. Zack’s sword style is the Hume style mastered by Abel, right?"

"That's right. Contrary to what it may seem, his family, the Cooler clan, is a famous warrior lineage that has produced knights for generations. To be honest, he didn't take his sword training seriously when he was younger, but it seems he has changed his mindset over the past four years and is now devoting himself to the path of the sword."

"Yes, yes. I could feel his seriousness. I would like to know the reason for his change of heart. It might be useful for my future."

"Ahh, I wonder about that... Maybe it's better not to ask."

Ryo expressed his innocent hopes, while Abel, knowing all the circumstances, tried to stop him.

Abel felt it was better to change the subject.

"When I first heard about doing it like Run, I thought you were going to completely defeat him."

"Defeating him wouldn't mean anything, would it? Since it's a mock battle, you should focus on learning and applying what you want to master, right?"

"What do you want to master?"

"How should I say this... I approach mock battles with a theme."

"A theme? What do you mean?"

"It's hard to explain... but for today's match, I focused on 'defending with the upper body without moving my legs too much.'"

"I thought so. From the beginning, your stance and foot movements were different from usual."

"As expected of Abel. You noticed from the start."

Ryo was genuinely surprised.

Abel's observation meant he understood Ryo's usual stance and fighting style, which allowed him to say that today was different.

"My information has been extracted by Abel."

"I tend to pay attention to anyone’s sword. You never know when it might come in handy for yourself, right?"

Abel replied with a laugh to Ryo's deliberately frightening words.

"By the way, Zack's sword earlier... those consecutive strikes were sharp."

"Well, Zack isn't weak either."

"What a condescending tone."

"No, I mean, Zack isn't weak, but he seemed overwhelmed by Ryo's pressure."

"My pressure? Did I have that? I didn't emit any 'pressure' or anything."

Ryo tilted his head at Abel's comment.

"It's not the usual 'pressure,' which is superficial. It's something deeper that only a swordsman or knight would understand... it's a kind of fear."

"Fear?"

"The fear that if you strike at this guy, you'll end up getting hit yourself... it's an involuntary sense of fear."

"Did that really exist? That's kind of cool."

Ryo's expression was mixed with embarrassment and joy.

"In the end, I defeated Zack, but was that alright?"

"He probably didn't get hurt too badly, right?"

"No, I meant in terms of face or position."

Zack was the squad captain, leading half of the Royal Knight Order on board.

Ryo was concerned that he might have damaged his reputation.

"There's no problem. Just look at the knights."

But Abel said it was fine.

In fact, the knights had begun to swing their swords.

Those who couldn't swing due to space constraints on the deck were earnestly discussing the earlier mock battle.