Ch 7. That’s it.

“I think I should use something more of my specialty: Flame,” Edward calmly says, his blade glowing bright before being quickly enveloped in fire and ash. Kiara’s eyes widen, remembering that fateful day when she first saw Edward used his technique to save her from the curse spirit all those years ago.

Edward quickly dashes towards Zhang, leaving a trail of fire behind him. The blade nearly makes contact with Zhang’s neck before he blocks it with a protection spell. Edward immediately swings his blade in the other direction, but Zhang reacts quickly and blocks it with one of his katanas.

“Edward and Zhang are one of the best swordsmen of our time,” Adam compliments, his eyes darting to analyze the battle.

“They seem pretty even,” Kiara says, unable to comprehend the speed of the two combatants.

“Personally I think Edward and his technique are built better for a sorcerer rather than a swordsman,” Anby says, quickly drawing in her notebook, sketching the battle.

“A sorcerer?” Kiara questions, looking at Anby’s sketch.

“Co-existing with Rank, Wardens are designated with the roles swordsman, hunter, or sorcerer.” Adam calmly explains, pointing at Edward’s and Zhang’s blades clashing against each other, “They are obviously swordsmen by the way they fight.”

“Reborn: Phoenix,” Edward’s shinigami flies high in the air. It’s form growing brightly in the sky, singe and ash enveloping it. Zhang, noticing this, throws an air slash at the shinigami but the spirit quickly dodges it.

Reacting swiftly, Zhang rushes towards Edward, pivoting at an angle. Flicking his wrist, his blade swings at Edward. Motioning his arms, Edward blocks Zhang’s strike, his arms bent, holding tightly onto the blade’s hilt.

Suddenly Edward shifts his weight to let the blade guide Zhang’s blade momentum away from him, subtly shifting his body to avoid the initial strike. Immediately losing his balance, Zhang immediately tries to swing his katana at Edward but leaps away as the phoenix tries to launch an attack on him.

Edward fluidly swings his blade cutting through the air with an arc. Zhang blocks it quickly, sending a shockwave across the courtyard. Edward looks directly at the determined eyes of Zhang.

In a sudden change of moves, Edward starts swinging his blade aggressively at Zhang, but he blocks it with quick, heavy blocks with his katana. Zhang’s katana darts from blocking attacks from the air, then to near his leg, then at his side.

“How is Zhang able to block each of those strikes like that?” Kiara questions, her eyes unable to comprehend the speed of the battle.

“It’s a pattern,” Anby says, pointing at Edward’s fighting stance, “Pay close attention to how Edward swings his blade.”

Edward swings his fiery blade towards Zhang’s right shoulder, then to his side, then to each of his legs, but Zhang blocks every single attempt with his katana. Kiara’s eyes narrow as she watches more intently at the pattern- Right shoulder, side, legs, repeat. The same order.

“He’s repeating himself,” Kiara says, looking on at the battle.

“Exactly,” Anby says, her voice filled with interest and excitement, “A key component in the fighting form: Chaos is–” She stops as Edward suddenly halts his barrage of swings, his blade locked against Zhang’s katana.

Zhang’s eyes narrow on Edward. A small smile tugs on the old man’s face. Holding tightly to his katana, Zhang maintains his fighting stance with his knees bent and low on the ground.

Edward swings his blade at Zhang’s left shoulder, reacting quickly Zhang raises his blade to intercept the attack. Suddenly Edward redirects his swing mid-sequence towards Zhang’s right side. Zhang quickly pivots away, barely avoiding the attack.

“Unpredictability. Chaos form’s core principle,” Anby says eagerly, her eyes barely leaving the duel. The cloaked man tips his conical hat to cover his gaze, his deadpan eyes following each strike Edward makes.

“Is Chaos one of the 6 fighting forms?” Kiara questions, looking directly at Anby who was busy sketching the duel in her notebook. Adam crosses his arms, gazing intently at Zhang’s defense against Edward’s strikes, “It is but it is not widely utilized. Most of the fighters don’t like using a form that doesn’t have precision built into it”

“Really?” Kiara’s voice covered in puzzlement, “I thought people would be interested in something unpredictable.”

Adam shrugs his shoulders, “Yeah but people aren’t willing to master something without a clear strategy or execution. The core principle of Chaos form is both a double-edged sword.”

Edward and Zhang lock blades against each other, the clashing sounds of metal echo loudly in the air, and the underlying principles of each strike become more evident with each clash.

Each of the 6 fighting forms- Sentinel, Phantom, Tempest, Crimson Fang, Lotus, and Chaos, were all designed for a single purpose by the ancient wardens- each one with its own strength, weakness and core principles.

Sentinel- Defense. Phantom- Speed. Tempest- Range. Crimson Fang- Aggression, Lotus- Counter-based. Finally Chaos- Unpredictability.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Each comes with a set of skills that require not only practice but an understanding of its core principles.

Zhang pivots away from Edward as soon he notices the phoenix swinging quickly in his direction. Maintaining his composure, Zhang gets into a defensive stance with his legs wide apart, and his knees bent low.

“Lightning,” Edward shouts, his fiery blade quickly transitioning from being covered in fire to being surrounded by electricity. Swinging his blade, Edward throws many arcs of electricity at Zhang. Responding to the attacks, Zhang blocks every single one of the arcs with slow deliberate strikes.

Edward quickly stops, raising his blade high in the air. Edward slowly walks forward towards Zhang, who puts his katana in front of his chest preparing for a barrage of strikes. Everyone holds their breath- this is going to decide the winner of the duel.

Edward strikes first beginning his onslaught of attacks but Zhang, noticing the pattern, blocks all of his attempts. Zhang and Edward maintain their composure- eachof them preparing for an opening to strike.

Motioning his head, Edward’s shinigami dives headfirst towards Zhang. Noticing the attack, Zhang momentarily stops his defense leaving him vulnerable for Edward’s next attack. Shifting his body, Zhang pivots away from the phoenix and Edward.

With a quick flick, Zhang swings his katana at Edward who prepares to block it but suddenly Zhang pivots in front of Edward, extending his leg successfully tripping him. Everyone’s mouth was wide open, the silence thick and palpable.

Zhang grabs Edward’s collar, narrowly catching him before he falls head-first onto the marble floor, “I win.” a small smirk of triumph tugs on his face. Edward laughs to himself, and Zhang helps him get back on his feet. The recruits murmur amongst each other, not yet comprehending the ending of the duel.

“That was kind of underwhelming,” one of the kids whispers to his friends. Another kid murmured in a low voice, “It felt like Edward was winning for the most part.”

Turning his attention to the recruits, Zhang sheaths his blade. “I hope you all learn something from this.” glancing at Kiara, “Your opponent can easily overpower you but if you can get an opening and catch them off guard. Knowing when to strike or hold back can either help you win or lose a battle. Train hard and get stronger.”

Kiara, still reflecting on the lesson, nods thoughtfully, taking those words to heart. The recruits listen carefully in silence. One of the kids raises his hand, and Zhang quickly points at him, “Yes. What is your question?”

“So we have to train super hard right? Like you two, and become A-ranks as soon as possible?” the kid innocently asks.

Edward pauses to himself, “Well…yes but..uh no. The rank doesn’t mean everything. The lesson we were trying to say is that training isn’t just about rank….it’s about what you learn from it.”

Another kid raises their arm, “So we shouldn’t be more like you? We shouldn’t try not to fight and get strong.”

“No.No.No. You should try to get stronger but not rush the journey… and—uh… you have to appreciate it along the way,” Edward stumbles on his words, being more flustered by the second,

All of a sudden more kids start raising their hands trying to get their questions answered by Edward, quickly overwhelming him.

“Wasn’t the demonstration that we should have fun in battle?” one of the boys asks.

“So should we play around when fighting like what you two were doing Mr. Edward?” one of the girls asks, her face covered in puzzlement.

“ Mr.Edward should we not aim to be the strongest? The duel and the flashy stuff made it seem like we should aim for that?” another boy questions, his tone calm and unhurried.

Many of the seniors whisper to themselves. One senior, a lanky figure with a cocky grin, leans forward, “Look at this…Edward the crazy can’t even teach a bunch of children to listen to him,” his voice low but loud enough for a few couple of nearby recruits to hear it. Kiara overhearing the insults glares at the group of the smug senior wardens, their laughs piercing her nerves. The group notices her glaring at them but she looks forward ignoring them. She didn't want to show any weakness not letting them know that their words got under her skin.

Zhang claps his hands together and all the recruits stand up straight, “Alright everyone. Get back to training.” In an instant all the recruits get back into their stations continuing their lessons. Kiara and her group of her friends rush back to the library.

“What were you trying to say, Master?” Zhang questions, his voice skeptical and unmoving. Edward gives out a heavy sigh, muttering something to himself.

“What did I do wrong?” Edward reprimands, “I wanted them to learn that the real value of training was not the cool techniques but the journey- the growth and process of getting stronger, not striving for excitement or glory.”

“That was the message?” Zhang questions, his voice filled with skepticism, “I thought it was showing these kids what they could be capable of.”

Edward lets out a big sigh, rubbing the back of his neck, “That was part of it,” he admits. His expression softens as he lays himself against a nearby pillar. “I thought the duel would make my message clear,” Edward says quietly to himself, “I guess I got too caught up with the duel to really emphasize the importance of the journey to getting stronger. They need to understand the why before they're ready to understand how”

Zhang crosses his arms, nodding thoughtfully, “They saw the fight and the power, not the process master. You need to show them their foundations before they worry about strength and glory.” He briskly walks away from the courtyard, his steps quick and deliberate. He turns his gaze at Edward leaning on the pillar, “Don’t make this seem like I agree with your philosophy, I’m just giving you advice to better communicate it to others.”

Edward chuckles to himself, “Of course.” shaking his head in amusement, “I don’t want to take your kindness for granted.”

Zhang rolls his eyes, scoffing as he walks away, “Hope you take my advice to heart.”

Edward’s mind lingered on their exchange. He glances at the courtyard, the kids training harder than ever. The younglings excited chatter echoed in his head. Their takeaway had been all wrong and it was his fault.

He had to do better. Before Edward leaves the courtyard, he notices the cloaked man still standing in the courtyard. Edward’s eyes were drawn to a particular pin tied to the man’s cloak- Was that always there? Has that man been wearing that the whole duel?

The cloaked man tips his hat and starts to walk away from the courtyard. Edward’s voice cut through the air, low and sharp, stopping the individual in his tracks. He gently puts his hands on the cloaked individual, “Can we have a talk?”

The man slowly turned himself towards Edward. A faint annoyed smile tugged on his face.

“Sure,” tipping the brim of his hat, the man gazes at Edward with his blank expressionless eyes, “What do you want to talk about?”

“Did you enjoy the duel?” Edward says, staring intensely at the man’s cloak pin.

“I did,” the man said in a calm detached voice, “The way…you both fought piqued my interest.”

“I see,” Edward says, his tone calm and composed, still staring intently at the man’s coat pin, “I’m always glad to meet new people around here,”

“Alwin Dubois. B-rank,” tipping the brim of his hat down, Alwin slowly walks away from the conversation, “It’s nice… meeting you. Edward Meitner.” His cold lifeless eyes looked fixedly on Edward.

Edward’s fingers clutch into a fist, his eyes looking on at Alwin with a cold dead stare. He let go of his suspicions- but the image of that strange pin still lingered in his head.