BANG!
The target shook beneath Leonidas’ strike, a surprising distortion appearing on the metal plating. Though it wasn’t as exaggerated as a crater, Leonidas still felt the iron depress beneath his strike.
Of course, this target was only covered in a thin metal plating of less than half a centimeter while the rest of it was wood, but Leonidas was satisfied with this result.
Leonidas had been diligently training in [Five-Pronged Assault] for two weeks already.
As a free technique, it was obviously not some hidden masterpiece. But, it taught Leonidas the philosophy of martial arts he needed.
The first thing he learned was that speed translated to power and that it wasn’t the only thing that did. Leonidas’ speed might have been slow, but his weight was astronomical. Not only that, but his weight was also concentrated into a small frame that one would otherwise expect an Ogre to have.
Taking this philosophy to heart, Leonidas began to practice the technique with stability in mind and even began to slowly modify some parts to suit himself through trial and error.
Ultimately, Leonidas’ body was different from a Half-Beast. Though he had their claws, he didn’t have their speed. Though he had their tail, his own was at least double the length of most and easily five or more times heavier. Though he had their eyes, his sight wasn’t nearly as sharp.
[Five-Pronged Assault] was meant to fuse the power of the hands, legs and tail into a single fluid martial art that manifested in a relentless assault. However, Leonidas simply didn’t have the speed, agility nor reflexes necessary.
Understanding his own weaknesses, he stripped the stances down to what he could confidently do. He took out much of the kicking techniques and most of the tail attacks. Then, he began to modify the fist and palm techniques.
One would think that Leonidas was too full of himself, but the truth was that his modifications were actually very simple and didn’t change the core of the technique at all, it only bolstered its foundations.
Leonidas realized that he had an advantage in having such a long tail. While most Half-Beast tails could barely graze the ground, Leonidas’ own could lay almost a meter of length on the earth if he didn’t hold it up.
It was rare for Leonidas to have a leg up in any matter to begin with, how could he not take advantage of the few moments he did?
Though Leonidas hated getting his tail dirty and made a mental note to buy armor to cover it when and if he was ever well-off enough to do so, at this point, he had to grit his teeth and soldier on.
The changes Leonidas made, then, might be obvious: he treated his tail as a third leg.
The power of a hand strike was decided by a few things: one’s base, the torque of one’s hips, the power of one’s core and the leverage of one’s arm.
The leverage was probably what Leonidas needed to practice the most. It was an understanding that he needed to punch and palm through his target, not at it. In addition, it emphasized understanding body angles – where your fist or palm should start and end, where your elbows and shoulder should be in relation, what kind of footwork you should be using and what timing you should be using it with.
Leonidas had realized that the strike he could generate the most power with was a straight punch or palm.
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In this technique, his body was moving in a line, his weight was behind his strike, his hips were rotated, his elbow was tucked down and receiving maximum support from his shoulder and back, and finally… everything went through his opponent.
This strike was powerful enough without the help of Leonidas’ tail. However, when it was added, let alone the already powerful straight…
Leonidas right fist cocked back against his body, his hips sunk and his left foot took an explosive step forward. At that very instant, his right foot twisted into the ground, his tail seemingly not moving a single inch.
Then, as though a cork finally being released…
BANG!
The indent Leonidas had formed crumbled beneath his second strike, distorting to the point the wood beneath was visible.
Leonidas released a long breath, retracting his fist.
At that moment, his tail shifted slightly. But, what was beneath made one’s spine tingle.
A deep imprint the size of a certain red tail was left behind, digging into the solid dirt by at least three inches.
Leonidas was satisfied with this result. He wasn’t sure if he could execute it in battle as seamlessly as he did in practice, but that would only take experience. He could only hope that he had time to grow on a battlefield before he became just one of the many who died on one.
With that finished, Leonidas began to work on the tail techniques he had kept, all of which would be very useful with an inconspicuous tail lying on the ground.
Leonidas understood the importance of secrecy in all of this. This was why he only practiced these techniques in the morning and out of view of everyone. Also, the pair of Close Combat Gloves he wore that protected his hands looked no different from a normal pair at first glance, not drawing any attention.
No one needed to know of Leonidas’ wealth, nor of his growing power. These were all things he would keep to himself until he had no choice remaining.
That said… There was one person that Leonidas couldn’t hide his actions from no matter how careful and well-thought-out his schemes were. And, that person was observing him even now with an unreadable expression.
Who else could it be if not Father Barat?
Other than the first day Leonidas had met this man, he hadn’t appeared again. But, there was nothing that could happen in the territory of the Church that he wouldn’t be aware of.
However, even now, it was impossible to understand his purpose for observing Leonidas.
***
Leonidas was chugging a gallon of water when the chair flew overhead and smashed against an opposite wall. Ever since Daisy spoke those words about hydration, he had been taking it very seriously. In recent days, though, he had to take it to an extreme due to the side effect of the Boiling Blood Potion.
The good news was that dehydration was the only side effect. The bad news was that after three weeks of continuous use, Leonidas had already reached the limit of benefit. His body was still rapidly improving, but for some reason the benefits of the potion were no longer as great.
If Leonidas had to theorize why, he felt it might be related to his digestive system. He was definitely better at consuming food than a usual Lower Half-Beast, so maybe it was related? He wasn’t sure, if he was being honest with himself.
“Alfan, you bastard! Do you think I’m afraid of you?! We can duke it out right here and right now!”
Another chair flew overhead, crashing into another wall as Leonidas continued to mind his own business.
The Clergymen had been getting more and more antsy over the recent weeks, especially in the last week. The clashes between Alfan and Kyzer had reached a point where they could hardly even be in the same room anymore. In fact, even Daisy had been interacting with Leonidas less and less recently, disappearing to who-knows-where.
Leonidas could tell that they were all antsy about something, something he was apparently not in the loop for. But, he was content to simply lay back, drink his water and eat his food.
Plus, there was a rule against fighting anyway. Even though they were throwing chairs, it was pretty obvious by how wide the margin they were missing by that they had no intention of breaking this rule. Clearly, even in this situation, the Father’s word was still law.
“Kyzer, I’ll make sure you’re scooping up dung for the rest of your days!”
“You dare?!”
“Try me, you little piece of shit! Clearly your family didn’t raise you right!”
“Say that again! A half-dead, has-been, old coot like you, how much more time do you think you’ll have this power for?!”
Leonidas wiped his mouth, put his dishes away in the cleaning bin for whichever Clergyman whose job it was, and left through the cafeteria doors.
This had been Leonidas’ second meal of the day. So, as he did usually, he left the stables after about four hours and would now be returning to finish the job.
Upon return, though, he unexpectedly found Lady Eve stroking the mane of her mare.