Just behind the guildhouse was a large training area spanning the entire remainder of that specific platform. The floor was covered by firm sand to help one accustom their sense of footing better compared to wooden planks. Additionally, the area was proliferating with wooden dummies, archery targets and parkour obstacles for the hunters to utilize. There were even spherical rings enclosed by thick bamboo for dueling, one of them however was occupied by Hoshi and Kazan Takahashi who positioned themselves on the ring's two opposite sides.

"Why am I the referee?" complained Xiang who was standing outside that very ring, overseeing the two competitors.

"Just watch the fight closely and call this off when Hoshi lands a single hit on me," ordered Kazan.

"Fine. What a pain. Hold up, why is there nobody else here? If I were them I wouldn't want to miss a duel like this," questioned Xiang, first agitated then confused.

"I have sealed off this area because their ruckus may interfere with our duel. I did want to show them my grace though.. should we-"

"Nevermind! Are you two ready!?" Xiang interrupted Kazan in a really loud voice.

"You didn't have to, forget it. I am ready. What about you Hoshi? You know we don't have to do this, I will still let you accept the contract." Kazan was standing in a very casual manner while holding a wooden sword in his left hand.

"No, I think this is necessary. Let's do this!" Hoshi got fired up and arranged his wooden sword in a well balanced stance.

"Begin!" As soon as Xiang gave the green light, Hoshi lunged towards his opponent and began running swiftly while charging up a planned swing.

Upon executing that attack, Hoshi's mind was fixed on targeting Kazan's torso as it was currently quite exposed. But to his surprise, the hunter launched a vertical kick which he dodged by stressing his neck behind only to continue his swing. Yet again, Kazan blew Hoshi's expectations as he launched a right hook just before the sword connected.

The orange haired combatant was pushed back while being flabbergasted at the hunter's speed.

"(Dammit! He is faster than I ever imagined. Look at him, he has so many openings yet attacking upfront did not work)."

"What's wrong? You are slower than when you fought those brutes!" yelled Kazan.

"(Should I use my first state? No, not this early on in the fight. I need to test his reaction time more)." Devised Hoshi as he once again made an attempt to land a hit on Kazan.

He swung his sword diagonally, this time targeting the neck of his opponent. As Hoshi wanted, the hunter used his one hand to raise his sword vertically to block the attack.

"I have you now!"

Just as the two weapons collided, Hoshi locked one of his legs on the ground in order to launch a devastating kick from his other targeting his opponent's open flank.

"Don't be cocky. You are facing the great Kazan!"

tphe proud hunter said after grabbing the attacker's leg from the ankle using his free hand and throwing him away.

Hoshi swayed his body to land on his feet but before he regained his breath, Kazan closed the distance between them and began swinging his sword at him.

Reacting completely on instinct, Hoshi blocked the majority of the attacks with his own weapon but took a few clean blows on his torso even after Kazan seemed to be holding his full strength back.

"Try harder! This way, you really are no match for the Ao Fenikkusu!" Kazan stated as he increased the speed of his attacks.

Despite Hoshi's heed and endurance, his attempts to block and dodge the attacks weren't swift enough as now he took even more blows than before.

"I expected the skill gap to be high but this is just insane," commented Xiang who was observing the fight keenly.

On the latest vertical swing from Kazan, Hoshi arranged his sword horizontally to block this upcoming attack but its force was so great that his weapon broke into two pieces and fell on the ground.

"Just great. Why didn't you use your abilities?" Xiang mumbled.

Kazan stopped his array of attacks and spoke, "It was the right decision for us to spar. Now, I can clearly see that I made a mistake giving you that offer. Go home, we are done here."

Hoshi, who had his face pointing down this entire time, now stood in a straight position and began concentrating a red aura around his body.

"(My third state. It allows me to concentrate my aura at my fingertips to manifest physical objects. Back when I protected Sharon, I spontaneously generated a sword straight from my palms on reflex. Just as the last transcript I found described)" Hoshi began reminiscing.

Creation, a power bestowed upon the forms, must be availed to fulfil thine contemporary ambitions. Naturally, water flows into the contours of its mould and takes a semblance of the concerned matrix. In order to substitute that mould to one's desire, thou must predict where and how the river will flow.

"(My aura is like a rapidly flowing river and once I concentrate it on my palms, they will act as a cliff to give birth to a waterfall. If I want to shape a sword without wasting any of my vitality, I must focus on creating the perfect foundation in my head before I expose only the bare minimum amount of aura that I currently need.)"

Hoshi raised his head to reveal a red glow in his irises which shook Kazan's head and made him react, "What the? You are not human. A demon or a divine beast maybe? No, you are something unique, something special."

Even Xiang's full attention was caught up in this sudden change in the intensity of Hoshi's presence. The Exilirian now completely extended his right arm and concentrated his aura at its fingertips only to start giving form to a sword. After giving shape to a fairly blunt blade, the weapon now contained a cross guard, grip and a simple pommel, all made of a red crystalline material which was shiny and see-through at the same time. Once completed, the aura around Hoshi dispersed except the red glow in his eyes. He arranged the newly forged sword in a confident low stance.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

"A goddamn sword just popped out of your hand and you prefer to continue the fight without elaborating how? You have guts kid, I like guts!" Kazan was shocked initially before he accepted this supernatural act and once again began his assault.

On a single clash with the red sword, Kazan's sword decimated into several fragments as he stepped back immediately afterwards.

"Looks like the tides have turned," commented Xiang, smiling.

"Not bad. Now come at me!" Kazan pointed towards Hoshi who without saying a single word rushed at his opponent and launched his series of swings at him.

The hunter still managed to dodge every attack gracefully using praise worthy maneuverability with his entire body. Whether it was on ground or on land, Kazan adjusted his body exactly where he intended and none of the swings hit him as a result.

"(I am impressed, even with that heavy looking armor he is this agile)," thought Hoshi as he stopped attacking and took a step back.

"You actually pushed me there. Keep trying." Kazan was enjoying himself.

"I know this fight will get nowhere as it is. Unless I use this sword with my first state in combination)"

Hoshi looked at his sword before a dense red aura once again proliferated his body only to disperse to his legs in the blink of an eye.

Kazan readied himself but to his surprise, Hoshi immediately closed the distance between them before he could move another muscle and swung his red crystalline sword at the former. The skilled hunter could actually see the movement of the Exilirian's arms and he raised them quickly as a reflex. The attacker again infused himself with aura but this time focused on his arms, making his swing faster than Kazan raising his arms. This speed boost allowed Hoshi to get a crushing clean hit on his opponent's chest plate, making him fall some distance away from the insane momentum.

"Damn Hoshi! I couldn't even see that last attack but I could tell, it packed a punch!" Xiang cheered.

"Maybe I overdid it a little."

Hoshi released all of his concentrated aura that made the glow on his eyes and the red sword completely fade away. A small amount of black smoke emerged from his back as he breathed a tad heavier.

"A little?"

Kazan slowly got up and revealed sizable cracks on his right chest plate.

"If I was not wearing this armor, I would've taken a ravaging amount of damage."

"(I expected him to be stronger than before, but this is just crazy. He just damaged an armor piece made from adamantine with a sword generated from his own hands)" Xiang stared at Kazan's condition.

"See, what did I tell you? You are more than enough for the Ao Fenikkusu! Now let us get back to my office so that you can officially accept the contract," praised Kazan as he walked towards Hoshi.

"You also completely blew my expectations out of the water. If this was a real fight with sharp weapons, I would've died at least a hundred times. I still have to get stronger, much stronger. To do that I will, no I must defeat that Phoenix!" Hoshi was determined heavily after this fight.

All three of them returned to Kazan's office and conversed after Hoshi and Xiang sealed the contract by writing their names on it and getting a signature from the publisher. They were standing close to the door, indicating that they were done for the day.

"I am not going to ask why you want to defeat the Fenikkusu as long as you don't ask me. You are also going to need a set of armor and a fine blade. Rest for now, come back tomorrow and I will take you to my own personal blacksmith and armorer," proposed Kazan.

"What about me?" inquired Xiang.

"You will be our supplier in this hunt. In case we need to fall back and camp for a few days, you will carry all our food and first aid materials."

"Come again? Hoshi get over here." Xiang pulled the addressed to a corner and whispered in his ears, "How did I get involved in this? I just want part of the reward, that's all."

"You have to nurture the tree that you have sown, only then it will give you its fruits. Don't worry about your safety, I have sworn to protect the weak." Kazan proved that his hearing was extraordinary as he managed to eavesdrop without even intending to.

"Weak? Fine, but I will stay far from the fight," agreed Xiang.

"Are you sure? You will mix a legendary battle between an opponent that I deem worthy!" Laughed Kazan.

Hoshi and Xiang finally left the office and were intercepted by the two receptionists in the hallway.

"Were you two listening to our conversation?" asked Hoshi.

"Don't get the wrong idea, I am only concerned about Sir Kaz… Kazan's actions and this has made me incredibly worried," spoke Sakura, swiftly.

"I don't know what you find attractive in that showoff." Xiang's mood suddenly became bitter.

"Don't you dare say mean things about him!" Sakura lashed out.

"Whatever. Let's go Hoshi." Xiang placed his hood back on and began walking away.

"Sorry, he has been through a lot, that's why he is a bit rude. You two take care now." Hoshi properly bid the two farewell.

"Listen!" Chika yelled to make the running Exilirian halt.

"Yes?"

"It's… It's Nothing." She hesitated.

"Alright then." Hoshi swiftly left the guildhouse to catch up with Xiang who was already outside.

"You are serious about him? You know he is just a child," questioned Sakura.

"I know, he looks more like a young adult so I took the wrong idea," answered Chika.

"Don't you worry, I will find you a better guy," her sister assured.

"You don't have to, I am prepared to wait for him for some years. He is perfectly my type, also he is kind and gentle as well. Oh I can't wait…" Chika got bright red as she spoke the last sentence.

"Oh what would I do with you, naive sister." Sighed Sakura.

Both Xiang and Hoshi exited the city and followed the trail back to where they initially came from. They were almost halfway through and were conversing with each other.

"So, why do you hate Kazan? Yeah, he is full of himself but his skills are totally admirable," asked Hoshi.

"I don't deny his competence, but his personality on the other hand-"

"You are jealous aren't you? He gets attention from the women and you do not." Hoshi pulled Xiang's leg.

"That's not it! How did you even get that idea? I thought you knew nothing about the opposite gender!" Xiang got flustered.

"I asked Sir Hirishima and learned many things about-"

"Please someone! Help me! Don't let that monster take my child away!" Hoshi was interrupted by the screeching sound of a woman in close proximity from the two.

"You hear that? Someone needs our help!" Without hesitation, Hoshi made haste towards the sound's origin.

"Wait a second!" Xiang had no choice but to follow him.

End of chapter thirty-three.