In the Shadow School Dojo, on the day of resuming the usual practice sessions, the students have gathered up, both old and new.

However…

“Duel!”

The two fighters wasted no time and jumped forward, black wooden swords known as Bokken, gripped tightly between their fingers.

One of them quickly kicked the ground mid-charge, launching his body in the air.

“!”

Seeing him descending down at her, his opponent came to a halt and braced herself for impact.

image [https://i.imgur.com/WIpJVeV.jpeg]

Clash!

Both of their wooden swords traced an arc of its own before they came clashing together in the middle of the Shadow Sword Style School.

The spectating apprentices felt the wind slap them in the face as they glued their eyes to the duel.

“Hngh!”

“Hmph!”

The two fighters pushed their swords against the other with all their might, their teeth clenched together.

Neither of them was relenting, until suddenly, they both jumped back to their starting positions.

Gulp!

Standing in the middle of the dojo, an apprentice presiding over the match was speechless at the speed the two had started their duel after he gave his signal.

To his right stood the top apprentice in the dojo, her feet planted in the ground, her stance picture perfect.

Jun Kage. That was her name.

She was given the title of top apprentice by the other apprentices, not just for her skills with the sword, or for simply being the daughter of the renowned Sword Saint, but for her unwavering determination and constant reliability.

Her light blue Keikogi, the traditional outfit for training in Dojos, was tightly wrapped around her upper body, little to no wrinkles in sight. Her short ponytail was held together by her usual lavender-colored ribbon.

While she usually took the training sessions very seriously, there was an unusual fire in her eyes today.

The reason? That was simple.

The opponent in front of her, the new recruit in the dojo.

His name…

“Lawkey, I’ll make you eat your words!”

“Heh, you can try.”

Lawkey smirked as he responded to Jun’s provocation.

He stood confidently, holding a readied stance. He wore his teal Keikogi loosely around his chest and upper arms.

His eyes focused only on his opponent in front of him.

Despite Lawkey’s snarky smile and overconfident attitude, Jun’s eyes showed no signs of wavering either.

The two facing each other looked as serious as two veteran warriors prepared to engage in a fight over the outcome of a war.

Neither the presiding apprentice nor those watching the duel from the sidelines could conceive of a reason why the two appeared so committed.

As if this duel had life or death stakes surrounding it.

They weren’t about to interrupt their duel, however.

Witnessing the top apprentice in action was usually a delight for them. Although this time, they were more eager to see what the new recruit had up his sleeve, especially after hearing about the incident he was recently involved in.

The outsider had been the cause of the violent outbreak in the Kage clan not so long ago. He had destroyed the gate that was protecting the village for centuries and led a vicious monster inside. Although no one had died, fear and anger spread like wildfire, and the villagers did not hesitate in blaming the one who started it all.

And despite the Shadow Queen herself giving the outsider permission to stay in the clan, that did not quell the rage and hatred of the villagers towards him.

Lawkey had therefore been the talk of the town for the past week.

As the tension forced sweat to run down the spectators’ faces, the two fighters exchanged one more glare before rushing towards each other again, kicking the ground beneath their feet.

The top apprentice and the daughter of the Dojo master, the Sword Saint Munisai himself, planted her feet in the ground suddenly and took the position of the second stance from the Shadow Sword Style.

Jun swung diagonally in front of her just as the cocky new recruit came within her range, her sword tracing a beautiful and sharp arc towards his side.

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One Shadow Sword Style - Second Stance!

Evening Autumn Moonbow!

Clack!

At the last second, Lawkey realized her intentions and managed to quickly block the swinging sword from hitting the right side of his torso.

Heh, not bad!

When it came to pure strength, he might have had the upper hand. But when it came to swordsmanship and technique, Jun had earned her title for a reason.

After her opponent blocked her initial strike, Jun pulled back her sword and took a thrusting position before he had a chance to readjust his fighting stance.

Giving him no time to think, she launched a thrusting strike, aiming for his face.

“?!”

The presiding apprentice, as well as the rest of the spectators, were all caught aback by her actions.

After all, there were no thrusting attacks in the Shadow Sword Style School.

Lawkey was attempting to figure out the same thing, so as her sword got close to his face, he quickly sprang back reflexively to escape the attack.

That however, was exactly what his opponent was aiming for.

Leading him to his current position, Jun immediately changed her stance by twisting her ankles around and dashed at him at a speed greater than anyone would expect from a 12 year old girl.

Before Lawkey could react in time, she fazed through his defense.

One Shadow Sword Style - First Stance!

Endless Night!

The last thing Lawkey heard were the screeching sounds of her feet coming to a halt behind him. She had passed him in an instant.

His knee dropped to the ground as he felt the pain of the deciding hit throb across his chest.

“Point! End of duel!” Announced the presiding apprentice as he stood between them.

“The winner is Jun!”

“Yes! Take that!” Jun immediately jumped from joy to celebrate her victory, her fist in the air.

The big smile on her face penetrated through the unbearable tension in the room.

The other apprentices who were watching the duel quickly ran up and surrounded her.

“Woah! That was awesome, Junjun!”

“How did you do that? Did you mean to use the thrusting attack as a fake out?”

“Erm…”

“Come on, she obviously did! She pressured him into backing away to more easily use the first stance since it needs more space! That trapped him mid-retreat with no way out!”

“...”

The apprentices, along with Jun, stood utterly speechless.

The one giving the breakdown of the duel was the one who wears his light brown hair in front of his face, his bangs blocking his eyes from the world. He donned a dark magenta Keikoji himself.

He was usually the quiet and shy type, so it took the others by surprise when he suddenly decided to analyze Jun’s plan.

Especially so when he seemed to have gotten it right.

Jun brushed it off quickly and turned to the defeated Lawkey contemplating on the ground.

She didn't hesitate.

“So, you still think I'm weaker than you? You want to try saying that again now?”

“...”

Lawkey’s grip tightened. He tried his best not to show his emotions on his face, but his frustration was leaking.

He couldn't believe that he lost so easily after everything he had gone through so far.

All the fighting…

All the struggles…

They should have made him stronger than this.

He was reminded by what the Dojo Master had told him not so long ago before they went to meet with the Shadow Queen.

“You're very strong for your age, but the truth is, you're full of openings! You follow no sword techniques and just swing your sword around.”

Those words were now clearer than ever when he was not able to use his shadow power in this duel.

One of the restrictions in this dojo was to only practice and master the basics of swordsmanship, with the use of any powers at all being forbidden.

Only after mastering the techniques, would the apprentices be allowed to use the stances in conjunction with the Sign which most Kage clansmen and women are born with, the Shadow Manipulation Sign.

“...”

Jun noticed his silence and decided not to pressure him any further.

I didn’t mean to make him feel that bad…

She wouldn’t want to discourage him on his first day of training.

“You fought well, but it will take some time before you can master the Shadow Sword Style.”

She took a step closer and extended her hand for a handshake.

“I've been at it for as long as I can remember, this duel was not fair from the start.”

Lawkey did not like feeling weak.

It was not something he was used to.

After he recovered from a sickness a long time ago, he had already made the decision of becoming strong.

Strong enough that he wouldn't be a burden to other people.

Until now, for the most part, he had been successful at that at the very least.

This defeat served as a bitter pill to swallow. He was reflexively tracing the mark on his neck without meaning to.

Before he had time to respond to Jun's handshake, the shy apprentice boy exclaimed again from behind them.

“With or without swordsmanship, I can't believe that the one who broke the ancient gate and led the monster into our clan is just a weak kid who can't even see through one simple bluff technique. Maybe it was all a fluke after all.”

The shy and timid boy’s name was Kojiro Kage.

He was one of the villagers that witnessed the recent events that took place in the clan. Even from their hiding spots, Kojiro and his family were able to see Lawkey and Munisai fight together and defeat Kerberos to save the clan.

Although Kerberos was weakened from missing two of its three heads, it was still able to knock out Munisai and wreak havoc upon the village entrance.

If it were not for Lawkey’s quick thinking and recklessness, Jun would have been swallowed whole and the clan would have suffered countless casualties.

However, despite that, the villagers blamed Lawkey for leading the monster to the clan in the first place and shunned him.

Kojiro’s family was among those villagers, they even suggested the idea of throwing Lawkey back into the Shadow Valley, claiming he could be a cursed Hyking.

To them, having a Hyking stay in the village for another second would put the whole clan in even greater danger than Kerberos, that’s how they saw it.

How most people would.

Thanks to Munisai and Jun, they were able to calm the villagers by mentioning the Shadow Queen, but it wasn’t until Hachi, the commander of the guards, arrived at the scene that the villagers relented. He convinced them to wait until an official verdict was made by the Shadow Queen herself.

And although the Shadow Queen Taiga herself eventually gave the little boy permission to stay in the village, it seemed that many villagers still disagreed with that decision.

Kojiro and his family were not so detached from that conflict, so the little shy boy could not help but act hostile towards the outsider.

Although his tone may have carried something deeper within it.

“Kojiro!” blurted Jun instantly.

She was not aware that Kojiro watched the events unfold, not having had any leeway back then to notice anyone in the crowd, but she was perplexed by his shift of tone and character.

Despite how Jun acted towards the newcomer, she was still grateful to him for saving her and her father.

“You have no idea what you’re talking about-?!”

The top apprentice was interrupted suddenly before finishing her sentence.

Lawkey had finally taken the offer of her handshake.

“I am sorry for calling you weak.”

“Huh?!”

He tightened his grip on the handshake.

“I had no right.”

His emerald green eyes were sharp and full of determination. He directed them straight towards the one who beat him.

Being on the receiving end of that, forced an abnormal reaction out of the usually strict and confident top apprentice.

“W-what are you saying all of a sudden, that doesn’t sound like you!” Flustered by his sudden assertiveness, Jun felt the heat rise in her face.

image [https://i.imgur.com/co7WQtd.jpeg]

Then, Lawkey let go of the handshake.

“I just understand now,” Lawkey turned around before continuing, “thank you for the duel. I will win next time!”

Jun and the other apprentices stood quietly as Lawkey walked out of the Dojo.

Kojiro in particular didn’t take his hidden eyes off of him until he was out of sight.

“...”

Jun could not help but feel a little bit guilty, but it hadn’t been just her.

Before she could tell Kojiro off, the other door to the Dojo suddenly slid open.

They all watched as the one-legged man walked in, supporting his body with his crutch.

The white haori he loosely donned on his shoulders swayed behind him, the logo of the

Shadow Sword Style School was clearly visible in its center.

If his appearance alone wasn’t enough to announce who he was, the air around him radiating the years of hardship and experience, would give him away.

Yes, that was him, the renowned Sword Saint, Munisai Kage.

Noticing some tension in the room, he casted an eye around the Dojo.

I have a bad feeling about this…

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Some Extra Art!

image [https://i.imgur.com/ThOK4vY.jpeg]

image [https://i.imgur.com/ndN33t2.jpeg]

image [https://i.imgur.com/KQmIY8F.png]