Rylan readied himself. To prevail, he would need to mix and match different sword styles. As he could only use a single Sword Art before running out of energy, he would need to save it for the best moment. At the same time, he couldn't use the Stormcaller Sword Style for much time at all, which only increased his need to use the other sword styles in Roland's memories.

Now that Father is using dual casting, he’ll keep his Shield up at all times.

There was no way to inflict damage without piercing through the omnidirectional shield; at the same time, it meant that he didn’t need to worry about injuring his father. Even if he got through the Shield, he was confident in his ability to hold back at the last moment. Rylan’s grip tightened around the sword’s hilt, automatically getting into the Stormcaller Sword Style’s stance.

He dashed forward at the same time that the ground rippled. The ripple pressed down. A depression was created where his feet had just been, but he had managed to avoid stumbling because of it. Gerard kept walking backward, trying to increase the distance between them. His Shield remained. His left hand’s index finger, meanwhile, drew symbols in the air. More Magic Missiles flew towards Rylan.

His mana roared within his body. His Mana Core pulsated.

Falling Snow Steps: Drifting.

Rylan abruptly sped up, closing the distance between himself and his father in an instant. Gerard blinked in surprise as Rylan’s sword fell. It collided with the Shield with a loud noise. In an instant, he slashed three times, all attacking from different angles. He spun his body, using the counterforce to execute another slash. Gerard’s Magic Missiles flew through the air, but it was as if the world were moving in slow motion as Rylan’s mana circulation went into overdrive. Roland’s memories guided him.

He rotated while stepping to the side, avoiding the red arrows and executing a horizontal slash at the same time. His blade dragged itself on the Shield.

If I want to get through this Shield, I’ll need to attack the same spot until it breaks.

It was a course of action he decided upon at that very moment. The ground beneath him rolled like a wave.

He circled his father with the Falling Snow Steps, aiming for his back while dodging the earth that crawled over itself to restrain his feet. He attacked as he ran, managing to perfectly put his full weight into every blow. He had entered the state of “flow.” Each slash or stab was executed flawlessly, taking advantage of his current position. There were no flowery moves; the sword sought only to reach his opponent in the shortest amount of time. It kept trying to dig into the same area of Gerard’s back. Drenched in sweat, his entire body screamed at him. His injured legs desperately struggled to keep up with the Falling Snow Steps’ demands while also supporting his attacks.

His mind was sharper than at any other time in this life. He needed to finish this before his body collapsed. At the same time, he needed to know what his exact limits were; going at it until he collapsed was the exact purpose of this spar. He used his mana as sparingly as possible, readying himself to use a Sword Art. Even so, the expenditure was high.

Gerard was frowning heavily. Rylan continued to avoid his spells while keeping a close watch on his mana reserves. His pupils dilated as he saw something. An opportunity. His father revealed a gap, likely due to not knowing how to face a warrior, or maybe because the battle was taking its toll. It didn’t matter. Rylan capitalized on the weakness he had been waiting for.

Fueled by his roaring mana, his sword reached unprecedented speeds. As it collided with Gerard’s Shield, a loud noise resounded. The window had been too tight to use a Sword Art, but maybe that was for the better. The longer this battle went on, the more he learned. There would be no way for him to continue to get used to fighting against a Mage if he just ran out of energy. This spar’s purpose was to learn, not to win.

At that moment, Gerard gritted his teeth. His finger continued to draw symbols in the air. Without warning, the earth beneath Rylan grabbed at his feet. Rylan moved without hesitation.

Falling Snow Steps: Floating.

He jumped backwards, looking as if he had started flying. With a backflip, he landed at the same time that he avoided the incoming Magic Missiles by twisting his body. Silently, the two combatants stared at each other. At that moment, the temperature rose. Gerard spoke.

“Be careful.”

A flame appeared above his index finger, expanding in an instant. A wave of fire flew at Rylan. Finally, Gerard was using his specialty: flame magic. Rylan chose to dodge. It was the safest approach.

I don’t know if I can cut through magic flames.

Falling Snow Steps: Drifting.

His movement speed increased. He avoided the flames by dashing to the side and lowering his body, then attempted to close the distance between himself and his father once more. He raised his sword above his head and delivered an overhead slash as he reached his father’s position. He moved his mana in accordance with the Mountainpeak Swordsmanship, adding unprecedented weight to the attack, but without using a Sword Art. The blade collided with the Shield that still surrounded Gerard. The sound echoed.

Attack the same spot.

The spar became an elaborate dance. Rylan retreated and advanced as needed, avoiding Gerard’s spells the best he could while attacking by mixing different sword styles. He took full advantage of the Falling Snow Steps’ low mana cost. At the same time, he was perfectly aware of his own mana pool. He wouldn’t be able to keep this up for much longer, especially if he wanted to use a Sword Art, even though the spar had only been going on for a short time. Every time he could, he hit the same spot in the Shield.

The Falling Snow Steps granted him speed, while Roland’s experience and technique fueled his attacks. Gerard started using fire spells while keeping up his Shield at the same time. None of Rylan’s attacks managed to pierce through his defenses. Yet, Gerard had couldn’t lower his Shield and cast two simultaneous offensive spells. Rylan gave him no breathing room. Attacks kept raining down, most of them upon the same spot.

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Slowly, he became used to the battle’s tempo. He had some trouble reacting to the spells; Roland’s body would have chosen the best course of action before he could even think, but that wasn’t entirely true for Rylan. Not yet. He avoided cutting the spells head-on, as he didn’t want to damage his sword. Gerard kept using new spells to catch him off-guard, which meant that he needed to adapt in real-time. Roland’s experience made itself known. Even though Roland had never faced a Mage, he had faced plenty of fighters capable of using Aura to create mid-ranged or long-ranged attacks. In fact, he had been capable of it himself.

If I had Aura, this spar would have already ended.

Only being able to attack at melee range was a significant limitation that Roland had overcome early in his life. Rylan had returned to that introductory level of power. He didn’t have the Prodigy or Complete Prodigy Traits, so his progress would be slower, but he was confident in his ability. Despite his utter lack of muscle memory, he was managing to stand his ground with only Roland’s memories and experience.

In such a fashion, the battle entered a delicate balance. Both combatants attacked whenever they could, but neither managed to injure the other. Gerard’s spells got faster and larger. Sweat dripped down Rylan’s brow, but his expression was calm and collected. Clarity of mind was one of the most important traits in battle. Flames roiled over the ground, yet not even a single blade of grass was scorched. It was as if the heat and fire were focusing on Rylan alone. It was a testament to his father’s mana control.

Rylan’s muscles’ screams had become deafening. He felt himself getting more tired by the second. He was quickly approaching his limits. But, he considered it to be a blissful experience. He reveled in pushing himself and giving a battle his all.

The flames changed shapes. Sometimes they were expansive, as if looking to cover all his escape routes, and other times they were focused and directed at a single target. However, there weren’t many gaps for them to exploit. Rylan kept his sense of balance and always chose the best alternative. The spells only managed to graze him, even as they got faster and bigger. Of course, to achieve this, his mind was completely focused on the battle. He was pushed to his limits; the spells were starting to surpass his ability to react to them, even if he could predict their path.

He increased his movement and attack speeds with techniques, managing to fight efficiently. He had no choice but to keep using the Falling Snow Steps to run around. His mana reserves decreased noticeably every time he did so, even though the Steps were a technique with little cost. At this point, there were very few gaps in Gerard’s attacks. Rylan spent more time dodging and running than attacking. It was as if his father had begun treating him seriously. The feeling of being forced to follow another person’s rhythm was uncomfortable.

It was then. It happened as Rylan dodged another fire wave by using Drifting. His eyes zeroed in on Gerard’s right side. This was it. An opening between his father’s sequence of spells. It was the kind that was incredibly difficult to identify and even harder to take advantage of, consisting of nothing but a two-second-long gap. Yet, it was enough. His mana roared throughout his body, kicking it into overdrive.

Stormcaller Sword Style, First Movement: Thunderbolt.

His speed increased exponentially. It was as if he had become a lightning bolt itself as he closed the distance between himself and Gerard in an instant. The tip of his sword landed on the Shield. It was as if something had exploded. The deafening noise resounded. The Sword Art flung Gerard backwards, making him spin and slam into a tree, which was promptly toppled as its trunk was destroyed. Rylan heard his father grunt.

His body shook. Every muscle trembled and shivered. He could barely hold his sword. He frowned heavily. Even though he had enough mana for it, using a Sword Art was still too taxing on his lacking body. His mana reserves reached rock bottom. This was it; the best he could currently do.

Still, this is much better than a month ago.

He was satisfied with this improvement. It did not mean he would grow complacent; he needed to become stronger even faster. He breathed rhythmically, standing tall. Slowly, Gerard stood up and walked towards him. The part of the Shield that had been hit by Thunderbolt had cracked like glass. At last, by targeting the same areas repeatedly, he had managed to somewhat get through the Shield.

“I can’t continue fighting. It’s your victory, Father,” Rylan said.

Gerard had an expression of complete shock and disbelief. Signs of anger crossed it.

“Victory!? I couldn’t land a single spell, even after using silent casting and dual casting! I was completely prepared to dismiss my mana the moment it looked like a spell was about to hit you, but I didn’t need to, because all of them only grazed you at most!”

“I couldn’t damage you, too. After you started using dual casting I couldn’t do anything.”

“I had a Magic Shield up at all times! I’m a Fifth Circle Mage!”

Rylan readily nodded. It made complete sense that he hadn’t been able to pierce through his father’s Shield. The difference in raw power between them was too great. Yet, as he continued to accumulate mana and develop his body, this would change. If he managed to awaken Aura, even better. He shook his head slowly.

“There’s much I need to improve. This is the very best I’m capable of. I now understand my limits. Thank you, Father.”

Gerard scoffed, still looking shellshocked. He rubbed his temples.

“…This is impossible.”

Rylan understood what he meant in an instant. In spite of his explanation about his past life, it was likely that Gerard had still doubted him. He had lied to and deceived his family too many times. But, there was no way to explain his fighting prowess unless his explanation was accepted.

Rylan stayed silent, letting his father gather his thoughts. After what felt like an eternity, Gerard spoke.

“…I can’t believe this, but it is reality. I have no choice but to accept what you told me.”

Rylan smiled.

“I’m glad you believe me.”

Gerard sighed deeply.

“…You said you wanted to learn about fighting Mages?”

“Yes. This spar helped me a lot, but it would be good if we could repeat it. If you use the spells that Evenon is likely to use, even better.”

His father stared into his eyes with a strange expression.

“You seem awfully comfortable with your sudden increase in fighting ability.”

“It’s because of my past life’s memories.”

Gerard let out another sigh.

“…Very well. We can continue sparring as a form of training. However, I will take measures to avoid having anyone find out about your abilities. There would be no way to explain them. This spar was too out in the open; I hadn’t expected you to be so powerful.”

Rylan nodded.

“Alright. Do you have any advice regarding how to accumulate mana faster?”

His father waved his hand.

“I’ll add in some pointers about mana absorption. Just know, you’re starting to train properly very late. It will be difficult to reach the same number of Circles as your older brother and sister, even if your fighting ability surpasses theirs.”

“I’m aware,” Rylan extended his hand with a smile, “Let’s do this, Father.”

With a maelstrom of emotions in his gaze, Gerard shook Rylan’s trembling hand, grasping it firmly. He spoke with a shaking voice.

“Do not fail me again, Rylan. I’m choosing to believe you.”

There was no longer any way to deny Rylan’s past life, but Rylan noticed his father was still afraid of being deceived once more. The wounds he had inflicted on his family were too deep. He flashed a bitter smile, but his voice was completely steady.

“I won’t.”

Gerard used earth spells to fix the upturned ground, but there was nothing to be done about the destroyed tree. He would need to come up with a justification. Rylan looked at the System notifications floating in view.

[Strength has increased by 1.]

[Body has increased by 1.]

He smiled. Not only had he learned much about how to fight a Mage, his stats had even grown alongside his knowledge. Overall, the results were great. Together, the father and son duo entered the mansion.