It fell… it took days and dozens of sacrifices, but the accursed beast fell… It had sharp teeth, like a sword, and a long tail with a thick lump of flesh at its end. A single attack covered meters, and a smash sent a shockwave through the earth… but tonight we shall feast upon its blood!

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As the dust settled, and the fire faded, Kai’s pupils constricted upon seeing the man standing there with a slight smirk. His clothes, which settled as the wind disappeared, were clean, without any sign of burn or tear. Similarly, his white hair remained unchanged, the only damage done being around him. Charred dirt and foliage covered the ground, and filled the holes Kai’s bombardment of spells had made.

What?! Kai’s mind reeled in shock, although deep inside he always knew the result wouldn’t be that much different. However for him to not even have moved? What kind of madness-

“Ha,” A light chuckle interrupted his train of thought, accompanied by a slow clap, and then the man’s figure appeared in front of him in a matter of seconds. “Not bad, kid. You almost hit me.”

“How-”

“How did I escape all of that? Well, you see.” The man turned around and tapped his temple. “All of your spells were concentrated on a single point - The place I was standing on. Your ‘Blinding Light’ was useless as I already knew where the spells would be. I simply moved out of the way at the moment of impact, and then returned to my original location for dramatic effect.”

“T-t-that-” Kai stuttered, a sense of loss washing over him, followed by his hand slapping his cheek. “I should have thought of that.”

“Haha, kid, you’ve never really fought with your wand, have you?”

“Well… um…” Kai murmured, remembering the few times he used his wand. “There was this time when I did use it… uhm, to… I- Hmm…”

Hideyoshi burst into a hearty laughter, his hand flying toward Kai’s shoulder. However, it stopped midway and retreated onto his hip. “If you don’t even know how to cast spells then why did you challenge me to a fight?”

“As I said, I just wanted to test out my strength, but I don’t think this is the best way to go about it…”

“Hmm?” The man scratched his chin and raised an eyebrow. “Wait, if you don’t know how to use your wand, what have you been fighting with this whole time?”

“I’ve been using a sword, well, a magical sword, I guess.”

“A sword?” He let out an intrigued chuckle. “Is that so, a Mage with a sword? Fuck me if I’ve ever heard of that before. You’re really special.”

A smile broke out on Kai’s face as he heard the man’s words, gracefully accepting the man’s compliment. However, it quickly faded as he realized he was truly just mocking him. “Hey!”

“Ahaha,” Hideyoshi chuckled. “Don’t worry about it kid, it’s just very unusual. Mages prefer to spend their time bettering their spells and upgrading their Mana Core, not training their body.”

“I’ll be the exception.”

“Yeah, a stupid exception. But I guess you’re right. Why don’t you show me your true skill, then? I’ll only be using my physical body. No magic, no spells.”

Kai raised an eyebrow as well, however, he didn’t question the man’s motives. Not after seeing just how much of a monster he was. Even if he knew where the spells would be, that doesn’t mean he could just dodge them considering their speed and quick succession. This man is truly something else. What is he doing as Raymond’s dog?

Regardless of his thoughts, he put the wand away and instead pulled out the silver sword he had gotten familiar with. Its blade shone with a faint luster, and the soft cry of a beast could be heard resonating through the vibrations.

“Oh? A Beast Sword Spirit, you don’t see these often. Good sword.”

“Mhm. To be honest I don’t know what that means exactly.” Kai nodded and looked at his sword with an endearing regard. “But it’s been serving me well.”

Hideyoshi sighed and looked at Kai with an amused expression. “Well, you’ll figure it out eventually. Now come on, don’t waste time.”

Kai nodded and readied his sword. Holding the hilt with both hands, he pointed its tip diagonally upward, then pressed the dull part against his chest. This position gave him a large range of motion and allowed him to be ready for any attack. Glancing at Hideyoshi, who disappeared at the spot where all the spells landed, Kai grit his teeth and began enhancing his body.

‘Speed Amplification’, ‘Strength Amplification’, ‘Vision Enchantment’, ‘Tough Skin’, ‘Magic Shield’, ‘Magic Bubble’, ‘Air Nullifier’, ‘Greater Strength’ …

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All of these low-ranked spells he cast were spells any mage and body cultivator knew, and almost the only spells Kai knew. Infusing mana into the sword, its blade shone with a bright light, and Kai’s figure disappeared from the place where he once stood. Whilst he wasn’t nearly as fast as Hideyoshi, his speed could almost match Onyx’s, which was something he could be proud of.

Dust flew about under his feet as he kicked the dirt, his footsteps ringing loudly with each pass he made. The man’s eyes followed him closely, despite his speed, and, with a smirk, he stepped sideways. Kai’s sword descended upon the ground the very next instant, creating a small hole on impact.

He raised his sword and quickly swiped at the man’s legs as he ducked, however, Hideyoshi jumped, dodging Kai’s strike, then leaped backward as he dodged a vertical slash. A light chuckle escaped his lips as he stood in place. Quickly turning his head, he evaded Kai’s thrust by a hair’s breadth, then took a step forward and tapped him on the forehead.

Kai was sent flying backward from the light flick, only stopping as he crashed into a tree. He spit out a mouthful of blood, and stood up with a grin, wiping his chin. Blood rushed through his veins, accompanied by adrenaline and cortisol, and he gripped the sword even tighter as a smile creased his lips.

Without wasting any time, he pulled out his wand and cast a quick ‘Wind Barrier’, a spell that would help him negate air resistance even more. Due to not having any wind crystals embedded into his wand, the spell would be weaker, however the current Kai didn’t care about such things. He took a step forward, and his figure disappeared, leaving behind a brief after-image, which shattered as the sound of a tree being hit resounded moments later.

The silver sword cut through a tree, penetrating it deep enough for sap to flow out. Kai glared at the man, and he forcefully pulled out his blade before leaping forward, aiming the tip right at Hideyoshi’s heart. The man dodged the strike, taking a step back. What awaited him was Kai’s fist, which he met with a slightly shocked expression. However, he quickly ducked, and then drove a spin-kick right into Kai’s ribs.

The young vampire was once again sent flying. He rolled on the ground and stopped himself by scratching the ground, after which he jumped to his feet. Catching his breath, he stared at Hideyoshi with a focused glance, and the desire to fight burning deep within his pupils. His body flashed with a soft light as he murmured something. He lifted his arm until it was at a ninety-degree angle, and pointed the blade’s top at the man.

Slowly advancing, Kai’s eyes darted from one corner to the other, and he took a glance inside his Mixed Mana Core. The mana within was depleting at a rapid rate, however, the amount it was able to hold had increased by more than two times what he previously had. With a smirk, he moved. His body became a blur as the wind whistled past him, and he kicked up dust with each step he took.

Hideyoshi snickered as he followed Kai’s movement, until…

A rapid flash of light caught him by surprise, forcing his eyes to shut. He took a step back and listened carefully, however, Kai’s footsteps stopped completely, and so did any other sound besides the forest’s tranquility. Only a second passed between the time he shut his eyes and the time he opened them back again, but after a quick glance, he was shocked to see that Kai was nowhere to be found.

And then, he rolled. His eyes widened in surprise, and he instinctively rolled backward. The next moment, Kai’s body descended from the sky. A flurry of wind accompanied him as he smashed into the ground, his silver sword cutting into the earth. He bit his lip and immediately lunged at the man, letting out a yell as he held the sword with both hands. Kai kicked the ground, jumping which he transferred into a spin attack aimed right between the man’s eyebrows.

He missed, however, and quickly got up, then pulled out his wand. A small fireball shot forward, followed by another, which the man dodged with ease. A barrage of small fireballs, which Kai cast in rapid succession, flew toward his face. Sidestepping them all, he waited for the boy to throw another blade attack, readying his fingers.

Just as he did so, Kai’s sword appeared in between the flames. With a smirk, he caught it between his fingertips. His expression changed, however, as it fell to the ground effortlessly.

“Damn it!” He cursed and looked down at Kai, whose fist flew at the man’s crotch.

“Little bastard, you!” Hideyoshi yelled as he jumped, barely avoiding the ‘fatal’ shot. A smile creased Kai’s lips, followed by a flick of his wrist. The violet sword - his dad’s sword, now as black as tar - appeared in his left hand, which he quickly fed eighty percent of the mana in his body. With a loud groan, he threw the sword at the man, whose widened eyes could not believe what they saw. Unable to use any sort of magic to change his direction, the heavy lump of sword-shaped metal hit him squarely in the face. He fell to the ground. The sword’s muffled thud accompanied him.

The man stared at the sky, the stars, and the moon through the tree’s canopy as he lay on the cold ground.

“Ha.” A light chuckle escaped his lips, and he rubbed his face, where the faint mark of a wide blade appeared.

Kai walked over and picked up both swords before collapsing on the ground next to the man. His skin met the moon’s rays, which he embraced as sweat drenched his body. He took a look at his mana reserves, most of which had been exhausted. Any longer and I wouldn’t even be able to move my limbs… speaking of- A light groan escaped his lips as the mana faded from his body as he stopped casting the spells. He felt a light burn spread all across his body, which felt light like a feather, yet heavy at the same time. His breathing became heavier.

Finally, the fatigue he ignored whilst fighting at more than one hundred percent of his ability caught up, so, in a sense, even without having all his mana exhausted from his body, he was paralyzed. “Well, fuck.” He cursed with a quiet chuckle.

“That’s what I should be saying… damned child.”

“Well, I hit you, didn’t I?”

“That barely counts… but yes you did,” Hideyoshi grumbled as he placed one hand over his chest. “That was… I’ve never seen someone throw out their weapons.”

“I have to do what I have to do, you know?” Kai replied with a chuckle, followed by a pained groan.

“Well… you won. Are you happy?”

“Yes… very, haha!” Kai said with a light smile creasing his lips. I managed to see the limits I have better and… realized that despite being a mage… I am not a mage. I’m more of a swordsman… with magic. Magic Swordsman? Yeah, that sounds about right…