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The sword rose, the sword fell.
Accompanied by a wind pressure from the North God Style combat school—the Avalanche Plunge's dispersing battle aura—it swept over everyone present, extinguishing the candlelight on the tables.
Even the tablecloths were flung upwards.
Could clothes, skirts, and cuffs escape it?
No.
For the male nobles present, this strong wind merely pulled their attention instantly from what they were doing towards the direction the wind came from. But for the female nobles present, they instinctively pressed down the hems of their gowns.
But at this moment, no one cared about the view under other people's wives' skirts anymore.
Because as the wind died down, and darkness surged, an atmosphere of doubt, surprise, and bewilderment enveloped the crowd. The nobles' excellent upbringing kept everyone from crying out in surprise, instinctively searching for the source of this anomaly.
Then, in this silent moment.
Calm words drew everyone's attention back to the essence of this banquet.
—Allen Boreas Greyrat's commendation ceremony.
Because, someone's voice reached their ears.
Very softly.
But, in the silence, in the sudden darkness that deprived them of part of their vision, and with most people wondering why this change had occurred.
It was overly clear.
"Let's begin."
Allen lowered the wooden sword in his hand and looked up, scanning all the nobles present.
To Rudy, it was the so-called banquet at the pinnacle of power of the most powerful human empire on the Central Continent, which brought him a sense of oppression.
It was nothing more than a flock of crows cawing and screeching in a supposed noble accent.
Crows didn't like to listen to people speak.
So he chose the most direct method.
Then, he waited for the fattest, most attention-seeking crow in the flock to squawk a few more times.
Then he would open up the situation...
To truly 'quiet' the place down.
Pilemon glanced at the sword in Allen's hand, a flicker of surprise in his eyes, but then he merely scoffed and looked around at the banquet servants.
"What are you doing standing there? Light the candles again! The dojo is drafty; don't leave the guests in the dark!"
Pilemon, driven by the typical 'straightforward' characteristic of the Notos family, had a surprisingly simple objective for attending the banquet.
Socializing meant nothing.
He was here to crash the party and watch the show.
However, his words fell flat, proving uninteresting.
It was still the same point.
This was Allen Boreas Greyrat's commendation ceremony.
This was also the Water God Style Main Dojo, a commendation ceremony hosted by Her Majesty Reida, the current Water God.
Who was the host, and who was the guest.
Even the servants knew.
The servants remained unmoved. They merely lowered their heads respectfully, but their upturned gazes were all fixed on the figure behind Allen.
Reida stood in the shadows, her eyelids drooping, looking very harmlessly at Pilemon.
The hall grew even quieter.
Pilemon realized something; his face was extremely grim. And not far from him, Ariel, wearing a hooped skirt, silently chuckled behind her hand.
Her cerulean eyes, in the darkness, pursued the figure standing with his hand on his sword.
Even in the darkness, she seemed to see the smile often on Allen's lips.
A typical way to control the environment, 'Allen's' characteristic method of establishing authority.
—In a suitable environment, do something not entirely appropriate, but most direct and effective.
Ultimately, achieving the desired effect.
Remarkably consistent with his act of jumping off the boat in Flowing Falls City.
So, next...
It was 'time to begin.'
Tap, tap, tap.
Slow, yet somehow oppressive footsteps sounded.
They belonged to the master of this dojo.
Reida's walking style matched her age: light steps, slow lifts, truly like a woman in her fifties.
However, it carried an oppressive presence unbefitting her apparent age.
Most of the attendees doubted Allen's strength, believing it to be a show orchestrated by master and disciple for dramatic effect.
But not a single person dared to doubt that the Water God's title was an empty boast.
Including Pilemon.
Under everyone's gaze, Reida slowly walked over to Pilemon. She didn't even bother to lift her eyelids to look at him. She simply picked up the matchbox placed on the table beside him.
Scratch, she lit the candle on the table beside Pilemon.
The candlestick flared to life.
Reida twisted and walked behind Allen. She casually picked up a sword from beside her, propping herself with it, her eyes closed as if a little weary.
Only then did the servants begin to move.
Amidst the sound of footsteps, flames ignited one by one, clustering together, giving off flickering light that illuminated the Water God Style Main Dojo.
Making Pilemon's face look as if he had eaten excrement.
The apprentices of the Water God Style Main Dojo secretly chuckled at this, casting side glances at the youngest current head of the Four Great Noble families.
Trying to usurp the host's place?
Only inviting ridicule.
They were all noble scions with some reputation in the royal capital. While outwardly they had to respectfully address Pilemon as 'Duke,' deep down, no one truly respected him.
Their respective families might have some vested interests with the Notos family, but within the Water God Style 'junior dojo,' they still prioritized supporting their personal 'small circle.'
This was a small circle of power belonging to 'martial artists.' How many people in each family could truly push the Water God Style to the Advanced level at this age?
The prestige and connections of the Water God Style Dojo were inherently their personal honor, and also a rare resource that ensured their competitiveness among many family heirs.
Therefore, the louder the 'voice' of the Water God Style Main Dojo's Advanced Dojo.
The louder their own 'voice' would be among the many heirs of their families.
However, one apprentice's face was as grim as Pilemon's.
Faltz Eolus Greyrat's swordsman uniform was exceptionally neat today. He looked up, observing Allen, who had just performed an empty strike to reorganize the Water God Style Dojo's 'order,' but he didn't feel a hint of secret satisfaction.
The fire in his heart, which had just ignited yesterday under Allen's words, was extinguished by a bucket of cold water shortly after he returned home.
The scolding from his biological father had lasted for a full three hours.
Being 'instigated' by Allen, an outsider, was secondary.
Being defeated by an unknown, suddenly appearing woman younger than himself, and losing his position as 'junior chief disciple' of the Water God Style Dojo, was something his father absolutely could not tolerate.
Unlike the Notos family, which was a half-baked 'martial arts' family primarily focused on pursuing power.
The Eolus family had practiced martial arts for generations, holding military power to guard the jaws of the kingdom. They had always maintained neutrality in previous succession struggles. They placed extreme importance on their descendants' martial strength, and their influence was mostly distributed among the Knights' Order and the street patrol.
This led to Leos, who had already touched the threshold of Water King, having extremely high demands for Faltz in the Water God Style.
Moreover, Faltz was his legitimate son by his true wife, born late in life.
But, to be fair, was Faltz's talent poor?
Not at all.
At only fourteen, he had already touched the edge of Saint rank in Water God Style.
But this was far from enough to satisfy Leos.
Faltz swallowed. The oppressive presence of his father standing beside him made him sweat continuously. As the candlelight ignited in his eyes, he instinctively looked up at his father.
Leos, who was only forty-five but had a full head of silver hair, stared expressionlessly at Allen in the ring. The candlelight burned in his eyes. His expression seemed to be watching Allen, but at this moment, in Faltz's eyes, he felt as if he saw someone else's shadow...
Someone else had set a precedent.
Fifteen years ago, the 'junior chief disciple' of the Water God Style Dojo had already borne the Eolus name.
Of course, not Leos himself, but his father's true eldest son.
—His half-brother, born to a concubine who had been elevated from a maid during his father's youthful indiscretions.
Advanced at eleven, Saint at fourteen, Water King at twenty. Now twenty-seven, he was already a part of 'Dawn.'
The universally acknowledged genius of this Eolus generation.
—Chermon Eolus Greyrat.
Faltz admired Allen, and wasn't it because he saw the shadow of this brother, thirteen years his senior, in him?
But unfortunately.
The relationship between the brothers, which had been relatively harmonious in the past, had plummeted to freezing point five years ago, after his brother joined Dawn.
The struggle for the heir apparent was always like this.
Moreover, almost everyone in the Eolus family believed that the next head should not be Faltz Eolus Greyrat, but this illegitimate eldest son.
Clearly, the other party was more qualified to inherit the family headship than he was.
And, this secretly admired brother's attitude towards him...
...was even more severe and harsh than his own father's...
"Good battle aura intensity. It seems you've indeed worked hard."
His father's serious voice, like cold blocks of ice rubbing together in winter, suddenly pierced Faltz's ear, making his body stiffen involuntarily.
He looked up, only to see Leos watching Allen in the ring, saying with an impassive, cold tone unique to martial artists.
"But the Water God Style's focus is not on battle aura quality. The key to becoming a Water King is not that either. Therefore, today is not a contest of battle aura quality at all. You playing these tricks is very crude. It's meaningless beyond intimidating those who don't understand."
Faltz's expression changed dramatically at his words. He quickly looked at Allen.
He saw that his 'admirer' in the ring, whose brown curly hair was messy and pulled back, merely tilted his head and glanced at his father.
His lips curved upwards.
"If the blade isn't sharp, deterrence is meaningless."
He turned, lightly stroking the blade, and said with a smile.
"Who will feed the blade?"
Hearing this, Leos turned to look at Faltz.
The latter's face froze. He instinctively glanced at the little lion standing with crossed arms by the side of the ring, showing an expression of 'Me, fight Allen? Really? I can't even beat his sister now.'
"Faltz, don't you always admire this outsider boy? You call him exceptionally talented, capable of matching your older brother? Try it!"
Beside him, Darius held his wine glass, sipping with a full smile, observing Faltz. The other nobles also looked over.
Faltz was already feeling overwhelmed, but hearing his brother's words, he still gritted his teeth and stepped forward.
In a few steps, he was in the center of the ring, facing Allen.
A five-meter gap.
The standard dueling distance.
Isolte, still acting as referee, saw that both had taken their positions and raised her hand, forming a blade.
Her palm descended.
"Begin!"
Faltz swung his sword into a mid-stance, adopting a defensive posture.
Allen observed Faltz, then glanced at Leos standing by the side of the ring. He suddenly chuckled and spoke.
"You look like a frostbitten eggplant. Did you only go home once last night to become like this?"
Faltz was startled at his words. He looked at his father on the side, whose brows were tightly furrowed. He bit his lip and glared back at Allen.
"Please instruct me."
His words were very clear.
But his figure...
...instantly blurred.
The next instant! His sword, wrapped in wind, pulled everyone's gaze fiercely towards Allen's front!
He swung his sword towards Allen's abdomen!
Rip!!!!
It wasn't the sound of a blade scraping.
Faltz's figure abruptly froze. He forced himself to an abrupt stop, his toes dragging along the ground with a teeth-grinding, shoe-scraping sound.
Before him, a knee hovered five centimeters from his nose. Faltz looked up in surprise. He saw that Allen had merely shifted his body slightly, raising one leg. His own face was now right in front of Allen's knee, and his sword was still fifteen centimeters from Allen's waist.
The information gathered by his Water God Style flashed through his mind.
—If he were to strike again, the opponent only needed to maintain their lower body's stability, and he would be 'hammered' to the ground by a 'Raised Hammer,' as if he had run headfirst into the opponent's knee.
His blade couldn't even reach the corner of the opponent's waist...
One of the Five Great Ougi—Sense Flow.
The moment he moved, the opponent had already taken their stance. The end of his charge was 'precisely' the opponent's knee.
"Snap!"
Allen lowered his knee. He casually flicked his finger in a 'Pluck the String' attack, sending Faltz's wooden sword back towards his waist. He then turned, creating distance, and walked as he spoke.
"Your killing intent is obvious, your aura is chaotic. This 'horizontal slash' lacks the sharpness of yesterday. Again."
The nobles were somewhat bewildered, but the 'secret' had already been clearly explained in Allen and Leos's conversation.
So everyone turned to look at the latter, standing by the side of the ring.
Leos's face was merely as grim as still water.
In the ring, Allen turned and walked a few steps to where Faltz had been standing earlier. He raised his sword tip.
Slightly tilted upwards, indicating for him to attack.
Faltz took a deep breath.
He exhaled! But then again, he squeezed out from the air beside Allen with a swing of his sword!
It was still a horizontal slash, but this time he was mindful of Allen's knee, maintaining a safe distance. The sword tip aimed for Allen's neck.
Clang!
The wooden sword burst into a shower of wood splinters, falling at Faltz's feet. Allen retracted his sword, casually deflecting the sword tip, which was still fifteen centimeters from his neck.
His voice, however, was a degree louder than before.
"The fire in your heart, which only just ignited yesterday, is gone. Your blade hesitates, your sword intent wails, Faltz? What's wrong with you?"
Faltz glanced at his father. Hearing this, he no longer retreated. He raised his wrist and 'Intercepted' Allen's hand-blade with a sword.
Bang! This time, sword met sword squarely. They firmly blocked each other. Faltz raised his leg for a 'Raised Hammer' attack, but Allen casually suppressed it with his palm.
He retracted his blade, which had been swept aside and 'coincidentally' landed by Faltz's leg. He looked directly into Faltz's eyes.
His voice, like a bell, struck the latter's ear.
"Where are you looking?! Where's your resentment?! Is today just a 'try it out' attitude, Faltz?!"
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if you want more updates == supports with power stones
Power Stones==Bonus Chapter