Krion waited a moment for most of the ss and their bodyguards to rush over to the wall and the racks of practice ons. With how many ons were orderly stacked, waiting to be used, he wasn’t worried about finding a woodesword for himself. Hatsuaking his lead, waited with him until the majority selected the on they wao practice with auro the floor, where Professor Thrain was direg them to take positions in various circles with their sparring partners.
Ohe press had cleared somewhat, Krion moved toward the rack, his eyes sing the array of wooden ons. He hesitated a moment, looking over the options before he selected the woodesword furthest to the right. The hilt felt unfamiliar pared to his own on, but the weight and bance were close enough. Hatsune chose a nearby longsword, a rough facsimile of her own, but despite her nod at him, Krion could tell she was not the happiest with her on.
As they joihe pairs being directed to their own circles throughout this part of the gymnasium, Professor Thrain motioned for them to begin. “Show me your form, your trol, your instincts,” he anded. “This isn’t a petition — yet. Focus on demonstrating what you know.”
Krion took a moment to watch as the other ss and their bodyguards began to move. Some were tentative, their strikes g fidence, while others attacked their sparring partner with overzealous enthusiasm, their teiques unrefined. A few stood out with practiced stances and deliberate motions, but even the more skilled pairs seemed rough around the edges to him.
Still, Krion had to admit, that the majority of the ss and their bodyguards appeared to have at least some experieh their chosen ons. Their movements suggested training, though it varied widely in quality. As he watched closer, some had clearly been taught by professionals, their strikes measured and purposeful. His thoughts went to his own training. The majority of those sparring, he realized, would have been sidered novices uhe scrutiny of Rolfun. Ihe half-ogre’s methods had been brutal but effective, pushing Krion to his limits with the drills he had run him through and the sparring that ended every session. He well remembered how each swing had been corrected, each stance adjusted until he could feel the weight of the greatsword as aension of himself. pared to those grueling sessions, the efforts of his cssmates seemed almost… clumsy.
Hatsune shifted beside him, her longsword tightly gripped as she studied the movements of the others. “Most are det,” she said, her tohoughtful, “but based on your expression, you’ve had better training, haven’t you?”
Krion nodded. “My teacher didn’t leave room for mistakes,” he replied, his grip tightening on the woodesword. “It was grueling, but it also has saved my life at least once so far.”
“You’ll have to tell me about it sometime,” Hatsune said, her eyes gleaming as she turo him, longsword raised. “Show me what you are capable of.”
Krion rolled his shoulders, loosening them. “I don’t pn on making this easy for you.”
Hatsune smiled. “Good. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Professor Thrain stood off to the far side, his arms folded, watg the sparring pairs closely. He wasn’t encement or praise; instead, he simply observed, his gaze intense and assessing. Krion could practically feel his presence even from across the room, but the pressure only increased his desire to demonstrate what Rolfun had taught him.
Hatsune made the first move, lunging toward him with a swift strike that blurred the air between them. Krion’s instincts fred, his body reag before his mind could fully process her approach. He sidestepped ly, his forearm ing up to block her arm on the follow-through. The force of the strike rattled his arm, and he could feel the sharp precision behind it. This wasn’t just practice — Hatsune wasn’t holding back.
Instead of retreating, Krion flowed into a terattack, using the momentum from her blow to drive his leg forward in an attempt to sweep her off her feet. The Leporine, however, was too quick. She twisted mid-stride, the fluidity of her motion carrying her out of the arc of his attabsp;
“ry,” she said with a smirk. Her eyes gleamed with exhiration, a refle of the feeling that Krion himself was starting to feel.
“Don’t get too cocky,” he responded with a smile.
Before he even finished speaking, Hatsune came at him again, this time faster, her wooden longsword a blur of movement as she unleashed a flurry of strikes. The crack of wood meeting w out as Krion raised his woodesword to parry her relentless blows. Her strikes were trolled yet aggressive, eae aimed with the precision of someorained and focused. Krion, wielding the heavier o her head-on, his movements powerful but not without finesse.
The weeks of grueling training under Rolfun came rushing ba. Rolfun had been brutal, demanding not just skill but adaptability and endurahose lessons came alive as Krion shifted his stance, defleg Hatsune’s bde and stepping to the side to ter with a sweeping strike at her midse.
Hatsune again dodged his swing, her lithe frame shifting with ease. “Not bad,” she said, her toeasing but edged with respect.
“I’ll get you yet,” Krion shot back, his smile turning into a full grin.
Their sparring intensified with every passing sed. Krion’s greatsword demanded calcuted, forceful strikes, while Hatsune’s lighter longsword allowed her to dart in and out of his ra was a csh of styles, a test of strength versus speed, aher was willing to yield an inch.
Krion lunged forward, bringing his greatsword down in a heavy arc. Hatsune sidestepped, her feet light on the ground as she pivoted and tered with a thrust aimed at his ribs. Krion twisted, defleg the strike with the ft of his bde before stepping in close to disrupt her rhythm.
“Getting serious, are we?” Hatsune quipped, her breath ing faster.
“Wouldn’t want to disappoint,” Krion replied, his voice steady despite being the mountiion.
Around them, the other students sparred with varying degrees of petence, but the esg iy of Krion and Hatsune’s duel began to draw attention. One by one, sparring pairs paused to watch as the two batants moved with ferocity and precision.
Hatsune shifted her grip, feinting high before darting low in an attempt to sweep Krion’s legs. He tered by stepping bad swinging his greatsword in a broad arc, f her to leap back to avoid the strike. The sheer force of his swing ruffled the Leporine’s silver hair as she nded ba her feet. Their movements became sharper, and mgressive as the room around them faded uheir focus on the duel. Krion pressed forward, using the read weight of his woodesword to press his bodyguard onto the defensive. But Hatsune wasn’t easily overwhelmed. She tio weave through his strikes, her longsword darting out to deliver quick terattacks that forced Krion to interrupt his momentum to adapt. Krion had a feeling in that flurry of blows that she had received training simir to what he had experienced with Rolfun.
The gymnasium grew silent, the sounds of sparring fading as attention fixed on the fierce duel between the s of House Bcksword and his bodyguard. Even Professor Thrain, who had been quietly , now leaned forward, his sharp eyes assessing their every move.
Hatsune suddenly closed the distance, her bde a blur as she aimed a rapid series of strikes at Krion’s torso. Krion blocked eae, a long series of thumps blurring into one uhe relentless assault. He tered with another heavy overhead swing, which Hatsune again sidestepped, using the momentum to aim a slig blow at his side.
Krion threw his body to the left, narrowly avoiding her bde, aaliated with a sweeping kick. Hatsune jumped high, flipping gracefully over his leg and nding behind him. She swung her longsword at his back, but Krion spun, raising his greatsword to block just in time.
The speed of their csh reverberated through the gymnasium, drawing gasps from some of the onlathered ss looked on in awe, murmurs spreading as they marveled at the sheer iy of the fight. Even the professor’s stern expression began shifting into one of approval. Their sparring was no longer just a demonstration of skill — it had bee a battle of wills.
Sweat dripped from their brows, their breathing heavy but steady as they pushed each other to the limit. Krion could feel the strain in his muscles, the weight of his greatsword demanding more from him with every swing. But he weled the challenge, enjoying the thrill of exging blows with someone so skilled. Their sparring reached a fever pitch, the liween practid a real fight blurring as they fought with everything they had.
“Enough!”
Krion and Hatsune froze mid-motion, their ons poised for arike. Slowly, they lowered their practice ons at Professor Thrain’s and, their chests heaving as they caught their breath.
The gymnasium erupted into appuse, the gathered students and bodyguards cheering for the dispy they had just witnessed. A fshing i appeared in his vision, but Krion ig for now as he g Hatsune, her face flushed with exertion but lit with a triumphant grin. As the iy of their sparring subsided, he found his gaze lingering on the Leporine. Her hair, slightly tousled from the fight, framed her delicate features, and the faint sheen of sweat on her skin caught the light, adding an almost ethereal glow to her. Her eyes, sharp and vibrant, still sparkled with the exhiration of the battle. Despite her fierce demeanor moments ago, there was a striking elegance about her that made her beauty impossible to ignore.
His chest tightened as he realized he was staring. He turned his gaze away, trying to focus on anything else — the woodesword in his hands, the scattered ss and bodyguards in the room — but her image remained vivid in his mind. Before he could think about it further, he noticed that Professor Thrain was ing towards them. Krion straightened instinctively, gripping his practice on a bit tighter.
“Well dohe professan, his grizzled tone carrying both authority and approval. “You both clearly have seen some training, though there is room for improvement. Girl, yility is an asset, but you’re still hesitating when it es to itting fully to some of your attacks. That hesitation will cost you against an oppo who won’t give you a sed ce.”
Hatsune’s ears twitched, and she hough her lips pressed into a thin line. “Uood, Professor,” she said, her voice steady but tinged with frustration.
Professor Thrain raised an eyebrow, his keen gaze catg the flicker of dissatisfa in her demeanor. “Something on your mind?” he prompted, his tone curious rather than chastising.
Hatsuated before replying. “It’s just… the o feel right,” she admitted, her grip tightening on the hilt of the wooden longsword. “It’s nothing like what I was trained with. The bahe length — everything feels off. It threw me off my rhythm.”
The professor stroked his thoughtfully, his rugged features betraying no judgment. “ons be aension of ourselves,” he mused, “but no tool is ever perfect. Still, it’s not the on’s fault if the wielder fails to adapt.”
Hatsune’s ears flicked in mild irritation, though she didn’t argue.
“That said,” Professor Thrain tinued, his tone softening, “if the on truly isn’t w for you, then it’s worth addressing. Instead of struggling against it, work with your s to obtaihat suits your style. Once you have such a bde, you e here to the Martial Hall to have a practice versioed for you to train with.”
Hatsune blinked, caught off guard by the advice. “You think I should make a new one?” she asked. Krion couldn’t tell the meaning underh what she was saying, but her tone was heavy with significe.
“Yes,” Professor Thrain nodded. “Given you are still fresh to your new role, and the year has only just started, there remains time for you to attain the on you want to repce the longsword.”
Hatsune gnced over at Krion, who had been keeping quiet as she spoke with the Professor. “I’ll bring it up with him,” she said, her voice steadier now.
The professor’s focus shifted to Krion. “As for you, Bcksword, your strength is evident, but you rely too mu overp your oppo. The greatsword demands trol as much as it does power. Focus on preake every swing t.”
Krion nodded respectfully. “Yes, sir.”
Professor Thrain’s eyes narrowed slightly as he took in the way Krion was standing. “Tell me, Bcksword,” he said, his voice thoughtful, “have you had a teacher for the greatsword before? As much as it paio say, not every s that ehe Martial Hall has had training in the past.”
“Yes, a half-ogre named Rolfun trained me for a few weeks.”
At the mention of Rolfun’s name, a fsh nition crossed the professor’s face, followed by a small smile. “Rolfun, you say? That expins a bit. He’s one of the most promising greatsword wielders of the younger geions that I’ve observed in this sector’s ret inter-House tours — a master of band raw power. He’s doo get you started oh of being a proper wielder of the greatsword.”
Krio a surge of pride at the pliment, not just for himself but for his former mentor. “Thank you, sir. He was a tough teacher, but I learned a lot from him.”
Professor Thrain nodded approvingly. “Good. Honor his teags, but remember, there’s always more to learn. Strength tempered by discipline is what separates a swordsman from a brute. Keep that in mind as you train in the ing css sessions. Now, I o give some time to the others before we break for the day.”
“Yes, sir,” Krion said again as the professor left to give feedback to the set of sparring partners.
Sihe professor indicated they were all but done, Kriourned his woodesword to the wall where it had previously hung. He turo Hatsune, who was casually iing her wooden longsword, her movements as graceful and deliberate as they had been during their sparring. Her ears twitched slightly, a tell he had e tnize as a sign she was mulling something over.
“That was fun,” Krion began, his voice carrying the warmth of genuine appreciation. “You’re quick — quicker than I expected, holy. And you hit hard, too.”
Hatsune g him, her sidering examination of her on shifting to one of amusement. “You’re not too bad yourself,” she admitted grudgingly. “Your foundation with the greatsword is solid. Better than I would’ve guessed, sidering hoard those ons be in inexperienced hands.”
Krion chuckled, scratg the back of his neck. “Like I said, its the result of some good training with a better teacher,” he said, thinking back to Rolfun’s grueling sessions. “Though, I notice the professor said you weren’t going all out.”
“The professor has a good eye.” The Leporine paused, tapping the wooden bde against the floor. “If I’d had a practice version of the on I trained with, I’d have beaten you.”
Krion tilted his head. “What kind of on are we talking about? Something more specialized?”
Hatsuated, her sharp eyes narrowing slightly as if weighing how much to say. Finally, she exhaled aed the tip of the wooden longsword on the ground. “My family trained me with a bde simir to a longsword but… different. It’s lighter, more flexible, with a curve, and just as lethal in the right hands. My father and brothers taught me — every strike, every block, every move burned into me through hours of repetition. Some of it transfers over to the longsword, but not all of it.”
Krion houghtfully, filing away her words. “If your on is so important to yhting style, we should try to get you o only makes sense for you to fight with something you’re fortable with.”
Hatsune’s ears twitched again, while she took on a look of skepticism. “It’s not that simple,” she said. “Bdes like that arely on, especially here.”
“Well, what if we made one?” Krion offered, his tone ear. “I’m no bcksmith, but I’m sure we could find—”
Hatsuerrupted with a shh. “You? Fe a bde?” She shook her head, though there was no mali her voice as she tinued, “Still, you might be onto something. It’d be impossible to find one ready-made, but… if you’re serious, we might be able te one ourselves.”
Krion’s brows rose. “Ourselves? You know how te ons?”
“Yes,” she admitted, a touch of pride creeping into her voice. “My brothers and I were taught by my father and uncles. I still have much to learn, but I know enough to make a simple bde like what I am used to wielding. I’d need your help, though. And if we’re doing this…”
She trailed off, looking at him with a plicated expression.
“What?” Krion prompted.
“Before I say, I want you to answer a question for me. Holy.”
“Ok…”
Hatsune looked around, and firming that all the other ss and their bodyguards were out of earshot, she leaned in close to Krion. “You’re serious about this?” she asked. “About my teag you the sword art, Whispers of Bck Steel?”
Krio her gaze without hesitation. “I wouldn’t have said so yesterday if I hadn’t meant it. I want to learn. So long as it will build upon what we are learning here. You teach me, right?”
“Putting aside the fact that I will be learning it by myself at the same time,” Hatsune said, her ears dropping slightly as she tinued, “Yes, I could. And it won’t flict if we do it right. But it is not that simple. From my first look into the fragment we have, Whispers of Bck Steel is meant for a few specifids of swords and not the kind of greatsword you’re using. If you really want to do this, you’ll e a on suited to the style — a bde that’s not just an oversized club but something more refined.” She hesitated, then apparently decided to ge what she was going to say. “There are other reasons you o personally fe your own on, but that is for ter.”
“Alright,” Krion nodded, his determination to get stronger unshaken. “Then we’ll fe two ons then.”
Hatsune nodded, her expression pleased. “It won’t be easy, but I think it’ll be worth it. A on you’ve put your own effort int… it bees more than just a tool. It’s aension of you. Besides,” she added with a pyful smile, “it’ll give us an excuse to spar even more ohey’re done.”
Krion ughed, feeling a spark of excitement and something mhin him. “You just want another ce to prove you beat me.”
“And what if I do?” Hatsune quipped, raising an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of losing.”
“Not a ce,” Krion said. “But I’ll warn you now — I don’t pn on holding back. When you’re lying on your back, looking up at me, you’ll know I mean it.”
Hatsune’s pyful smile faltered, her cheeks flushing a deep crimson as her ears twitched furiously. “Wh-what?” she stammered, her posure crag.
Krion’s own face turned as red as hers when the implication finally hit him. “I-I didn’t mean it like that!” he sputtered, waving his hands in frantiial.
Thankfully, Professor Thrain’s anding voice cut through the room. “Everyone, gather round!” the professor called, g his hands. “There’s one more thing I want to address before we finish.”
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