Accepting Defeat

Raiju lashed out with his spear, tremendous strength came rolling with it. It sounded as if he hit a dead-end, Raiju looked up and all he saw was KJ's wolf-like eyes glaring back. He dodged the spear so fluently and made it directly up to Raiju. KJ shot both his palms forward towards Raiju's internal organs. He was sent a few feet back before catching his balance. Raiju spat out a mouthful of blood in response and clenched his chest.

KJ: Inflicting real damage is the only way to teach you

Raiju: I will give you a lesson as well, a spear user never gives up his spear, it is an extension of his body. Get ready, you helped me by giving me such a distance between us, I will return the gift

Raiju shot his spear out instinctively as soon as he got his footing back. His spear flew through the air and he aimed it as KJ's shoulder. Without his shoulder, his spear work would decrease exponentially.

KJ dodged the attack in a hair's breadth of time. He was almost touched so he decided to turn it up a bit. "Raiju you are strong for your age. However, you are also very flat-footed, when you fight you rely on your spear too much and it compromises your mobility. If you are truly one with your weapon you will become your weapon. You can throw a weapon in the middle of the fight but that doesn't have to mean you're unhanded. Make your arm a spear."

Raiju looked up in disappointment. "If I could make my body into a spear I would do it already. You think I've been fooling around in my training, I put my life into the spear."

KJ stood straight with his hands by his sides. "Make sure to pay attention, I don't have any spiritual energy yet so I can't show you the true abilities of this technique, but I can show you the surface of it."

KJ: If you are struggling to create space with your spear then discard it and retrieve it at an apt time. Maybe you haven't had an opponent to spar of my caliber but eventually, this is a lesson you must learn.

KJ's voice grew a bit more solemn. "ALSO…. If you have no way of winning a fight, there is no reason not to flee." KJ's eyes glistened with a bit of sadness. "There is no reason to struggle with death if he's allowing you to escape. If there is absolutely no way to win, then simply run, I've seen far too many die because of what they were told by their superiors. I've also seen far too many that are cocky or put up facades and fake an act so that they won't be ridiculed by onlookers. But none of that matters if you end up dead. If you die, will you even have time to worry about a pointless image you show others around you? In my case I'd rather be myself instead of playing a character in front of others just to look cool or whatever other bullshit people say. If you know you can't win then that means you know something about yourself that is lacking and needs improvement. Remain clear-headed and take that information and grow stronger with it. Come back later on and take back whatever you lost beforehand. Remember there will always be another day. And even if there isn't, no point in stressing over it because we won't know until it's tomorrow."

KJ: Now remember to pay attention. Use your strongest attack, strongest defense, use everything, and anything you have against this one strike of mine. Treasure this lesson because it is one that will keep you alive

KJ finally began to raise his hand slowly. It was incredibly slow, it seemed like he was taking forever. Sweat began to drip down Raiju's forehead because he was holding his strongest defense, simply waiting for KJ to attack. KJ bent his hands upwards and slashed directly downwards. A moment after the attack was finished a gust of wind filled the Training Grounds. Everyone was silent, literally, no one knew what happened.

KJ reverted back to his initial position with his hands plastered to his sides. Raiju was still holding his defensive position and everyone else was frozen in wonder.

The only thing that was actually moving was Raiju's pupils. He was shocked and his pupils were contracting and expanding frantically.

Raiju dropped his guard and fell to his knees and bowed to KJ. "I don't believe it, everything I thought about the spear, my one true weapon, I was mistaken." None of the watchers knew what Raiju meant. He looked fine; he didn't take any visible damage.

When Raiju stood to his feet a pool of blood already formed beneath him. With a closer look, you could see an impossibly precise line going directly from his forehead to his pelvis. First the line could barely be seen, soon after blood began tricking out and at this point, a life-threatening amount would pour out if he didn't receive help. KJ slowly walked towards the injured Raiju.

Raiju's lanky brother finally woke up and fully regained consciousness. "Please no, take my life not my brother's. It was my fault; I will pay for anything and everything. Anything, anything please I will do it.

The man caught KJ's attention. "Even your life."

"Yes, yes, take my life instead of his I beg you. All of this is because I provoked someone I shouldn't, I just wanted to grow strong and be someone my brother would be proud of so please." The man was sobbing over himself, he looked like a complete mess.

KJ was as cold as always, "Well if you wanted to be someone that your brother could be proud of you didn't do it the right way. That is your fault alone."