Secrets Of The Sword Style

Hans, of course, had no evidence to back up his claim. Even then, it's better to assume than nothing at all. 

The fire scorched the woods as it continued to warm up the area. Hans remained in silence, trying to enter a deeper state of enlightenment. 

"Do you think we're in an illusion, Plundy?" 

[I don't know. Maybe yes or maybe no.]

"Sigh—, this is hard."

Well, even if all of this is an illusion, it really wouldn't change anything. 

[Extra Quest: Kill the Light of Justice. (Ongoing)] 

He didn't know who to kill when there were only two of them left. If Light's words were correct, then killing him might just truly do nothing. 

"If I can't kill the Light of Justice and the quest might not even be related to him then…" 

'!!!' 

An absurd thought suddenly rippled in his mind. His heart charged through his chest, like a madman trying to explode itself. Hans placed his hand on his chest and took large and deep breaths. 

Exhale—

"Haah, it can't be right?" 

Hans springs up from his seat and walks back and forth with his hand under his chin. A sudden strong gust of wind put out the fire and the chilling air crept into his skin. 

However, as if immersed in his own world, Hans did not rest even if he was tired. The cold didn't bother him either. 

The woods crunch as Hans stepped forward and stopped. His gaze seemingly penetrated the end of the whole world. With his eyes bugging out in realization, Hans spoke with enthusiasm. 

"That's it!!! Hahaha, yes! yes!" 

The puzzles in his head began to join together as it pieced the last final corners. 

'But to think it was like this…' 

No doubt, the extra quest was pretty much impossible to complete unless certain conditions were met. 

[Would you mind sharing it with me?] 

"I don't mind. It's just… I'm… I'm flabbergasted."

[...]

"So it's like this…" 

This event was like a game and he was the player. 

The first quest was to kill the boss monster and free the light of justice. As the boss monster was pretty much unbeatable, the player needed help from someone of a higher level of strength. Meaning, the player needed to free the light of justice first. 

"When I killed Aka I completed the quest. Well, even if Light killed him, the quest would still be cleared."

However, once Light killed the boss monster, the extra quest would be impossible to complete anymore. The only one who can complete this quest is if the player killed the boss monster himself which he did. 

[That's some nice hunches you have.]

"Now for the next part of the quest."

[...kill the Light of Justice.]

Basically, when he killed the monster, he obtained two of the requirements to complete the quest. 

The first one would be to kill it and the second one is to become… 

"The Light of Justice yourself." 

[Wait, wait, wait!! Doesn't that mean there are two of you?] 

"Yes, technically there's two but in other terms, there's one."

[Does that even make sense?] 

"Well, it's complicated but I already grasped it."

[How?] 

"Aka already gave the clue away."

Hans then closed his eyes and recalled Aka's words as he looked at him. 

"Bastards of reality…" 

That's right, Aka called him a man of reality. It can have many meanings but one thing is for sure. 

"This world wasn't real at all."

No rather, this world used to be real. 

The evidence was backed up by Light's story and Aka's final words to him. Perhaps, Aka might even know everything but kept his mouth shut to avoid repercussions. 

[I am… speechless.]

"It wasn't that hard if you knew where to start."

[Did being with me increased your IQ? Hmm… I wonder.]

"Bruh…" 

He's just thought of it all by himself and this guy is still trying to include his narcissistic ass. 

"Anyways, that sums it all."

[So you're the light of justice now?] 

"Yeah, just another."

[The quest… wouldn't that mean?] 

Hans raised his head, stared at the shimmering stars, and whispered, "Yeah, to complete the extra quest…" 

After a brief pause, he continued, "I will need kill myself." 

......… 

Meanwhile, Light, who was sitting in front of the newly built tomb, displayed a smile. Although it's faint, he could feel a sense of urgency as if his time began to move once again. 

"It seems like Hans found the way, brother."

Both brothers had been stuck in this infinite loop of time. Unfortunately, he's the only one blessed with the ability to retain his previous memories every loop. 

"I guess, this is the end for me brother. We'll meet again shortly."

Light smiled gently as he placed a candle beside the tomb and lit it up. Although the wind seemed strong, it didn't even reach the area where the tomb lies. 

As the candle burned in the dark, Light's eyes shifted in Hans' direction. The rapier in his hand trembled in excitement. 

"Oh, do you like him?" 

Light smiled as he caressed the blade's sheath. It's been many years since he had this blade accompany him on his journey. 

Hundred years, thousand years? 

To be honest, he couldn't remember how long he had it. He got it as a gift from Aka when he was still a kid. 

The rapier shrunk as if afraid Light would give it to Hans. 

"What do you want then?" 

The rapier trembled once again. 

"Oh, I see… you want me to teach him?" 

As if Light had hit the mark, the rapier vibrated cheerfully. It leaked small glistering particles and then began converting into words. 

[Teach him how to use his sword. It's shit.]

After reading the sentence, Light reflexively chuckled, "Ha, haha, yes, his stance was really a mess. Well, his sword style is good though."

Light groaned heavily before he stood up and walked away. The flowers he planted beside his brother's tomb, after so many time loops, finally blossomed. 

On his face, not a single shred of sadness can be seen but rather a trace of relief and satisfaction.

...….. 

[Uhm… that's suicide.]

"Yeah, if all my guesses are wrong, it's suicide. This is a gamble with death again."

However, if his guesses turned out to be true, this quest would be worth the shot. He still hadn't forgotten that he was inside the trial dungeon. Meaning, he was still being tested. 

As for what it was, Hans doesn't know. 

Hans put his hand on the blade's hilt before pulling it out.

Shring—

The blade gleamed under the moonlight while his face reflected on it. He was prepared. The moment he chooses to become stronger, he must face these challenges without fear. 

Even if it's entering the needle's head, he would do it. 

"It's do or die."

At that moment. 

"Hans, do you still have some time?" 

Hans halted and turned his head, "Huh?" 

He looked at Light with a bewildered face. 

"Do you want to learn swordsmanship?"

At the thought of being trained by a powerful swordsman, Hans grinned. 

"This is free, right?" 

........ 

Four Hours Later. 

Contrary to what he expected, Hans was ordered to swing his sword for four hours. He already lost count of how many times he swung it after it reached a hundred thousand times. 

At the rate of his swinging, Hans swung his sword by approximately 10 times per second. Earlier, at the start, it even reached 15 times per second. 

Sweats trickled down from his cheek to his neck. He glanced at Light but after his stance messed up a little bit, his head was met with a large stick. 

"Your swing is too high! Lower it!" 

At his command, Hans lowered his elbow a little bit. 

"Now, it's too low! Lift it a little high!" 

Although Light was strict, Hans wasn't frustrated by the constant yelling he received. 

It's because of this… 

[Your sword proficiency has increased by 0.02%]

[Your sword proficiency has increased by 0.02%]

[Your sword proficiency has increased by 0.02%]

… 

[Your sword proficiency has increased by 0.02%]

However, even with such an increase, his sword style remained at 49.9%. He tried to ask Light but his response was nothing. 

[Constantine Sword Style: First Cut (B)

Proficiency: 49.9%]

Hans swung his blade forward. 

"Haah—, Haah—" 

After another hour of intense training, Light made him stop. 

"That's enough. You have completed the basic training."

There are still 2 hours left before the time loop reset and Light decided to dedicate it to an actual spar. 

"For the last 2 hours, we'll have a spar. I'll answer all your questions while we're fighting. You may rest for 10 minutes."

Hans flopped down to the ground as soon as he heard the word 'rest'. 

Thud—

His palms were aching and his arms were stiff. However, the gains he reaped were massive and he could feel his aura becoming sharper. 

"Compared to earlier, I'm at least two times stronger by swordsmanship alone."

Despite the increase in his strength, Hans thought it wasn't enough. Thinking of the power displayed by Aviante, his hand clenched the soil. 

Hans doesn't have thought of revenge if he ever meets Aviante at the Ruined King's Tomb. He's still weak and inexperienced. 

If he wanted to have a chance of winning, then at least he needed to fight more monsters and level up. Only in this way could he guarantee a win. 

Hans took out a bottle of water, opened the lid, and gulped the liquid down. 

Gulp—

Hans crumpled the plastic bottle and then threw it away. With a determined face, Hans springs up and walks towards the platform where the spar would commence. 

He saw Light was already waiting there for him. As soon as he got up to the platform, Light ordered. 

"Prepare your sword and attack me with nothing but swordsmanship. You can use your sword styles too so I could see if it has flaws." 

"Alright."

"Come."

With a kick on the floor, Hans gripped his sword and charged. 

Swish—

In a flash, Hans appeared under Light and swung his blade upwards. 

Shu—

However, the sword hit nothing but the air. Light dodged it by leaning slightly backwards. 

"Again!" 

Even without the command, Hans weaved his sword while Light just evaded it effortlessly. Determined to strike his mentor, Hans finally went serious. 

[Constantine Sword Style: First Cut] 

His attack became faster and sharper as Hans slashed Light with accuracy. 

Slash—, slash—, slash—, slash—

"This is some nice technique you have."

Even in the face of Hans' multiple attacks, Light didn't forget to express his feelings. Unfortunately, for Hans, it sounded like a mockery. 

'If this doesn't work…' 

Hans took a gasp of air and unleashed another attack. 

[Constantine Sword Style: First Cut…] 

The wind gathered around his blade. 

Swish—

Hans vanished from his position and instantly appeared above Light. With his blade carrying the wind particles, this should be enough for Light to take him seriously. 

[Piercing Gale.] 

Shu—

"Hahaha, this is an amazing sword style, Hans." Light pulled his rapier out in a quick draw and answered back. 

[Rapier Art: No.14: Malevolent Demonic Winds.]

Wind particles were rapidly absorbed into Light's rapier until it formed a human-sized hurricane around his body. The moment Hans' sword made contact… 

Clang—

"!!!" 

Hans' sword was reflected, sending him back due to the momentum. However, as he stabilized his balance, the hurricane continued to increase in size. 

Light, who was inside of it, spoke. 

"This is how you use the wind, Hans."

[Rapier Art: No.42: Demonic Winds, Corrupting Hurricane] 

Woosh—

The hurricane swallowed the whole platform. Having no choice, Hans decisively fled away. He activated all his auxiliary skills and burst away from the scale of the attack. 

Wooosh—

Shrruuum—

Even a mile away, Hans could feel the horrible winds brimming with endless demonic power.

'Damn it, he's just flexing his power!' 

However, suddenly, the hurricanes vanished. It's as if a black hole swallowed it whole. 

'What happened?' 

Shu—

"HAHAHAHA, sorry, my bad."

Before he knew it, he was teleported back to the platform. Green veins popped out on his hands as Hans stared at the laughing man. 

"I was just carried away."

Hans surveyed the surroundings, trying to gauge the aftermath of the hurricane attack. 

'What in the living hell.' 

In the 1 mile radius, everything was minced to bits. It was like he was standing around the desert albeit, the surroundings were black.

'Well, the strength gap is too big.'

Even then, Hans didn't falter, and instead, his eyes were filled with more motivation. He bent his knees and positioned his sword behind his neck but the moment he attacked, Light spoke. 

"Hans, why aren't you using two swords?" 

"Huh?" 

Two swords? For what?

He's already content with one sword. What's more, he's not a swordsman. If he found a stronger, for example, spear, boxing, or bow skills, he'd switch in an instant. 

Light's eyes narrowed and after determining that Hans was confused, he immediately realized. 

"I see… you don't know, right?" 

"What are you talking about?" 

"Your sword style…" 

"What about it?" Hans tilted his head. 

Light's next words made his brow furrowed. 

"...might be a dual sword technique."