Chapter 229 ( Facing the Past - III )

". . ." - a deep silence pervaded the group after hearing Ayane's story.

None of them had thought that behind the kind red-haired girl, there was such a tragic story like that.

"As one would expect from a clan of Assassins... traditions that can only be called as savage..." - Kentarō said while frowning.

"We can't say anything about the traditions of others, Kentarō-san" - said Cloud as he shook his head - "After all, they are traditions that have been in those clans for decades, even centuries..."

"Are you defending them, Cloud Strife?" - Meru asked with a frown.

"Not in the least" - Cloud replied as he looked at the light blue-haired girl - "I'm just making the point of the tradition, not that it's right."

Meru relaxed when she heard this, but quickly let out a snort.

"Now that we know what you mean, I guess there's only one thing left to do" - Chifuyu said seriously while looking at Ayane - "It's time for the infernal training"

"Uh..." - Ayane could only throw a helpful glance at her sensei, only to notice how he was looking straight into her eyes - "Sensei?"

"As Chifuyu-san said... it's time for the hellish training... and this time..." - Cloud said while giving the red-haired girl a wild smile - "I will be your guide and at the same time your opponent."

"Gulp..." - Ayane nodded in terror when she heard this although inside she was happy that she could finally train together with her sensei after so long.

"Do you think we can join?" - Meru asked, who was sincerely curious to know what kind of training Ayane would have.

"I agree... I also want to know..." - Ren said as she looked at the blond.

"Uh... I sincerely recommend you to stay out of the way" - said Keiko while shaking her head - "Normal training is already hell, I don't want to think about what hellish training will be like..."

"Now I'm even more curious to know..." - Meru said with a smile.

* * * * *

"Now I don't feel so curious..." - Meru muttered with her whole body transpiring.

"Keep....quiet..." - Ren said as she let out a sigh full of exhaustion.

The reason?

They were wearing the gravity bracelets Tabane had built at their maximum strength, that is, gravity times 10.

"How can that monster handle this training!" - Meru exclaimed in terror as she saw how the blond was wearing weighted clothes and still moving like nothing.

"Because he always wears his gravity bracelet" - replied Chifuyu as she shrugged her shoulders.

"So he fought against us with his body restrained!" - Meru exclaimed in terror.

"No" - denied Chifuyu while looking at the girl - "When he fights, he always disables the gravity surrounding his body for two reasons, one, to give the respect he deserves to his opponent, and two, to prevent accidents that may attempt against his life because despite everything, he is still human and can die if someone attacks him at a bad moment or when he lets his guard down."

"It... makes... sense..." - Ren muttered as she fell to the ground exhausted - "Though at least it explains why he's so strong."

"Keep fighting, Ayane..." -said Cloud as he saw how the girl's arms were drooping from exhaustion, to the point where she couldn't raise her guard - "I know it's hard, but it's necessary to break through that barrier blocking your advance."

"H-Hai!" - Ayane exclaimed as she gritted her teeth and again raised her arms, only to throw herself against the blond with all her might - "Haaaaaaaaaa!"

"Perfect, a little more to the right" - said Cloud while blocking the girl's attacks - "Concentrate your weight on your legs and rotate your feet 30 degrees, then concentrate all your momentum on the tip of your toes to get a bigger starting momentum!"

"Ok!" - Ayane exclaimed as she threw a punch to the stomach.

"You don't always have to attack" - said Cloud while blocking the girl's attack - "You can use feints so that you can make your opponent think about the direction of your attack."

"!" - Ayane quickly stepped back when she saw how Cloud had extended his arm, only to widen her eyes in surprise when she noticed how her sensei hadn't made another action - "How!!! I was sure you were about to attack me!"

"You recoiled out of instinct" - Cloud replied as he looked at the red haired girl - "You sensed my aura full of killer instinct and your brain processed it as an attack!"

". . ." - Ayane tried to say something, but remained static when she felt the blond's fist touching her chin.

"An experienced martial artist, can use aura or instinct to confuse your opponent"- Cloud said as he stepped back- "That's why far from trying to sense your opponent's aura, what you have to try to sense is opponent presence..."

"Presence?" - Ayane asked with surprise and curiosity.

"Exactly, presence" - answered Cloud while looking at his student - "It's normal for us to try to hide our presence when we fight, but even so we can still have little hints of what we will do through this one, for example... reduce your presence to the minimum and try to attack me."

"Ok" - nodded Ayane seriously as she followed her sensei's instructions. When she was ready, she launched herself at Cloud.

"Strike to the right pulm��n" - said Cloud as he moved to the side, only to move back at high speed - "Kick to the left thigh."

". . ." - Ayane was silent for a few seconds before standing still and collapsing to the ground from exhaustion.

"Fifteen minutes rest..." - Cloud said as he nodded at the effort the girl was putting in - "And answering your question, I can tell what you're going to do next just by feeling your presence, reading your muscles and seeing inside your eyes, by the way, they're beautiful."

Ayane blushed at this last as she averted her gaze so the blonde wouldn't notice, only to groan in pain as she felt her body scream from the workout - "Ugh..."

"Relax, then you'll be good as new in seconds" - Cloud said as he gave her a smile and took out a small bottle - "This is my clan's unique medicine... it can recover any wound, though it only works if you drink the entire contents and it takes a full day to make another bottle"

"!" - those present were surprised when they heard this because they had never heard of such a miraculous medicine.

"For the record, I can't make more than one bottle because it loses its effects after a few seconds if it's not kept in this same bottle" - Cloud added while shaking his head - "My clan found it in a secret place and it's one of a kind"

"Can I see the jar?" - Kentarō asked as he approached the blond.

"Sure" - nodded Cloud as he handed the small bottle to the Tachibana clan leader.

Kentarō slowly started to check the bottle, only to feel a strange energy surrounding the small bottle, proving that this small vessel was not common - "Interesting... I've never felt an energy like this... it's much purer than the Ki we practice..."

"Are you sure, Tousan?" - Rintarō asked in surprise.

"Of course, it's impossible for me to be confused with something this important" - said Kentarō while frowning - "Whoever created this bottle was not only strong, but also a mystery.... I guess it has well deserved the title of Family Heirloom..."

The girls looked at the bottle for a few seconds then quickly shook their heads.

"Now I understand why you're making Ayane-san train so hard" - Kentarō said while narrowing his eyes - "What you want to do, is to damage Ayane-san's body until it breaks its limit, then heal all the damage with your clan's medicine. First you destroy, and then you rebuild, strengthening Ayane-san's body in the process..."

"Exactly" - Cloud replied firmly - "This training method is only possible with my medicine, as well as by a strong-willed person."

"Makes sense" - nodded Kentarō as he looked at the red-haired girl - "I hope you take this opportunity and don't waste it, Ayane-san... it's not every day you can train with all your might without worrying about the consequences... in fact, I feel a bit jealous of your current situation"

"Ok" - nodded Ayane firmly as she struggled to her feet - "I'm ready to continue, Sensei!"

"Ok" - nodded Cloud as a small smile appeared on his face - "If so, then we'd better continue ~"

"Uh... I guess I'm not so jealous of your situation anymore..." - Kentarō muttered as the girl fell to the ground again from the pain, though after a few seconds she got up while gritting her teeth - "Again!"

"Ok" - nodded Cloud earnestly as the two started the intensive training again.

"This is training for masochists..." - Meru said in terror as she saw how brutal Cloud was making Ayane - "That blond is a sadist."

"But the training is effective" - replied Ren seriously as she saw how Ayane was getting better with each time she got up.

"Uh... I have no argument against that" - Meru muttered while shaking her head as she watched the red-haired girl fall less and less - "If she keeps this up, it's possible she'll reach our level within three days, it's even possible she'll surpass us."

"You're right..." - Ren replied as she frowned when she heard this because she honestly wasn't liking the sound of it.

--

Read 16 chapters ahead of Marvel X DC and each chapter is more than 3k words so maybe a total of 47k + words ahead...

and for source read 20 Chapters ahead

I hope you guys join me on this platform

https://www.p@treon.com/Xue_fang_1

OR

Donate Me On PayPal

https://www.paypal.me/Xuefang1