New Dawn Chapter: 086

As the night wore on and the merriment of dinner died down, Tysone found himself back on the training yard, in front of the weapon rack. He unlocked it and pulled the halberd out. 'This is a world where excessive training could lead to results and strength unimaginable for my previous world. Saeko is one such example. I shouldn't underestimate myself, nor limit myself.'

So there he was, standing in the garden with his halberd as moonlight poured down upon him. Tysone exhaled slowly and tightened his grip around the familiar polearm handle.

Inhaling deeply once more, he readied himself before plunging forward at full force—swinging forcefully outward until wind sang across its length, then snapping backwards rapidly without missing a single beat of momentum along its path until he executed yet another graceful strike aimed precisely where an imagined target resided,

Tysone focused intensely on nothing but maintaining perfect balance through calculated motion combined with fluid execution; focusing solely upon maintaining rhythmic consistency while honing reflexive reactions through repetition.

His weapon whistled through the evening air.

'The key lies in being able to consistently execute every move seamlessly regardless of circumstance...' He reasoned mentally. 'My objective here isn't necessarily mastery over each individual maneuver but rather achieving consistent execution thereof...'

It was too early to achieve mastery anyway. He wasn't a genius by any stretch of the imagination, but he was very athletic-inclined.

Tysone repeated his routine until sweat drenched every inch of exposed flesh and dampened locks plastered themselves uncomfortably across his forehead.

His bandaged shoulder hurt like crazy, and it took some effort to keep his hands from shaking from sheer fatigue. Nevertheless, Tysone continued relentlessly swinging away.

Until his concentration broke upon spotting someone watching him from afar.

Standing there silently observing him was none other than Saeko Busujima herself, clad in loose sleepwear consisting solely of a tank top and short shorts exposing ample amounts of pale flesh. Her arms crossed beneath her bosom as she watched quietly, seemingly content just spectating without interrupting his session.

Saeko smiled slightly when she realized he finally noticed her presence. "Tysone-san, do you ever get tired?"

Tysone halted mid-swing before turning fully toward her. "Of course." He answered honestly, swiping the sweat off his brow. "Just because the world's gone to hell doesn't mean I should slack off either."

I can see that." She acknowledged softly. A gentle breeze rustled her silky violet hair gently. "... Your movements have improved drastically since earlier this afternoon."

He smiled lightly. He was inwardly glad there was some improvement in that area.

"But it seems like your body's still recovering. I don't think it would be wise to overwork yourself." Saeko pointed out worriedly.

"Don't worry about me." He reassured her with a soft smile. "I know what I'm capable of doing and what I can't do."

'If this was still my world, I wouldn't even dream of overtaxing my body like this. But here… I'll milk every advantage I get.'

Saeko merely tilted her head, smiling back at him.

She was really unfairly beautiful.

"Anyway..." Tysone switched topics abruptly, resuming his swings. "How come you're up so late?"

"Just wanted some fresh air." She explained simply.

"I see."

Saeko walked up closer, her footsteps silent upon the dewy grass beneath their feet. "Can I join you?"

He was surprised. "Sure."

Saeko took a wooden sword from the weapon rack.

"You want to spar?" Tysone faced her, resting his halberd on his good shoulder. "I know I'll lose, but anyone would lose against you."

She lifted a hand up to slightly stifle a giggle. "That's true."

He rolled his eyes, smirking.

Saeko's smile slowly faded into something more serious as she studied him carefully.

They stood across from each other.

Then she charged forward without warning.

He brought his halberd up defensively before her wooden blade struck, blocking it squarely. But before Tysone could regain his composure from having been forced into reacting so quickly on instinct alone—Saeko followed up instantly with a flurry of successive blows aimed directly at his torso.

His halberd flashed outwards in an arc, intercepting her every strike. However, he couldn't help marvel at how unbelievably swift Saeko truly was; every single blow she launched carried such immense speed behind it that it felt as though she were wielding lightning itself within her grip rather than mere wood.

The tempo at which their duel proceeded increased steadily until Tysone's arms began burning intensely beneath unrelenting strain.

But still he pressed onwards despite knowing full well there was little hope in defeating her.

Saeko suddenly broke off her offensive onslaught, instead opting to retreat backwards several paces away. Tysone didn't allow himself any chance whatsoever for catching his breath—instead, he immediately launched himself after Saeko's retreating figure, his halberd already poised high above his head for a downward thrust.

Her blue eyes narrowed sharply before she leapt nimbly aside just moments prior to his attack impacting where she'd been standing just seconds beforehand.

Tysone barely managed to recover before she once again resumed her assault upon him, her sword slashing fiercely through the cool breeze. He hastily raised his weapon upwards just moments prior to another heavy blow landing solidly atop its haft. He gritted his teeth and managed to push her off with sheer strength alone.

Then he spun his halberd overhead once before slamming down forcefully towards Saeko who had since moved further backwards from his reach.

'She's too fast...'

As their sparring session drew onward, Saeko continued effortlessly evading or countering everything Tysone threw at her.

'Is this what it feels like to fight her?' Tysone asked himself as he barely deflected another strike aimed directly at his chest. 'It feels like I'm trying to hit the wind itself.'

Despite feeling somewhat helpless, Tysone remained undaunted. In fact, he felt competitive. To surprass Saeko herself.

To at least get one strike in.

Tysone went all out.

But it was futile. His movements were becoming increasingly predictable as he grew fatigued under such relentless assault.

Saeko suddenly dashed forwards before Tysone had time enough to fully recover himself from her previous strike—launching into a powerful horizontal sweep meant specifically for his ribs, then she retreated one more time, like a ghost. Tysone powered through the momentary pain to chase after her. She was slightly surprised by his tenacity. Tysone lifted his halberd overhead; it felt so heavy in his grasp now.

She prepared to respond accordingly, her bokken moving up to parry, until...

Her eyes widened slightly.

Tysone never completed the downward swing. Instead, he loosened his hold on the weapon, let it soar overhead, and attempted a tackle.

Their difference in height was stark; it would have been a simple thing to sidestep, or even strike his exposed neck as he dove forward. Yet she found herself rooted to the spot. She could feel his arms encircle her waist, his head burying itself in her chest as he pulled her towards the ground. It wasn't a graceful fall by any means.

They crashed on top of one another.

When Saeko cracked her eyes open, it was to find Tysone's stark, sweaty upper body hovering above her, his arms braced around either side of her head while his lower torso pressed against her abdomen. His face was mere inches away from hers.

Saeko lay unmoving underneath him, their breathing coming hard after having exerted themselves so much during their spar. Her chest heaved with each labored inhalation, rising and falling steadily against his own sweat-slicked pectorals. He stared intently into those clear blue pools beneath long eyelashes before finally breaking away.

She blushed.

"..."

"..."

Tysone cleared his throat. "You alright?"

"Y-yes." Saeko mumbled, her voice soft.

Tysone nodded, slowly pushing himself off her. "Sorry."

"It's fine."

He held his hand out to her.

Saeko gazed at his outstretched palm, a hint of a smile playing at her lips as her cheeks flushed faintly pink. Tentatively, she took it, allowing him to gently haul her upright again.

"I was careless. You tricked me. But it won't work next time." She stated, dusting her shorts.

Tysone chuckled. "Yeah, sorry for playing dirty."

She shook her head. "No, you should always fight dirty, especially against those stronger than you. Honor has no place when fighting for survival." Saeko looked up at him, her eyes glinting with excitement. "... It was a very interesting fight."

"It was indeed."

"Let's do it again in the future." She said. "I also found new ways I could improve."

"That would be really helpful, thank you." The pain on his shoulder flared again, making him hiss. "Well, I'm calling quits for the night. Thank you for the spar, it was enlightening."

"It was my pleasure."

She gave one last smile his way, her eyes lingering on his body a beat too long.

Tysone watched her retreating back until she disappeared through the door.

With a final sigh of contentment, he too headed indoors, not before stashing away the equipment. By the time he made it back inside, Saeko had already disappeared upstairs.

Even so, Tysone came upon another sexy obstacle.

"Tyyy-kyuuun..." Shizuka, still dressed in the same shirt that hugged her curves obscenely and left nothing to imagination, and black short pants, stumbled across the corridor in a drunken stupor. 

A blush spread across her lively cheeks.

'Not this again...' Tysone thought to himself with a sigh.

[ NOTICE: first smut on the next chapter ]

Author's Note:

If you're enjoying the story and want to read ahead or support my work, you can check out my P@treon at P@treon.com/LordCampione. But don't worry—all chapters will eventually be public. Just being here and reading means the world to me. Thank you for your time and support.