17: Training

The next day, at the break of dawn, Nina, Kurome, and Gin had already gathered at the training ground in the center of Haruki's small courtyard.

Back when Haruki and Nina were traveling across The Empire, he had already been training her deliberately. After all, Haruki couldn't always be by Nina's side—true strength had to come from within. So now, with this training session for Kurome and Gin, Haruki included Nina as well.

After spending time together during dinner the night before, Kurome and Gin had clearly grown much closer to Haruki.

Gin's eyes now sparkled with excitement. That's right—after witnessing Haruki walk out of the forest with one hand carrying a massive, powerful Danger Beast, she was certain that he was far stronger than Gozuki. At the very least, she knew Gozuki would never have been able to take down that creature alone. Now she believed it—if she followed Haruki and trained under him, she would definitely be able to get her revenge.

Kurome was even more energized. After eating the roasted Danger Beast meat Haruki had prepared, she called him "big brother" with every bite—so sweetly that it made Nina a little jealous.

"Alright, starting today and for the foreseeable future, I'll be teaching you a lot. If you can fully master what I teach, you'll be able to protect yourselves, protect those you care about—and you'll be able to take revenge with your own hands."

Haruki spoke.

"Here's your training plan. First, every morning after you wake up, jog two laps around the village. Then, practice your sword strikes—one thousand swings... In the evening, I'll prepare dinner, but if you haven't completed your training, there won't be any dinner waiting. Once your physical condition meets my standards, we'll move on to the next stage."

Of course, Haruki had already warned Gozuki not to interfere in Nina and the others' training going forward.

And so, driven by the lure of delicious food and Haruki's specially designed grueling regimen, the girls rapidly improved their physical strength.

Time flew during training, and in the blink of an eye, six months had passed.

One day, after completing their usual morning jog and preparing to start the next part of their training, Haruki suddenly interrupted them.

"Alright, stop for now. You've all worked hard these past six months. Your physical strength is now up to my standards. From here on, we'll begin the next stage. I'll be teaching you some very powerful combat techniques. Watch closely—I'm going to demonstrate."

The three girls widened their eyes, staring at Haruki. Over the past half year, they had come to fully understand just how powerful he was, so anything he called "strong" was definitely no joke.

Haruki didn't disappoint. What he showed them were the Navy's Rokushiki from the anime "One Piece"—a set of martial arts that surpassed the limits of the human body.

In truth, Haruki had mastered these moves long ago. But because of his overwhelming strength, he had never encountered an enemy that required him to use such techniques. Even a thousand years ago, no one had known Haruki could use them.

The Rokushiki of the Navy, as the name suggests, consist of six moves:

[Soru]: Stomping the ground more than ten times in an instant to generate explosive speed from the recoil, allowing movement faster than the eye can see.

[Tekkai]: A defensive technique that hardens the body through intense training, making it as tough as iron—resistant to bullets and blades. The downside is that unless mastered to Haruki's level, the user can't move freely while using it.

[Geppo]: A technique derived from Soru. By kicking the air mid-jump, the user changes trajectory before landing, enabling free movement in the air and seamless aerial attacks.

[Shigan]: An offensive move said to carry the power of a bullet. All the body's strength is concentrated in the index finger, releasing a hardened strike capable of piercing through flesh in a flash.

[Kami-e]: A defensive move where the user relaxes their body completely, dodging attacks by sensing changes in airflow caused by the opponent's movements.

[Rankyaku]: A foot technique that doesn't strike directly, but instead creates a cutting vacuum wave with an ultra-high-speed kick.

After the demonstration, Haruki couldn't help but chuckle at the girls' stunned faces—especially Gin. Usually so cold and aloof, the drastic shift in her expression caught Haruki off guard.

But on second thought, it made sense. These techniques were beyond anything people in this world could comprehend. In their understanding, aside from the mystical powers of Teigu, humans simply weren't capable of performing such extraordinary feats.

"Alright, I'll keep teaching you how to train with them—but don't think it's going to be easy. The Rokushiki aren't something you can learn overnight."

Seeing the three girls snap out of it, eyes sparkling with determination, Haruki smiled.

"I'll definitely master them!"

The three shouted in unison.

...

(40 Chapters Ahead)

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