Mushoku Impact

Since he had been at the 'pinnacle' of the Advanced Rank for quite some time, Paul had no trouble besting four opponents in quick succession. One of the biggest weaknesses of traditionally trained Swordsmen, even those who ventured all the way to the Sword Sanctum, was their general lack of experience. They were too used to executing their techniques under ideal conditions, and though sparring was commonplace, they customarily held back to avoid injury.
With people like Ei, Jean, Augusta, and Reida teaching him to 'never' hold back, Paul was a monster that defied the 'common sense' of Swordsmen who had spent much of their life inside a dojo. He also had actual combat experience and people and monsters, experiences that had ended in the deaths of more than twenty people.
In the original series, Eris was able to trounce even the Saints within the Sword Sanctum using nothing more than her fists. She had only been at the Advanced Rank of the Sword God Style at the time, but thanks to the experiences she had accumulated fighting to survive for three years, she was able to soundly defeat even the Saint Ranked daughter of the Sword God, Nina Farion. Adding insult to injury, it only took a single punch.
Though he didn't believe he was anywhere near the level of Eris at the time of her arrival at the Sword Sanctum, Paul had become increasingly confident in his abilities. Reida hadn't actually taught him too much, but the act of plowing her for more than five months had given Paul a pretty massive confidence boost. It had also improved his Mana capacity quite a bit, so much so that Paul was pretty sure he could fodder the version of himself from six months prior.
"Not bad, kid. Not bad at all. Win one more, and I'll grant you the right to refer to yourself as a Saint from that moment onward."
Hearing what their Master said, nearly every student present drew in a sharp breath. They had all clearly heard Paul introduce himself as a 10-year-old. If he attained the title of Sword Saint at such a tender age, that would make him the youngest in history.
Surprising the group even more, Paul shook his head and said, "That isn't for you to decide."
Though he had a massive grin on his face, Gal asked, "Who the hell do you think you're talking back to, brat...? I am the Sword God, Gal Farion, Ranked Sixth of the Seven Great Powers. Do you think Reida has greater authority than me when it comes to deciding Ranks?"
Shaking his head a second time, Paul did his best to quell the not-so-subtle trembling of his body as he carefully replied, "The most important thing is how we view ourselves...until I can master Touki and reach Saint Rank in the Sword God Style, it would be arrogant to refer to myself as a Saint..."
"Hmmm..."
Retracting his bloodlust, Gal eased back into a more comfortable posture as he said, "Hear that, you little glory hunters? This brat's only ten years old, yet he has things figured out better than the lot of you. Rank, status, fame, wealth, men, women...unless you possess 'real' power, such things are completely meaningless..."
Without giving his words time to settle, Gal directed his gaze towards the young woman with cat ears, a tail, and a veritable mane of spiky grey hair as he said, "You're up, Ghislaine. If you lose, you'll have to skip breakfast and tomorrow's lunch."
Though she had previously been watching the spars with a bored look on her face, a fierce glimmer flashed across Ghislaine's red eyes when she heard Gal's words. There was no way in hell she was going to go without one meal, much less two, so she immediately lurched forward on all fours before the match had even begun.
"Holy shit...!"
Underestimating just how fast Ghislaine was, Paul barely managed to sidestep and pirouette out of range of her claws. She was only a Sword Saint at the present moment, but her status as a member of the Dedoldia Tribe, descendants of the Beast God, provided her with super strength, speed, agility, senses, and reaction speed.
Despite missing her initial lunge, Ghislaine arrested her momentum with her hands before pushing herself toward Paul. She didn't even bother to go to the side of the hall to retrieve a weapon. Instead, she smashed her fist in the flat of Paul's blade, shattering it as she shouted, "I'm not going hungry...!" in a defiant tone.
With Ghislaine shattering his weapon, most of the students believed Paul was out of his fight. Instead, surprising even Ghislaine, he rolled onto his back in timing with her lunge, his feet compressing against her abdomen before kicking with enough force to send her, upside down, towards one of the hall's pillars.
While most people would have crashed into the pillar, suffering broken bones in the process, Ghislaine demonstrated a degree of flexibility and spatial awareness comparable to an actual cat as she effortlessly flipped over and impacted the pillar on her hands and feet. Then, like a bronze-skinned bullet, she launched herself towards Paul with fangs and claws bared.
Though he had promptly rolled back to his feet after sending Ghislaine flying, Paul barely managed to turn around by the time she tackled him. Fortunately, even though she was able to mount him, the only thing she knew how to do was punch, claw, and tear. These would have been very effective under normal circumstances, but Ghislaine had been prohibited from maiming, biting the throats, or gouging out the eyes of her fellow students. In other words, all she could do was use her ludicrous strength to try and beat Paul into submission.
Catching Ghislaine by surprise, Paul bucked his hips at the exact moment she attempted to smash his face in. The momentum of her attack carried her forward, while at the same time, Paul shamelessly cupped his hands under Ghislaine's already sizeable breasts to push her up and away from him. She managed to hold onto him with her legs, but that was what Paul had been aiming for.
Wrapping his arms around Ghislaine's legs and bottom, Paul attempted to prevent her from correcting her posture. The moment she tried, he raised his hips and back like an arch. The movement nearly caused Ghislaine to smash face-first into the ground, so she was forced to catch herself with her hands.&nbsp;
Thinking he could drop his hips and force Ghislaine onto her back when she attempted to fix her posture, Paul was more than a little surprised when she prevented him from doing so by locking her legs around him like a vice. Then, despite the action causing her forehead to impact the floor, she stopped holding herself in order to choke him.
Feeling like a vice had just locked around his neck, an instinctual panic set into Paul as he grabbed Ghislaine's tail and pulled. Hard.
"You...!"
Unfortunately for Paul, while the tails of the Beast Race were incredibly sensitive, it was one of the first things Ghislaine trained to overcome. It still hurt like hell, but the only thing he accomplished by pulling her tail was making her very, very angry.
Releasing Paul's neck, Ghislaine grabbed his hair and yanked him from between her legs in a single violent motion. The action literally forced him to stand up before she reared back with a resolution expression on her face.&nbsp;
In a desperate attempt to prevent his face from getting smashed in, Paul jammed his thumbs into Ghislaine's armpits to hinder her movement. This helped him avoid a headbutt to the face and nose, but Ghislaine still had a death grip on his head. The moment he blocked her headbutt, an even more violent expression developed across her face as she began shaking his head like a Magic 8-ball. When she did, an overwhelming feeling of vertigo seized him as the notion he could literally feel his brain moving gripped Paul's chaotic mind. Then, as if to spite him for stopping her the first time, Ghislaine reared back her head and landed a headbutt directly to his nose...
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Unaware of how much time had passed, Paul awoke feeling intense pain throughout his face and head. His eyes were so swollen that he couldn't even open them, and, no matter how much he tried, he couldn't breathe through his nose. Inhaling caused extreme pain, while exhaling caused a combination of snot and blood to froth from his nearly flattened nostrils.
("That damned brute...")
Though he was in extreme pain, the thing that upset Paul the most was that most of his front teeth were missing. His Intermediate Healing could mend his face, but regrowing teeth required Shine-Healing, an Advanced Rank Spell.
"You still with us, kid...?"
Before responding to the voice of Gal, Paul raised his hands to his face and used chantless Healing to reduce the swelling of his eyes and fix his nose. When he was finished, he looked towards the roguish-looking man before immediately shifting his gaze to the grey-haired cat girl drooping her head at his side.
Adopting an amused smile, Gal asked, "Holding a grudge...?"
To Gal's surprise, Paul immediately shook his head before lisping, "Noh. If fwis had bween a weal fwigh, I would bwe dwead."
Nodding his head in approval, Gal said, "Good mentality." before abruptly smacking Ghislaine in the back of the head and asking, "See what kind of person you nearly crippled? Seriously, what was going through that head of yours when you went all out on a freakin' kid...?"
Hanging her head and ears, Ghislaine responded with a faint, "Sorry..." before meeting Paul's gaze and adding, "But he's strong..."
Exhaling a sigh and rubbing his forehead, Gal seemed to be considering something before dropping his hand and muttering, "Whatever..." before asking, "Hey, kid, what do you think about becoming my apprentice? I'm at least a thousand times stronger than that Water God vixen."
Since he knew Gal would probably have him train with Ghislaine even if he refused, Paul didn't hesitate before shaking his head. Fortunately, Gal had been anticipating this since it wasn't exactly a secret that Paul had been 'buddy-buddy' with Reida during their travels. Keeping the guests in more than a hundred Inns awake throughout the night wasn't discreet.
Snorting through his nose, Gal snipped, "Brat..." before promptly turning around and making his way towards the exit. Before leaving, however, he half-turned to stare at Ghislaine, saying, "Stay with him. He's lost a lot of blood, so the least you can do is warm him up with your body. If he dies, I'm placing you on house arrest for a month."
Furrowing her brows, Ghislaine wanted to object but ultimately remained silent. Instead, it was Paul who forced himself to a seated position and said, "Noh. Ahm fwine. Leh her gwoh back."
Squinting his eyes, Gal challenged, "You sure? If you hadn't instinctually protected yourself with Touki, you'd be dead right now. Don't let her off just because she's a girl or has big tits. I know how the members of your family are..."
As much as he wanted to cuddle up with Ghislaine and have her care for him, Paul couldn't enter the IOF and have Barbara regrow his teeth if she was around. He doubted she would tell on him, but seeing him disappear through a door was bound to make her unnecessarily suspicious.
"I vwil bwe fwully hwealed bwy mornin."
Raising his brows, Gal was tempted to ask how, but, as he didn't really care, he just shrugged his shoulders and said, "Have it your way." before making his way out of the room. Ghislaine stayed back for a while longer, but as she had never really been that talkative, she just muttered one final, "Sorry..." before rising to her feet and departing the room...
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After waiting around an hour to make sure he was well and truly alone, Paul walked over to his closet and placed his palm atop the sliding door. He had never actually tried summoning the Intersection of Fate using a sliding door, but he doubted such a restriction would exist.
Fortunately, it didn't even take a second before Paul was proven correct as the cracks around the door gained a vibrant blue hue. When the runes had fully formed, he opened the door to find a frozen world with Ei, Jean, Eula, Barbara, Xiangling, and Razor waiting for him.
Taking a deep breath, Paul prepared himself for a tongue lashing before stepping into the IOF. The moment he did so, the world around him came to life as Barbara was the first to shout, "Paul!" in a cheerful tone.
Smiling wryly, Paul made his way over to the platform before pointing to his face and saying, "Thine Heawing."
Though she was briefly confused due to Paul's prominent lisp, Barbara quickly realized what he was asking for when she noticed a 'void' where his teeth had previously been...
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"Thank you, Barbara. You have no idea how grateful I am to have you around at times like this."
Though she felt extremely gratified by Paul's words, Barbara's expression was a severe pout as she questioned, "Who did this to you? Was it that Reida woman?"
Shaking his head, Paul gave the group of girls an explanation of his life over the last half a year. He also described the conditions of the Sword Sanctum and explained that there was a good possibility he wouldn't be able to let them out any time soon.
Fortunately, while people like Barbara were understandably disgruntled, one of the perks of the IOF was that Paul could access it on any moonlit night. He might not be able to let them out, but he could still come and visit them every night. The best part about that was that absolutely no time would pass from their perspective while he was gone.
What Paul didn't expect was for even Barbara to insist that he focus on his training rather than worrying about them. The entire reason he had gone to the Sword Sanctum was to get more powerful, clear his mind, and, to a lesser extent, age himself up a bit so he wouldn't have to feel guilty about going to town on girls whose physical appearances didn't match their ages.
Though he had initially planned to stay for two years, back when he still intended to become a Lord, Paul had discussed the matter with most of the girls and decided to stay at the Sword Sanctum until he was 15. That was the standard for a 'fully matured' adult within the world of Mushoku Tensei, so Paul figured it was an excellent age to set out on his journey...
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After staying within the IOF until he got a distinct impression he should leave, Paul returned to his room in the Sword Sanctum, intending to go to bed. What he didn't expect was to find Ghislaine sitting pensively at the side of his 'bed,' a thin futon and single blanket lying on the ground.
Tilting her head to the side, Ghislaine asked, "You were in the closet? I could not smell you."
Instead of answering the raspy-voiced woman's question, Paul made his way over, sat down in his bed, and asked, "What are you doing here...?" in a legitimately confused tone.
Seeing that Paul suddenly had all his teeth, Ghislaine briefly spaced out before adopting a faint smile and stating, "It's good that your teeth grew back. If I had to chew food for you, I might have eaten it."
Exhaling a light chuckle, Paul noticed the pail of water at Ghislaine's side, asking, "Did you come to bring me water?"
Nodding her head, Ghislaine picked up the bucket and curtly explained, "It's water mixed with salt and sugar. You've lost a lot of blood. This will help."
"Right..."
Though he felt completely fine at this point, Paul humored Ghislaine by downing a few large gulps of the rudimentary saline solution. When he was finished, he passed the bucket back to her, saying, "Thanks." with a friendly smile on his face.
"Mmm..."
"..."
With Ghislaine just staring at him with a blank expression on her face, Paul waited for a couple of seconds before asking, "Is there something you wanted to ask me...?"
Without any hesitation, Ghislaine stated, "You have several new scents on you. Females. Girls I don't recognize."
Though he was a little surprised by the sensitivity of Ghislaine's nose, Paul nodded his head and said, "Yeah, they're my friends and lovers. I can't tell you any more than that, at least not right now."
Tilting her head to the opposite side, an action her inordinately large cat ears to flop, Ghislaine said, "You're a strange boy. Young, but powerful and mysterious..."&nbsp;
Adopting a somewhat brazen smile, Paul playfully retorted, "You're pretty incredible yourself. Tall, bronzed skin, long and free-flowing hair, big tits, and carmine eyes. Come Fall, I imagine I'll be contending with the other guys to try and woo you."
Though her expression didn't change, Paul noticed the tip of Ghislaine's thick, cat-like tail curling slightly as she asked, "Do you desire my body?"
Despite getting the impression he could sleep with the buxom cat girl right then and there, Paul nodded his head but said, "Sure, but I'll claim it on my own terms. I'm kind of tired of my women being stronger than me, so I intend to catch up and defeat you at least once or twice. When I do, I'll take you all the way to the Great Forest so that the entire Beast Race knows who you belong to."
Understanding how important such actions were after spending time with Minne, Paul wasn't too surprised when Ghislaine's tail began to curl and sway with a hint of excitement. They weren't an overtly possessive race, but when it came to choosing a mate, they liked things to be made clear. They also respected the strong and preferred direct action, so, as sus as it sounded, Paul had spent a considerable amount of time thinking about how he would speak and act around Ghislaine.
Causing Paul to feel a little vindicated, Ghislaine nodded her head and said, "Okay. I won't go easy on you, so if you manage to defeat me, I'll become your mate. Hurry up and get stronger."
Seemingly finished with the discussion, Ghislaine rose to her feet and promptly departed without another word. Paul was tempted to stop her, but he didn't really know what they would talk about if she stuck around. Instead, though it was obscured due to her white gi, he just stared at her incredibly toned ass and tail, distinctly aware of the subtle and alluring sway to her hips...
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Despite a somewhat restless night, Paul was still among the first people in the Sword Sanctum to rise. His training with Jean had conditioned him to wake up around 2-3 AM every morning, roughly four hours before the earliest lessons within the Sanctum.
Fortunately, while lessons only occurred at specific times, students of the Sword Sanctum were encouraged to train 24/7 if they could. To this end, there were numerous outdoor training facilities, a rudimentary but fully stocked gym, hundreds of durable wooden mannequins to practice on, and even hot springs to soak your body in once you had worked up a sweat.
Since accessing the hot spring mandated at least four hours of training beforehand, Paul figured he might as well get an early start to the day so he could soak his body before breakfast. What Paul didn't expect, though he really should have, was for Gal to appear like a ghost just as he began practicing his footwork, asking, "You gonna keep training the Water God Style despite being at the Sword Sanctum?"
Shrugging his shoulders in an ostensibly helpless manner, Paul asked, "What else am I going to do? Other than the stuff I've learned watching others, I've never received any lessons in the Sword God Style. I just try to swing my sword as fast as possible while incorporating it into my other techniques."
"Mmm..."
Half-expecting Gal to offer him advice, Paul's pupils shrank to the size of pinholes as the Sword God unexpectedly unleashed his Touki, the force of which slammed into him like a semi-truck. While this might sound like a metaphor, it really wasn't. Gal's Touki was like an explosion that ripped apart the ground and destroyed a part of the dojo as it sent Paul sliding and tumbling backward nearly sixty meters through ice and snow.
Appearing next to Paul's beaten and bruised body, Gal ordered, "Heal up. You said one of the things you were lacking to become a Saint was Touki, right? Time for your baptism."
Without waiting for Paul to recover, Gal began to gradually unleash his Touki. As he did, the world around Paul seemed to vibrate as the ice and snow encircling Gal's body began to compact, almost like gravity within the region was increasing.
Gritting his teeth, Paul used what he and Barbara had collectively named the Spell of Lesser Regeneration. When he did, his minor injuries healed almost instantaneously while his more extensive wounds began to mend themselves at a rate visible to the naked eye.
"Hooo....that's a pretty interesting technique. It kind of reminds me of that pale bastard, Kalman. Did your mother sleep with a member of the Immortal Demon Race...?"
Without waiting for Paul to respond, Gal sent him flying backward with a casual yet devastating kick. Touki added an explosive force behind pretty much any attack and, when infused into a blade, allowed Swordsmen to cut through massive boulders and dragon scales as if they were made of soft tofu. Back when the Sword Sanctum was first formed, the mountain upon which it was built was rumored to have been cut away by the first generation Sword God in a single swipe.
"Touki is harnessed instinct. A lot of people think it's something you can obtain by training hard, but they're wrong. Unless you train as if your life is on the line, forcibly overcoming your limits, Touki will continue to elude you. Yesterday, you used Touki to preserve your life when Ghislaine beat the shit out of you. You've obviously got the talent, so I'm going to keep hitting you over and over again until you either get strong enough to stop me, run away, or awaken your Battle Aura(Touki). Now, if you don't want to die, you had better start fighting back."
Not needing to be told twice, Paul charged towards Gal with a fierce look in his eyes. He was wielding an actual sword at the present moment, but he doubted Gal saw any difference between it and a stick. This proved to be true when the Sword God casually swatted away Paul's blade before kicking him in the ribs with more than enough force to shatter a few...
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Seeing Paul receiving treatment similar to her past self, Ghislaine's ears and tail twitched with frustration as she viewed the 'carnage' from atop the Sanctum's snow-covered roof. While this made it appear as though she was concerned for Paul, the truth of the matter was that she was a little annoyed that he was receiving even worse treatment than her.
Though she despised Gal to the very core of her being, Ghislaine also held a considerable amount of respect for the man known as the Sword God. She understood that Gal was only rough on Paul because the latter could handle it. In other words, at least within Ghislaine's mind, Paul had even greater potential than herself.
As much as she was looking forward to Paul training to both overcome and claim her, Ghislaine simultaneously hated the notion. She was a very prideful woman and had worked hard to get more powerful. Her progress had stagnated once she reached the Rank of Sword Saint a few months ago, but now that Paul was here, Ghislaine was determined to get much stronger. If Paul couldn't claim her by the time he was 15, she would be the one to claim him...
With such thoughts on her mind, Ghislaine descended from her perch with the intention to go and train in the harsher regions of the mountain. When she did, Gal briefly sent a glance her way, a naturally vicious smile developing across his face before he sent Paul flying for the umpteenth time...
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After showing Paul to a small room that was only 3x5m wide, including the closet, Jordan explained, "This is the boys' dormitory. Girls sleep on the opposite side of the Sanctum. You're allowed to visit there, but only during the day. If you end up bringing a girl back to your room, you both need to be up by sunrise for the morning lessons."
Surprised by Jordan's words, Paul asked, "The Sword Sanctum allows cohabitation? I would have thought they would see it as a detriment to a person's progress..."
As he had also been surprised when he first came to the Sword Sanctum, Jordan nodded his head in understanding. Then, after clapping Paul on the shoulder, he explained, "Master Farion is a lot more progressive than the Sword God before him. Ever since he accepted one as a disciple, he has permitted members of the Beast Race to study and train here. Since they go into heat and get aggressive during the Fall, he has consented to allow people to have sex so long as they train twice as hard the following day."
Unable to help himself, a wolfish grin developed across Paul's face as he offered a curt, "Nice." He didn't know if it was because of his bloodline or because he had been surrounded by budding beauties his entire life, but Paul's sex drive was quickly becoming one of his defining features. Reida being a God-Tier MILF just exacerbated the issue.
Seeing a kindred spirit in Paul, Jordan gave him another friendly clap on the shoulder before offering a bit of friendly advice, specifically, "Just be mindful of the Sword God's apprentice. Nearly every guy in the Sanctum had tried to court her, but the end result is always the same. They end up seriously injured and placed on bed rest. If they fail to recover within two months, they're expelled from the Sanctum..."
"Sounds about right..."
Though he had yet to meet Ghislaine, Paul knew there had to be a reason she was still a virgin by the time she met his original self. It didn't make a lot of sense for a member of the Beast Race to preserve their chastity, so the most likely reason was that Ghislaine would only sleep with someone she respected, i.e., someone who was strong...
Guided by Jordan, Paul was given a tour of the laundry room, bath, and latrine pit before being shown to a rather unexpected place, the Library.
"This place is pretty cool. Since the Sword Sanctum is affiliated with the Silver Palace, we constantly receive updates on persons of interest and dangerous monsters that need to be slain. Do you want to take a look? I didn't expect anything when I came by, but there were actually a couple of pages about my family and past exploits. It's a little uncanny but also pretty cool."
Though he would assuredly check it out later, Paul shook his head and said, "Maybe some other time. I haven't really accomplished anything just yet, so it would probably just be a few pages about my family and education. Nothing of value at present."
Shrugging his shoulders, Jordan said, "Suit yourself." before guiding Paul out of the Library and adding, "The next place is one of the three Sacred Grounds of the Sword Sanctum. It's where we pay respects to the Sword God, periodically receive his teaching, and demonstrate our abilities...you should be prepared, Paul. The first night at the Sword Sanctum is known as the Crucible of Swords...if you can't defeat at least five people during your preliminary evaluation, you'll be placed on latrine duty until you can defeat ten..."
While others would be mortified by the mere thought of having to empty a latrine of frozen piss and shit, Paul surprised Jordan by asking, "What's your proficiency with the sword? What's your Rank....?"
Though he understood the reason for Paul's question, Jordan showed no signs of fear or hesitation as he returned a wolfish smile and said, "I'm an Intermediate Swordsman, but I can hold my own even against Advanced practitioners. What about you, Paul? I would have assumed you were a Beginner by your age, but you wouldn't have made it this far if that was the case."
As even fully grown Knights were typically only at the Intermediate Rank, Jordan was more than a little surprised when Paul revealed, "I've been at the Advanced Rank of the Water God Style for around a year. The reason I came to the Sword Sanctum is because everyone keeps telling me I'm a better fit for the Sword God Style."
"Are you for real? You know it won't do you any good to lie, right? I mean, you're about to have to demonstrate your skills in front of the Sword God himself..."
Adopting an ostensibly fearless smile, Paul asked, "Isn't that kind of the point of coming to the Sword Sanctum?"
"..."
Realizing he was dealing with another monster, Jordan just gave Paul a firm pat on the back before suggesting, "Then let's get a move on. The others, including Master Farion, are waiting in the Exhibition Hall. Oh, and just so you know, if you had dawdled for too long in the Library, your final opponent during the evaluation would have been a Sword King. It's good that you understand the true reason for your stay at the Sanctum..."
Though he was a little surprised by Jordan's words, Paul just nodded his head in approval, saying, "That's one way to teach people humility..."
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Like the rest of the Sword Sanctum, the Exhibition Hall had a distinctly Japanese structure. The floors and walls were constructed from wood, and the windows were covered in thick white paper instead of glass. As for furnishings, the only thing that would even remotely qualify was the small wooden platform at the back of the hall. Everyone was seated on the floor, the only exception being the fierce-looking man with blue and black-haired sitting atop the slightly elevated platform at the back.
Though he felt every nerve and muscle in his body tense when the man's cold blue eyes locked on him, Paul didn't recoil. He had long since gotten used to killing intent during his training with Ei, Augusta, and Reida. After all, if he became paralyzed with fear every time a powerful adversary so much as locked eyes with him, he wouldn't make it very far in the outside world.
With short, untamed blue hair that became progressively darker along the sides, fierce blue eyes, a small goatee, and a rather wicked-looking scar running across his left cheek, Sword God Gal Farion was the type of man that inspired fear and respect with a single glance. One of the very first tests prospective students had to overcome was simply looking him in the eyes, a seemingly simple feat that resulted in most collapsing and outright pissing themselves.
Seeing Paul become even more resolute in the face of his killing intent, a vicious smile developed across Gal's face as he startled nearly the entire hall by stating, "Not bad." in a curt tone.&nbsp;
Resisting the almost instinctual urge to bow, Paul emulated Jordan's and Linus's greeting by cupping his hands together and saying, "I still have a long way to go." with a severe expression and a fair amount of conviction in his tone.
Surprising the hall a second time, Gal said, "And you shall." before rising to his feet and calling out, "Ahuja, you're up first. Our little friend here is the protege of the Water God, so don't hold anything back."
Though he was tempted to say he wasn't Reida's protege, Paul instead focused his attention on a girl with green eyes and blonde hair fashioned into a sort of pixie cut. He didn't know exactly what Rank she was at, but the intent exuding from her was enough to make the hairs on Paul's arms and neck stand on end.&nbsp;
Fortunately, Paul wasn't left guessing as the girl cupped her hands together, glaring at him as she growled, "Ahuja, 14-years-old, Advanced Rank Sword God Swordsman."
Eliciting a few murmurs from the seventy or so students gathered, Paul cupped his hands together, emulating Ahuja's introduction as he stated, "Paul, 10-years-old, Advanced Rank Water God Swordsman."
Though the pupils of her green eyes briefly contracted, Ahuja wasted no time in procuring one of the wooden swords lined up along the wall. Like many practitioners of the Sword God Style, the sword she selected was short and shaped similar to a fang. The core principle of the Sword God Style was speed and defeating your opponent in the shortest amount of time, so their weapons were made to be exceptionally easy to draw.
Due to his training in the Water God Style, Paul was far more proficient with longswords and claymores than shortswords and cutlasses. Thus, despite having many smaller options, he opted for a sword whose blade was nearly as wide as his palm. It was much heavier than Ahuja's sword, but it also packed greater power.
Seeing Paul's choice, Gal was equal parts excited and disappointed. He would have preferred if Paul set aside the Water God Style and focused on the Sword God Style. At the same time, however, he had been trying to get Reida to let him borrow a few skilled Water God users so he could give his students experience circumventing their guards. The Water God Style was considered the 'counter' to the Sword God Style, and while he was confident he would never lose to Reida, Gal knew his students were nowhere near the same level. Against a similarly skilled Water God user, they were bound to experience some frustration.
To give Ahuja a chance, Gal surprised the room by stating, "The match is decided when the opponent submits or is unable to continue. If you lose your swords, you can just beat the shit out of each other. Now, begin...!"
Immediately following Gal's words, Ahuja grabbed her sword in a reverse grip and lowered her center of gravity to the point the fingers of her left hand touched the ground. Then, with an explosive force that caused two tiny shockwaves near her feet, she lunged toward Paul with the intent to smack him in the abdomen.
Unfortunately for Ahuja, she had no real experience fighting against the Water God Style. The moment she lunged forward, Paul stepped forward at the same time. Instead of attempting to meet her charge, however, he aimed to pass on the left side of her body. She was holding her sword in a reverse grip with her right hand, so even if she twisted her body and swung in a full arc, it would be difficult to strike on opponent on the left side of her body.
Demonstrating he wasn't simply proficient in the Water God Style, Paul didn't try to slice across Ahuja's body or disarm her. Instead, he raised his left arm just as their paths were about to cross, his bicep connecting with her neck with enough force to send her reeling back like someone that had biked into a clothesline.
Remembering the conditions Gal had set, Paul only hesitated for a brief moment before stepping in to smack Ahuja's wrists the moment she tried to roll over and bound to her feet.&nbsp;
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaah-!"
Not expecting Paul to shatter her wrists, Ahuja screamed out due to the intense pain. Paul immediately felt a little guilty about what he had done, but that didn't stop him from setting the tip of his wooden sword against her throat and saying, "Yield." in an authoritative tone.
Instead of complying with Paul's words, Ahuja's teary-eyed expression became indignant as she attempted to lunge past his sword and tackle him to the ground. Unfortunately, Paul had once again seen through her actions, so the moment she shifted her weight, he was already stepping backward. As a result, she was left completely vulnerable as he smacked the top of her head with the flat of his blade...
"Round one goes to the Water God brat. Someone drag Ahuja off to the side and make sure she doesn't have brain damage. Andrews, you're up next."
Before a distinctly eastern-looking youth with long bangs and black hair tied up into a long ponytail could rise to face him, Paul surprised nearly everyone present by using chantless Healing Magic on Ahuja. Gal didn't seem particularly enthused by this, but as there were no rules against it, he just adopted a wolfish grin and said, "Don't regret it if you use up all your stamina and have your ass handed to you..."
Earning stunned silence from his fellow students and a knee-clapping laugh from the rather fierce-looking Sword God, Paul adopted what he hoped to be a relaxed smile as he asserted, "Trust me, when it comes to stamina, I am rarely lacking..."
...
..
.

Chapter 55: MI55: Crushing