Mushoku Impact

Opening his eyes, Paul found himself in a proper bed, his head and neck fixed in place by a rudimentary brace and a thick tube shoved down his throat. Strangely enough, these were far from the oddest things about his present situation. It was the fact two girls were holding up his legs while another appeared to be wiping and cleaning his ass...
Noticing Paul's eyes flicker, one of the girls supporting his legs, a young woman he recognized from his past philandering, exclaimed, "He's awake! Someone go and inform the Master...!"
Recognizing the woman from his philandering, Paul attempted to speak but found himself unable to. His throat was incredibly sore, and, were it not for the brace keeping his head and neck straight, the tube shoved down his throat would be choking him.
Seemingly understanding Paul's thoughts, the same girl before, Becky, advised, "Please wait a moment. We need to make sure the feeding tube is clear before trying to remove it. Don't want you choking to death after all this time..."
Since he couldn't say or do anything, Paul responded with a pained grunt before closing his eyes. He couldn't even begin to describe how much his body ached, but the thing that weighed most heavily on his mind was the fact he had likely shit himself in front of three girls he had previously gone to town on. If he didn't have such a consequential reason to live, he might have contemplated suicide...
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"Well, I'll be damned, kid. You actually managed to pull through. If you ever manage to reach the Rank of Sword King, I think I'll reward you the moniker of Immortal Cockroach."
Arriving around twenty minutes after Paul had awakened, Gal had a rare and guileless smile on his face. By all rights, Paul should be dead at the moment. His heart and breathing had stopped numerous times, yet, just when they thought they might lose him, the bastard's Touki would kick in to bring him back. The brat literally refused to die.
With the feeding tube removed from his throat, Paul sat with the help of two girls as he asked, "How long have I been out? My body..."
Though he had noticed it before, Paul's eyes trembled as he stared at his almost skeletal figure. If not for the appearances of everyone else staying pretty much the same, he would have assumed he had been in a coma for years.&nbsp;
"It's a side-effect of forcibly awakening and exhausting your Touki. Similar to how Mana Exhaustion causes people's hair to turn white and their body to wrinkle, your body rapidly matured in an attempt to endure the strain of your Touki. I'd say you have about thirty years before you kick the bucket, but the important thing is that you managed to beat the odds and survive. Good job, and congratulations on your promotion to Sword Saint. You sure as hell don't look it, but you're the youngest in history."
Suppressing a pained and exasperated groan, Paul held his forehead and asked, "Can someone grab me a mirror...?"
"Sure..."
Anticipating that Paul would want to check himself over, the girl on his left, Samantha, grabbed a mirror that had been waiting nearby. Gal wasn't too happy about Paul ignoring him, but he was willing to give the kid some time to collect himself. He had been through a lot.
Seeing the gaunt face reflected in the mirror, Paul's expression morphed into a deadpan. He didn't appear old, but he had lost a lot of the youthful charm that had allowed him to woo so many women. On the plus side, he now had a few patches of silvery-white hair that gave him a pretty exotic look. Once he regained his muscles, he could have Eula style his hair, and it should look pretty cool...
Setting aside the mirror, Paul asked, "Where's my Vision? The little green gemstone I always carry with me. It's a very important memento from my family."
Fortunately for Paul, one of the girls immediately produced his Vision from a bundle of clothing, asking, "Is this it...?"
Nodding his head, Paul accepted the currently inert Vision, saying, "Thank you..." before holding it close to his chest. The interior immediately began to exude a yellow-green light. It didn't exactly cause his body to pump up with muscles, but Paul could feel his stamina rapidly replenishing as the Dendro Energy surged through him.
Though he squinted his eyes with suspicion, Gal didn't ask Paul about his Vision. Instead, he waited for a few moments before saying, "You have a year to regain your strength and shore up your foundation. After that, I'll be teaching you Swordsmanship personally until you leave the Sanctum. Any complaints...?"
Shaking his head, Paul answered, "No..." before surprising Gal by staring him directly in the eye and adding, "And thanks. You nearly killed me, but I can feel a presence distinctly different from Mana coursing through my body. Once I regain my strength, I'll work even harder to become strong."
Snorting through his nose, Gal retorted, "Yeah, whatever you say, brat..." before promptly turning around and leaving. He hated sentimental crap, and though there was a grin on his face, he genuinely believed there was something wrong with Paul's head. After all, what kind of fool thanked the person who had literally stabbed them in the back...?
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In the wake of his near-death experience, Paul's height had increased from 155cm to just over 185cm. Unfortunately, his weight had actually decreased, his muscles atrophying to such an extent that he needed an entire six weeks of rehab just to be able to stand and walk.
While the first six weeks were pretty rough, Paul's condition improved rather drastically once he was able to move around. His Dendro Vision was pretty much a cheat with the impact it had on his stamina, so, by engorging himself on food and training hard every day, Paul's physical condition improved rapidly. By the time six months had passed, he had gone from a gaunt, almost skeletal 43kgs to an eye-catching 80kgs of lean, well-defined muscle.
Further benefitting Paul, the Dendro Vision ensured that his body was invariably restored to its physical prime rather than the somewhat aged form he was expecting. When he had first viewed himself in a mirror, he had the impression he would recover and appear to be in his mid to late thirties. Instead, like watching someone age in reverse, the healthier he became, the younger he appeared.
By the time Paul had fully recovered, he had the impression he was at or around 18-20 years old. Even better, though it had been more than a little jarring at the time, everyone within the Intersection of Fate appeared to have benefitted from his little 'mishap.' He had to do a bit of explaining to persuade them he hadn't simply ignored them for a few years. However, once he had, they had a hell of a lot of fun...
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"You weren't lying when you said you were lucky..."
Seeing how quickly Paul had not only recuperated but grown stronger, Gal couldn't help thinking he had awakened a monster. The former was nearly as tall as he was now, and, though there was a massive difference in both the quality and quantity of their Touki, Gal got the distinct impression Paul was closing the gap. If he actually stayed within the Sword Sanctum until he was twenty, Paul could easily become a King, maybe even an Emperor.
Resisting the temptation to challenge and cut Paul down, Gal adopted one of his characteristically vicious smiles as he said, "Ghislaine. You're up." In response, the grey-haired cat girl rose to her feet, a serious expression on her face as she asked, "Are you ready?"
Eyeing the very real sword in Ghislaine's hand, Paul only hesitated for a brief moment before manifesting his Black Sword and answering, "When you are..."
Nodding her head, Ghislaine promptly dropped to a three-point squat before launching herself towards Paul with much greater speed than their first spar. She had been training hard for the last year and a half, so much so that Gal suspected she would reach the Rank of Sword King within the next year or two. If she did, that would make her the youngest in history at 16-17-years-old.
Demonstrating his own progress, Paul charged towards Ghislaine with his left hand extended as if he were about to grab her face. His action briefly caught Ghislaine by surprise, so she instinctually swung towards his wrist with the intent to cut off his hand. Instead, she was forced to change the trajectory of her blade as Paul's came slashing toward her from her blind spot.
Catching the grey-haired cat girl by surprise, Paul manifested his Black Sword in his left hand the moment she attempted to sweep his previous attack aside. After that, he received a rather substantial surprise of his own when the grazing blow he intended to give her emanated a violent shockwave that caused her head to jerk to the side.
"..."
Leaping away from Paul and sliding across the ground on all-fours, a bit of fear appeared in Ghislaine's eyes as she said, "You're cheating..." in an accusatory tone. She had managed to protect herself with Touki, but the sclera of her right eye was completely red due to ruptured blood vessels. There was also a rather vicious cut on her cheek that exposed a faint yet noticeable trace of bone...
Before Paul could think to apologize, Gal interrupted their fight, stating, "There is no such thing as cheating in battle. You either win, lose, live, or die. It's that simple. Now, continue."
Squinting her eyes, Ghislaine adopted a stance that caused chills to spread through Paul's body. Any guilt he had about inadvertently injuring her was momentarily suppressed as he instantly shifted to a cross-body guard known as the Refraction Stance.
Accompanied by a brief burst of light, Ghislaine's body appeared to flicker out of existence, her blade 'instantaneously' impacting the flat of Paul's as an expression of abject shock marred her beautiful face.
As the name implied, the Refraction Stance was a technique developed to counter the Longsword of Light. It wasn't very reliable, but so long as you could assume the trajectory of your opponent's blade, you could deflect it away from you. Since the Longsword of Light transcended even the user's ability to perceive, having their attack deflected when they expected it to hit created a pretty big window of opportunity.
Stepping forward, Paul attempted to stomp Ghislaine's right foot, but her speed and reactions were still leagues ahead of his own. The moment he moved, she stepped backward, retracting her sword with the intent to try and stab him. Fortunately for Paul, she was still a little stupefied at having her Longsword of Light blocked, so he was able to press forward, batting aside her attacks aside and forcing her to retreat continuously.
"That's enough. This victory goes to Paul."
Hearing Gal's words, Ghislaine immediately came to her senses, insisting, "I can still fight!" in a firm tone.
Snorting through his nose, Gal crossed his arms and said, "I don't give a damn. You lost the momentum the moment your Longsword of Light was blocked. If this had been a real battle, you would have lost your life then and there."
Instead of refuting Gal's words, Ghislaine adopted a pout as she growled, "You said the only counter to the Longsword of Light was an even faster Longsword of Light...you lied to me..."
Furrowing his brows, Gal placed his left hand on the pommel of his sword, fully intent on teaching Ghislaine a lesson until Paul said, "The Refraction Stance isn't a proper counter. It's more of a gamble than anything. I knew you wouldn't aim to kill me, so I predicted the trajectory of your attack. If you were serious from the start and didn't receive a surprise attack to the face, you could have easily overwhelmed me..."
Nodding his head, Gal removed his hand from the pommel of his sword and said, "The boy's right. You dropped your guard because this was only a spar. In a real battle, you should always expect the unexpected. If you face a member of the North God School with that kind of mentality, you're going to get yourself killed. That being said..."
Shifting his attention to Paul, Gal added, "You shouldn't be using a Cursed Blade if you can't control it. This wasn't planned to be a fight to the death, yet you nearly blew your opponent's head off. I'll let it slide on account of the fact Ghislaine nearly killed you during your first spar, but it better not happen again. Understood?"
Since he really hadn't expected his sword to crit, Paul lowered his head and said, "I understand..."
Nodding his head in approval, Gal got up from his position and said, "We'll end things here and meet tomorrow morning at the Hall of Broken Blades. Don't be late."
Finished with what he had to say, Gal made his way to leave the Exhibition Hall but stopped short of the entrance. He knew there was a lot of sexual tension between Paul and Ghislaine, so before leaving, he looked over his shoulder and growled, "If you're going to do it, go somewhere outside the Sanctum. I'm tired of hearing people complain about you keeping them up all night..."
With Gal glaring directly at him, it wasn't difficult for Paul to understand what the man was alluding to. A wry smile developed across his face, but before he could respond, Ghislaine beat him to the punch, saying, "Beast Race females don't have sex outside of Mating Season...it is unpleasant..."
Shifting his attention to Ghislaine, Gal left Paul at an even greater loss for words as he said, "There's a lot more to sex than simple intercourse. As a woman, you need to learn how to please a man. I was going to teach you when you were a bit older, but I'll let the lad do it in my place. I was never into bestiality..."
Truly finished with what he had to say, Gal left the Exhibition Hall with an ostensibly disgusted look on his face. This left Paul and Ghislaine as the only two people left in the room, an uncomfortable silence descending upon them as they stared blankly at where Gal had been moments prior...
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Though he would be lying if he said he wasn't tempted, Paul elected not to take advantage of Ghislaine's propensity to obey Gal's orders. They did go to his room, but all they did was hang out and talk about what life was like living in the Great Forest. The caveat was that Ghislaine laid her head in his lap and allowed Paul to pet her head as they did so.
Unlike most people, who deliberately went on a pilgrimage to the Sword Sanctum, Ghislaine had essentially been abducted by Gal when she was around 9-10 years old. Though this sounded pretty bad, the truth of the matter was that Ghislaine had been feral at the time. She refused to train, learn how to speak, and even attacked other members of the Beast Race.
Under normal circumstances, feral Beast children would be recaptured by the village, kept in solitary confinement, and practically starved until they had calmed down and started behaving. In Ghislaine's case, her heritage as a descendant of the Beast God made it virtually impossible to keep her in detention as she would simply smash through the branch barriers and trees confining her.
Unable to keep her under control, the Chief of the Beast Race, Ghislaine's father, ordered the village to stop trying to recapture her. In other words, she had been exiled from her village, forced to survive in the bountiful yet inhospitable Great Forest.
Had Ghislaine been on her own during the rainy season, there was a near 100% chance she would have died as the entire forest would be inundated with torrential waters. If she attempted to flee, she would have needed to break through the hundreds of hunters and slave traffickers that camped outside the Great Forest in preparation for its rainy season. Monsters and animals alike would be forced to flee the forest to escape the flooding, so they would shepherd everything into a trap-laden area to reap a massive bounty with minimal effort.
Ghislaine's encounter with Gal had come about as a result of her growing enmity towards humans. She had been hunted and nearly caught several times by various Slave-Hunting Parties. When she saw Gal traveling alone, Ghislaine attacked with the intention to both kill and eat him. Instead, she ended up getting smacked around for a while until Gal eventually knocked her unconscious and abducted her.
Due to Gal collaring and leashing her, Ghislaine initially believed she had been turned into a slave. Instead, Gal simply bought a deactivated collar to prevent her from running off and causing too much trouble as he, quite literally, beat some sense into her.
For the better part of a year and a half, Ghislaine's life revolved around waking up, being tossed a wooden sword, and being forced to fight until she was utterly exhausted. If she wanted to eat, she would need to be on her best behavior and 'beg' in the human language. If she wanted to rest, wash, or even relieve herself, she would first need to ask for permission, or Gal would end up beating and depriving her of food for the rest of the day.
Though she resented him to death for the way he treated her, Ghislaine gradually grew to respect and admire Gal's strength and intentions. When they reached the boundaries of the Holy Land of Swords, and he removed her collar, she willingly crossed the remaining 600kms of her own accord. Since then, she had lived her life with three goals in mind, surpassing Gal, proving she wasn't just some animal, and returning home to apologize for her past behavior...
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With Ghislaine reclining between his legs and recounting her story while using his lap as a pillow, Paul couldn't resist massaging and caressing her head, face, and inordinately large, cat-like ears. It helped that Ghislaine seemed to enjoy it quite a bit, a contented smile on her face as she laid back with her eyes closed.
"It sounds like you've had it pretty rough..."
Instead of trying to refute Paul's words, Ghislaine issued an affirmative, "Nn..." before rolling onto her side, nestling her face in a rather dangerous location, and whispering, "But it allowed me to get stronger. Now, when I do return home, I'll be able to hold my head up with pride..."
Ignoring the fact that Ghislaine was very obviously sniffing his junk, Paul continued to caress the side of her head as he said, "I intend to go on a journey once I leave this place. If you'd like, we can go together..."
After taking several deep breaths of Paul's growing arousal, Ghislaine, somewhat meekly, replied, "That would be nice..." as her thick, cat-like tail began to curl in contentedness. She couldn't even remember the last time someone had caressed her head and treated her gently, so Paul was very quickly securing a place for himself in her heart.
Seeing Ghislaine rubbing her nose against his semi, an increasingly wry smile developed across Paul's face. If he didn't know it would cause her discomfort, he would bend her over or crush her in a mating press right then and there. Instead, he said, "We should get some rest...tomorrow is going to be a rough day..."
Turning her face to look up at Paul, Ghislaine asked, "Are you sure? Aren't you aroused...?"
Suppressing a soft chuckle, Paul cupped both of Ghislaine's cheeks as he said, "I appreciate your concerns, but I'd rather we have sex when we can both enjoy it. For now, I'm fine with just cuddling. We can worry about the other stuff once the mating season starts..."
Though she could smell the potency of Paul's arousal, Ghislaine didn't try to argue with him. Instead, she just crawled up his body and snuggled up next to him. She was starting to enjoy being held, so she wasn't going to pass on the opportunity for more cuddles...
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Among the Three Sacred Grounds of the Sword Sanctum, the Hall of Broken Blades was especially important as it was the grounds where hundreds of Sword Saints and higher had been lain to rest. Because of this, a persistent sword intent permeated the area, inspiring awe in all who were allowed to enter its premises.
"From today onward, the two of you will spend at least four hours a day meditating in this place. Ghislaine is already familiar with the process, so I'll have her explain things. Well, try not to die."
Finished with what he had to say, Gal promptly departed the icy, sword-laden chamber.
Seeing the blue-haired man depart mere moments after they had arrived, Paul's expression formed into a deadpan. However, before he could even think to complain, the hairs on the back of Paul's neck stood on end as an invisible blade of Touki attempted to behead him. He could have dodged, but Ghislaine took it upon herself to intercept the attack, skillfully slicing it to pieces as she revealed, "You have to keep your mind clear...if you think too much, the energy within this area will attack you..."
Immediately following Ghislaine's explanation, several additional blades of Touki began to coalesce out of thin air before racing towards Paul with speed comparable to a Saint-Ranked Swordsman. He managed to deflect most of them, but the power behind each of the blows was much heavier than he expected.
Slashing apart the attacks Paul was unable to block on his own, Ghislaine advised, "Try to clear your mind. I will protect you."
Though he anticipated her answer, Paul gave Ghislaine a curious glance as he asked, "Why aren't any of the blades targetting you...?'
Puffing out her rather sizeable chest as if it was something to be proud of, Ghislaine enthusiastically declared, "I don't think...!"
"..."
With nearly a dozen different blades manifesting, Paul was forced to focus on deflecting and slicing them apart as Ghislaine protected his back...
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Sensing Paul and Ghislaine emerging, Gal sheathed his sword and wiped away a bit of sweat from his brow before turning to the entrance just as the duo stepped out. When he saw their relatively haggard appearances, a vicious smile immediately developed across his face as he asked, "Have fun...?"
Exhaling a sigh that caused a large plume of icy condensation to kick up, Paul begrudgingly replied, "It was a very informative training exercise..."
Nodding his head, Gal said, "Thinking isn't a bad thing, but there is a time and a place for it. When you're on the battlefield, surrounded by enemies, action trumps thought. A moment's hesitation is all it takes for even a God to lose their life. Now, run along and get some breakfast. Afterward, meet me in the Exhibition Hall. I'm going to have the two of you spar in front of the other students. Those little brats look up to you, so you'll be helping in their training from now on. Understood?"
Though he didn't believe he was ready to teach others, Paul nodded his head in response to Gal's words. As for Ghislaine, she really didn't want to, but, upon seeing Paul nod his head, she invariably did the same...
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With three months passing in the blink of an eye, Paul was actually feeling a little nervous as he waited patiently at the base of the stairs leading up to the Sword Sanctum. As Sword Saints, he and Ghislaine were allowed to leave the Sanctum for training and missions. To this end, the two of them had decided they would venture out into the monster-infested Holy Land for a few months, not for training, but to have a bit of privacy.
Leaping down the mountain with wanton abandon, Ghislained practically crash-landed next to Paul before bouncing to her feet with an ostensibly intoxicated look on her face. In reality, she was just really, really horny, so much so that each of her breaths produced a veritable cloud of steam.
Though he was a little worried that Ghislaine would strangle him before promptly attempting to have her way with him, Paul asked, "Need me to carry you...?"
Before answering Paul's words, Ghislaine exhaled a plume of steam that nearly reached the ground as she panted, "I'm fine...my body...is just a little hot..."
As if to emphasize her point, Ghislaine pulled at the fur collar of her winter coat with a little too much strength. The fabric ended up tearing a bit, but instead of showing any care or concern, a profoundly relieved sigh emanated from Ghislaine's throat as the frigid temperatures invaded her clothes.
Swallowing the knot forming in his throat, Paul replied, "Right..." before picking a random direction and adding, "We should hurry..."
Nodding her head in affirmation, Ghislaine surprised Paul by being the first to take off running, her near-instantaneous acceleration causing a swirl of ice and snow as she bolted towards the East on all fours.
Seeing the frenzied cat girl take off, a wry smile developed across Paul's face as he remarked, "This is going to be a long five weeks..."
Not wanting to lose sight of Ghislaine, Paul took a deep breath before accelerating the Touki in his body and charging forward at a speed he couldn't even imagine himself achieving previously. The snow and wind beat against his face, but the realization he could run as fast as a sports car made it impossible for Paul not to smile...
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Observing Paul's and Ghislaine's game of tag from atop the mountain supporting the Sword Sanctum, a rare, non-vicious smile adorned Gal's face as he muttered, "Maybe it's about time I found a suitable woman to produce an heir..."
Intrigued by the notion of pitting his children against Paul's, Gal shifted his gaze towards the South. The image of Reida briefly crossed his mind, but he doubted she would be viable due to her age. Fortunately, she had a few daughters, the oldest of which should be in their late teens or early twenties.
"It has been a while since I visited the Capital..."
With nothing better to do while Paul and Ghislaine were traipsing about the Holy Land, Gal briefly considered his options before jumping off the cliff he had been standing on. Then, without even bothering to inform the instructors or students of his decision, he began making his way South at speeds untraceable by the naked eye...
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Much to the chagrin of the girls that had been enjoying their evenings with Paul, the latter began spending most of his 'free time' practicing within the Boulder-Cutting Pavilion. A few came by to try and entice him for a romp, but he politely refused most of them.&nbsp;
Unfortunately, despite his growing speed and strength, Paul felt like he was making no progress towards cutting even the smallest boulder. He had managed to break one in two, but that was due to a fault within the boulder itself. Had he executed the Boulder-Cutting Technique correctly, both sides would have a near mirror-like polish.
Undaunted by his failure, Paul pressed on for nearly four weeks straight before something changed within his increasingly mundane life: Ghislaine appeared.
Without saying anything, Ghislaine would show up, demonstrate her Longsword of Light, and then spend the better part of an hour shaving off pieces of a medium-sized boulder using her sword. It couldn't be considered much exertion for a Sword Saint, but by the time she was finished, Ghislaine would be completely covered in sweat as she stared at Paul with a feverish look in her eyes and plumes of steam exhaling from her mouth and nose.
Understanding what Ghislaine's condition signified, Paul put even more effort into his training. He did his best to copy her form, but while they helped a surprising amount, he wasn't able to cut through a boulder as the ninth month transitioned into the tenth, eleventh, and eventually the twelfth month.
With the end of the Mating Season, so too came an end to Ghislaine's visits at the Boulder-Cutting Pavilion. This made Paul a little depressed, but he was able to recover quickly by visiting the girls in the Intersection of Fate and practically having an orgy. Even Razor ended up joining in, a hurtle Paul wasn't sure he would ever be able to become with any of his genderbent summons. Fortunately, Razor 'benefitted' from looking a lot like Ghislaine, hair, eyes, and breasts included. Paul also felt a little guilty about leaving her out, so the two of them eventually went at it like wild beasts...
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With only a few weeks remaining until the time limit set by Gal, Paul was spending even the evening hours in the Boulder-Cutting Pavilion. Unless someone came by to tell him he was needed elsewhere, he would swing his sword from sunrise to sunset and beyond. His only breaks occurred whenever he would collapse, faceplanting into the snow until someone came by to pick him up and carry him to his room.
What Paul didn't know was that the person carrying him back to his room was, more often than not, Gal. The Sword God had been keeping a close eye on him ever since the start of his training, curious to see how far Paul could push himself despite his 'lack of talent.'
If anyone were to ask him, Gal would say he wasn't very impressed with Paul's progress. At the same time, however, he had come to respect Paul for his conviction. Most people in Paul's circumstances would have given up a long time ago. Instead, Paul kept pushing himself harder and harder, driven by a sense of purpose that transcended common sense.
On the eve before the deadline he had set, Gal appeared before Paul to ask, "Why? What could possibly compel a boy as young as you to try this hard? What is it you hope to achieve?"
Lowering his severely battered and broken sword, its handle so frayed it needed to be wrapped with bandages just to give it a grip, Paul turned to Gal with ostensibly dead fish eyes and said, "Survival."
"Hmm..."
As he was well aware of Paul's position and circumstances, Gal wasn't too surprised by the former's words. He had even received a letter from the First Prince asking him to arrange an 'accident' for the young, exiled member of House Notos. Gal promptly burned the letter, but there was a fair chance he would be tasked with hunting Paul down if the First Prince managed to secure the throne.
"I see...I get it now. You've quite a bit of foresight, don't you...?"
Though he suspected there was more to it, Gal finally understood what could compel a ten, nearly eleven-year-old boy to such extremes. Even if he had done no wrong, Paul's prodigious talent practically guaranteed he would be viewed as a threat to be eliminated. While others pursued the path of swordsmanship to make a name for themselves, the thing that pushed Paul forward was his understanding that it was only a matter of time before Kings, Emperors, and even Gods began hunting him...
For the third, maybe the fourth time in his entire life, Gal felt genuine pity for another person. He also knew what it was like to be 'oppressed' due to possessing an overwhelming talent. Had he not had a master with the foresight to take him far away from the Asura Kingdom for training, there was a fair chance he would have been eliminated like most of the people who 'threatened the stability of the Kingdom.'
Unfortunately, as much as he could empathize with Paul's plight, Gal had no intention of bearing the youth's burden. Like Reida, he was contracted with the Asura Kingdom. He could ignore orders that asked him to violate the sacred principles that governed the Holy Land of the Swords, but the moment Paul stepped outside, all bets were off. If the King ordered it, he would have no choice but to hunt down and butcher the youth like a pig...
"Tell me something, punk...are you feeling lucky...?"
Though he had no idea what Gal was about to do, Paul managed a smile as he answered, "Every day of my life..."
Snorting in response to Paul's words, Gal muttered an almost inaudible, "Brat..." before adopting a faint yet vicious smile as he instructed, "Turn around and take your stance."
Doing as Gal said, Paul took a two-handed stance with his feet spaced apart in a way that allowed him to shift his center of balance in virtually any direction in an instant.
Catching Paul by surprise, Gal walked over to him and made a few minor adjustments to his stance as he said, "You're a pretty scholarly brat. Tell me, do you know the difference between Mana and Touki...?"
Though alarm bells were beginning to sound in his mind, Paul answered, "There is none...the only difference is in how they're-"
"Wrong."
After adjusting Paul's position, Gal stood behind him with his right hand raised like a knife hand as he explained, "While they draw from the same source, one is driven by imagination, while the other is driven by will. The two can complement one another, but there is a reason most people can only be a Mage or a Swordsmen. Those with strong imaginations get lost in thoughts of how they can change the world. Those with stronger wills get lost in trying to..."
Punctuating his words, Gal promptly stabbed his fingers into Paul's back, each digit sinking between the gaps in his ribs as he said, "Strike...!" in a commanding tone.
Though he wanted little more than to scream out in pain, Paul ignored the searing sensation spreading through his back and body as he swung his sword with all his might. To his tremendous surprise, the edge of his blade appeared to become superheated as he sliced through one of the smaller boulders without so much as a hint of resistance.&nbsp;
Just as a smile developed across Paul's face, the searing pain in his body became even more intense as Gal retracted his fingers and revealed, "I injected my Touki into your heart and body. I would tell you to memorize how it feels, but there's about a 70-80% chance you're going to suffer an excruciating death within the next couple of minutes. That is unless you can expel it from your body..."
Following his words, Gal unsheathed his Windpipe and slashed it toward Paul at a speed he knew the latter could react. One of the best methods to exhaust Touki was fighting to survive, so, with the intent of giving Paul marginally better chances, he sent the heavily bleeding youth careening back several meters before quickly following suit.
Though his feet left trails in the dirt and snow, Paul's expression became frenzied, almost feral as he issued a guttural war cry and charged at Gal. The foreign Touki in his body caused him to feel like he was overheating and on the verge of exploding. It also disrupted the flow of his Mana, so, despite trying to activate it numerous times, Paul was unable to use his Lesser Regeneration. The only thing he could do was fight and survive, so, with his Black Sword in hand, he charged towards Gal with unbridled killing intent. His death would mean the end of two worlds, so there was no way he was dying here.
He couldn't...
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Not yet...
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Not ever...
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"Why does this never...get any fucking easier...!?"
Influenced by Paul's speech habits, Reida had a look like she was about to kill everyone present as she strained every muscle in her lower body in an attempt to force out the obstinate infant inside of her. She had been in labor for nearly eleven hours, so even with her monstrous strength and stamina, she was nearing her limit.
"Please...just come out already..."
As if answering her prayers, Reida felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as the agonizing pressure threatening to drive her crazy was suddenly discharged. Tears of relief began to build in the corners of her eyes, but before she could relax, the maroon-haired woman helping to deliver her child reluctantly informed her, "There is another..."
Before Reida could make sense of what the woman had said, an even more intense pressure than before began to build in her lower body. The tears in her eyes quickly transitioned from those of relief to extreme pain as she shouted, "Paul Notos Greyrat! The next time I see you, I'm going to bite your fucking head off...!"
...
..
.
Though things weren't going as well as she would have liked, Ningguang was making slow and steady progress in her takeover of the Strife Zone. She was a little worried about the fact that Kaeya had gone missing, but Ningguang trusted that the former wouldn't allow herself to be captured or detained without purpose.
On a more positive note, Beidou, Childe, and Thoma had managed to infiltrate the Shirone Kingdom and spread their influence through some of its larger ports. Beidou had even managed to secure herself a rather large ship and was slowly building a reputation as the Pirate Princess of Pax Harbor. The only thing preventing her from becoming a full-fledged Pirate Queen was her apparent age.
Fortunately, the people of Mushoku Tensei really did appear to mature at a much faster rate than usual. Ningguang was only eleven-years-old, but her appearance matched that of her previous self's fifteen or sixteen. If anything, her breasts were a little larger, a side-effect Zhongli attributed to the Intersection of Fate altering them to appeal more closely to Paul's sensibilities.
Since the Intersection of Fate had changed numerous people's genders, Ningguang didn't bother questioning it. She was just happy knowing she would reach full maturity around the age of fifteen. Being trapped in the form of a pubescent child despite being in her early thirties hadn't been the most pleasant experience. Sure, she looked cute, but there was only so much you could leverage cuteness to attain. Beauty, however, was a key that opened many doors...
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Chapter 59: MI59: Banes and Boons