Mushoku Impact

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...
...
..
.
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...
...
..
.
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...
...
..
.
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...
...
..
.
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...
...
..
.
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...
...
..
.

If she were being honest, Ghislaine wasn't too enthused about the notion of losing her virginity to anyone, much less a human. Unfortunately, even if she took medicine or exhausted herself with training, the symptoms of Ghislaine's heat grew stronger with each passing year. Her species had a biological need to produce offspring, so the longer she ignored the call of nature, the louder it became.
Had Paul not arrived, Ghislaine knew it was only a matter of time before she fled the Sword Sanctum and 'attacked' someone in the neighboring regions. She had been conditioned not to harm the people training within the Sanctum, so there weren't many other options available to her. There was Gal, but even though she admired his strength, the thought of losing her virginity to him made Ghislaine sick to her stomach...
After waiting for Paul to catch up to her, Ghislaine, squatting down with her palms on the ground, inhaled a deep breath before exhaling a massive cloud of condensation. Then, in an almost growling tone, she said, "There is a tradition among the Beast Race...mates will fight to decide...who gets to be the boss. The loser has to obey the winner...understood...?"
Well aware of the traditions of the Beast Race, Paul nodded his head and said, "Sure. Just remember, I'm not a member of the Beast Race. I plan to respect your culture and traditions, but we both know it wouldn't exactly be fair if the two of us were to settle things with a brawl..."
Though he now had the benefit of Touki to empower him, Paul was barely as strong as Ghislaine was without it. The Beast Race were also naturally gifted wrestlers/brawlers, so there was no way he could defeat Ghislaine in a traditional bout.
"..."
Realizing there was some truth to Paul's words, a serious and conflicted expression developed across Ghislaine's face. She also knew she was a lot stronger than him, so it did feel a little unfair to have him fight on her terms. However, fighting and swordsmanship were really the only things two things she knew. They could compete by seeing who could hunt the largest prey, but her enhanced senses gave her an even bigger advantage when it came to hunting than fighting...
Falling directly into Paul's trap, Ghislaine looked to him, her voice hot and steamy as she panted, "What...do you...suggest...?"
After spending an inordinate amount of time thinking about how the original Paul must have seduced Ghislaine, Paul came to only a single conclusion. The original must have tricked her. Unfortunately, as he didn't exactly want to end up Ghislaine's lackey, Paul had little choice but to do the same. So, in response to Ghislaine's question, he proposed, "We will pit our respective strengths against one another...a contest of raw power versus sexual stamina..."
Though Paul's suggestion kind of put the cart before the horse, Ghislaine either didn't think about it or didn't care as she heatedly replied, "Okay...!" before promptly pouncing on and pinning him in the snow.
With Ghislaine tearing open his jacket with her razor-sharp claws, Paul realized the time for talk had come and gone. At this point, he could really only wait for Ghislaine to 'take' what she wanted before turning the tables on her once she began to calm down. It was mind-numbingly humiliating, but after waking up to find his ass being washed by a trio of girls he had previously slept with, there was very little that could shake Paul's mind...
...
..
.
"You do realize...I can tell...when you're cumming...attempting to deny it...is just being obstinate..."
With Ghislaine clinging to him in a desperate attempt to stop or, at the very least, restrict his movements, Paul just ground the tip of his glans against the depths of her swelteringly hot cavern. It was actually kind of surreal, as, unlike a normal human woman, Ghislaine's insides were much, much hotter. Stranger still, Paul was pretty sure he could feel her uterus descending, 'kissing' his shaft as he continued to move in and out of her despite her smothering embrace.
"No...you're wrong...I still haven't...cum...!"
Punctuating her words, Ghislaine bit Paul's shoulder for the umpteenth time since the start of their little sexcapade. Her nails had also cut up his back pretty badly, so much so that they had even needed to stop at one point due to a monster being lured to their location by the smell of blood.
Clenching his teeth, Paul asked, "Will you be satisfied...if the only reason you won...is because you keep lying...and biting me...?"
Since he was beginning to feel a little lightheaded, Paul attempted to use Ghislaine's pridefulness against her. He had actually found it kind of cute when she first bit him but seeing her face, neck, and chest now covered in his blood was a pretty massive turn-off...
Hearing Paul's words, Ghislaine weakened her hold on him just enough to get a look at his condition. When she saw him covered in blood, a feeling of panic briefly washed over her as she asked, "Should I...turn around...?"
Though it almost felt like cheating, Paul didn't hesitate to answer, "Please do...I would rather not die...during our first time together..."
"..."
Interpreting Paul's words literally, Ghislaine released her hold on him, a tiny yelp emanating from her throat as she fell against the cold ground and snow. Paul had been in a modified pushup position to tire Ghislaine out and get a bit of leverage, so she had been dangling from his body for the better part of twenty minutes.
Though the sudden and drastic change in temperature caused his little brother to protest, Paul exhaled a sigh of relief when Ghislaine released him. The latter noticed this, an apologetic expression developing across her face as she asked, "Are you okay...?"
Returning a sincere yet forced-looking smile, Paul gave the outside of Ghislaine's left thigh a light smack as he huffed, "Stop dawdling...we're still...in the middle...of a match..."
Staring at Paul's almost war-weary visage, Ghislaine was beginning to regret her obstinance. In truth, she had 'cum' more times than she could count. She just didn't want to admit it since Paul had only cum twice...
Wiping away some of his blood from her face, Paul's expression softened as he whispered, "Hey...don't give me that sad look...I knew what I was getting myself into...now, be a good kitten...and turn that ass around...I'm not stopping even after you surrender..."
Though she felt a shiver spread through her body in response to Paul's final statement, Ghislaine obediently presented her butt to him. In a way, this was already an indication that Ghislaine had submitted, but there was no way Paul would be satisfied with guilting her into obedience. As sus as it sounded, he had dreamed of fucking the buxom cat girl into submission since he first realized he had reincarnated as Paul. The only way he would stop now was if she legitimately begged him to or if he passed out...either way, he was coming out of this with a big-tittied kitty within his retinue...
...
..
.
While the sudden and unexpected maturation of nearly their entire group had disrupted a few of her plans, Ningguang didn't hesitate to capitalize on it.&nbsp;
No longer inhibited by their childish physiques, even people like Xinyan and Diona were nearly Saint-level while those evaluated as 5-Stars were comparable to Kings. Qiqi and Yoimiya were exceptions due to their lack of Visions, but Zhongli and Kusanali more than made up for everything by outclassing even Emperors.
Though it took most of the Geo Energy she had accumulated since her arrival in the world of Mushoku Tensei, Zhongli was able to drop a 300m long spear on the palace belonging to Eura Wayne Kurr, the leader of the Markien Mercenary Country. Afterward, she, alongside Kusanali, entered through the front doors of the palace and began cutting down everything while the latter used her Dendro powers to seal off the exits.
With Eura Wayne Kurr dying to the meteor-like spear Zhongli had dropped on the palace, there wasn't a single person within the Markien Mercenary Country capable of stopping her. What left people confused was the fact neither she nor Kusanali attempted to establish themselves as the ruler of the Strife Zone. In the wake of the practically apocalyptic attack, the duo had vanished without a trace, leaving behind a massive spear and a literal forest of trees and vegetation.
Taking advantage of the massive power vacuum caused by Eura's death, Ningguang spread her influence to the upper, Northwestern region of the Strife Zone while everyone else was fighting over the center. There were more than eighty mines located along the outskirts of the region, and, no matter who ended up in control of the center, Zhongli and Kusanali would be able to take them out. Thus, while everyone else was squabbling over the newly fertile region created by Kusanali, Ningguang was consolidating power and resources in preparation for slowly driving everyone else out...
If Ningguang had her way, it wouldn't be long before the Strife Zone was renamed Liyue. The hardest part would be convincing people to settle in the region and raising an army large enough to protect their borders.
Fortunately for Ningguang, there were a number of Kingdoms in the South that she could 'borrow' both resources and personnel from...
...
..
.
Hearing a sound from the mouth of the cave he was presently residing in, Paul opened his eyes to find Ghislaine approaching him on all fours with a deceased, snow-white rabbit in her mouth.&nbsp;
Rolling to a seated position, Paul had to restrain a wry smile as Ghislaine dropped the carcass near his feet. He had emerged as the victor in their 'battle,' but he ended up losing a lot more blood than either of them had realized. That, combined with the sub-zero temperatures, caused Paul to pass out due to hypothermia. When he next awoke, he found himself in a cave, delirious from fever and covered in animal carcasses.
Though he intended to have a serious talk with her once they returned to the Sword Sanctum, Paul had been allowing Ghislaine to take care of him according to her instincts. He didn't have the heart to condemn her when she had made such an earnest effort to help him, so, even after his fever had broken, Paul allowed Ghislaine to continue 'nursing' him until he had fully recovered.
"Thanks for your efforts..."
Extending his hand, Paul caressed the borderline feral cat girl in front of him. He didn't know if he was because he had gone overboard or if it was due to her heat, but Ghislaine had reverted to a very animalistic mentality since his collapse. Fortunately, Paul understood this was a fairly common condition among members of the Beast Race, especially during their first 'active' mating season. He just needed to wait a few weeks, and Ghislaine would gradually return to normal. Until then...
While rubbing her head and face against Paul's palm, Ghislaine grabbed at the animal pelts covering him, an almost pained look developing across her face as her ardor exceeded the threshold of her senses. Fortunately, more so because she had torn his clothes apart than anything else, Paul was already naked. He was also aware of his position in their relationship, so, before Ghislaine could completely lose herself and attack him, Paul's expression and tone hardened as she commanded, "Turn around and stick your ass out...I'm going to fuck you until you can't even crawl..."
Trembling due to Paul's words, Ghislaine, naked as the day she was born, readily obeyed. Instead of simply sticking her butt out, however, she used her hands to spread her cheeks and vulva apart, face pressed to the cold stone of the cave floor as she waggled her plump and pliant ass from side to side...
...
..
.

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...
...
..
.
"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...?
...
..
.
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...
...
..
.
"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...
...
..
.
&nbsp;

Chapter 60: MI60: Familiarity