Chapter Thirty-One: I Behold, I Sever

Rudy blinked upon hearing this.

"A Water God Style swordsman, the chief of a main dojo... a pinnacle existence of the Water God Style... named Ghislaine Dedoldia? That sounds like a very imposing and grand name for a mature woman; I can rule out the possibility of her being an old hag right away... Allen is so lucky to have actually met someone like that."

"Allen... you’ve actually met such a big shot? And you even saw her demonstrate her swordsmanship?"

Allen looked up at him.

"Well... I suppose it was just good luck."

Paul cast a meaningful glance at Allen.

Allen gripped the hilt of his sword and continued.

"That is my understanding of the Water God Style. As for the Sword God Style, I don't know much about it yet."

Having said this, he looked toward Paul. Paul’s mouth twitched slightly.

"Er... I’m a 'feeling' type of person. If you really want to know the essence of it, it’s 'intuition'."

Rudy’s eyes lit up upon hearing this.

"Intuition? That sounds amazing..."

Allen’s temple throbbed slightly.

*Brother Paul, your 'intuition' is basically the same thing as 'feeling,' isn't it? Are you sure it’s not just your own personal intuition?*

Paul looked up and saw Zenith’s smiling face upstairs. He exchanged a smile with his wife and then said, "To be precise, it’s combat intuition. What it manifests as is..."

He turned serious, as if changing his face entirely.

"The sword must be faster than the thought."

Rudy was very supportive and immediately started applauding, quite quickly.

Allen, however, felt a bit helpless.

He had heard this phrase no less than twenty times, but it was too abstract, so he never quite grasped it. He understood combat intuition, but "the sword must be faster than the thought"... was it about concentration? Yet, every time he fought, he felt he was already extremely focused.

He shook his head, preparing to ask something else, but Rudy asked with a serious expression.

"What about the North God Style?"

Allen looked at him in surprise. Rudy winked at him and then glanced at Paul.

Paul was frowning, deep in thought, looking as if he were about to pull his hair out.

Seeing this, Allen cleared his throat.

"As for the North God Style..."

Before he could finish, Paul’s brow smoothed out in relief as he looked at Allen.

Allen paused slightly, realizing that he wouldn't get any useful information out of Paul, and continued with a slightly helpless tone.

"The North God Style is different from the other two sword schools. It doesn't have a 'primary essence' in the strict sense, and there are many branches, each with its own focus."

"Take the North God Style’s Chiba school, which is the most popular among adventurers, as an example. Unlike the Water God Style, which focuses on analyzing the opponent's information first, or the Sword God Style, which doesn't think about anything other than stabbing the sword into the opponent's stomach, they rely entirely on the circumstances to make the most effective and efficient means of defeating the enemy."

Rudy frowned.

"That sounds a bit like the Water God Style, choosing the response most suited to the moment..."

"No, the methods are completely different."

As he said this, Allen suddenly remembered that Rudy would have many encounters with the North God Style in the future. He blinked and said, "Let me give you an example."

No sooner had he spoken than Allen quickly drew his sword and swung it toward Rudy. The latter was startled and instinctively dodged toward where his center of gravity was shifting.

Then, he was tripped by a foot and stumbled.

He stared in astonishment at the blade hanging in mid-air, which had no intention of actually striking, and then at the leg Allen had silently extended to his side. He scolded him, "That’s despicable!"

Allen nodded.

"Yes! Exactly, it’s despicable. As long as you can win, any method is acceptable. Honestly, I was originally going to kick you in the crotch..."

"Don't!"

Rudy immediately covered his crotch with both hands, his pupils constricting.

A palm-strike from Allen was already hovering right before his eyes.

Allen gave Rudy a flick to the forehead before leisurely withdrawing his hand and signaling for Rudy to sit down. The latter, however, immediately hugged his stool and scolded Allen.

"Were you going to pull the stool out from under me next!"

Allen’s mouth twitched.

*He predicted it.*

"Not at all. It’s truly over. In any case, you should understand now that I’ve given you this example. The Chiba school of the North God Style is a school that wins by any means necessary. Utilizing everything available—verbal provocation, hidden weapons, feints—are all just forms of its expression. You must be careful when you encounter them in the future."

Rudy nodded and sat down.

The moment he sat, Allen flicked a fallen leaf with his finger, and it spun through the air, *thwack*, hitting Rudy on the forehead.

Rudy glared at Allen.

Allen smiled back.

"If that were the North God Style, that would have been a hidden weapon."

But just then, both of them felt a scorching gaze.

Allen turned to look at Paul in surprise. The latter said with a serious expression, "Allen... even for the sake of an example, do not swing your sword at your family."

Allen was stunned, but he felt that Paul was truly serious, so he nodded.

"...Yes, my apologies."

Paul nodded, signaling for Allen to continue, but the latter changed the subject.

"I’ve basically summarized everything. Sir, you must have realized that I don't know much about the Sword God Style, so I have some questions I’d like to ask you. You can just answer them; no need to summarize."

Paul’s brow twitched, realizing there was no escaping this today, so he had to put on a stern face.

"Ask."

His tone was concise.

"First, about the Sword God Style. I’ve heard it said that one can train by doing empty swings with full focus every single day, and it’s even said that some people have reached the point of mastering the Sword God Style’s ultimate technique—the Longsword of Light—through this. Is this true?"

Paul revealed a conflicted expression, not knowing how to put it, and muttered to himself.

"That sounds like Ghislaine’s way of training... Hmm... how should I put it..."

Allen smiled and replied via telepathy.

*Exactly, it is one of the Sword God Style training methods for Ghislaine and Eris, Brother Paul.*

After a long while, Paul frowned and said, "Everyone’s method of tempering is different, but the 'swing' itself is undoubtedly effective. I have also seen swordsmen who train their Sword God Style like that."

Allen narrowed his eyes.

"The swing itself?"

"Yes, the swing itself... how to put it... I've got it. Let’s use the Water God Style, which you are very proficient in, as a counter-comparison. First, when the Water God Style faces an opponent, the order of response is: perceive and analyze the environment and the opponent—think of how to respond—then move the body to dodge or defend—and finally, parry and counter-attack to defeat the enemy. The focus is on perception and observation, while the swing is merely the means."

Allen raised an eyebrow.

"Then the Sword God Style..."

Paul looked straight at Allen.

"The Sword God Style doesn't have all those intermediate steps of analysis. It points directly to the swing itself. It is very simple. To give an example, it is: 'I see,'—"

The words were still in Paul’s mouth and not yet finished.

The wind moved.

In the next instant, the tip of his wooden sword was hovering in front of Rudy. A fallen leaf was sliced in two, sliding down the face of the stunned Rudy.

It happened in tandem with the second half of Paul’s sentence.

"—I cut."

Allen looked at the leaf drifting to the ground, then looked up at Paul in a daze.

Everything was silent.

Paul was very satisfied with the reaction of the two and nodded to himself.

"That is the Sword God Style—the Silent Longsword. I restrained most of the power; in actual combat, it would be even faster than this swing."

Rudy, with a mournful face, immediately took over.

"Father, you just said a moment ago that even for the sake of an example, one shouldn't swing a sword at family..."

Paul’s face stiffened, and he looked at the two, stating firmly, "A wooden sword is not a sword."

Rudy: ......

Allen: ......

Paul looked at Allen’s dazed expression and said seriously, "Since you are proficient in the Water God Style, such a reaction is normal. After all, the Water God Style and the Sword God Style are completely opposite."

*My reaction is only because your double standard is too blinding, hey!*

Allen shook his head, driving the chaotic thoughts from his mind, and rubbed the hilt of his sword, feeling the cold tactile feedback.

*Although it’s still the rhetoric of the 'feeling' type... this time, it feels different...*

*'I see, I cut...'*