Lightning Is the Only Way

"In this spar, I will try one Martial Style after another. In case you don't know what a Martial Style is, let me give you an explanation. Martial Arts have one or several different attacks, while a Martial Style encompasses the whole way you fight," William explained.

Gravis thought about it and nodded. Fighting against different styles would help him get used to various enemies. He had fought many beasts before, but he had never really fought a human who was an actual danger to him in a real fight. If Gravis didn't have experience against humans, then that could spell his doom when he fought one.

William smiled. "Alright, I'll start with the Flowing Crane Style." With that, William changed his sword's hold so that his sword arm looked up like it was imitating a crane's neck. His sword drooped down like it was mimicking the long beak of a crane. "You can start whenever you want."

Gravis looked at William's stance and didn't see any opening. William could reach and block every direction easily. Gravis was also sure that William had already tempered his muscles. If he hadn't, then how could he have gotten his position inside the Martial Hall? So, overpowering also fell through.

Gravis decided to directly attack him with a slash. He charged at William while lifting his saber. When Gravis got close, though, he realized the best way to counter his attack would be a single stab forward. Gravis would not be able to complete his slash before the hypothetical thrust took his life.

CRRRSH!

Gravis rammed his feet into the ground to stop his charge. He was still about three meters away from William. Even though this seemed to be an excellent opportunity for William to attack, he didn't take it, and instead, continued watching Gravis.

Gravis watched William's stance again. Any kind of slashing was a no-go since a counter stab would arrive faster than a slash. Stabbing was also a no-go since the opponent probably out sped him. On top of that, sabers were not made for stabbing. Gravis felt like he was actually looking at a low-grade demonic beast crane.

'Then why not fight like I would fight a crane?' Gravis thought to himself. In his mind, he pictured a crane. Three meters tall with a long slender neck and thin, fast legs with sharp claws. If he neared it, it would stab him with its beak, and if he attacked it from its side, it would stab its claws at him.

'Yet, there is one major difference between a crane and a human,' Gravis concluded. Now, he had an attack plan.

Gravis ran at William and lowered himself to the ground while keeping his saber horizontally close to him. He reached William's range, and William stabbed towards Gravis' head. If Gravis couldn't defend, William could stop the attack. He didn't want to kill the young man.

CLANK!

the sword upwards with his saber. This had required perfect timing. Yet, due to his

the accurate block. One wrong move would have killed Gravis. Not everyone

quickly went closer and readied his saber for a slash. William suddenly lifted one of his legs for a kick, but what he saw next shocked him immensely. Gravis was not targeting

CLANK!

of the saber hit William's shin. His leg was not hurt too badly. It only spouted a slight red bruise, yet if Gravis had used the sharp side of his saber, the leg would have been severed. Both of them

young man to the side to no one in particular. "This is one of our highest fighting styles. How can it lose to someone without any martial training?" All the thoughts in the young man's head were swirling around. It was incredibly

man shook his head. 'It was

from Jeros. "You lost only after a single exchange!" Jeros shouted

bother with Jeros right now. "How did you know I would use a kick?" he asked Gravis, intense interest showing in his eyes. He had intended to show Gravis the mistakes in his fighting style, but William now realized that he could maybe use Gravis to

looked like a crane when you fought, so I thought about how I would fight a crane. I realized that a crane has his beak and his claws as a weapon. Yet, the difference between a human and a crane is that humans do not have claws on their feet. It was kind of obvious

caught people by surprise. When people with weapons fought, they mainly focused on the weapons and were not prepared for such an

William muttered. "Would you mind going for another round, while I use

shrugged his shoulders. "I want an additional free Martial

pay Gravis' expenses, out of his own pocket, but gold could be found anywhere. Yet, an opponent that helped to better his fighting

His muscles swelled, and he looked like a tiger ready

cats. The lion and the tiger popped into his mind. This

fighting the tiger from Wilderness Town again. William lifted his sword and chopped down, imitating a bite coming from

practical test. He timed it just perfectly