Chapter 21 - #21 Father - son spar (2/2)
”I know, I know...I am just saying that it's regrettable. How about a little spar with your father?” He replied with a forced smile and then asked me for a spar with a confident and relaxed smile.
”Alright!” I said and got into my own stance I have created for myself. Although I called it stance, it's just me standing still in relaxed way with my right hand on the hilt of my sword hanging on my belt.
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'It's still unbelievable that my own son created his own swordplay...Although he said that it's not completed yet, it definitely isn't that far from perfection. That stance...even though it looks like he is relaxed and most of the people wouldn't even call it stance, his eyes are sharp even though they looked extremely bored. Let's test my own son, heh' Jun thought and he rushed towards Akashi at an incredible speed.
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Oho? My father is quite fast but it's still useless.
I thought when I saw him enter my own zone, trying to slash at my shoulder with his wooden sword.
*clunk*
I parried his sword, throwing him out of balance.
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'?! I didn't even saw him draw his sword...how does his swordplay work?' Jun thought with a surprised expression.
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I quickly counter-attacked by thrusting my sword towards his shoulder and he dodged by a small margin and then kicked out with his leg towards my stomach and I jumped back to evade the kick.
”Son, is your swordplay supposed to be this calm?” My father asked me when he noticed the mood behind my strikes.
”As of now, it only has 2 phases and this one you have just seen was the calm one. ” I said with a smile, leaving my father looking at me with a dropped jaw.
”Looks like I will have to take you a bit more seriously, haha” My father said and kicked off the ground with a laugh, appearing instantly in front of me with already his sword over my head.
?! I raised my eyebrows in surprise but I quickly responded by slashing into his sword from the side, making it miss me entirely but he was already expecting that and he already performed a roundhouse kick.
I had no time to dodge so I quickly moved my hand to at least protect my ribs.
When the kick connected, I felt my arm go numb and I was forced to retreat but nothing else.
”Hm? I am surprised at your reaction time and to think that you can easily stand after that kick...I am still underestimating you. But if you want to leave the Capital for the adventure, you have to be stronger!” He said and once again appeared in front of me and slashed towards my ribs so I moved my sword to block his strike.
?! It was a feint!
I realized when I noticed how he changed the sword's trajectory towards my head.
I quickly ducked and he once again kicked out and since I was in a bad position, I could only block by crossing my arms.
”What's the matter?” My father asked me with a teasing smile.
Tch, feeling proud of having an upper hand in a fight with a kid.
But I must admit that the calm phase of my swordplay is an extremely poor match against Phoenix swordplay. I don't want to use any skills that would reveal any unnecessary information. It's not like I don't trust my own father but we are currently in the garden where all maids and guards can see us. I don't want to risk of showing too much.
Although I said that I have 2 phases...that one is still a little incomplete.
”Now it's my turn!” My bored half-open eyes finally opened wide and I kicked off the ground, appearing almost instantly in front of my father who seemed surprised by my speed.
I performed basic looking horizontal slash and my father tried to block it with a calm smile, however, when our swords met each other...My father's expression immediately changed to a serious one and he used his other hand to support his own sword.
Seeing the chance to attack, I sent a punch towards his stomach but he decided to abandon our contest of strength and instead of taking a punch, he jumped backward.
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'?! What kind of strength is that?! It looked completely like a normal, basic slash from any soldier but once I have met the sword head-on, it felt like a ferocious and extremely violent Danger beast was trying to break through my defense. Is that the 2nd phase he told me about? I can't let him attack me with that or I will fall in the disadvantage. I will really need to take it seriously and be on offensive side.' Jun thought and resolved himself to fight with almost everything he has got.
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”Son, prepare yourself!” He shouted and out of nowhere I saw a sword nearing my face, I quickly moved my head to the side.
If that sword would be real, my cheek would have a cut right now.
My father continued throwing a barrage of attacks at me without leaving me any space for a breath or for a counter-attack.
...
After a while of defending against my father's attacks, I acquired more than a few bruises and scratches all over my body.
”haah” I was catching my breath while my father was watching me with a serious expression, it was visible that he was also sweating.
”I won't let you go outside of the Capital until you defeat me.” He said resolutely and pointed his sword at me with narrowed eyes.
”Heh, I have a way to defeat you, father, but I don't want to use ”it” against you...” I said with a smirk, making my father frown.
”Don't worry about injuring me, these are only wooden swords.” He reassured me.
”That's not the thing...I don't want to talk to you in a degrading way.” I said with my chin down, therefore my hair bangs were blocking my expression except for my forced smile.
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'What is he talking about? ...Doesn't matter, I need to convince him to use anything he can to defeat me.' Jun thought with a thoughtful expression.
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”Don't worry about it...treat me as your enemy and not your father. If you are worried about a few words during a spar then there is no need! No matter what you will say to me during the spar, I won't care about it.” He said with a serious expression.
...It's not like I am afraid of his reaction to it...it would just feel a bit weird to talk to my own father in that way. But whatever...since he already said that he doesn't care then who am I to care too?
With a +35% bonus to my stats, I should be able to perfect the 2nd phase of my swordplay and combine the 1st phase together with the 2nd phase.
”Alright, please attack me.” I said and ”sheathed” my sword, getting into my first stance like before with only difference that my chin was down, completely blocking sight of my expression.
I closed my eyes when I heard my father kick off the ground.
When I sensed that his sword entered my ”zone” around me, I raised my head, revealing 2 glowing red eyes, completely surprising my father but he didn't stop his attack.
”You being my father doesn't grant you permission to defy me! Remember, I am absolute!” I said in domineering voice and my hand on the hilt of my sword twitched a bit.
*CLUNK*
My father's sword got sent into the air split in 2 parts and while they had yet to fall down my father watched me with a shocked expression and wide-open eyes full of confusion and his hand froze in the same position where I stopped him.
”clunk* *clunk* 2 parts of the broken sword have finally fallen down on the ground and my father looked at his red palm and then at my hand which was still on the hilt of my ”sheathed” sword.
”Akashi...you...” My eyes stopped glowing and my father had a very complex expression. There was confusion, shame, proudness, and happiness combined together.