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After the system, he had yet to face a single individual around his own level who he would recognize as superior to himself when it came to pure technique. Everyone who he found capable of beating him found their superiority not through sheer skill but by some other advantage. Jake had an instinctive style that surpassed all sense of logic and technique, as one example.

No, the only person that the Sword Saint had fought around his own level, with a level of technique even approaching his own, had been Ell’Hakan. He was still behind, even if he had proved himself a formidable fighter. The fact that he used a trident did contribute, too, as the Sword Saint hadn’t fought people who used those often.

Alas, the point is that the Sword Saint found it difficult to find opponents who could match his skill level. Fighting people of equal or superior skill was the best way to improve, so he felt like the lack of proper foes held him back. He did firmly believe that once he spent more time in the wider multiverse, he would meet many who matched or surpassed him, but for now, he felt starved.

That is when Minaga appeared.

When the Sword Saint asked Minaga to duel him using at least some of his true skill, he had expected it to be with his staff, as that was what Miyamoto had seen the Unique Lifeform display hints of overwhelming skill with. To see him pull out a sword was a welcome surprise, but he did quickly come to realize he had made one mistake.

He had either overestimated his own skill level significantly… or underestimated Minaga’s.

The Unique Lifeform made the first move as he stepped forward. Moving back slightly, the Sword Saint tried to get a read on his opponent. Minaga took another step, entering the range of Miyamoto, making him take the chance to try and land a light attack.

Blood sprayed as the Sword Saint jumped back, a light cut on his arm from the blunt blade. It had moved faster than he had expected, yet it seemed to not have been any more swift than his own sword.

”Good try, but too obvious,” Minaga smiled. ”So try again.”

Not wanting to back down, the Sword Saint moved in again, this time not holding back as his Rainblade activated. Water revolved around his blade, and several raindrops shot out toward the Unique Lifeform. Without Minaga even moving, the raindrops were cut into pieces mid-air, and the Sword Saint missed, stumbling forward.

Miyamoto jumped back as a sword swept up, leaving a light cut on his chest.

”Keep coming.”

Following the encouragement, the Sword Saint did just that as he tried all he could. He used several of the attacks in his arsenal, but no matter what he did, it proved useless. Miyamoto felt like an utter novice. A child fighting against a true master.

And he only felt euphoria from that sensation.

”You have already progressed somewhat. The concept of the blade is embedded within your water, allowing it to cut and act like an extension of your weapon… but it is only that. An extension. Your concept itself still needs work. Most will come with time, but as much shall be from practice. I noticed on the prior floors that your focus recently has heavily shifted to improving other aspects of your powers. Rain and time magic are all well and good but don’t lose sight of the blade,” Minaga explained, blocking dozens of blows as the Sword Saint’s robes were getting more and more flayed from the counterattacks.

”Here, let me show you…”

Miyamoto swung with all his power as Minaga seemed defenseless. He did not even use his blade but instead swept his hand up, moving to catch the sword. The sharp edge of the Sword Saint’s blade hit the palm of the Unique Lifeform. The Sword Saint stared in confusion as Minaga’s flesh remained uncut, and he held the ancestral blade like a blunt metal stick.

”The strongest blade is not forged from the greatest materials in the multiverse or sharpened till perfection. The strongest blade is the one wielded by the strongest swordsman. Sharpness is a concept like any other, and it depends on your will as much as any physical prowess or whatever weapon you may possess. You will still need the whole… but as you are now, I need nothing more than my intent to render your cuts useless. Before a fire mage, fire shall do little harm. In the same vein, a master swordsman should never find himself cut by a lesser blade,” Minaga said in a calm tone. ”In other words, to me, it doesn’t matter if you wield a sword or a blunt object. With your current power, you simply cannot cut my flesh.”

Miyamoto tried to retrieve his sword, but the Unique Lifeform had it thoroughly grasped in his hands. Rather than struggle, the Sword Saint did something else. He dove forward as he chopped, a faint layer of water surrounding his hand.

Minaga moved his sword to block it and smiled.

”Man, having a good student is great,” he said, kicking the Sword Saint away before throwing his ancestral sword back to him. Catching it, Miyamoto barely managed to block in time as Minaga attacked.

”As I just said, anything can be a blade as long as it has the faintest level of sharpness. Water is a great tool to make blades, as you have no doubt already realized. But you need to seek deeper. Consider all the whys you can find. The Path you walk is one of enlightenment through practice and learning, same as me. Don’t look at those around you as ones to imitate, and at most, only observe them for inspiration. Only Dina walks a similar kind of Path as you, after all. Jake, Sylphie, and that other darn Unique Lifeform all walk Paths following their instincts, which means teaching them can be downright detrimental as that could bring them further from their instinctual comprehension. To them, actually understanding something isn’t overly critical. They only need the how, the why an afterthought to comprehend after-the-fact. You, on the other hand, do well with a teacher as you get stronger from the why… am I just rambling here? Do you understand what I am trying to say?” Minaga asked, the Sword Saint listening as his body slowly filled with more sword cuts.

”I believe I do,” the Sword Saint answered as he retreated, Minaga giving him a light reprieve to respond. ”I am to truly ponder on the concept of sharpness… no, on all those related to my Path. I am to honestly try and understand them. But I believe I am already doing this. My sword is already central to my Path; all other concepts are only there to assist my blade.”

Minaga laughed as he moved in, and Miyamoto once more tried to desperately block. He managed to block a few unpredictable slices, but he still found himself bloodied.

”When did I ever say you were doing anything wrong!?”Minaga laughed, pressing on as the Sword Saint tried to adapt. ”Did I ever say you were straying from your Path?”

Miyamoto was confused, which made him briefly lose focus, getting a nasty cut on his shoulder. He tried to counterattack but was pushed back as Minaga landed a palm strike on his chest, leaving more than fifty small crisscrossed cuts from the light attack.

”I believed you were pointing out flaws,” the Sword Saint said as he stabilized himself, questioning if he failed to comprehend something the master swordsman before him said.

”I was. You have three massive flaws compared to me,”Minaga smiled as he raised his sword before continuing his relentless assault.

”The first is experience,”

the Unique Lifeform said as he allowed the Sword Saint to attack over and over without countering, gladly just blocking everything. ”The number of foes you have encountered that could truly match you are limited. This will improve with time, but you would do well practicing with someone of high skill when you can. Not necessarily skill equal to your own, just someone close enough. Superior would be best, of course, but that can be hard to find.”

Their ”fight” continued as the Sword Saint was now on the defensive, using everything he had to avoid any lethal blows, his boosting skill already active on full power just so he could hang on.

”The second is time. You may think it is the same as experience, but… actually, no, you probably don’t think that, as I assume you know the difference. You strike me as a smart fellow, after all. Anyway, this one is the most obvious. You need time to practice what you already know. Time to meditate. Time to ponder. Time to simply grow in power and have your horizon expanded. Experience and time do go hand in hand, as experience is simply one good way to spend your time,” Minaga continued, sending the Sword Saint flying as he nearly lost an arm.

”Third is your biggest flaw compared to me by a large margin, but sadly, I cannot help you in this area,” the Unique Lifeform said in a far more serious tone than the two prior. He even stopped attacking for a second as he sighed.

”The third is… handsomeness. No matter how many times you evolve, you simply cannot even begin to approach the perfection that is Minaga.”

Miyamoto stared for a few seconds before he smirked to himself, feeling a singe of pain from his cut-open cheek. ”As much as it saddens me, that is simply something I will have to live with.”

”Damn shame, damn shame,” Minaga shook his head. ”Anyway, let’s continue our fun. I am sure you have already realized what this lesson is about by now, right?”

The Sword Saint nodded as Minaga still explained.

”That’s right, it’s experience. That will be my method of teaching. Observe, feel with your body, and study me as you try to survive. Learn what you can without finding yourself crumbling, but do know that you are on a timer. The lesson will end when either your party succeeds in killing my four other clones, or your body fails you. Whichever comes first. Now, let us speak with naught but our swords.”

These were the final words Minaga spoke as he attacked again, the Sword Saint meeting his teacher. Everything he did was foiled, but he kept fighting as the minutes passed. He was pushed back repeatedly, as Minaga did not let up, barely giving him time to breathe. Yet the Sword Saint also began to notice something else. The Unique Lifeform intentionally used certain repeated rhythms in his swordsmanship. One would think getting a read for this rhytm would make it easier for the Sword Saint, but he soon came to realize this insight was a necessity, not a way to get an advantage.

Because Minaga kept heightening the difficulty. Whenever the Sword Saint thought he saw an opening or reached an adequate understanding of his opponent, the pattern slightly changed, forcing him to dance to Minaga’s tune once more, and all he could do was try and keep up.

No matter how much he felt like he had improved, the wounds kept coming. Miyamoto barely found a brief opening to consume a health potion to battle the blood loss as his body was shredded nearly beyond recognition.

This kept going as the minutes passed.

Suddenly, Minage changed his movements and attacked in a far more aggressive manner than before.

The Sword Saint moved his blade carefully as he tried to block the other sword, but it seemed to move in an everchanging pattern. Just as Miyamoto thought he was about to block it, it seemed to disappear, only to reappear, leaving a cut on his chest. He knew better than to try and counterattack, but even as he attempted to dodge, he was not able to.

With wide eyes, he could only stare as the flat side of the blade struck him in the stomach, sending him tumbling backward, leaving a trail of blood from all his wounds as he slid across the tiled floor. Trying to get up, he felt his legs failing momentarily.

I cannot delay.

There was no choice anymore. Deep inside, he knew that a mere Glimpse of Spring would do nothing in this situation. It was unfortunate, but he would rather unleash his full Transcendence than fail the bonus objective. Miyamoto also believed the backlash this time should not be as bad as it was during the Treasure Hunt.

With determination, the Sword Saint slowly stood, and with a sigh, he opened his mouth. ”I call-”

”Aaand the others have killed the fourth clone,” the final Minaga clone interrupted him as he stopped mid-movement. ”Well, that was a bummer and a bit faster than expected. Oh well, what can you do about it? I guess I could have made the clones stronger, true, but I digress.”

Shaking his head, the Unique Lifeform threw a glance toward the old swordsman standing there, frozen a dozen meters away. ”I guess you win. Congratulations! Man, I teach a damn good lesson if I say so myself. I should become a multversally renowned teacher! Actually, on second thought, that sounds miserable. Yeah, I am just going stick to impromptu lessons like this.”

Miyamoto could only stare as his wounds suddenly began aching. He could only reflect on his own state, and compare it to the creature before him. The Minaga clone stood there relaxed, with his simple blunt sword in hand, not a single thread on his robes touched by a blade.

The Sword Saint – if he could even call himself that – looked quite the opposite. No part of his body was not covered in small cuts, as thousands marred his body from head to toe. More blood than a human body could possibly contain spread throughout the room from his wounds.

One would think he would feel humiliated. Miyamoto had been utterly dominated from the very beginning. There were no two ways about it. Hundreds of times, Minaga could have killed him, but every time he was spared.

Miyamoto could only feel grateful as he bowed deeply, despite the intense pain it invited. ”I thank you for this lesson.”

”You bloody well should! Nearly no one gets an opportunity like this. Now get out of here and see if you can beat the final phase!”

With those words, the Minaga clone exploded, and the Sword Saint was enveloped by a portal as he dropped back into the boss room, surrounded by his four party members.

Jake looked at the old man smiling as he looked reminiscent of his lesson with Minaga. Dina was quickly healing him as Jake shook his head and turned his gaze towards the meditating Minaga, who still had his eyes closed. If he was giving them time or preparing something, Jake didn’t know, but he welcomed the brief pause nevertheless.

And brief it was, as only a few seconds later, Minaga opened his eyes.

”You have passed the second phase, I see! And all of you even remain in the fight, proving none of you are pathetic dead weights,”Minaga spoke, sounding oddly offensive for no reason.

Slowly standing up, Minaga lifted his hand and pointed at the giant floating orb of energy hanging above him. Jake’s danger sense stayed silent even as Minaga’s finger began glowing.

”For this achievement, I will reward you the opportunity to face my final form... me in a way cooler environment with more magic and stuff!”

With those words, the orb above him exploded into a massive shockwave, bathing them all in light as the entire boss room was obliterated, even Jake blinded as Minaga’s voice echoed.

”Cue the final theme!”

Followed by the music changing; Jake still having no idea where the hell it was coming from.