City of Witches

༺ Reminiscence (3) ༻

1.

The Shadow Plate Armor.

When Siwoo first put it on, he did feel that it was a little impractical, like something out of a video game.

It clung tightly to his body, lacking the unnecessary add-ons that made it seem unable to absorb the impact of a hit.

But, it was precisely because of this that he had benefited greatly from the black armor.

The snug fit allowed him to move quickly and on top of that, it gave him a power boost, just like a powered suit.

Instead of the usual shock-absorbing function that an armor had, it relied on the unique Law of Shadows, a material that was unlike anything else.

Throughout his battles, the armor had been a reliable ally, saving him and assisting him numerous times.

He was well aware of his own strength.

With the armor on, he could probably wreck buildings only with his bare hands.

He should also be able to cleave a cargo truck in half.

That was why, when he thought that he needed to use this heavy-duty weapon against a petite woman like Tiphereth, he felt a little awkward.

With the longsword in her hand, the woman looked so delicate that Siwoo momentarily forgot that she was a 23rd rank witch.

But then…

The moment she gripped her sword and assumed her stance.

Siwoo realized that he was making a fool of himself.

Her body remained steadfast and still.

Though she seemed relaxed, it was clear that she would be able to react in an instant.

Her eyes stayed focused, following Siwoo’s every move.

“Come.”

He could hear her words clearly, even so, he couldn’t move his body easily.

Until now, he thought that he had become pretty good at swordsmanship by waving his weapon recklessly.

He thought that he had developed the ability to reflexively spot his opponent’s openings and wield the sword and shield freely, as if they were his limbs.

No one would be able to point out any of his shortcomings, he believed that was the case.

But, seeing the Duchess, he couldn’t even see any visible openings whatsoever.

She only held her sword in one hand, lowering its tip to the ground, but he couldn’t find any openings that he could exploit.

Seeing his hesitation, Eloa encouraged him.

“I won’t hurt you, just show me what you’ve got.”

“…Got it…”

Trying to test the gap between their strength, he extended his arm and swung his sword.

Eloa’s response was simple.

Before he could even complete his swing.

Her blade, as if sliding into the trajectory, completely nullified the force of his swing.

“Ugh—!”

His attack was thwarted before it even started.

It wasn’t even a matter of strength.

She didn’t even use much mana for that move.

The strength she exerted was only half of Siwoo’s.

In other words, she managed to effortlessly block his attack with only a quarter of her usual strength plus a little bit of a sleight of hand.

“Again.”

-Clang!

Tiphereth swung her sword, their blades clashed and Siwoo cautiously distanced himself again as a result.

He ditched his flashy, but ineffective style and created a shield this time.

The shield covered half of his body as he carefully searched for an opening.

“Haah…”

He had barely even moved, yet he already started sweating.

It felt like an invisible pressure was bearing down on him, as if a thick padding was being pressed onto him.

Despite him knowing that she wouldn’t harm him in any ways, her presence only grew even more imposing by the seconds.

“Haaap!”

He kicked off the ground at supersonic speed.

This time, he put all his strength into swinging his sword right from the beginning so that at least she wouldn’t be able to block him in awkward positions.

His target was the center.

He swung his sword forcefully, aiming to cut her body in half by her waist.

-Thunk!

But, as he heard that resounding sound, he was momentarily stunned.

Even though he swung his sword with all his might, Tiphereth still blocked it effortlessly.

Normally, when two objects collided with this much force, they’d make a loud bang or crash, but this time, they barely made any sound at all.

All he could hear was a faint noise, like someone plucking the strings of a musical instrument.

Not only that, his hands didn’t even feel any impact from the clash.

Nevertheless, he wasn’t planning to retreat.

Even amidst his confusion, his body and mind were already looking for an opening again.

He maintained the same stance, executing a diagonal upward strike towards the opposite direction.

A reckless move that ignored momentum, but thanks to the shadow armor, he could do it with ease.

However, it turned out to be in vain again.

Tiphereth didn’t even raise her sword; She simply moved her head slightly, evading the tip of his blade.

-Boom!

But, that was what Siwoo was aiming for.

The sword he wielded was the Sword of Shadow.

Its length, thickness and weight could instantly adapt to his needs.

Which meant, he could adjust the range of his reach without readjusting his grip.

Now that the blade became a little longer, he swung down towards Eloa once again.

If she were to try and block the strike casually, she would receive some serious damage here..

-Thunk!

Or so he thought.

Eloa only leisurely raised her sword, effortlessly deflecting the attack without any repercussions whatsoever.

“Haaap!”

But, he also saw this coming.

The moment he realized that his sword was blocked, he quickly got rid of it.

Then, he thrusted his shield forward, trying to block Eloa’s view.

From the shield’s blind spot, he formed his shadow spear and immediately sent her three quick thrusts.

Now, his reach wasn’t the only thing that changed, his weapon too.

All this while, he had only been slashing with his swords, all for the sake of these sudden thrusts

When he fought against the White Knight, he had been studying its tricks.

He used the snap of his wrist and the movement of his waist to produce the formidable thrusts.

The spear’s peculiar spin made it seem like its tip was swaying.

-Clang, clang, clang!

But, she still managed to respond properly, completely catching Siwoo by surprise.

She easily countered his three-hit combo, even though they were mixed in feints and illusions.

The spear’s twist had been a tricky move. It was the same move that troubled him repeatedly during his fight with the White Knight.

Even so…

“…That’s just too much…”

Eloa still skillfully blocked all of his thrusts.

She even used the tip of her sword to stop the tip of his spear mid-air.

When he delivered the last thrust, both of their weapons hung in the air with their tips colliding.

A feat that seemed impossible, just like trying to match the ends of two chopsticks together with just one’s hands, yet she managed to do it with a weapon that was swung by someone else.

It was almost like watching a circus act.

But, despite the impressive feat, the performer only lowered her sword with an indifferent expression.

She didn’t counterattack even once.

After all, the goal of this bout was to measure his skill level.

As the bout was about to end, Tiphereth could already feel it.

‘This is…a massive letdown…’

Now she realized how much of a genius Ravi was.

She was proficient in everything, not just magic but also martial arts.

Since Siwoo had inherited the Myriad Weapon Mastery and he was able to take down that Homunculus, Tiphereth had high hopes for him.

She thought that the man inherited her apprentice’s talent and he possessed genuine skills that he could showcase to her.

‘Maybe I set my expectations too high…’

But, even when she considered the situation objectively, his performance fell short of her standards.

His movements were noticeably affected by the armor he wore.

While he might have used the covenant’s power to put on a half-decent show, there was no real skill, no true understanding, nor a spark of mastery behind his moves.

Eloa had expected to see some of Ravi’s brilliant swordsmanship, yet this was what she got…

She stared at him, hiding her deep disappointment.

“You’re still getting the hang of it, I see. More practice would fix it.”

“Really? Honestly, I’ve only been using it consciously for a short while…”

“Take off your armor.”

Eloa unsummoned her Sword of Covenant.

Siwoo also followed suit, removing his Shadow Armor.

His body, drenched in sweat, emerged from within the armor.

It seemed like he really did give his all in this quick sparring session to prove himself.

“First, you need to work on controlling your body. Armors are supposed to be an extension of your limbs.”

“So, are we going to spar without any gears?”

“Yes.”

If only he had shown a little bit of talent during the last bout.

Or if he had just handled his covenant a little bit more smoothly…

She wouldn’t need to start teaching him from scratch like this.

But, having lived through a lot and met various martial artists, Tiphereth already figured most things out.

His talent for martial arts was vague at best, hopeless at worst.

Even with Ravi’s covenant and her guidance, it still wouldn’t help him.

The barrier of talent was insurmountable.

Considering his outstanding magical abilities, it seemed more practical for him to focus on that instead.

Which meant, it would be better for her to ‘compensate him for the misunderstandings’ in some other way.

But, she already made a promise.

Even if he decided to quit halfway, she’d do her best to train him.

“I’m not good at breaking things down step by step, so you’ve got to learn how to use your body by actually using it.”

Eloa clenched her fist, taking a stance.

Trying to keep up, Siwoo followed her awkwardly.

“If you aren’t fully focused, you won’t keep up with me.”

“I’m ready.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of it when you give it a shot.”

The sound of a soft step echoed from the floor.

Eloa closed the gap between them instantly, slipping into one side of Siwoo’s arms.

Even without a weapon in hand, the ‘covenant’ reacted to Eloa’s movements.

Siwoo, attempting to counter her sudden attack, extended his fist.

However, Eloa deftly deflected his blow with her elbow and proceeded to grab his wrist.

“Oof—!”

And she flipped his body.

His body floated briefly before landing somewhat roughly on the ground.

He barely had time to process what had just happened.

Looking up, he found Tiphereth peering down at him with her stern, magenta eyes.

“The key is using your body at will. Without that as a foundation, no matter how fancy your techniques or martial arts are, they won’t mean much.”

“I think I understand what you’re trying to say.”

“Your attacks left too many openings.”

Siwoo dusted himself off as he got back on his feet.

Since he couldn’t use mana to strengthen his body, he was only as strong as your average male.

Without the armor to protect his body, he was badly shaken by the blow.

But, if this was all he got from this training, he wouldn’t have bothered asking for it in the first place.

This time, it was him who took the initiative and charged.

Eloa blocked his punch with her hand and then lightly tapped his stomach with her palm.

Even so, he felt like she was shoving him by the abdomen.

“Ugh!”

As the force of Eloa’s counter sent him flying through the air, Siwoo let out a groan.

While not as excruciating as the occasional intense pain he felt, it was enough to make him stress out.

“Prepare for the case when your attack gets blocked. You’d have to think about your next move before that happens.”

“Ugh…y-yeah… It hurts a bit…”

“Pain can be a wake-up call. Remember it with your body so you don’t repeat the same mistake.”

After that, they continued their spar.

“If your footwork becomes predictable, it will become easier for your opponents to find your openings.”

“When you plan to strike, don’t stare at the spot too hard.”

“Don’t overly rely on brute force. It won’t work on someone stronger than you.”

“Keep your center of gravity in the middle. A shaky center leads to stumbling even with a simple misstep.”

After each of her moves, Tiphereth dished out advice.

Two hours passed, Siwoo’s body showed signs of wear and tear.

All this time, Tiphereth had been relentlessly tossing, pushing and tapping his body.

But, he couldn’t even touch a strand of her clothing.

Exhausted, gasping for breath, he collapsed on the rooftop floor.

Sweat flowed from all over his body, soaking not only his shirt but also his underwear.

“I guess we’ll have to call it a day.”

Continuing the training would only be a waste of time, so Tiphereth decided to wrap it up for the day.

Throughout the session, she controlled her strength.

After all, she had no plans to cause him serious injury.

But, if he lacked talent and determination, it was natural that he’d fall behind.

‘That’s probably a better path for him, though.’

“Yes…thank you…for today…”

Struggling to get up, Siwoo decided to lay the back of his head on the ground and shut his eyes.