Dark Magus Returns

Raze strode into the center, drawing one of his swords. Having broken and lost most of his enchanted swords except for the Ghost Blade, he'd bought a new one.

It wasn't anything special; it didn't even have an affinity for magic. But with his wealth, he'd purchased the best blade the market offered, ensuring it could at least handle the Qi he could wield.

When he got the chance, he would have to try and make a few more swords to suit his different magic.

Unsheathing his sword, he held it before him and assumed a stance. No particular feelings arose as he faced his opponent.

In his mind, he was just another member of the Lethal Bite Clan, and all he had to do was impress the assessor until he uttered the word "pass."

'I won't be able to use techniques like Descending Steps that are obviously used by the Demonic Faction, nor will I be able to use my magic. But my Qi is still at stage six, and I've further refined it as well.'

'That should be enough for me to pass this assessment.'

Little did Raze know, his opponent wasn't just anyone; it was the Vice Head of the Moon Shield Clan, one of the top clans in the Dark Faction.

"Start!" Bargo announced.

Raze charged in, performing the classic two-step shift, and struck with his sword from above. He carefully limited the amount of Qi he used, ensuring it was only at the third stage.

'The other Wanderers were around stage two and three, so if I just perform at that level, then I should pass as well.'

Bargo met Raze's strike, their swords clashing. When the two made impact, however, an almost invisible force was felt. Bargo's sword was pushed back slightly before moving forward again, hitting the sword a second time.

It was only a small movement, like a bounce of the blade. Raze didn't dwell on this and continued to strike, using moves he remembered seeing at the academy.

Each time, Bargo would continue to block the attacks, but the odd occurrence was happening with every hit of the sword; his own would bounce back slightly.

Inwardly, while Bargo remained focused, he had a wide smile.

'So it wasn't a fluke. This young kid, with each strike, is using a highly condensed amount of Qi. I'm matching the amount of Qi he's using, but because his is condensed more, it's causing an after-strike effect and my sword to bounce.'

'Now that I've confirmed you're quite the talented one, it's time to step it up a notch.'

When blocking the strikes that came from Raze, Bargo was now scraping his sword rather than directly hitting. It was somewhere halfway between a block and a parry.

Not only that, but he increased the amount of Qi he was using, stopping the bouncing effect immediately. Before Raze knew it, his whole body was being pulled forward with each of these blocks.

It felt like a vortex was sucking him in towards his opponent, and then, with a quick step, Bargo used a foot technique and slammed into Raze's body with his shoulder.

Raze nearly tumbled but managed to regain his footing and made sure his sword stayed out in front of him.

"You perform your sword techniques perfectly, almost like a textbook. You're talented in many ways, but that's all you're doing. You're just performing the techniques from your mind and not really thinking about how to use them to fight," Bargo explained.

Raze already knew that, because he wasn't able to fully fight his way, but he was impressed.

'I'm surprised the Lethal Bite Clan has regular members that are talented like this. How he uses his techniques is impressive.'

Raze continued his strikes, and Bargo continued to block them the same way. He was carefully observing what was happening and trying to figure out a way to attack his opponent.

His thoughts led him back to his fight with Feebie. When going up against her, he had lost as well, and the answer to his defeat was that he needed more strength.

Whether that was learning more techniques from the Dark Edge Sword Arts, gaining more Qi by increasing his stage level, or increasing his magic star level, these were his answers. But there was also another option: for him to become a better fighter as well.

It was the first time, as he went head-to-head, that he felt like he was actually learning.

With each strike of his sword now, rather than fully committing, Raze was scraping his sword rather than fully atttacking and following up with another technique. To everyone watching, it felt like the tempo suddenly increased as the swords continued to clash against each other.

"Very good, very good," Bargo called out, a hint of amusement in his voice. "You've learned how to deal with this situation very fast. But this whole time, I've been defending. I guess it's time I attack now!"

Bargo blocked Raze's next strike, but this time, he poured more Qi into his blade. The force of the impact sent Raze's sword flying. Before Raze could react, Bargo followed up with a swift thrust, aiming for Raze's center.

'This attack, it has full intent behind it! I have to block it!'

With this thought in mind, Raze instinctively channeled more Qi, empowering his body and allowing him to dodge the strike entirely. Bargo, caught off guard by the unexpected maneuver, stood frozen for a moment, his sword outstretched.

'Did he just... use more Qi?' Bargo thought, a hidden smile playing on his lips as he looked at the ground. 'So this whole time, I wasn't the only one holding back.'

The realization ignited a spark in Bargo's eyes. He launched back into the attack, swinging his sword with a wider arc and a significantly increased flow of Qi. Raze, determined not to reveal his full strength, defended himself using the same scraping technique Bargo had employed earlier.

'This guy is powerful,' Raze thought, his muscles straining with each block. 'But I can't use too much more Qi. If I do, they'll know I'm a higher stage warrior, and I don't want any questions.'

However, the relentless assault was slowly pushing Raze to his limits. Bargo, sensing Raze's struggle, wasn't aiming to win anymore. He was testing Raze's potential, pushing him to reveal his true capabilities. The earlier attack, where Bargo stopped his strike mid-motion, was a test as well. Most wouldn't have been able to react and adjust their attack on the fly. But Raze did, proving his adaptability and combat awareness.

As the fight continued, Raze's body grew numb from the exertion, the limited Qi he was using offering insufficient support. A sliver of fear crept into his mind. 'I'm worried this guy might kill me if I don't start fighting back,' he thought.

Suddenly, a soft voice, almost a whisper, echoed in his head. "That's not nice," it spoke. But it wasn't a physical voice; it resonated directly within his mind. A shiver was sent down his spine.

"If he's trying to kill you, then I'll kill him!"

The voice sent a jolt through Raze. He recognized it instantly – the Blooded Hand woman!