Magus Supremacy

"Next applicant, Grey! Will Grey please step forward," Gunther announced.

With that, Grey calmly stepped forward, hands tucked in his pockets as if he had no worries in the world.

Standing in front of him was his designated doll, clutching its wooden sword and shield tightly while awaiting Gunther's command.

"Choice of weapon?" Gunther asked.

"Katana. With its sheath," Grey simply replied.

Gunther strode away to retrieve the weapon and then casually tossed it toward the applicant, who caught it cleanly without flinching.

"I hereby declare the start of your second assessment!" Gunther announced as he swung his hand down.

Instantly, the doll whirred to life and, in a blink, dashed toward Grey with remarkable speed and precision.

Grey calmly left the sword sheathed at his waist and instead took a firm stance in front of the charging doll, Ki swirling around his limbs. His gaze remained steady, unwavering, locked on his opponent.

Swoosh!

The doll swung its sword toward Grey's head, but he quickly leapt back, avoiding the slash that came dangerously close to grazing him. The very next moment, the doll spun around with impressive fluidity and aimed to bash him with its shield. Grey, ever quick on his feet, ducked beneath the strike, avoiding the bash by a narrow margin, and launched a counterattack by swinging his fist toward the doll.

However, the doll reacted with uncanny reflexes, snapping its wooden hand back and raising its shield in front of Grey. It absorbed the impact of his punch without flinching and immediately countered by sending its sword slashing down from above.

Grey's instincts kicked in. He quickly swirled Ki to his hands and raised them above his head to block the incoming strike.

"Arghh!" he groaned as the sword hammered into his hands with crushing strength.

Before Grey could even regain his footing, a strong kick from the doll landed squarely against his torso, sending him skidding backward across the ground. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, and his teeth clenched tightly in pain.

"Damn it!" Grey cursed as he stared at his bruised and trembling hands with frustration.

'I fucking hate these weights! They always increase the damn load at random... and today of all days? I can barely block the doll's hits now!' he scoffed inwardly, fury boiling in his chest.

He barely had time to think when the doll came charging again at full speed, relentless in its assault.

In a flash, it swung its sword in a wide arc aimed at Grey's midsection. Grey spun on the ground and leapt back just in time, evading the strike by the skin of his teeth.

"That was cl—" Grey began, but his words caught in his throat as he caught sight of the doll's next move.

The doll swung its shield, sending it hurtling through the air like a spinning disc straight toward him.

"Shit!" he muttered.

Reacting quickly, Grey swirled Ki to his fist and swung it out with precision, smashing the incoming shield away from him before it could make contact.

But that single move proved to be a costly mistake.

The doll had used the shield toss as a distraction and now stood directly in front of him, sword already thrust forward like a spear aiming to impale him.

'Oh come on!' Grey growled inwardly.

He managed to bring his palms together in front of the blade just in time. The sword tip struck his hands with brutal force, sending him skidding a few inches back, pain shooting up his arms.

He barely had time to stabilize when the doll performed a swift set of movements and suddenly appeared beside him. The shield, which it had somehow picked back up, came swinging toward his face in a vicious attempt to bash him.

Smack!

The strike connected.

Blood sprayed from Grey's mouth as the blow landed. His body stumbled backward several inches, knees buckling beneath him, and he collapsed to the ground in pain.

His vision blurred and a wave of intense agony washed over him, making it nearly impossible to think straight.

"And he was calling me a weakling a few moments ago," Finral shouted, throwing his hands up and facepalming hard, causing Grey to grind his teeth back and forth in frustration.

"Honestly, you are so pathetic and useless. I still don't understand why Dad even bothered to train a fool like you when you can't even use his teachings to beat a damn, worthless, wooden trash can!" Finral roared, his voice dripping with contempt and anger.

Grey turned to shoot him a death glare, eyes blazing.

'Wait! That's right—Yami's teachings.' Grey's mind sparked with sudden realization just as the doll came charging at him again. In a flash, it was right in front of him, swinging its sword down at his neck. But Grey spun on his knees, narrowly avoiding the blade, which crashed into the ground beside him with a loud thud.

Planting his palm firmly on the ground, Grey spun around and launched a powerful kick, connecting squarely with the doll's body. The impact sent it skidding backward, buying him just enough time to rise and reposition into a proper stance.

'Sir Yami took his time to teach me nearly everything he knew. He stopped training the dojo students just so he could focus on me. And now... here I am, nearly disappointing him?' Grey thought as his expression darkened, eyes sharpening.

He took a deep stance, his right hand gripping the hilt of the sheathed katana resting at his waist.

In a second, the doll recovered and lunged forward with tremendous speed. But Grey stood motionless. Shoulders relaxed, breathing slow and steady, feet grounded firmly. He did not blink. He did not tremble.

The doll reached him, slashing its sword toward his head, but Grey instantly unsheathed his sword and brought it up in front of his face, blocking the blow. The collision sent him skidding back by an inch, but he didn't lose balance.

With swift precision, Grey deflected the strike in an arc and countered with a thrust toward the doll. It quickly raised its shield to defend, and the impact sent it sliding a few inches back once again.

A short distance away, Gunther frowned, observing Grey with growing intrigue.

'He's only using the three basic sword techniques... how could that possibly work against a stage 3-level doll?' Gunther questioned internally, his eyes fixed on the fight.

The doll didn't waste time. It went straight for another attack, its sword aiming for Grey's face. Grey, ever cautious, leapt back a metre to create space. His sword was now back in its sheath, eyes calm and sharp, his breathing had subtly shifted.

'Yami trained me in this technique so many times... and I could never fully perform it. No matter how hard I tried.' Grey exhaled softly as his stance changed. His left foot stepped forward, bearing the full weight of his body. The ground cracked slightly under the pressure. One hand held the hilt lightly, while the other rested on the sheath, ready to draw in a flash.

Gunther, still watching intently, suddenly froze. His mouth dropped open, eyes wide.

'That stance... No. It couldn't be... I shouldn't jump to conclusions.'

"Breathing technique: First Formation," Grey whispered under his breath as the doll charged again.

His breathing shifted completely, deeper and controlled. Invisible steam now seeped from his nostrils, and the air around him began to respond. The wind seemed to gather at his side, swirling softly into the hilt and sheath of the sword.

The doll was now directly in front of him, sword slicing toward his face.

But Grey vanished from the spot.

He appeared behind the doll in a blink, dodging the attack entirely.

"Gust of the Wind," Grey muttered with clarity as he drew his sword and swung it horizontally at the doll's back.

BANG!

A sharp, howling gust tore through the air, followed by a deafening bang as his sword connected. The doll froze instantly, unmoving. Its arms dropped. Sword and shield clattered to the ground, and its eyes dimmed as it powered down completely.

Everyone watching raised an eyebrow in confusion. The silence was thick.

Gunther, on the other hand, stood in utter disbelief.

'I'm not imagining this. That... that's the Cromwell family's breathing technique! But how? How does a no-name peasant know this? Leo and Sage wouldn't recognize it—they've never seen it before.

But I remember... I was saved by a Cromwell once when I nearly died. He used this same exact technique. It was exclusive. Only their family ever used it. So... who is this kid?'

Gunther stared at Grey, who stood in stunned silence, looking from his hands to the motionless doll.

'Wait... it worked? No... not completely. When Yami used it, I could feel the raw Ki bursting from his attack. But this... this is different. This isn't Ki. It's like... the wind itself responded to me. It answered me somehow,' Grey thought, his face etched in awe and disbelief.

"Unbelievable... Grey has passed this assessment," Gunther announced with a rare, almost amused smile tugging at his lips.

"Wait, what?!" Grey shouted.

And to his shock, everyone else echoed him in perfect unison.