MTLNOVEL Chapter 9: "The Blade That Defies Fate"
The silence between them stretched, charged with unseen energy. Ryoshi's fingers tightened around his sword's hilt, his breath steady despite the pain pulsing through his limbs. Across from him, his master stood motionless, his blade lowered but his presence suffocating.
"You're at the threshold, Ryoshi," his master said, his voice measured. "But crossing it… that is your burden alone."
Ryoshi wiped sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. "What does that even mean?"
His master didn't answer. Instead, he vanished.
A gust of wind. A flicker of movement. And then—steel flashed toward Ryoshi's throat.
He barely had time to react. Instinct took over. His sword moved—faster than he thought possible.
CLANG!
The impact rattled his bones, but he didn't fall. His feet held firm against the force of his master's strike. For the first time, he didn't just block—he countered.
His master's blade slid off his own, and Ryoshi retaliated, stepping forward and slashing with everything he had.
But his blade met only air.
His master had already moved, appearing behind him.
Ryoshi spun around just in time to deflect another strike, sparks flying as their swords scraped together. He didn't have time to breathe.
This wasn't a spar anymore. This was a real fight.
His master's expression remained unreadable. "Do you feel it now?"
Ryoshi gritted his teeth. He did.
The energy running through his veins, the way his body responded before his mind could even think—it was all connected.
For the first time, he wasn't just fighting. He was flowing with the battle.
He lunged forward. His master blocked with ease, but Ryoshi didn't stop. Strike. Pivot. Dodge. Counter. He kept moving, kept pushing.
The silver-blue energy around his blade flared. His master's eyes flickered with something akin to approval.
And then—he stopped.
The pressure in the air disappeared as his master sheathed his sword.
"You've taken your first step," he said simply.
Ryoshi stood there, panting. His grip on his sword trembled from exhaustion.
"What does that mean?" he asked.
His master's gaze softened. "It means you are ready to carve your own path."
Behind them, Siren watched in silence, a small smile playing on her lips. She had felt it too. Ryoshi wasn't the same as before.
Something inside him had changed.