Chapter 117: Duel with Father [Part-1]

Neo walked to the special training ground after being called by his father to test how much he had grown. He stretched his arms and body as he pushed the grand door open and entered the training field, walking down the stairs while his father was already waiting in the field. He also saw his mother, Evelyn, and even Nora sitting at the corner of the seats on the training ground, and even Yuki was resting on Nora’s lap, sleeping.

Neo walked towards his father, not knowing what kind of test he was going to conduct to check him.

"Oh, you’re on time, Neo. So let’s see how much you have grown..."

Neo nodded and looked at his father, tilting his head as he asked, "What do I have to do then, Father?"

Cassian just smiled as he replied calmly, "It’s simple. We can test it by having a duel."

Neo’s expression turned blank at his words, not knowing what sort of joke his father was telling him.

"It’s not a joke. It is simpler to check by battle than by testing with other methods. You don’t have to worry, I am going to hold back against you. Are you ready?"

Neo nodded involuntarily while narrowing his eyes.

’Well, it’s not so bad, as I can also learn how Father actually fights, and if it goes well, I may also get some insight for breaking into the next realm.’

"Okay then, let’s take our positions now."

Neo nodded and moved a little distance away from the centre, while Cassian also moved back and took his own position.

From a distance, his mother and Evelyn cheered for him.

"Give your all, Neo, I am sure you will win!"

"All the best, Brother!"

"Kyu!"

Cassian felt a little disappointed that no one supported him. He looked at Sylvia with a hopeful gaze, which earned him nothing but blatant ignorance.

Finally, after a long sigh, he looked back at Neo and straightened his body, getting ready for the duel.

"Are you ready?"

Neo nodded.

"Yeah..."

Before the fight could actually begin, Neo decided to use his ’Appraisal’ to see how much his father had grown since the last time he appraised him.

[Ding!]

[Do you want to Appraise Cassian Draven?]

[Y/N]

Neo clicked ’Y’ without a single moment of hesitation. He was excited to know exactly how much stronger his father had grown.

[Appraising begins...]

[Ding!]

----

[STATUS WINDOW]

>Name: Cassian Draven

>Titles: Demon of the Battlefield, Great Weapon Master

>Talent: Sovereign

>Race: Human

>Core: 7th Circle

>Rank: Saint (IV)

>Bloodline: Draven Bloodline

>Affinity: Lightning

[ATTRIBUTES]

[STR: 790/1000] [AGI: 760/1000]

[DEF: 770/1000] [STA: 780/1000]

[INT: 790/1000]

[HP: 2500/2500] [MP: 5000/5000]

[TECHNIQUES]

>Draven Cultivation Scripture

>Draven Dragon Art

>Seven Raging Storm Technique

[SKILLS & ABILITIES]

>GrandMaster Swordsman

>GrandMaster Spearman

>Aura Manipulation

>Lightning Control

>GrandMaster Tactician

>Overloaded Charisma

----

As he checked Cassian’s status, he finally understood that he was not the only one who had grown since the past. Even his father had reached the very edge of the Saint rank through years of training, and his stats and skills had become far stronger. He also noticed that his father’s title had changed from ’Great Swordsman’ to ’Great Weapon Master’.

He dismissed the status window immediately and focused on the actual duel. He knew that underestimating his father would be the dumbest thing he could do, and even if his father held back against him, he would still remain far behind.

"Okay then, let’s do it!"

The fight began as Neo moved immediately with everything he had. In a blur of motion, he covered several yards of distance and appeared directly in front of his father, coated his fist with frost, and shot it straight towards his father’s chest.

But of course, his father was no small figure. He blocked the punch with ease, and the ice on Neo’s fist broke immediately, without leaving even a scratch on his hand. Neo was pushed back as his father casually punched him in the stomach, throwing him away.

Neo skidded back but immediately regained his balance. Even though the punch was nothing compared to what his father could have used if he really intended to fight seriously, it was still enough to make him feel pain.

Neo immediately calmed down as the frost beneath his feet spread across the ground, and he burst out from the spot. This time, he coated both of his hands with frost as he moved to face Cassian from the front, throwing a barrage of punches straight at his gut, but Cassian easily blocked every single one of them while barely moving.

He noticed his father’s every movement, and it was as if he already knew from where the attack would come.

’Wait, is he already reading my moves even before my attack actually lands?’

Neo immediately changed his tactics, coating his feet with frost and kicking out with his legs, but his father blocked the kick with his own leg and pushed him back while throwing another punch, forcing him to retreat.

’How can he predict my every movement as if he could see the future... Is it his instinct?’

Cassian lowered his fist and looked at his son, who was breathing slightly harder than before, and a faint smile appeared on his lips, as if he had been waiting for Neo to reach this exact question.

"You’ve noticed, haven’t you? Good. That is exactly what I wanted you to see."

"Father... are you reading my movements?"

"Not exactly. I’m not reading your movements, Neo. I’m sensing your intent before your body even decides to move."

Neo frowned, not fully understanding what he meant, as he straightened up and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"You fight very well, and your technique has improved more than I expected. But right now, you are only looking at me. Your eyes, your mana, and your whole attention are fixed on the person in front of you. That is a very dangerous habit on a battlefield."

Cassian walked a few steps to the side, his hands behind his back, speaking in the same calm tone he used whenever he taught the young knights’.

"In a real battle, you won’t be facing a single enemy standing politely in front of you, waiting for you to attack. The enemies can appear from nowhere, from behind, from above, from beneath the ground, or from places which you would never have thought of. Arrows can fly from a distance of several hundred yards, spells can be cast from the rear lines, and an assassin can be hiding in the shadows of your own allies. If you focus on every single enemy on the battlefield, you will be overwhelmed within a minute."

Neo listened quietly, his eyes narrowing as he recalled the strange spell that had suddenly appeared during the carriage ride back from the banquet with Nora. Back then, he hadn’t even realized what was happening.

"That is why you must hone your instinct to the point where you can ignore whatever the enemies are planning. You don’t need to read each of their tricks or follow every movement of their weapons. Your body should be able to feel the danger by itself, like a skin which senses a cold wind before it touches you, and move on its own before your mind even has time to think."

"Ignore... what the enemies are planning?"

"Yes. Planning is a thing of the mind, and the mind is slow. But instinct is something which has been carved into your body through countless battles. When you trust it, you will be able to move at the exact moment the danger arrives, without needing to know where it comes from."

Neo lowered his gaze to his hands, and he slowly clenched them as he thought about those words, realising that he had always depended on his mind to calculate the best move, even in the middle of a fight. It was the way of someone who had lived a previous life watching animes and thinking through every possibility, and it had been his strength so far, but now he understood that it had also become his limit.

’So that’s the thing I’ve been missing... I was trying to fight with my head, not with my body.’

"Do you understand now?"

"I think so. But how do I train it, Father?"

Cassian grinned, and Neo felt a chill run down his spine, as he recognised that grin, the same one his father showed before every training session he had suffered in the past.

"Simple. I’ll attack you from every direction, and you will try to dodge without looking at me."

"W-wait, what?"

"Close your eyes, Neo."

"Father, isn’t that too sudden...?"

"If you can’t close them yourself, then I’ll help you."

Neo hurriedly shut his eyes, and he could hear the faint laughter of Evelyn and the sound of his mother’s soft chuckle from the seats, while Nora sat silent, her eyes fixed on him without blinking.

The training ground became quiet. Neo stood at the centre with his eyes closed, his breath slow and steady, his hands loosely hanging at his sides. He could hear nothing but the faint sound of the wind passing through the field, and then, suddenly, he felt a faint stir in the air to his left.

His body moved before he could think, as his head tilted slightly to the side and a fist brushed past his cheek, close enough that he could feel the heat of the lightning coiling around it.

"Good. Again."

Another stir came from behind, and Neo twisted his body, dodging the strike by a hair’s breadth. A kick followed from his right, and he raised his arm just in time to block it, but the force still pushed him back a few steps, making his arm go numb.

’It’s not working perfectly, but I can feel something. It’s like a faint pressure on my skin before the attack arrives...’

"Don’t think about it, Neo. Feel it. The moment you start to analyse, you’ll be late."

Cassian’s voice came from a different direction each time, as he moved around Neo silently, his attacks growing faster with every passing moment. Neo gritted his teeth, letting the frost spread around his feet, and he spread his mana thin across his skin like a mist, using it to feel the movements around him instead of thinking about where the attacks might come from.

A strike came from above, and he leaned backward. Another came from below, and he jumped over it. The next one grazed his shoulder, and the one after that struck his ribs, making him cough, but he didn’t stop, as his body slowly began to move on its own, a step ahead of the pain.

From the seats, Evelyn clutched Sylvia’s sleeve with wide eyes, whispering, "Brother is dodging with his eyes closed, Mother!"

"He is certainly doing better than I expected," Sylvia replied with a soft smile, though her eyes were full of worry.

Nora said nothing, her violet eyes never leaving Neo’s figure, and her hand, which was resting on Yuki’s back, tightened slightly as she watched him take another hit and stand up again.

On the field, Neo wiped the blood from the corner of his lips, still keeping his eyes closed. His breathing had become slow, his heartbeat quiet, and in the darkness behind his eyelids, he could feel the faint outline of his father moving around him, like a ripple on the surface of a still lake.

’There... on my right.’

He ducked without hesitation, and the fist that was aimed at his temple passed over his head, cutting the air with a loud crack. Before Cassian could pull back, Neo spun on his heel and swung a frost-covered elbow towards the direction of the ripple.

A loud clang rang out as Cassian caught the elbow with his palm, a faint look of surprise appearing on his face for the first time in the duel. Neo opened his eyes and saw his father’s grin widening, as the lightning around Cassian’s body began to crackle louder.

"Not bad, my son. You have finally touched the first step. But this is only the beginning."

Neo exhaled slowly, withdrew his arm, and took a step back as he lowered his stance, a smile appearing on his lips even though his body was aching all over.

"Then please continue, Father. I’m just getting started."

The frost beneath his feet spread across the field once again, and the two of them moved at the same time, as the clash of their figures echoed through the vast training ground, with the fight still far from over.