Kazuki and Shang were already deep into an intense sword-fighting session under the pale glow of the moon. Their wooden swords clashed with sharp cracks, the sounds echoing through the quiet courtyard. Shang, his expression calm but focused, was carefully observing his son's movements.
Kazuki narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on the wooden sword, thinking to himself, Alright, time to test this tactic.
He charged forward with a heavy, overhead strike aimed directly at Shang — a move that was obviously telegraphed. As expected, Shang smoothly sidestepped the attack with ease. But what Shang hadn't realized was that this wasn't Kazuki's true intention.
In that very instant, Kazuki suppressed all his physical boosts granted by his Spiritual Force and focused everything solely into his speed. The air around him seemed to ripple as he vanished from Shang's vision.
Disappeared? Shang thought in surprise, his sharp senses immediately on high alert.
But Shang wasn't an ordinary fighter — years of battle experience had honed his perception to perfection. Even though Kazuki had vanished from sight, Shang could still faintly catch the movements through the disturbance in the air and the barely audible steps on the ground.
Kazuki reappeared behind Shang with a swift slash aimed at his back.
Without turning around, Shang raised his hand, effortlessly catching Kazuki's wrists mid-swing. "Got you," Shang muttered, locking Kazuki's hands in place before skillfully throwing him a few meters away.
Kazuki twisted his body mid-air, using the momentum to land gracefully on his feet. He barely had a moment to react before Shang upped his Spiritual Force, amplifying his physical traits. In a blink, Shang disappeared from Kazuki's view — this time, even Kazuki's future sight couldn't help him track his father's movements.
The next thing Kazuki felt was the cold touch of a wooden sword gently resting against his neck.
"Defeated," Shang announced with a calm voice.
Kazuki pouted like a normal eight-year-old, lowering his sword. "Dad, this is unfair!" he complained, puffing out his cheeks.
Shang chuckled softly, lowering his sword. "There's no such thing as unfair in battle, son. In a real fight, your enemy won't hold back, not even for a second. You need to anticipate every move, predict every step, and prepare for the unexpected. That's the law of survival in combat."
Kazuki scratched his head with a grin, trying to act innocent. "Ohhh, okay!"
The night breeze carried the sound of their laughter, and though the battle was over for now, Kazuki knew he had learned something invaluable tonight.