His eyes narrowed. "However, there is a condition."
The tension returned.
"You must fight Lisa," Kakek Henry continued, his tone firm.
"Your goal is singular: to make her fall, just once. It doesn't matter how many times she knocks you down; you must keep getting back up and trying again. This is not to prove that you are stronger than her, but to show me—and yourself—how far your determination can take you."
Kakek Henry glanced at Lisa.
"This is also an opportunity for you, Lisa, to show him what it truly means to be a Gladius."
Lisa gave a thin smirk, her eyes glinting with enthusiasm. There was a sense that she wanted to show off her strength, while also making Rio truly understand the weight of the path he had chosen.
"With pleasure, Kakek."
Rio swallowed hard, glancing at Lisa who was now staring at him with the look of a predator.
Without a second thought, he nodded. "I accept."
The sun, which had risen at some unknown point, now sent its rays through the cracks in the windows, marking the end of a long night and the beginning of a day that would test everything.
The four of them stepped out of the wooden house. Lisa led the way, her steps steady as she walked toward an open area behind the house—a grassy field large enough, surrounded by dense trees that seemed to be the silent witnesses to the harsh training of the Gladius family for generations.
The morning air was still cold, carrying the scent of damp earth and leaves.
"So, where are the wooden swords?" Rio asked, trying to sound casual, though his heart was pounding. He had practiced with a sword on his own before, without a teacher, based only on instinct and what he had seen in old movies. But this… this was different.
Kakek Henry shook his head. "There are no wooden swords in this test." With a movement surprising for his age, he drew a real sword from beneath his cloak—its blade was slender, glinting coldly in the morning sun. He held it out to Rio. "The two of you will fight with real swords."
Rio's eyes widened. "Real… swords?" he stammered.
"What if… what if I accidentally kill her?" The concern was genuine, not because he underestimated Lisa, but because he knew how dangerous such a weapon was in the hands of someone as inexperienced as himself.
Lisa snorted, a little amused, a little offended. "You're overconfident. As if you'd even have the chance."
"So… this is a deathmatch?" Rio asked again, trying to understand the consequences.
Dany, who was standing beside Kakek Henry with his signature, meaningful smile, chimed in, "Kakek said you only need to make Lisa fall once. She can knock you down as many times as she wants, the fight continues. So, no need to kill each other."
He paused, his smile widening. "But, well… it's possible that, accidentally, one of you… well, you know." His taunting tone was characteristic, trying to provoke a reaction from Rio.
Rio ignored Dany. His slightly trembling hand reached for the hilt of the sword Kakek Henry offered.
Its weight felt foreign, the cold of the metal sending a strange vibration through his body. He walked slowly to the center of the field, where Lisa was already waiting for him, her own sword drawn, her posture perfect, ready to pounce.
Rio stood tall, trying to mimic Lisa's stance, but it felt awkward. He fumbled with the sword in his hands, completely unsure how to hold it correctly.
It wasn't just the weight, but the balance, the way to channel power—it all felt wrong. His mental confusion was greater than his physical discomfort.
"The match… begins!" Dany shouted from the edge of the field, his voice shattering the morning silence.
Before Rio could even blink, before he could even get into a proper stance, Lisa was already moving. Not like a human running, but more like a shadow flitting across the ground. One second she was there, the next she was right in front of Rio. Rio only felt a brief whoosh of air, and then—BLAM!—the hilt of Lisa's sword slammed hard against his jaw.
The world spun. Pain exploded in his head. He crumpled to the ground, the sword falling from his grasp.
"Score one for Lisa!" Dany called out, clearly enjoying the show.
Before Rio could even gather his senses, Lisa had already stepped back gracefully, returning to her initial position, as if nothing had happened.
Her face was flat, but her eyes held a cold satisfaction.
Rio groaned, clutching his throbbing jaw.
He picked up his sword, forcing himself to stand. His breathing grew heavy.
"Round two… begin!"
Again. A whoosh of air. A speed the eye couldn't follow.
And again, Rio was thrown to the ground, this time a blow to his solar plexus left him gasping for breath. The attacks were brutal, fast, and every time Lisa moved, Rio felt a faint but real killing intent—a deadly combination of skill and purpose.
Lisa was too fast, too fluid, as if the wind itself moved her body.
Round five, ten, twenty…
Rio's body kept hitting the ground. His cheek was bruised, his knees scraped, and his left arm was starting to lose its strength. But every time he got up, the fire in his eyes was still lit—he hadn't given up.
Round thirty, fifty…
Rio's hands began to tremble. His grip on the sword grew heavier. But he remained standing. He started to learn to recognize patterns—not to dodge, but to prepare to fall in a way that wouldn't kill him.
Lisa hadn't said a single word. She just kept moving like an efficient and ruthless killing machine. And Rio, like a practice dummy, continued to recalibrate the limits of his own body.
Round one hundred…
Fresh blood dripped from his temple. His breathing was ragged. But strangely, it wasn't the pain that made Rio want to give up—it was the uncertainty.
Can I really make her fall?
But every time that doubt crept in, the image of his mother's face would reappear. Her gentle eyes, the last voice that called his name before death snatched everything away.
He stood up again. Trembling. But standing.
Round one hundred and twenty-seven…
Lisa finally spoke. Her voice was cold, emotionless, but her words were a clue.
"Feel the movement of the wind around you. If you want to see me move, don't just rely on your eyes."
Wind?
Rio tried to understand. Between ragged breaths, he closed his eyes for a moment. The morning wind was indeed blowing, soft, moving the leaves. But… there was nothing special about it.
He continued to ponder it, even as his body was knocked down again.
But now, his mind was no longer focused solely on the pain, but had begun to analyze:
Lisa's movement… how fast is it? What changes right before she attacks?
Round two hundred… three hundred…
He fell, got up, fell again. But now it wasn't aimless. Every fall became an experiment.
Every stomp of Lisa's foot, every gust of wind that slapped his face—he began to piece it together in his head.
His logic was at work. Slowly.
Round four hundred and twenty…
Rio tasted dirt again. But this time, just before Lisa attacked, he felt something.
A stillness. The wind seemed to be drawn in, not stopped.
Then BAM! He was thrown back again.
"Score four hundred and twenty for Lisa!" Dany shouted, already sounding a little bored.
Rio got up slowly. His breath felt like embers in his lungs. But his eyes… his eyes were now burning with a different focus. An understanding was beginning to form. A look of serious and complete concentration was visible on his bruised face.
"Round four hundred and twenty-one… begin!"
This time, as Lisa moved, Rio closed his eyes, not trying to see. He felt. And a split second before Lisa reached him, he felt that stillness in the wind again. His reflexes, driven by an instinct for revenge and a dormant natural talent, took over.
"CLANG!!!"
The loud clash of two sword blades echoed across the field. For the first time, Rio had successfully parried Lisa's attack.
Lisa was stunned. Her black eyes widened in shock, mixed with a hint of admiration she didn't want to admit.
However, the shock was only momentary. With their swords still locked, Lisa, with the agility of a predator, drove her knee hard into Rio's stomach.
"UGH!" Rio fell again, but this time, a thin, almost invisible smile graced his split lips. He had done it.
"Score is still four hundred and twenty-one for Lisa!" Dany shouted, now more enthusiastic. "But that was a good parry, kid!"
"Round four hundred and twenty… two!"
A moment after Dany's shout, a sight that stunned everyone occurred. Rio, who had just been staggering, suddenly shot forward. His movement was so fast, it nearly matched Lisa's previous speed. His feet barely seemed to touch the ground. In an instant, he was right in front of Lisa.
His sword swung, not with brutal force, but with deadly precision, aimed directly at Lisa's neck.
Lisa, still slightly surprised by Rio's earlier parry, was now completely unprepared. Rio's sudden burst of speed left her no time to parry or dodge. All she could do was stare with wide eyes, a look of shock frozen on her face.
Less than half a centimeter from her pale skin, the tip of Rio's sword stopped. Hovering. Lethal.
Rio was fully aware of what he had just done. His breathing was heavy, but his eyes were focused and cold.
Total silence enveloped the field.
Lisa swallowed hard, glancing at the sword that had nearly grazed her neck. Then, slowly, the sword in her hand fell to the grass with a soft thud. Both her hands went up in surrender. "I… I give up," she said, her voice trembling slightly. Instantly, she sat down weakly on the ground, a mixture of shock, admiration, and a bit of wonder at herself for admitting defeat so easily.