Book 1 Chapter 436

Leo looked at Arion without a word.

Arion raised his fist towards Leo.

The atmosphere was entirely different from when he had been facing other students just a moment ago.

"Why aren't you moving? Why are you just standing there?"

"Hmph. As expected, a mage is still a mage, no matter what."

Borman puffed out his chest with a smug expression.

"This is how warriors at their peak fight! It might look like nothing is happening, but they're engaged in a fierce battle of wits! The one who moves first shows an opening, so the more skilled the warrior, the less likely they are to move first! This is a battle of patience! They'll be locked in this standoff for at least another few tens of minutes!"

Whoosh-!

Before Borman could even finish speaking, Leo closed the distance with Arion.

Seeing Borman's embarrassed expression as Chelsea looked at him with disdain.

Ar's eyes widened, and he focused intently on Leo and Arion's spar, as if he couldn't afford to miss a single moment.

'The Black Rabbit's skill is amazing.'

Ar knew it too.

There was an immense gap between Leo and himself.

Ar couldn't fathom the depth of Leo's martial arts.

'But even that Black Rabbit's skill won't reach Arion-nim.'

His opponent was Arion the Hero.

The possessor of absolute power, praised as the God of War.

It wasn't simply because he possessed immense strength.

In Dwenno's world, last time.

And in the spar just now, Ar keenly realized how impossibly high Arion was.

'Arion-nim seems even stronger now than when I saw him in Dwenno's world.'

He thought it was nearly impossible for Leo to fight Arion to a draw.

'But wouldn't it be possible to at least reveal some of Arion-nim's abilities?'

He thought that Leo's endless potential might be able to draw out Arion's true strength.

That's why Ar didn't want to miss even the smallest detail of this spar.

'The Black Rabbit would surely aim for Arion-nim's flank…'

Snap-!

"The front?!"

Ar's eyes widened.

It was because Leo charged directly at Arion without hesitation.

'Arion has no blind spots anyway.'

Arion's extrasensory perception, to the extent of predicting even fragmented futures during combat.

As long as that existed, Arion had no blind spots.

No matter how fast Leo moved or how much he disrupted Arion's vision, he couldn't escape Arion's range of perception.

Swish-!

Leo's sword struck at Arion.

Arion's eyes narrowed as he saw the sword.

'I can't block it.'

He considered deflecting the sword, but he knew that the moment he did, Leo would rush into his embrace.

Arion's senses detected the dagger tied to Leo's waist.

In pure close-quarters combat, Arion was superior to Leo.

However, in irregular battles of wits, Leo had a slight edge over Arion.

If Arion's strength was built upon innate senses, reaction speed, and overwhelming eyesight, Leo's strength was honed through countless battlefield experiences.

Arion had also experienced countless battles.

But Leo. Kyle, the surviving hero, had fought on more battlefields.

'Kyle was on the battlefield long before I ever was.'

Moreover, it wasn't just Arion who could read situations to the level of foresight through extrasensory perception.

Although not to Arion's level.

Leo was also a warrior who had stepped into the realm of extrasensory perception.

Arion dodged Leo's sword and reached out towards Leo's abdomen.

Leo twisted his body in mid-air, evading Arion's attack.

Clang- Sring!

At that moment, Arion drew the dagger, a secondary weapon, tied to Leo's waist.

Along with that, Arion's blocked senses returned.

His vision activated, and his previously closed hearing and smell began to relay information.

Whoosh-!

Arion moved his feet.

Arion, who hadn't moved even when eight people attacked him while his senses were sealed, moved with all his senses unleashed.

Even Arion the Hero couldn't gain an advantage against Kyle, the Hero of Beginnings, when his senses were restricted.

Clang-! Kuaaagagagag-!

The short blade of the dagger and the blade of the long sword clashed.

Arion, holding the dagger in a reverse grip, thrust the sword upwards.

Sparks flew between the swords.

Leo's right hand, gripping the sword, was raised upwards.

Whoosh-!

With his right hand raised, Leo exposed his abdomen.

Completely defenseless.

Seeing this, Arion unleashed a powerful kick.

Kuaaang-!

Leo's body was sent flying.

Charrrr-!

The soles of Leo's shoes scraped the ground, kicking up dust.

Leo, regaining his balance, quickly moved away.

Kuaaang-!

Arion's fist struck the spot where Leo had been.

The ground caved in, and dust flew in all directions.

"How can such destructive power come from a movement like that?!"

Celía's eyes widened.

Arion showed no signs of exerting great force, neither in the kick he had landed on Leo moments ago nor in his current attack.

Yet, destructive power far exceeding expectations erupted from Arion's fingertips and toes.

"He's concentrating a handful of power into one spot."

Chen Xia, who had been watching the exchange with unusually sharp eyes, replied.

"He compresses his aura for a fleeting moment and then releases it. At a speed so fast it's hard to perceive."

"If that's the case, wouldn't even Leo-oppa have taken significant damage?"

"I don't know."

Everyone's attention turned to Leo.

'He didn't take significant damage.'

Arion looked at Leo.

In that fleeting moment, Leo quickly compressed his aura and nullified Arion's attack.

'He's gotten stronger.'

He wasn't the Kyle Arion knew.

If comparing the total amount of power, Leo's strength didn't reach the strength of the Kyle Arion knew.

'Kyle is regaining his power now.'

Arion thought Leo had gotten stronger in terms of skill.

The Kyle Arion knew wouldn't have been able to perfectly block the attack from a moment ago.

He was reminded anew that the friend before him was not the friend he knew.

'Even in this era of peace, you… haven't stopped.'

Seeing Kyle, who remained sharp despite living in an era of peace, he could tell.

That he had never been at ease for a single moment.

To pass on the peace they had risked their lives to protect to future generations intact.

How much his friend was trying.

Arion looked at the students engrossed in their spar.

'In that case.'

He readjusted his grip on the dagger.

'I must try, so I can pass on even a little.'

He suddenly wanted to pass on his techniques to future generations.

Arion lowered his stance.

Seeing that, Leo shook his hand.

'He's going to get serious now.'

Shaking his left hand, which had blocked Arion's kick, he tried to shake off the numbness.

Whoosh-!

This time, seeing Arion initiating the attack, Leo readjusted his grip on his sword.

Kuaagag-!

Swords clashed, sparks flying.

***

"How was it?"

After the spar concluded.

Arion smiled as he looked at the students lined up before him.

"It was amazing!"

Borman exclaimed with a moved expression.

"I felt that Instructor Akan's techniques are on a level that cannot be fathomed! Is all of that due to extrasensory perception?"

"Extrasensory perception is a technique that pushes the senses to their limits. The technique I used in the battle earlier is in a different realm."

"Ooh!"

"If you're curious about my techniques, I'll teach them to you together."

All the students' eyes widened.

For a warrior, techniques were like a mage's core magic.

Even mages who published numerous magic papers wouldn't reveal their core magic formulas when presenting their groundbreaking magic at conferences.

It was natural for researchers not to easily share the results of their long years of research with the public.

It was the same for warriors.

Sharing the results of years of training with others was never an easy matter.

Yet, the instructor before them said he would teach techniques of an incredibly high level without hesitation.

"First, I'll teach you how to activate extrasensory perception."

"Yes!"

The students responded with enthusiasm.

"Since you've learned the Hero's Breath, you should be able to master extrasensory perception quickly."

"Is it a derivative technique of the Hero's Breath?"

"In a sense, yes."

Precisely, it was a technique Arion used naturally while breathing.

'I also struggled to learn his techniques.'

Leo clicked his tongue inwardly.

Arion's breathing and extrasensory perception were also of unimaginable difficulty to learn.

In the first place, as Arion's unique technique, it would have been impossible to learn if it weren't for Leo's mana characteristics.

But what made learning Arion's techniques even harder was this:

"First, inhale and feel the mana."

"Yes."

"Then, spread the mana throughout your entire body."

Arion taught them the method of mana manipulation for using extrasensory perception.

"And then?"

"Stimulate all the sensory organs in your body with the mana spread around."

"…What?"

The students, who had been listening intently with shining eyes, suddenly stiffened.

"You feel it, right?"

Seeing Arion's shining eyes, Dion raised his hand.

"Instructor Akan."

"What is it?"

"Could you explain more concretely? The explanation is too difficult."

"Hmm? Was the explanation too abstract? Well, the children I've taught all found my explanations difficult."

Arion, who had been pondering with his arms crossed, snapped his fingers and said.

"Right! Imagine making the mana like grains of sand, then putting them in a glass bottle and shaking it!"

"…"

"…"

The students' faces became even more bizarre at Arion's cheerful explanation.

"Is it difficult? Hmm… In that case."

Arion tried his best to explain in detail.

The feeling of mana manipulation, the timing of breathing, and so on.

He tried to explain the sensation of using extrasensory perception with words.

But the more he tried, the stranger the students' faces became.

"Let's take a short break. I'll explain it better."

Finally, Arion gave them a break.

"Leo-nim. You worked hard in the spar!"

Eiran approached Leo and handed him a towel she took from subspace.

Leo was drenched in sweat due to the hot weather and intense movements.

"Thanks."

Leo smiled and wiped his face with the towel Eiran handed him.

Then, he pulled at the collar of his shirt to let air circulate inside.

Seeing this, Eiran blushed slightly.

Her collarbone, revealed intermittently, was quite stimulating for a pubescent girl.

While averting her gaze, she kept sneaking glances at Leo.

"As expected of the Black Rabbit! To hold out against Arion-nim, even with his senses blocked!"

The other students believed Arion had maintained his sensory restrictions when fighting Leo.

"Hiiick? I-I wasn't peeking at anything!"

Eiran exclaimed in a panic at Ar's voice from behind.

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"It's… it's nothing!"

Eiran frantically shook her head at Ar, who looked bewildered.

"Anyway, Arion-nim is still the same. His explanations are too difficult."

"I guess it's because our perspectives are different."

Ar sighed softly, and Eiran gave an awkward laugh.

The two of them had already received training from Arion in Dwenno's world.

Even then, Arion's explanations were difficult to understand.

As a result, they had focused on spar-based training.

"This time, we can't just wing it with physical training, so it'll be even harder."

"Wing… it?"

At Ar's words, as he sighed with his arms crossed, Eiran perked up her ears and blushed to herself.

Then, her eyes met Leo's, and she startled, letting out a dry cough.

"Leo-nim, is Arion-nim's explanation difficult for you too?"

"I have a general grasp of it."

"What?"

"What?!"

Eiran and Ar were greatly surprised by Leo's answer.

Ar, with his tail held high, asked.

"Really? You're not lying, are you?"

"Why would I lie?"

"As expected of Leo-nim!"

Eiran beamed.

"I'll give you advice once I get a complete grasp of it too."

After that.

When the break ended, the students listened intently to Arion's explanations all day.

In the interim, Leo also provided the students with much more detailed explanations than Arion.

It was only as the sun began to set that the students were able to grasp the basic stage of activating extrasensory perception.

"Everyone is amazing!"

Arion clapped his hands, genuinely delighted.

Seeing Arion genuinely proud, the students were truly happy.

"Arkan-nim must have put in strenuous effort to use this technique, right?"

Celía asked with a slightly flushed face.

To which Arion replied with a bright voice.

"No, it just came naturally to me from birth."

The students' faces contorted strangely.

And Arion's subsequent words were enough to make them despair.

"How is it? Now that you have a general grasp, it's quite easy, isn't it?"

'It's not easy.'

The students screamed inwardly.