Chapter 353: 353
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Not sparing Maynard another moment of preparation, Jin vanished with the whistle of the wind, reappearing directly in front of Maynard.
The first strike came from Jin's front fright hand. It was a simple move and seemed to be much slower than Jin was moving before. Swing down to the left, the first katana struck down without hesitation.
Maynard didn't dare to take the attack head-on. How could he compare to the strike of a god, even if the god clearly wasn't giving it his all? Instead, Maynard sidestepped and rotated to his left. Using his own katana to parry Jin's attack, Maynard started to prepare for the second strike. Yet Maynard had misjudged the simple attack.
When Maynard's katana came into contact with Jins, it phased through the blade, unable to deter the strike in any way.
"You can do better!" shouted Jin. His katana slashed Maynard's left forearm. "Test one: failed!"
Jin then stood up straight and lowered his blades, asking, "Are you ready for the second attempt?"
Perplexed, Maynard didn't reply immediately. The aspiring samurai was too distracted by his left sleeve. He had no clue how Jin had done it, but Maynard felt the attack phase through his arm. It hadn't damaged a single hair on Maynard's arm yet it cleanly slashed the sleeve of his kimono.
"Are you ready?" repeated Jin.
Swallowing some saliva, Maynard blinked and kept a relaxed, firm grip of his katana's. "Please, begin my second attempt."
"Very well!"
Like clockwork, Jin disappeared and reappeared while attacking in the exact same motion as the first time.
This time, however, Maynard avoided making contact at all costs. As the strike came, Maynard also disappeared to avoid the blade. Reappearing a couple of meters away, Maynard inhaled a deep breath.
Then, before Maynard could exhale, Jin was now in front of him. Even using Sudden Death, Maynard felt that Jin's attack mixed with his godly speed made the God of Discipline unavoidable.
"Come!" Jin shouted as his sword slashed through Maynard's right sleeve, again leaving the samurai's arm in mint condition.
Working overtime, Maynard's mind searched for some way to deal with Jin's strange attacks.
"Second attempt: failed!" Jin stood up straight and took another deep breath, maintain his stare without a single blink. "Are you ready for the third attempt?"
Still running without a strategy, Maynard kept quiet.
"Are you ready?" Jin repeated, noticing no change in Maynard's battle stance or hesitation in the man's eyes. "Then here I come!"
Again, Jin reenacted the same scenario and, strangely enough, it was terrifying for Maynard to know exactly what was going to happen and that he had no way of stopping or avoiding it.
"Come!"
Jin's yell rang throughout the shrine as the energy-coated blades met with the simple slash attack.
"CLANG!!"
The sound of clashing metal was that of a victory bell. All the stress and tension in Maynard's gaze lightened and sharpened as he readied himself for the following strike.
"Good! Now take my second attack!" Not giving Maynard much time to react, both of Jin's front arms swung down in a crossing motion without any added energy or skill.
More blood-red energy erupted from Maynard as he responded with a similar cross.
Though the sound of a clang still sounded, another sound quickly followed.
Some of the party members watching missed what had happened due to the attack's incredible speed. They were baffled as to why Maynard had fallen on one knee.
Rydel managed to spot the true attack hidden behind the cover of Jin's cross slash.
"His back right arm had the true attack," mentioned Jack, getting Rydel to nod in agreement. "Now, what sill Maynard do."
"Third attempt: failed!" Relaxing yet again, Jin asked for the third time, "Are you ready for the final attempt? Or do you need to drink a potion first?"
Maynard groaned as he forced himself back up. He looked down at his left leg. The pants he wore showed no signs of wear and tear yet blood covered the entire pant leg from the wound beneath the cloth.
"Are you--"
Before Jin finished his question or readied himself for the next attempt, Maynard bolted forward with Blood Thrust. It drove true, untouched by any of Jin's katanas as the god remained completely calm.
The fierceness in Maynard's eyes was the same he would have on a bloody battlefield, fighting for his life.
But that fierceness proved pointless. The blade phased through Jin's torso, passing directly through the god's touchable yet impregnable heart.
Maynard's attack continued, driving another thrust for the god's head, and again it went unblocked yet unsuccessful. This happened over and over again as the God of Discipline simply watched without batting an eye.
"What strategy is this? Explain yourself?"
"If I can't dodge your attacks, then I can only stop them by overwhelming them!" shouted Maynard. "If ya are unable to wield a sword, then ya can't strike me. If ya can't strike me, then I win!"
"Hmm… an interesting tactic indeed." Jin nodded to the relentless samurai. "Maynard, what is your name?"
Not staying his attacks, Maynard replied while his thrusts buried themselves into Jin's nearly ethereal body, "Maynard Avarich."
"Maynard Avarich… I'll remember that. I'll take it that you're ready!"
Undeterred by Maynard's many thrusts, Jin allowed them all to phase through him as his own katana swung down toward Maynard. The samurai countered the first strike and readied himself for the second.
When the cross slash aimed for Maynard, the samurai met them with a Blood Thrust, doing the same for the true attack swiftly executed by Jin's back right arm.
"Hmm… You know such tactics wouldn't work in true combat but decided to try your luck with me. You've got guts, Maynard Avarich. Now comes my third strike! Don't die!" warned Jin.
White ethereal energy gathered around Jin's blade as he repeated the same strike as his first, only increasing the power drastically.
Sensing the boost in the attack's strength, Maynard made a snap decision.
As Jin brought his sword down with precision and unwavering strength, Maynard readied a Blood Cross. Both attacks were primed and aimed, but not for each other. In place of meeting the attack head-on, Maynard vied to attack Jin with everything he had in an equal exchange.
Both attacks streaked through their opponents yet neither man fell.
Maynard's attack had no effect on the god whatsoever. The Blood Cross flashed through his body and was wasted completely.
On the other hand, Jin's sword phased through Maynard's body like it always did.
All was silent as Maynard examined his body first with his eyes and then with his hands. No clothes were cut and no wound could be found apart from the gash in his leg from earlier. He tried to focus on his internals but they also seemed to be in perfect condition.
"Now, for my fourth strike!"
Caught off guard, Maynard lifted his katanas but had no chance of competing with Jin's incomparable speed. The tip of Jin's katana had already pierced Maynard's heart before the man could put up a proper defense.
"By my godly authority, I hereby place you under my care, Maynard Avarich."
Speechless, Maynard blinked and was left with his mouth agape as the same ethereal white energy that had covered Jin's swords and made up the barrier glittered around him.
"Don't disappoint me, Maynard. Never back down and always take life head-on, one step at a time. Discipline is about taking a step forward every day, regardless if you were pushed back or not."
"Thank you, Master Jin!" Maynard hit the floor and kowtowed to the god, glad to have earned the god's blessing and happy to be alive.
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Not sparing Maynard another moment of preparation, Jin vanished with the whistle of the wind, reappearing directly in front of Maynard.
The first strike came from Jin's front fright hand. It was a simple move and seemed to be much slower than Jin was moving before. Swing down to the left, the first katana struck down without hesitation.
Maynard didn't dare to take the attack head-on. How could he compare to the strike of a god, even if the god clearly wasn't giving it his all? Instead, Maynard sidestepped and rotated to his left. Using his own katana to parry Jin's attack, Maynard started to prepare for the second strike. Yet Maynard had misjudged the simple attack.
When Maynard's katana came into contact with Jins, it phased through the blade, unable to deter the strike in any way.
"You can do better!" shouted Jin. His katana slashed Maynard's left forearm. "Test one: failed!"
Jin then stood up straight and lowered his blades, asking, "Are you ready for the second attempt?"
Perplexed, Maynard didn't reply immediately. The aspiring samurai was too distracted by his left sleeve. He had no clue how Jin had done it, but Maynard felt the attack phase through his arm. It hadn't damaged a single hair on Maynard's arm yet it cleanly slashed the sleeve of his kimono.
"Are you ready?" repeated Jin.
Swallowing some saliva, Maynard blinked and kept a relaxed, firm grip of his katana's. "Please, begin my second attempt."
"Very well!"
Like clockwork, Jin disappeared and reappeared while attacking in the exact same motion as the first time.
This time, however, Maynard avoided making contact at all costs. As the strike came, Maynard also disappeared to avoid the blade. Reappearing a couple of meters away, Maynard inhaled a deep breath.
Then, before Maynard could exhale, Jin was now in front of him. Even using Sudden Death, Maynard felt that Jin's attack mixed with his godly speed made the God of Discipline unavoidable.
"Come!" Jin shouted as his sword slashed through Maynard's right sleeve, again leaving the samurai's arm in mint condition.
Working overtime, Maynard's mind searched for some way to deal with Jin's strange attacks.
"Second attempt: failed!" Jin stood up straight and took another deep breath, maintain his stare without a single blink. "Are you ready for the third attempt?"
Still running without a strategy, Maynard kept quiet.
"Are you ready?" Jin repeated, noticing no change in Maynard's battle stance or hesitation in the man's eyes. "Then here I come!"
Again, Jin reenacted the same scenario and, strangely enough, it was terrifying for Maynard to know exactly what was going to happen and that he had no way of stopping or avoiding it.
"Come!"
Jin's yell rang throughout the shrine as the energy-coated blades met with the simple slash attack.
"CLANG!!"
The sound of clashing metal was that of a victory bell. All the stress and tension in Maynard's gaze lightened and sharpened as he readied himself for the following strike.
"Good! Now take my second attack!" Not giving Maynard much time to react, both of Jin's front arms swung down in a crossing motion without any added energy or skill.
More blood-red energy erupted from Maynard as he responded with a similar cross.
Though the sound of a clang still sounded, another sound quickly followed.
Some of the party members watching missed what had happened due to the attack's incredible speed. They were baffled as to why Maynard had fallen on one knee.
Rydel managed to spot the true attack hidden behind the cover of Jin's cross slash.
"His back right arm had the true attack," mentioned Jack, getting Rydel to nod in agreement. "Now, what sill Maynard do."
"Third attempt: failed!" Relaxing yet again, Jin asked for the third time, "Are you ready for the final attempt? Or do you need to drink a potion first?"
Maynard groaned as he forced himself back up. He looked down at his left leg. The pants he wore showed no signs of wear and tear yet blood covered the entire pant leg from the wound beneath the cloth.
"Are you--"
Before Jin finished his question or readied himself for the next attempt, Maynard bolted forward with Blood Thrust. It drove true, untouched by any of Jin's katanas as the god remained completely calm.
The fierceness in Maynard's eyes was the same he would have on a bloody battlefield, fighting for his life.
But that fierceness proved pointless. The blade phased through Jin's torso, passing directly through the god's touchable yet impregnable heart.
Maynard's attack continued, driving another thrust for the god's head, and again it went unblocked yet unsuccessful. This happened over and over again as the God of Discipline simply watched without batting an eye.
"What strategy is this? Explain yourself?"
"If I can't dodge your attacks, then I can only stop them by overwhelming them!" shouted Maynard. "If ya are unable to wield a sword, then ya can't strike me. If ya can't strike me, then I win!"
"Hmm… an interesting tactic indeed." Jin nodded to the relentless samurai. "Maynard, what is your name?"
Not staying his attacks, Maynard replied while his thrusts buried themselves into Jin's nearly ethereal body, "Maynard Avarich."
"Maynard Avarich… I'll remember that. I'll take it that you're ready!"
Undeterred by Maynard's many thrusts, Jin allowed them all to phase through him as his own katana swung down toward Maynard. The samurai countered the first strike and readied himself for the second.
When the cross slash aimed for Maynard, the samurai met them with a Blood Thrust, doing the same for the true attack swiftly executed by Jin's back right arm.
"Hmm… You know such tactics wouldn't work in true combat but decided to try your luck with me. You've got guts, Maynard Avarich. Now comes my third strike! Don't die!" warned Jin.
White ethereal energy gathered around Jin's blade as he repeated the same strike as his first, only increasing the power drastically.
Sensing the boost in the attack's strength, Maynard made a snap decision.
As Jin brought his sword down with precision and unwavering strength, Maynard readied a Blood Cross. Both attacks were primed and aimed, but not for each other. In place of meeting the attack head-on, Maynard vied to attack Jin with everything he had in an equal exchange.
Both attacks streaked through their opponents yet neither man fell.
Maynard's attack had no effect on the god whatsoever. The Blood Cross flashed through his body and was wasted completely.
On the other hand, Jin's sword phased through Maynard's body like it always did.
All was silent as Maynard examined his body first with his eyes and then with his hands. No clothes were cut and no wound could be found apart from the gash in his leg from earlier. He tried to focus on his internals but they also seemed to be in perfect condition.
"Now, for my fourth strike!"
Caught off guard, Maynard lifted his katanas but had no chance of competing with Jin's incomparable speed. The tip of Jin's katana had already pierced Maynard's heart before the man could put up a proper defense.
"By my godly authority, I hereby place you under my care, Maynard Avarich."
Speechless, Maynard blinked and was left with his mouth agape as the same ethereal white energy that had covered Jin's swords and made up the barrier glittered around him.
"Don't disappoint me, Maynard. Never back down and always take life head-on, one step at a time. Discipline is about taking a step forward every day, regardless if you were pushed back or not."
"Thank you, Master Jin!" Maynard hit the floor and kowtowed to the god, glad to have earned the god's blessing and happy to be alive.
Not sparing Maynard another moment of preparation, Jin vanished with the whistle of the wind, reappearing directly in front of Maynard.The first strike came from Jin's front fright hand. It was a simple move and seemed to be much slower than Jin was moving before. Swing down to the left, the first katana struck down without hesitation.Maynard didn't dare to take the attack head-on. How could he compare to the strike of a god, even if the god clearly wasn't giving it his all? Instead, Maynard sidestepped and rotated to his left. Using his own katana to parry Jin's attack, Maynard started to prepare for the second strike. Yet Maynard had misjudged the simple attack.When Maynard's katana came into contact with Jins, it phased through the blade, unable to deter the strike in any way."You can do better!" shouted Jin. His katana slashed Maynard's left forearm. "Test one: failed!"Jin then stood up straight and lowered his blades, asking, "Are you ready for the second attempt?"Perplexed, Maynard didn't reply immediately. The aspiring samurai was too distracted by his left sleeve. He had no clue how Jin had done it, but Maynard felt the attack phase through his arm. It hadn't damaged a single hair on Maynard's arm yet it cleanly slashed the sleeve of his kimono."Are you ready?" repeated Jin.Swallowing some saliva, Maynard blinked and kept a relaxed, firm grip of his katana's. "Please, begin my second attempt.""Very well!"Like clockwork, Jin disappeared and reappeared while attacking in the exact same motion as the first time.This time, however, Maynard avoided making contact at all costs. As the strike came, Maynard also disappeared to avoid the blade. Reappearing a couple of meters away, Maynard inhaled a deep breath.Then, before Maynard could exhale, Jin was now in front of him. Even using Sudden Death, Maynard felt that Jin's attack mixed with his godly speed made the God of Discipline unavoidable."Come!" Jin shouted as his sword slashed through Maynard's right sleeve, again leaving the samurai's arm in mint condition.Working overtime, Maynard's mind searched for some way to deal with Jin's strange attacks."Second attempt: failed!" Jin stood up straight and took another deep breath, maintain his stare without a single blink. "Are you ready for the third attempt?"Still running without a strategy, Maynard kept quiet."Are you ready?" Jin repeated, noticing no change in Maynard's battle stance or hesitation in the man's eyes. "Then here I come!"Again, Jin reenacted the same scenario and, strangely enough, it was terrifying for Maynard to know exactly what was going to happen and that he had no way of stopping or avoiding it."Come!"Jin's yell rang throughout the shrine as the energy-coated blades met with the simple slash attack."CLANG!!"The sound of clashing metal was that of a victory bell. All the stress and tension in Maynard's gaze lightened and sharpened as he readied himself for the following strike."Good! Now take my second attack!" Not giving Maynard much time to react, both of Jin's front arms swung down in a crossing motion without any added energy or skill.More blood-red energy erupted from Maynard as he responded with a similar cross.Though the sound of a clang still sounded, another sound quickly followed.Some of the party members watching missed what had happened due to the attack's incredible speed. They were baffled as to why Maynard had fallen on one knee.Rydel managed to spot the true attack hidden behind the cover of Jin's cross slash."His back right arm had the true attack," mentioned Jack, getting Rydel to nod in agreement. "Now, what sill Maynard do.""Third attempt: failed!" Relaxing yet again, Jin asked for the third time, "Are you ready for the final attempt? Or do you need to drink a potion first?"Maynard groaned as he forced himself back up. He looked down at his left leg. The pants he wore showed no signs of wear and tear yet blood covered the entire pant leg from the wound beneath the cloth."Are you--"Before Jin finished his question or readied himself for the next attempt, Maynard bolted forward with Blood Thrust. It drove true, untouched by any of Jin's katanas as the god remained completely calm.The fierceness in Maynard's eyes was the same he would have on a bloody battlefield, fighting for his life.But that fierceness proved pointless. The blade phased through Jin's torso, passing directly through the god's touchable yet impregnable heart.Maynard's attack continued, driving another thrust for the god's head, and again it went unblocked yet unsuccessful. This happened over and over again as the God of Discipline simply watched without batting an eye."What strategy is this? Explain yourself?""If I can't dodge your attacks, then I can only stop them by overwhelming them!" shouted Maynard. "If ya are unable to wield a sword, then ya can't strike me. If ya can't strike me, then I win!""Hmm an interesting tactic indeed." Jin nodded to the relentless samurai. "Maynard, what is your name?"Not staying his attacks, Maynard replied while his thrusts buried themselves into Jin's nearly ethereal body, "Maynard Avarich.""Maynard Avarich I'll remember that. I'll take it that you're ready!"Undeterred by Maynard's many thrusts, Jin allowed them all to phase through him as his own katana swung down toward Maynard. The samurai countered the first strike and readied himself for the second.When the cross slash aimed for Maynard, the samurai met them with a Blood Thrust, doing the same for the true attack swiftly executed by Jin's back right arm."Hmm You know such tactics wouldn't work in true combat but decided to try your luck with me. You've got guts, Maynard Avarich. Now comes my third strike! Don't die!" warned Jin.White ethereal energy gathered around Jin's blade as he repeated the same strike as his first, only increasing the power drastically.Sensing the boost in the attack's strength, Maynard made a snap decision.As Jin brought his sword down with precision and unwavering strength, Maynard readied a Blood Cross. Both attacks were primed and aimed, but not for each other. In place of meeting the attack head-on, Maynard vied to attack Jin with everything he had in an equal exchange.Both attacks streaked through their opponents yet neither man fell.Maynard's attack had no effect on the god whatsoever. The Blood Cross flashed through his body and was wasted completely.On the other hand, Jin's sword phased through Maynard's body like it always did.All was silent as Maynard examined his body first with his eyes and then with his hands. No clothes were cut and no wound could be found apart from the gash in his leg from earlier. He tried to focus on his internals but they also seemed to be in perfect condition."Now, for my fourth strike!"Caught off guard, Maynard lifted his katanas but had no chance of competing with Jin's incomparable speed. The tip of Jin's katana had already pierced Maynard's heart before the man could put up a proper defense."By my godly authority, I hereby place you under my care, Maynard Avarich."Speechless, Maynard blinked and was left with his mouth agape as the same ethereal white energy that had covered Jin's swords and made up the barrier glittered around him."Don't disappoint me, Maynard. Never back down and always take life head-on, one step at a time. Discipline is about taking a step forward every day, regardless if you were pushed back or not.""Thank you, Master Jin!" Maynard hit the floor and kowtowed to the god, glad to have earned the god's blessing and happy to be alive.
