"Draw your blade," Musano said. Keiko did so in a hurry.
She didn't even notice that her hands were trembling in front of her.
"Here are the rules," Musano said, "if you land a hit on me, you win."
"Is... that all?" Keiko asked. Musano nodded.
"The hit does not have to be clean, or lethal. If your blade touches my body, then you win."
Nodding, Keiko closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Easier than I thought, she told herself. Calm down. This will be...
Then, she heard a whoosh sound. When she opened her eyes, Musano's blade was at her neck. The edge of it was hovering just a few centimeters over her skin. Musano looked at her and scoffed.
"What kind of warrior closes their eyes in front of an enemy?" He asked.
"I... I wasn't..."
"Prepared?" He walked away before retaking the position he had. "You should have been prepared the instant you walked through that door. Now, focus."
Shaking her head, Keiko took the same fighting stance and nodded.
"Iridos," Keiko said, activating her Spirit Eye. Musano noticed that and chuckled lowly. He did not say anything though, instead, he hunched his back and charged towards her.
He went for a horizontal slash across Keiko's abdomen. The girl lowered her blade, blocking the hit. Her wrists nearly broke from the force behind the attack. As Musano turned this attack into three more slashes aimed at different parts of her body, her legs, her head, and her chest, each one left Keiko wanting to drop her sword and hold herself.
He's... So strong.
Musano pushed away Keiko's sword with his own weapon, easily, and placed his sword right back where it had been previously. This time, he pressed it into her skin slightly, and Keiko felt a sting on top of her throat.
"Are you still not prepared?" He asked. "The battle has started, Zayama."
"I... I'm sorry."
"Why are you apologizing to an enemy?" He asked. "Respond with your blade, not with words!"
Keiko, with wide eyes and her heart drumming in her ears, nodded feverishly. Musano raised his blade. He brought it down in a vertical slash and Keiko blocked, but his blade pushed all the way down to her shoulder.
She was convinced that if he had wanted to, he could have slashed her in two with ease at that moment.
He's humiliating me.
Then, he switched to a horizontal attack, followed by two quick swipes. Keiko blocked every attack, but her arms felt like they were burning. He stopped after the third attack, letting Keiko catch her breath.
Her mind went blank. As Musano took a step back and positioned himself again, the Zayama girl nearly dropped her sword.
This is impossible, she thought.
"So, it seems then that if I take the initiative, you'll never be able to succeed. As pathetic as that is, I'll let you try it on your own then. Come! Attack me!"
Once again, Keiko nodded and tried to focus.
I came this far, she told herself, I can't just give up now.
Trying to light a fire in her heart, Keiko willed her legs to move forward. Every step was incredibly hard to take, but she found herself moving closer to Musano. Then, she raised her blade, and, with one lazy outstretched arm, Musano blocked her attack.
"... Is that supposed to be an attack?" He asked. "Again."
Keiko froze up.
"Did you not hear me? I said, again!"
All of a sudden, Keiko felt like she was back at the Zayama Compound, the eyes of her grandmother watching her as she failed to produce her Spirit Eye. She thought she'd forgotten, but no. At this moment, those memories flashed in front of her eyes.
---
"Of course, she can't do it." Her grandmother sighed. "Try again."
The sheer amount of disappointment coming from her side of the room was enough to make Keiko want to shrink.
"Once more," Haruna nodded.
Keiko tried again.
---
The Zayama ran forwards, towards Musano. She swung her sword two times. Both times, Musano barely needed to move to deflect her attacks. Her sword bounced off of his as though she had hit a wall.
She stopped for a moment and stared. How can I...?
He stared back at her, disappointment clear to see in his eyes. Then, with an incantation, he slashed at the wind.
"Koro."
A gust of air hit Keiko and sent her flying back. She landed a few meters away, shocked.
"Is this how the daughter of the Twin Dragons fights? Did you train at all before coming here?" He asked.
Keiko tried again. With legs that beckoned her to turn around and walk out of the room, she ran up and slashed twice once more. Musano blocked both attacks in one motion, holding her blade up with his.
"An amateur stands before me," he said, "wishing to learn the secrets of the Zayama clan, without having to work for them. Is that it? Did you come here expecting me to hand you power in exchange for nothing?"
Keiko spun, slashing at his neck, and once again, her attack was blocked.
In truth, she wasn't even using any techniques. She couldn't think properly at the moment. Shame, embarrassment, and guilt mixed in her mind to form an unfocused mess of a fighter.
---
Keiko deflected an attack from Haruna and countered with a slash of her own. Haruna dodged and Keiko heard her grandmother click her tongue.
"Even the most basic of techniques are lost on her, a talentless child through and through."
---
Several minutes passed.
Keiko held her sword in front of her, tears beginning to form in her eyes.
"Turn around and walk away, little girl," Musano said. "You are not ready."
Instead, she ran up again. Her body moved, motivated by need.
I can't stop here, she thought. Ash, Kaori, everyone, they're depending on me. I can't come back to them as a failure.
So, she tried her same attacks once more. Failing miserably to produce anything notable. Musano would swat away her blade like it was a child's toy. At the end of this exchange, he kicked her back and Keiko had the wind knocked out of her lungs.
Struggling to catch her breath, Musano walked up.
"If you will not stop of your own volition, then I will make you cease."
Then, the Spirit Eye told Keiko that Musano would attempt multiple slashes, and yet, she was far too slow to stop any of them.
Her shoulders, her thighs, her waist, and her biceps, each of these parts received a superficial cut. She nearly dropped her sword. Instead, she fell to her knees.
"Now, get out before I take your head off," Musano muttered in a threatening tone.
Instead, Keiko stood up. Taking deep breaths and ignoring the aching parts of her body that had been cut, she stared ahead, holding her weapon up.
---
Keiko was told that behind the training area at the Compound, was a bright garden with flowers that glowed in the dark.
She couldn't see them, but sometimes, she felt like just being around them made her warmer. So, every now and then, she'd walk here, sit down on the stair's steps and hold her hands on her lap.
A hand fell on her shoulder.
"Hey," A voice she recognized said, "mind if I sit with you?"
"No," Keiko replied. Honoka, one of the few people in the Compound she could call a friend, sat beside her.
They remained in silence for a while, until Honoka spoke up again.
"How's your day been?"
Keiko recalled the insults her grandmother had lobbed at her, but smiled and said:
"It's been good. And yours?"
With that, the same conversation ensued that they usually had. As meaningless as their words basically were, Keiko still appreciated it.
Maybe it was these moments that gave her the energy to try again the next day.
---
Musano slammed his blade against hers multiple times. Keiko blocked the attacks but, especially now since she was hurt, it was difficult. Every single time, she swore his blade would go right through her.
It never did, but she felt like he could kill her at any moment. That his patience was the only thing keeping her alive, and that it was running out.
However, taking deep breaths, Keiko held her sword up.
"... I saw you," he said suddenly, "as you made your way up the Castle."
Keiko's eyes widened.
"These floors are linked. I watched every battle. Your master, she got you to this point, right?" Even though he had no eyes, his stare almost burned holes through Keiko's eyes. "A cheater and an amateur. How can you bear to stand in front of me?" He asked. "Someone with even a grain of honor would be plunging their sword into their heart right now."
A tear fell down Keiko's face. However, she remained standing in front of him.
I can't give up. I'm sorry.
She charged forwards.
Multiple exchanges proceeded that. None ended differently. For what had to be around ten, maybe twenty minutes, with drops of blood flying through the air every time Keiko made a move, she clashed with Musano.
Deflections, parries, blocks, none of the fundamentals she prided herself on made a difference. She was, at least, in front of him, an amateur. And yet, Keiko didn't relent.
"What a sad thing to see," Musano said. "Like a leaf struggling against the wind, you keep holding on to an imaginary hope. Here, I'll make it simple for you."
After several more moments of battle, Musano raised his sword. Keiko held hers in front of her face, scared to death. He brought it down on her and she blocked the attack.
But his sword went straight through her blade, breaking it. His weapon ended just a hair above Keiko's face, between her eyes.
"Leave, before I change my mind." He said.
Keiko stared at the sword.
Wordlessly, she took a step back.
"Finally," Musano said. "Disgrace..."
But Keiko did not leave. Instead, she remained standing there and held her broken sword up.
Musano watched her and for a few seconds, they remained in silence.
Keiko shook her head. Her hands were shaking, her stance was unsure and off-balance, but she remained in front of him.
Musano didn't say a word either. They both watched each other. Then, Keiko took a step forwards.
She had meant to run, but she was so tired she was only capable of a slow walk towards him. With her broken sword, she got closer.
Musano watched her take every step until she was standing in front of him.
She tried to push her arms up, but her shoulders wouldn't let her, so Keiko instead tried a stabbing motion.
Of course, Musano would block it, but Keiko didn't care. She couldn't turn around and go back to Jade without results. She would see this through to the end.
Clank.
Keiko blinked.
Somewhat dizzy, she had trouble focusing on what she was seeing. Everything was a little blurry.
However, when her eyes focused, she saw her broken sword, tapping against Musano's armor. The man stood in front of her, staring down at Keiko.
She looked up at his face and then back down at her hands.
What?
"You are an utter fool," Musano shook his head.
"I..."
"But," he cut her off, "it is clear that you possess the will to continue. I cannot fail you, no matter how much I might want to."
Hearing those words, Keiko fainted.
---
Later, her eyes opened again. Haruna was sitting next to her. Ahead, Musano was sitting at the center of the room, his back turned to Keiko.
"She's awake?" Musano said.
"Y-Yes," Haruna answered, clearly surprised.
"Good. Leave us, seiyo." Musano said.
Haruna stood up and bowed. Glancing at Keiko, the young Zayama saw an emotion flicker through her eyes that she couldn't quite read. Then, Haruna walked out of the room.
Keiko sat up. She looked down at her own body and saw that her wounds had been healed. At the corners of the room, candles burned away.
"Sit in front of me," Musano said.
Keiko, realizing where she was, quickly crawled over and did so.
"Y-Yes, siya," she bowed.
"... When I first saw what you and your teacher were doing," Musano started, "I was so enraged I yearned for the opportunity to cut your head off for it," Musano spoke with a low voice, that of an old man who had seen more in one year than Keiko had in her entire life. "You are not the first to try it, but it had been some time since the last idiot who came and did that. However, unlike them, when you reached me, you remained. I showed you the difference in power between us, I let you know how foolish this plan was, and yet, where the other person fled, you stayed here."
Keiko listened, her back straight as Musano paused briefly.
"That was when my anger began to change into curiosity," Musano said. "I began to wonder what it was that had you here, what compelled you to continue. That said, I was sure it wouldn't last, and then, the test began." He held three ethereal fingers up. "Willpower is tested in three ways, the mind, the spirit, and the body."
Keiko nodded.
"The mind, the easiest one to break. Your logic. You knew you had no chance of beating me. Usually, when a person is faced with such an obstacle, their response is to leave and come back when they're actually strong enough. Most of the time though, they don't come back at all. You, however, are a special kind of idiot. So, you stayed."
Keiko scratched the back of her head.
"The second, your spirit. No matter how confident one might be, when faced with an insurmountable task, if one has their ego beaten down like I was doing to you, they would surely break and run away. A person's ego is something most people strive to protect, and yet, you treated it like it was worth nothing."
Keiko looked away.
"Finally, your body. Even if you're foolish enough to believe you can win, upon being torn apart, even the dumbest of warriors would scurry off. And yet, hands trembling, you walked up to me. It was at that moment I realized, whether you cheated or not, my test was designed to measure your willpower."
"So..."
"It means that, even if you didn't deserve to get past the first four floors, you did deserve to get past the fifth. This one, you beat on your own merits. Because of that, it is now my duty to allow you to the sixth floor."
"What?" Keiko narrowed her brows. "There's another floor?"
Musano nodded.
"That one, however, does not hold any challenges but instead holds the rewards that await you."
Musano stood up. As he turned and walked to the back of the open room, Keiko felt as though he was subtly telling her to follow. So, she went with him. The railing had a small gate that Keiko hadn't noticed before. He opened it and moved it aside.
Now, there was nothing separating them from the land outside the castle. The forest below was just one suicidal step away. However, then, Musano stepped forwards and didn't fall. Keiko gasped, as he walked up invisible stairs.
"Ah-...." Following the man, Keiko felt like she was in a dream. Just a few short steps later, Musano brandished his black katana.
"Koro."
He slashed at the air and revealed another floor, that had previously been cloaked.
He walked in, and Keiko went in with him. Then, she gasped for a second time, as she saw what was inside.
It was like a vault. Suits of armor, swords, spears, books, even a garden of flowers at the back, the room they walked into was something Keiko couldn't have imagined.
"I will need to give you a weapon to replace the one you lost," Musano noted. He searched amongst the weapons present and picked one out. Then, he walked back towards Keiko and handed her a katana, slightly longer than the one she had before.
"What...?"
She unsheathed it, and her lips parted.
"The Golden Blade of Iriko Zayama. Your father's weapon."
Keiko's hands almost gave out as she held it.
"Each of the warriors whose spirits are kept within this castle has their armor and weapons stored here. You are his daughter. I see no reason for you not to have it."
"B-But, I thought this was kept back at the Compound..."
"Whatever they have there is a fake, this is the real thing," Musano stated. "Now, as for the techniques."
"Huh?"
"What, did you think you would just walk in and take everything?" Musano chuckled. "No, I pick your rewards for you."
"O-Oh..."
That's... Slightly disappointing.
Still in shock though, she stared down at what was her father's sword. It was beautiful, an elegant weapon that looked fit to belong to a legend.
"Show me your stats," Musano said.
"R-Right."
Level 24
MP: 100/100
EXP: 40/250
---
STR: 25
DEX: 42
CON: 10
INT: 10
WIS: 10
L: 5
"Hm. Very well then, I will give you these two books."
Musano returned holding two tomes. One was colored white and depicted a man meditating, another was black and had no design on the cover.
"The Art of the Blade Dancer, and the Zayama Wind Style. Both of these will turn you into a force to be feared on the battlefield, however, note this," Musano put a hand on her shoulder. "You still have a ways to go, seiyo. Continue your training. That willpower you showed me, pour as much of it as you can into honing your body. Then, you will become a legend as I, and your parents, are."
"Thank you, siya!" Keiko bowed. She saw the books re-materialize behind Musano, copies being created right in front of her eyes.
"... Now, go. You've proven yourself. Your time at this castle is over."
---
As Keiko walked back to the first floor, she couldn't help but sneak a peek at what was in the books.
The Zayama Wind Style book was dedicated to spells, while the Art of the Blade Dancer held weapon techniques. Both of which had a restriction placed on them by the world's System that meant they could only be used by whoever Musano chose.
Even if she wanted to give them to Haruna, they'd do nothing for her.
Her teacher stood outside the castle, and a smile came to her when she saw Keiko.
"So, you did it," Haruna said.
Keiko nodded. She looked back, glancing at the castle. The fourth floor briefly passed through her mind. Maybe someday...
However, she turned back to Haruna and said:
"I'm done."
"Then, let's go back home."
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