NBAA Vol. 6 Chapter 1 Part 3
Having barely escaped from Shun, Reito arrived home, took off his fur cloak and the mask he bought at the stall, and jumped onto Ullr’s sleeping body in the garden.
“Here I come!”
“Kuun…?”
“Phew… Your fur is as soft and fluffy as ever.”
Reito lay down, using Ullr’s sleeping body as a pillow, and remembered the times when they used to sleep outdoors like this. He thought about falling asleep right away, but he couldn’t sleep, as if his eyes were wide awake.
“Maybe I got a little too excited… Sorry for waking you up.”
“Woof!”
Ullr let out a protesting cry, as if to say that was exactly the case. To appease Ullr, Reito stroked its head and stayed by its side until it fell asleep. After making sure Ullr was sound asleep, Reito left his home.
“Maybe I should do a little exercise.”
Reito activated his storage magic to retrieve his Extermination Blade and carried it on his back as he moved to a deserted place. His destination was an open space at the end of a back alley. A long time ago, when Reito first visited this city, he encountered a thief there. He checked that no one was around and jumped onto the roof of a building. His level had increased considerably, so he was able to jump using only his raw physical abilities without activating his physical enhancement support magic.
『Alright, this should be a good spot. No problems, right, Airis?』
『Well, there are no people around.』
After confirming with Airis, just in case, Reito drew his Extermination Blade and tried to hold it with only his right hand. However, since he had recently transformed the blade into adamantite, its weight had increased, making it difficult for him to handle it with just one arm.
“Whoops… ‘Gravity Strike Blade’.”
The moment Reito let crimson magic power flow into his palm, the weight of the Extermination Blade disappeared. He had manipulated gravity using his magic. With the sword in one hand, Reito swung it around effortlessly. The advantage of using gravity-manipulating magic was that it allowed him to use any weapon, regardless of its weight.
He activated “Iceclad Sword” on his other arm, creating a blade of ice.
“Today, I’ll practice dual-wielding. I hope I can do it well…”
Although he had used dual-wielding in combat several times, it had always been with a combination of longswords, and he had rarely swung a greatsword like the Extermination Blade with just one arm. The reason was that even with enhanced physical abilities, the Extermination Blade’s weight was too heavy for Reito to handle.
However, thanks to recently learning a new battle skill called “Gravity Strike Blade,” Reito was now able to swing the Extermination Blade with just one arm. Imitating the movements of his cousin Nao, who excelled in dual-wielding, he practiced the technique.
“Haah!”
As Reito tried to recreate Nao’s movements while swinging both swords, he realized that he couldn’t move as freely as her. After all, Nao used a “cutlass,” not a “broadsword” or a “longsword” like Reito. Since their weapons were different, it was difficult for Reito to perfectly imitate Nao’s fighting style. Deciding this, he resolved to create a style that suited him better.
First, he needed to check whether he could activate battle skills while wielding weapons in both hands. Holding a greatsword and a longsword in each hand, Reito tried using basic battle skills.
“Helmet Splitter!”
The moment he activated the skill, Reito raised both the Extermination Blade and the longsword high above his head and swung them down simultaneously. When using “Helmet Splitter” with only a greatsword or a longsword, he would swing down with both hands. The speed and power were weaker when swinging down with one hand each, compared to using both hands.
“Whirlwind!”
Next, Reito tried activating a skill that involved swinging both swords horizontally. His arms crossed, swinging the swords from both left and right directions. Like the previous “Helmet Splitter,” the sword speed and power were weaker, but the attack range was extended.
“Spin Strike!”
Furthermore, Reito activated a battle skill that involved rotating his body and slashing at his opponent. In the next moment, his body made a clockwise rotation, using both feet as the axis. The momentum of the rotation quickly swung both swords. The movement was similar to when he had only one sword, and the speed and sword pressure increased with each rotation, just as before.
“Thrust!”
This time, he activated a recently learned combat technique.
As he did, Reito thrust both his swords forward. Due to the difference in blade length, the greatsword had a longer reach.
『For now, this is all I’ve got… Actually, I’ve only ever used these four combat techniques in battle. I’ve learned a few others, though…』
『It’s not like having more techniques necessarily makes you stronger. It means that you’ve mastered these skills, Reito.』
『True.』
The number of techniques used in real combat doesn’t necessarily pose a problem.
Moreover, Reito had developed a sword technique called “Stark Blade,” which strengthened his combat techniques by combining them with the “Strike Blade” techniques he had learned from Bal.
Thanks to this powerful sword technique, Reito could fight on equal terms with stronger opponents.
However, the Strike Blade technique, which uses the entire body’s muscles, is highly incompatible with using weapons in both hands. In other words, Reito cannot use Stark Blade while dual-wielding.
Therefore, he needed to devise a new strategy for fighting with two weapons.
『Any good techniques, Aiemon?』
『Who’s Aiemon…? Well, how about learning the ‘Shippuken’ technique?』
『’Shippuken’? What kind of technique is that?』
As Reito tilted his head, Airis explained in detail.
『It’s literally a speed-focused sword technique. It’s also a technique that beastmen can easily learn.』
Even though it was a speed-focused technique, Reito couldn’t quite picture what it would be like.
He decided to ask how to learn it anyway.
『How can I learn it?』
『Well, you should learn some martial arts skills first. I’m sure you can easily learn them, Reito.』
『Martial art skills? …Alright.』
Reito let go of his weapons and began to follow Airis’s instructions.
First, he used the “Ice Block” to create a human-shaped ice figure. Then, he covered his fists with chunks of ice, like boxing gloves.
『It looks like we’re going to learn a lot this time. Let’s start with the basic ‘Fist Strike’ technique.』
『’Fist Strike,’ huh…? What was that again?』
『Remember when Gonzo was fighting? Do you recall the technique he used while battling the Battle Golem?』
『I see, that one… Got it, I’ll give it a try.』
Having not used it for a while, Reito had almost forgotten about the “Fist Strike” battle skill he had learned. Airis told him that by continuing to use it, he could acquire a new skill. Reito thrust his fist toward the ice dummy, striking its face. A small crack appeared on the dummy, but it wasn’t enough to destroy it. Remembering how Gonzo had fought the other day, Reito immediately struck with his left fist as well. After repeating this motion several times, a screen finally appeared before his eyes.
〈You have acquired the Technical Skill: “Rapid Punches”〉
“Alright!”
“Next, please repeatedly use the ‘Rapid Punches’ skill,” Airis instructed.
With clenched fists, Reito repeatedly punched the ice dummy.
『Eek! Ah, it broke… I need to make it more durable.』
『Keep it up. You won’t be able to learn ‘Shippuken’ unless you learn the next battle skill,』 Airis reminded him.
『I got it.』
Reito prepared a new ice dummy and continued using his battle skills to punch it. However, before he could learn a new skill, the dummy broke again. With no other choice, Reito created another ice dummy. He repeated this process, gradually grasping the usage of battle skills and techniques. First, he thrust his right fist with the “Fist Strike,” followed by the “Rapid Punches” technical skill with his left fist. By repeating this process, Reito was able to unleash a flurry of punches at an incredible speed.
“Oraoraoraoraoraoraoraa!”
“That battle cry sounds a bit dangerous!!”
“Atatatatatata! Hoataaa!”
“That one isn’t much better!!”
While jokingly shouting, Reito continued punching. After destroying more than a dozen ice dummies, the ice boxing glove around his fist shattered. Simultaneously, a screen appeared in his vision.
〈You have acquired the Battle Skill: “Gale Thrust”〉
“Oh, I’ve learned something new…”
〈You have acquired the Technical Skill: “Balrage Rush”〉
“Huh? Two of them?”
Reito tilted his head, checking the contents of each skill one by one. The former seemed to be a higher-level version of “Fist Strike,” while the latter was a technical skill that could be used after initially activating the former. Airis was also surprised by this and openly expressed her admiration.
『I’m amazed. I didn’t expect you to learn two skills… You’re truly remarkable, Reito.』
『Is this good enough?』
『Well, you’re all set. Since you’ve just learned them, why not try them out to see what kind of battle skills they are?』
『Alright, let’s do this.』
With clenched fists, Reito cast “Earth Block” magic to create a human-shaped clay dummy before using his newly learned battle skills. He had hurt his fists from punching the hard ice repeatedly, so he applied “Recovery Boost” magic to both hands as well.
『Healing complete… First, let’s try ‘Gale Thrust’!』
The moment Reito activated the skill, he thrust his fist at a much higher speed than the regular “Fist Strike,” piercing the clay dummy’s face. Both the speed and power surpassed that of “Fist Strike.” Reito then activated “Balrage Rush” in succession. His fists moved at a speed that created afterimages as he launched a barrage of punches. The clay dummy crumbled away in an instant. Reito was astonished by the result.
『Wow… This is incredible.』
『Remember not to use this in a street fight or something. You might kill someone… That being said, I wonder why you were born as a Support Magician. If you were a swordsman or a martial artist by now…』
『Enough of that.』
Although Airis expressed her sympathy, Reito didn’t want to question his profession any longer and answered curtly. Reito’s professions were “Alchemist” and “Support Magician,” both of which were considered underprivileged in this world. Everyone in this world is born with a certain profession, which cannot be changed. Though one can learn skills from other professions through hard work, only a small portion of them can be acquired, and specialized skills remain unattainable.
Reito brushed off the dirt sticking to his fists and inquired about the method to learn the main skill called “Shippuken.”
『So, from the sound of the name, should I just activate ‘Gale Thrust’ while holding a sword?』
『That’s right. However, I don’t think it’s going to be that easy.』
『…Well, let’s give it a try.』
Although dawn was approaching, Reito was so engrossed in learning the battle skills that he had forgotten his fatigue. He gripped his Extermination Blade and activated “Gravity Strike Blade” just in case, before using the battle skill he had just learned. As soon as he used the skill, the Extermination Blade was unleashed at an unprecedented speed, and a shockwave-like gust of wind was generated. Reito himself was surprised by the speed, and it seemed that sufficient speed and power could be expected even without using the “Strike Sword” technique.
“This is amazing… Alright, what happens if I activate ‘Gale Thrust’ and the ‘Thrust’ battle skill at the same time?”
Although the newly learned “Gale Thrust” and the already learned “Thrust” have different weapons, the action of thrusting an arm to attack is the same. Reito decided to test whether he could activate the two battle skills simultaneously. As he thrust out his right arm, an even faster blow was generated, with the sound of slicing wind echoing all around. Shortly after, a screen appeared in Reito’s field of vision.
〈You have acquired the Battle Skill: “Shippuken”〉
『Alright, I did it!』
『I was going to teach you another way, but I never thought there would be a method like that… That was very creative.』
He had merely combined the battle skills haphazardly, but he had successfully learned the desired battle skill by sheer luck. Reito also figured out how to enhance the “Thrust” battle skill. He decided to include this sword technique as a composite sword technique called “Piercing Impact.”
『Shippuken!』
Reito activated the newly learned battle skill. The Extermination Blade was swung at a speed that created afterimages, generating a mild shockwave. This battle skill differed from “Strike Sword,” which utilized the whole body’s muscles for impact; it appeared to involve swinging the sword with only the necessary muscles, so although the speed was fast, it was inferior to “Strike Sword” in terms of power.
『The power is a bit weak, but it’s not bad for one-handed use… Alright, let’s head home for today.』
『Good work.』
Having learned multiple battle skills and technical skills in a single day, Reito decided to return to his home satisfied. In the end, he stayed up all night, but he achieved significant results. As Reito stored the Extermination Blade in another space using storage magic, Airis called out to him.