Kessel looked at the boy standing in front of him and nodded to himself.
*His attack isn’t just by the book. He has a rhythm to it, too. He isn’t using all his strength, so the power is a little low. But there’s a lot of variety in his moves.*
Leo shifted his feet and used the speed of his own advance to swing the heavy sword forward. Then he made a straight strike.
A silver-white glow rose on the blade at almost the same moment. A Pure-White Edge shot out!
The sword was still less than a third of a meter away when Kessel moved.
He was fast. His right hand stayed behind his back. His left hand raised the shield in front of him. He didn’t block Leo’s sword head-on. At the moment of contact, he just tilted the shield slightly.
*Clang~!*
All Leo felt was the sword brushing the shield and sliding away. There was no direct clash at all.
The Pure-White Edge scraped along the slanted surface of the shield, and sparks flew everywhere.
The next moment, a huge shield rushed at his face.
*Boom!*
Leo flew seven or eight meters and rolled across the ground.
The only thing that saved him in that whole exchange was this. Just before he was thrown, he managed to cover his body with the Daybright Aegis in time.
He lay crawling on the ground before he could stand. His face was completely stunned.
Kessel held no weapon. Only a shield. And with that shield alone, he had ended the entire fight.
"Garbage."
Kessel spat the word out coldly.
Leo’s eyes hardened. He picked up the heavy sword and saluted Kessel again.
"Instructor, please teach me!"
Right after the salute, he attacked again.
The knights running laps were secretly watching the clash. Seeing Leo get beaten down and stand right back up, they could only look at each other helplessly.
"That kid is something else! This is the first time in our hall I’ve seen anyone dare to challenge the Iron Wall twice in a row!"
They had no idea how brutal Leo’s training with Corvin had been.
Falling once meant nothing to him. And the Daybright Aegis had soaked up most of the strike’s force.
Corvin had taught him that every time he lost, he should stand up with even more courage. Learn from every defeat. And look for a way to get better.
Leo attacked again.
His steps adjusted for just a moment. His speed dropped clearly. But his footwork was steadier than before.
This time he didn’t use Thorny Charge. He used Lightning Thrust.
With a flash of golden light, the Inner Spiritual Energy from his Sacred Awakening burst out.
The difference between Lightning Thrust and Thorny Charge was this. Thorny Charge was a straight attack forward. Lightning Thrust could change direction easily.
*Inner Spiritual Energy? Third stage?*
The knights running laps were stunned.
Kessel’s face didn’t change at all. He moved just like before. His shield was ready to block just like before.
When the heavy sword hit the shield, a crisp sound rang out. But this time, Leo pulled his sword back after only a moment of contact. His balance hadn’t broken.
But Kessel’s shield was already moving toward Leo. It was the same collision as last time.
An attack, and a defense with the shield.
Leo raised the Daybright Aegis and planted it firmly in front of him.
*Boom!*
Leo’s body flew back again. This time he fell much harder than before. He lay there panting for several seconds before standing up.
"Do you know why I could beat you just now?" Kessel asked in a heavy voice.
Leo frowned. He answered without hesitation.
"Because you’ve trained much more than I have."
Kessel nodded.
"Correct. And do you think it’s unfair that I’m relying on my Inner Spiritual Energy to fight you, even though I’m not using any skills?"
Leo hesitated for a moment. Then he shook his head again.
Kessel snorted with contempt.
"Fool! On a battlefield, if you face a much stronger enemy, will you complain like that? If you do, you’ll only get to complain in hell!"
"Against a much stronger enemy, you have to push past your limits and close that gap. To protect yourself, even if you have to use tricks, defeat the enemy at any cost!"
Leo thought for a few moments. Then determination rose on his handsome face. He nodded firmly.
"I understand. Thank you, Instructor!"
With that, he stood in front of Kessel again and saluted.
"Please teach me, Instructor!"
Kessel said calmly.
"Do you really understand? Attack me one more time. This time I’ll use even more strength to knock you down."
"Please teach me, Instructor!" Leo shouted.
In his eyes, completely opposite to his sweet face, burned a stubborn light that wouldn’t go out.
"Come." Kessel’s face was as cold as ever.
An attack. And a leap!
This time Leo jumped very high. His heavy sword flashed fast and shot toward Kessel.
"Fool!"
Kessel looked at Leo with angry eyes. Jumping into the air when you know your enemy is far stronger? That was practically asking for death!
But the anger in his eyes soon turned to surprise.
Because without realizing it, Leo was now above Kessel’s head. His sword was aimed at Kessel’s back. Even so, it looked like he had already lost his balance.
But Kessel couldn’t read his next move, because he was staring into Leo’s eyes.
Leo’s eyes, even after failing just now, were as firm and unshakable as before.
Kessel’s shield turned halfway around in the air.
Then, Leo, who had just looked like he’d lost his balance, suddenly moved.
The faint glow around his heavy sword suddenly disappeared. He held the Daybright Aegis in front of his chest and made a small curving turn in the air.
Kessel’s Spiritual Energy was huge. The color of his shield seemed to change. He turned it slowly, and still managed to block Leo easily. His whole body had spun around at the same moment.
*Thud!*
The heavy sword drove into the ground. And a magnificent light spread around Leo.
Heavenly Battle Array! A third-stage knight skill!
Kessel hadn’t imagined Leo would use that move in close combat.
Leo’s body was so strong and flexible that he could force his position to change even while in the air.
In that same instant, Leo raised his shield. A Heavenly Battle Array at that level of Spiritual Energy couldn’t hurt Kessel. But its effect landed on Kessel’s shield arm. He couldn’t adjust the position of his shield.
He released a huge burst of golden energy from his body and built a protective aura.
Using the heavy sword stuck in the ground as support, Leo completed the Heavenly Battle Array. At that same moment, he steadied his body and swung the Daybright Aegis sideways in a heavy strike.
A shining golden light burst from the Daybright Aegis. It was the brightest light since his first attack.
Leo aimed straight for Kessel’s waist.
*Paa——!*
Kessel’s right hand, which had been behind his back the entire time, finally moved. He caught the Daybright Aegis.
But the shock hidden in his eyes suddenly turned to amazement.
A stunning golden light burst from his hand. He released the Spiritual Energy that protected his body too.
Even so, because of that golden light, he was forced to step back half a step for a moment!
Leo was stunned himself. He had thrown in everything he could.
That burst of light from the Daybright Aegis was Daybreak Cleave. A fourth-stage knight skill. And it was also the strongest skill he had.
But the edge of the shield wasn’t sharp, so Kessel was able to catch it with one hand. That alone showed how big the gap between them was.
For a moment, nobody on the field moved.
The knights running laps had stopped dead. Someone dropped a piece of armor, and the clang echoed across the training ground.
Kessel looked dow