Alex had underestimated how difficult it would be to control all the [Holy Swords] at once.
At first, wielding just one or two was easy.
He could focus on them while fighting, making small adjustments without much effort.
But as the number increased, so did the difficulty.
Each additional sword demanded a part of his concentration, pulling his mind in different directions.
It wasn’t just about controlling them, it was about balancing them all at once while still fighting.
Arceus must have spent days, if not weeks, mastering these weapons.
During their battle, he wielded them so effortlessly that it looked natural, like an extension of himself.
Alex had assumed he could figure it out in under an hour.
That assumption was completely wrong.
Sixteen hours passed, and Alex had barely managed to control five of the [Holy Swords] at once.
Even then, it exhausted him more than any battle he had ever fought.
He could take on dozens of level 2000 beings and still have energy left, but for some reason, controlling these swords drained him like nothing else.
To make things easier, he hadn’t even let the training dummy attack.
It stood still, waiting in place as Alex tried to maneuver the blades around it.
He wasn’t ready to fight properly yet, just keeping the swords moving in unison was a struggle.
But every time he managed to control another blade, he would briefly engage the dummy, forcing himself to apply what he had learned.
Even without its skills activated, the dummy was a challenge.
The more swords Alex controlled, the more the dummy had to react.
More blades meant more angles to attack from, forcing the opponent to split their attention.
In a real fight, this would make a huge difference.
If even a god had to deal with multiple incoming attacks at once, there was a chance to overwhelm them, not by sheer power, but by speed and precision.
That thought gave Alex hope.
“I need more…” he muttered under his breath, clenching his fists, “Much more…”
Gritting his teeth, he prepared to go again.
But just as he was about to push himself further…
Fwoosh!
A golden portal shimmered into existence a few meters away.
From within, a figure emerged, Kaelios, the God of Destiny.
His [Destiny Armor] was stained with blood, and streaks of crimson now marked his usually pristine white hair.
Yet despite his worn appearance, he grinned.
“I guess I’m not rusty,” he said with a smirk.
The four wings on his back gently shifted as he landed.
The golden halo above his head glowed brighter than usual, a sign that he had recently been in battle.
His eyes flickered toward Alex, who was still focused on the training dummy.
“No progress?” Kaelios asked, tilting his head.
Alex sighed, “I’m working on it. Trying to master the skill perfectly.”
Kaelios gave a slight nod, “That’s good. But I can’t help you with a skill I don’t understand myself.”
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Alex had expected that answer.
“Figured as much.”
“But,” Kaelios continued, walking toward the open-air structure in the middle of the [Garden of Destiny], “there’s something you should keep in mind.”
“Repeating the same method over and over won’t always work. Sometimes, you need to approach it differently.”
With that, he lay back in his hammock, resting as if he hadn’t just given an important piece of advice.
Alex frowned.
“A different approach…”
Until now, he had been trying to learn by sheer repetition, adding more blades each time, adjusting based on his failures, and hoping he’d eventually get it right.
But if even Kaelios, a god, was telling him that this was a slow way to improve… then maybe he needed to change something.
His gaze shifted toward the twelve holy swords hovering around him.
‘Maybe…’
A sudden thought struck him.
His eyes sharpened, and his golden aura surged as he focused.
But this time, instead of simply trying again, he shifted his mindset.
He focused on the future.
On what was coming next.
On the [Chosen Games].
If he didn’t master his abilities in time, if he didn’t grow strong enough, then he would die.
And if he died, then humanity was doomed.
That thought sent a shiver down his spine, but it also ignited something deep within him.
“Holy Swords!” Alex commanded, his voice ringing through the garden.
“Follow my will!”
Rather than focusing on controlling each blade individually, he willed them all into motion at once, letting his intent shape their movements instead of micromanaging each one.
From the open-air structure, Kaelios watched with an amused expression.
“You’re quick to learn,” he murmured, “A true warrior doesn’t just train, they channel their purpose into power.”
Alex exhaled sharply and turned back to the dummy.
“COME AT ME, DUMMY!” he roared.
[Fighting Mode Initiated…]
The dummy sprang forward in an instant, closing the gap between them.
Alex didn’t hesitate.
His golden aura flared as he locked onto its movements.
He wasn’t just seeing the battle, he was feeling it, predicting every motion before it even happened.
Just like when he had fought in the Abyss, he blocked out everything else.
The world faded into the background.
The only things that existed were him and his opponent.
Fwish! Slash!
A [Holy Sword] shot forward, intercepting the dummy’s attack.
Three more blades followed, lunging toward the target.
The dummy deflected them with ease and retaliated.
Slam! Slam!
Alex barely had time to react.
He blocked with his claws, forced onto the defensive as the dummy increased its speed.
The dummy’s punches came faster and faster, leaving afterimages in their wake.
It was like a machine gun, each punch landing with terrifying speed.
And Alex knew he couldn’t keep up forever.
His stats weren’t on par with a god’s, and he was bound to lose if this continued.
But Alex wasn’t thinking about losing.
He was thinking about mastering the swords.
And then…
‘FUCK LOGIC.’ he thought, gritting his teeth.
His goal was to learn how to control the blades, and it didn’t matter if he failed or got hit.
He had to push through.
“FOCUS!”
With everything he had, he willed the other blades into motion.
And surprisingly… they responded.
One blade intercepted a punch.
Then another.
And another.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
The dummy didn’t stop.
Its punches came faster, but now the [Holy Swords] were moving in sync, blocking each strike.
One sword would block a punch, get knocked back, and another would take its place.
The swords were rotating to protect Alex from the dummy’s relentless assault.
A cycle had formed. A perfect defense.
Kaelios watched from his hammock, clearly impressed.
“Incredible…” he whispered, “And that’s with my full speed and reflexes…”
Even without using his skills, the dummy was a formidable opponent.
Yet Alex had managed to hold his own, using the [Holy Swords] to create an impenetrable defense.
Even the dummy seemed momentarily stunned by the shift in battle.
It didn’t slow down, though.
If anything, it grew even faster, its punches becoming a blur.
But so did Alex: he adapted.
His mind was no longer processing individual attacks, it was reacting as a whole, trusting his instincts to guide the swords.
Block! Block! Block!
And after more than thirty seconds and over two hundred blocked attacks, Alex saw an opening.
His blades parted for a split second, just enough time for him to step in.
Slash!
His claws raked across the dummy’s face, forcing it to stagger backward.
It knelt on the ground once hit, momentarily frozen.
Then the [Holy Swords] returned to Alex’s side, hovering around him once more.
A slow grin formed on Kaelios’ lips.
“We got a shot at winning…”
Meanwhile, Alex collapsed onto the ground, panting.
He was exhausted, but there was no frustration this time, only satisfaction.
“Heh… I still have a long way to go,” he admitted, wiping sweat from his brow, “But this is very good news.”
He had taken another step forward.
And with that, he had grown even stronger.