Emery would have to decide which one he should choose between the three advanced skills available, but he was torn by it. If he could, he obviously wanted to learn them all. That was the problem and the reason he took a long time to contemplate his decision.
He give thought to the first advanced skill on the list, [Sword - Sonic Leap]
The three times speed boost was no joke, especially when one's speed was already monstrous to begin with. Taking the example of Emery, his 330 meter per second speed would jump to 1000 meter per second.
His speed would break through the limit and surpass the speed of sound itself. Furthermore, this sudden burst of speed would definitely catch his opponent off guard when used properly.
However, there were naturally some drawbacks about the skill that made Emery reconsider his choices.
The skill apparently required time to channel, and thanks to the existence of [Blink], Emery didn't really have the immediate need to acquire this skill, as it wouldn't be that much of use to him right now.
There was also the potential problem when he became too fast that he couldn't dodge the enemy's counter attack while using the skill. After all, the skill only increased his speed, while leaving his reaction speed untouched.
Moving onto the next advanced skill on the list, [Dual - Soulless Stream].
This weapon advanced skill made Emery drool. The prospect of being able to consecutively strike the opponent thirty two times in one attack was tempting to say the least.
He even thought such an attack would probably be effective against a being like Killgragah, whose body was extremely hard to injure, unless one completely focused all of their attacks in one point.
Emery would definitely need this skill in the future, and he personally wanted this skill. However, he quickly held his desire and proceeded to the last advanced skill available, checking all three skills before finally making up his choice.
[Sword/Dagger - Chain Strike], the last advanced skill available to Emery at the moment.
At a glance, it was merely a movement technique that allowed the user to move from one target to another quickly. But as he continued to read through the description provided, Emery felt as if his mind had managed to catch a glimpse of the skill's true worth.
After a thoughtful contemplation, he found it to be exactly the skill he needed the most at the moment. A skill that would help him defeat multiple opponents within a short period of time, while also minimizing the consumption of his spirit energy.
Alas, this brought Emery to another round of hesitation. After thinking long and hard between the two skills [Soulless Stream] and [Chain Strike], he didn't seem to be able to make up his mind. Eventually he decided to ask his master's opinion.
Magus Xion let out a faint smile when Emery came to him with this dilemma of his. He began by explaining that the advanced skills were considered B rank skills, while the [Hidden Blade] and [Heroic Strike] he had learned were considered C rank.
With this, he then reminded Emery that no matter what kind of skills it was, all his C rank and B rank skills would eventually become part of the progress in developing his own sword skill. They would later help define what kind of sword master he would become.
Magus Xion did not give Emery neither a direct answer nor an opinion of his own. He merely explained the matter clearly and told the latter the consequences his choices would have later in the future.
Fortunately, Emery was smart enough to understand what his master meant to tell him.
Emery thanked Magus Xion for the advice. He then sat down and closed his eyes, contemplating every skill that he currently possessed.
[Heroic Slash] allowed him to deliver the hardest strike he could muster, while [Hidden Blade] was about hitting the target as fast as possible. The two skills were both sword hand skills.
Meanwhile, [Weeping Phantom] was a sword variation skill with advanced movement techniques that would help him to continuously keep up with different opponents. Lastly, [Shadow Edge] was a long range magical attack with an equally destructive capability.
Emery of course did not forget about his Dao technique. In fact, while thinking about this matter, he subconsciously started to absorb all these intricacies and integrated them along with his [Dao Divine Technique]. He fell into a state of enlightenment.
Within his mind, Emery started to create a sword form that incorporated all the sword skills he had into one.
With [Weeping Phantom] as the foundation of this newborn sword form, Emery grasped the principle of Dao, as well as his battle art skills, culminating all these elements together. A balanced, efficient swordsmanship that was both hard and soft, fast yet flexible - all at the same time.
With this framework in mind, Emery finally found what he lacked and required to complement this sword form of his. It was the [Chain Strike] advanced skill.
The technique would be an enormous value to the repertoire of skills he currently had. With the concept of Dao, Emery could find the balance between using his [Weeping Phantom] steps and [Chain Strike] to balance when to walk and when to dash.
Emery quickly gathered his focus and meditated, as he tried to absorb the essence of the skill as much as he possibly could.
Moments later, he started to slowly feel that his understanding of Dao had once again increased. Alas, he was forced to stop his meditation, as the sun had risen on the horizon, signifying that the Terra knights were once again prepared for another battle.
Even so, Emery was not disappointed to be interrupted. Instead, he was excited as it was now time to test his newly-gained understanding in a true fight.
Before the training session started, Emery was unexpectedly summoned by Magus Silica. He was puzzled for a moment, before a surprised expression appeared on his face as the combat magus gave him something he desperately needed.
Magus Silica was generous enough to give Emery a tier 4 sword for him to use.
[Hardened Sword]
[Long sword tier 4]
[Length 1.3 meter, weight. 9 kilograms]
[Increased durability]
This sword Magus Silica bestowed to Emery was chosen in the hope it would be able to withstand more and longer of his particular [Shadow Edge].
The group once again fought the wave of Terra knights. It was now their fourth battle, this time Emery started to use less of his spells and focused on utilizing his sword techniques. Julian and Thrax seemed to notice Emery's actions as they began to adopt a more defensive approach.
The [Weeping Phantom] allowed Emery to move flexibly amidst the opponents, dodging the attacks they threw at them, while also positioning them at the right spot. The moment the Terra knights stood exactly where he wanted them to be, Emery immediately employed one of the 6 variations to hold down the knights.
When he began to be overwhelmed by the tight formation of the Terra knights, Emery didn't retreat back to his group using [Blink] spell they expected. Instead, he unhesitantly struck back with his newly-learnt skill [Chain Strike].
Snap!! Snap!! Snapp!!
Emery's body flickered rapidly, as he launched a ferocious retaliation against the oppression imposed upon him. Each time he managed to hit the Terra knights using the [Chain Strike], Emery gradually understood its essence - a muscle flexibility that allowed him to lunge at incredible speed to and fro the enemies.
Snapp!! Snap!! Snapp!!
Within just a few seconds, Emery managed to repel half a dozen of Terra knights surrounding him, forcing them to take a few steps back and reform their defense.
Julian and Thrax certainly would not let this golden opportunity that easily.
"Attack!!"