Even though Emery had clinched the victory against Vizla in their previous duel, it was clear for him that the man was better skilled at him in weapon fighting.
"Are you ready, Emery?" Vizla stared straight into Emery's eyes and smirked. "It's time for a payback!"
The man spoke in a confident tone before he picked up two wooden swords from the rack and walked to the center of the courtyard. Seeing that, Emery's gaze turned serious as he quickly took his fighting stance.
"Here I come!"
Vizla laughed vivaciously as he said those words. A second later, his figure shot towards Emery with his two swords brandished together.
Tak! Tak! Tak!
Three consecutive sounds resounded in the air when Emery blocked the three attacks Vizla aimed at both his arms and body in rapid succession. The next instant, their positions shifted several feet away from their original positions with their swords touching each other, shaking from the clash of powerful forces.
Their figures disappeared and reappeared again at the same time, and their clashes continued fiercely.
Vizla did not necessarily have a better technique compared to Silva, but how the man utilized such technique was in a completely different style from his sister. While Silva's swordsmanship was really fast and rapid like lightning, Vizla's swordsmanship was heavy and loud like thunder.
In addition, the double swords also made things more complicated for Emery.
Even though he was somewhat suppressed by Vizla's strong momentum, Emery was not disheartened. In fact, he considered moments like this as a chance to once again further refine and perfect the 36 variations of his [36 Dao Divine Sword Technique].
"Silva, sword!" Hearing his shout, Silva immediately grabbed a random wooden sword from the rack and threw it to Emery.
Emery caught the sword flying through the air with ease, and now he was about to try and see if he could dual wield his new technique.
Because of the unfamiliarity, things didn't go as smoothly as Emery initially thought. As a result, Vizla was able to get his revenge.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Loud dull sound continued to reverberate through the air as various parts of Emery were continuously hit by Vizla's swords. However, the former didn't mind at all. In fact, it only caused him to be more committed in finding a solution to his predicament immediately.
Two swords, two-strike, two variations.
It was as if Emery needed to break and separate his concentration in two; his soul needed to handle two very taxing tasks at the same time. Realizing this, Emery couldn't help but feel that this practice was somehow similar to when he trained and tempered his soul.
Bam! Bam! Tak!
Some time had passed and the sound of Emery's body being hit was suddenly cut short, replaced by the familiar flat sound of wood clashing against wood.
Tak! Bam! Tak! Tak!
There was still the occasional sound of a body being hit, but it gradually diminished before it finally disappeared completely.
Tak! Tak! Tak!
A wide smile was clearly visible on Emery's face at this time. He was very happy because this second fight with Vizla turned out to be the most exciting fight he had ever experienced.
Vizla, seemingly noticing Emery's change, increased the intensity of his attacks. It seemed the man finally had no plan to hold himself back now. Meanwhile, even though he was caught off guard by the sudden change in tempo of the battle, Emery quickly recovered his demeanor and welcomed it with open arms.
The fight between the two raged fiercely, and an hour passed without them noticing. However, there is still no conclusive ending for the two of them.
Both Emery and Vizla were so immersed in their fight that they didn't even realize that Master Atika had arrived in the courtyard. Regardless, she walked towards the edge of the courtyard and stood right next to Silva.
This time, the grand magus simply stood quietly and watched the ongoing fight, which could only mean that she was interested.
The spar between Vizla and Emery fell into a stalemate so long and stubborn that the former eventually became too emotional and rage-quit the fight.
"No!" He said. "I am not in the mood anymore. We shall do this again later."
This lackadaisical attitude Vizla showed naturally earned him a round of scolding from his sister. On the other hand, Emery ignored the bickering of the two siblings and turned to his master. He approached her and gave her a respectful bow before opening his mouth.
"I have completed the 36 variations, Master."
Master Atika nodded. "Very good. Much faster than I expected. It seems that you do have some talent in the way of the sword."
Emery was happy to be complemented by a sword grandmaster. His elated expression was caught by the latter, and a slight crease suddenly appeared on her face.
"Alas…" She sighed. "It's truly a pity that you will never become a master."
The words that came out of Master Atika's mouth completely shocked Emery. Silva and Vizla, who were still nearby, overheard this and both of them were dumbfounded by it.
Repressing the shock he currently felt, Emery gave another respectful bow to Master Atika and carefully asked, "Please guide me, Master. What did I do wrong?"
The female grandmaster, unexpectedly, let out a sigh. Emery didn't have the chance to ponder the possible meaning of the sigh because she had opened his mouth.
"Simply because… you will never form your sword aura successfully."
Master Atika lifted her finger, and suddenly it shone brightly. The light formed into the shape of a sword, and she swung it towards a big rock in the courtyard. The sword-shaped light shot forward and was able to split the rock in two in an instant.
Ignoring the awe in Emery's eyes, Master Atika continued her words. "That, just now, is not an elemental spell; it's the sword aura. In order to be able to form it, you must first understand the law of the sword." She sighed again. "Unfortunately, unless you break through into the magus level, you can not learn the law of the sword or any law at all.
Emery was taken aback when he heard this, and he was somehow able to guess where this conversation was going.
Master Atika looked him straight in the eye, pity evident in her eyes. "I'm sure I'm not the first person to tell you this; you can't be a magus, not with such a messy spirit core."
And just like that, the bitter memories flowing back to him. Emery's mind replayed the words that were said by Headmaster Altus.
"Anyway, you don't need to be so discouraged," said Master Atika when she saw the blank look on Emery's face. "This 36 variations of yours is an extraordinary achievement already. This will definitely help you become a top sword expert, but that is the maximum you can achieve."
Master Atika seemed to have finished what she wanted to say and she turned her body. Emery, however, quickly stopped her from walking away.
"Master, if that's the case, then why did you accept me as your disciple?"
Not even turning back, Master Atika answered the question.
"I was amused with your technique, and as I thought it does indeed help me reach the next stage of my law of the sword. So for that, I am thankful. Find me if you somehow manage to become a magus, and I will definitely teach you more. As for now, I have nothing else to teach."
Finishing her piece, Master Atika then immediately walked away and left the courtyard, leaving Emery clenching his fist in despair.. The two siblings, who were still on the spot, both looked at him with concern.