Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 243 Meow Sword Technique

"Snapped!"

Gently gripping his sword, Rean struggled to suppress the urge to retaliate.

According to the "rules," he must step back and give his opponent more room to attack.

"what!"

Lana took deep breaths, but did not stop her pursuit.

She suddenly stepped back and looked at Rean thoughtfully.

"My friend is bad; he cheats."

"Uh, sorry, sorry, did you feel it? You're really perceptive."

An angry little Lana hugged her sword, pouting and ignoring Rean.

For the little guy, the daily sword practice time with his friends is the most enjoyable time. Rean has also felt this way recently; for swordsmen, sparring is a way of connecting with each other.

The little guy's purity, drive, and youthfulness can all be felt during sparring.

Rean himself had a similar feeling; his sword gradually came to life. In the eyes of many, paladins and warriors are not essentially different; they are both heavily armored, sword-wielding chargers. But one can discover the complete difference between them from within.

Paladins, through a combination of extraordinary traits, holy power, and martial arts skills, specialize in combat and hone themselves into professional fighting machines.

The warriors devoted almost all their attention to practicing martial arts. They had a unique understanding of their swords and even regarded them as an integral part of their lives.

"But my friend is amazing, and I'm very happy."

Lana, hands on her hips, nodded, seemingly quite satisfied with Rean's progress.

Rean chuckled, but that was the reality. If we only looked at swordsmanship, Rean was indeed no match for the little guy.

Now, Rean's "sword" seems to have come alive, though it seems a little out of control.

Lana stopped because she sensed something was amiss; she felt that if she continued charging forward, she would die.

This incongruity itself means that Rean has not been able to suppress his swordsmanship instincts.

"I recently started practicing swordsmanship with a very skilled teacher and learned a few things, but I haven't fully mastered them yet. Sorry,"

"Amazing teacher?! I want to learn from them too!" The little guy's eyes lit up immediately.

"Yes, yes," Rean patted the little guy's head; Lex was running out of time.

If he activates this inheritance, there's a high chance he'll select Lana. If he doesn't, Rean plans to open a back door and ask for a spot.

[Tier 2 Warrior (Permanent), possesses the following combat stance (style): Duel/Counterattack.]

Lex's experience gain was truly outrageous, and Rean experienced the thrill of cheating, aside from the frustration of dying hundreds of times a night until he was numb with death.

Unlike the battle with Suhr, where he was hacked to death without any gain, this battle was different.

In his sparring match against Rex, who had compressed his power, Rex tried every means to push himself to his limits and force Rex to improve. This dedication was nothing short of miraculous, especially considering Rex's laid-back personality.

"This is the payment."

He doesn't act, and as for what kind of payment he receives, there's no need to elaborate; he's definitely a doting father.

Fortunately, Dania and Hela seem to be good kids, so there's no need to worry about them going astray after all the effort he's put in. Perhaps he just hopes that the two little ones can get Rean's help and live a little more comfortably.

"Let's try again. This time, I'll suppress this urge to retaliate."

Second-tier warriors, like second-tier paladins, also begin to choose an advancement path, with "combat style" always being the most important factor.

Whether it's a full-on offensive behemoth like the Judgment Knight, or a sword and shield mode that maintains a balance between offense and defense, it's time to learn to adjust at this stage.

Some call it the "combat style," which can also be seen as a branch of the profession.

Paladin Rean follows a full-offensive Judgment build, which is indeed quite suitable for him. Well, mainly because Sul is in this direction, he can inherit Sul's swordsmanship, arcane magic, and soul abilities to the greatest extent.

Conventionally, he should have chosen the Warrior's Great Weapon Mastery style to further enhance his control over heavy weapons, and like other members of this style, specialize in swift strikes. However, in reality, this power overlaps too much with that of the Judgment Knight, resulting in only average effectiveness.

Sul's soul ability makes Rean's greatsword truly destructive, and his swordsmanship secrets also allow the Evil Slash to be used as a follow-up slash, further enhancing its effects.

But it was Rex who made Rean hesitate and make his decision.
"I only teach the counter-attack style; whether you learn it or not is up to you." Lex was clearly not a theoretical expert; he only taught what he was best at.

Okay, what else is there to say? Let's just learn this style.

This school of thought originated with the "Duel Masters," who specialized in one-on-one weapon duels.

A further branch specializes in defense and counter-attack.

"To be precise, it's about deflecting force. Every attack has a direction, and if you intervene properly, you can easily deflect it, and even turn the opponent's force into your own."

Lex demonstrated that if you gently deflect or sideways the opponent's sword as it's slashing or thrusting at you, you can completely throw them out of control.

"Watch closely, strike the opponent's weakest point; only a little force is needed."

To Rean, this fighting style was practically suicidal; the slightest mistake would send him flying into a knife wound.

However, if paired with "single-mindedness," activating superhuman focus and perception, one can always dance on the edge of a blade.

"The key is not even the swing of the sword itself, but the anticipation and movement of the opponent's sword path. You must always leave room for maneuver and guide the opponent's sword path."

This is a fighting style that, when played well, can leave your opponent in despair.

Any attack on it could be misdirected and then fatally struck.

However, since you only have one weapon at all, and you don't parry even a single mistake, your opponent's sword attack will get out of control, and you might die, and in a rather ridiculous way.

"It'll be quite effective against large beasts; their attack methods are very direct. But many swordsmen are actually less skilled than beasts." "You look even dumber than me. If I were serious, you'd be dead ten times already. Uh, it seems like you've died twenty times tonight?"

"The key is footwork; keep your knees flexible and be prepared to absorb the force."

"Yes, hold back a little strength when you attack. That extra strength doesn't actually affect the attack itself, but it gives you more leeway. Every attack isn't about killing your opponent, but about showing that 'I'm still attacking,' making your opponent wary and hesitant."

Even with the blessing of being possessed by a heroic spirit, Rean still appeared far too clumsy in front of Rex, the kind of person who just couldn't be taught no matter how hard he tried.
"Fine, I'll let you learn with your 'body'."

For warriors, this may be the most suitable teaching method, letting pain and wounds teach you various combat techniques.

Because he had experienced so much, during his sparring session with the little guy, Rean subconsciously reduced his strength and prepared to counterattack. This was sensed by the perceptive Lana, who then abandoned her attack.

This is clearly a violation of the rules for sparring in the courtyard, which was supposed to be "limited to sword skills only".

Rean had subconsciously used his warrior's extraordinary professional abilities, and when their swords clashed, there was a clear overwhelming force in terms of physical attributes, rendering the sparring session ineffective.

"Master it quickly!"

Lana urged Rean to master this power as soon as possible so that their sparring could become smooth again.

The little guy's swordsmanship is already good enough to qualify him for a job. Perhaps he only needs to make up for his lack of bloodline power to immediately become a warrior of the third or fourth rank or higher. Rean planned to ask Rex to take a look and determine his future direction, but Rex himself seemed to have no interest in the younger generation at all.

"I'll do it myself."

Left with no other choice, Rean entered sword practice mode by himself.

Within the illusion lies repeated attacks and counterattacks.

Facing an imagined opponent, every strike he made carried destructive power.

Taking a deep breath, Rean entered the imagination training mode again.

"At first, it was the cat's breath."

Forgive Lex for his lack of cultural knowledge; he directly used animals to describe his actions.

After confirming that his target was the Ulda Bull Demon, Rean's main imaginary enemies all included giants.

"Snapped!"

With a light jump, Rean completed his step back.

This is the cat jump: observe and anticipate in advance, and predict the landing point at high speed once the opponent makes a move.

"Next, it's time to draw the string."

The sword in his imagination was bent under the weight of the anchor. Rean gathered his strength like an archer drawing a bowstring, transferring it into the blade. Only an unbreakable sword of a hero could be played with like this.

The opponent's sword strike had been deflected, while our own strength had been accumulated to its maximum.

"Finally, step forward and enter the attack position for a desperate leap (Lexus: Wild Dog Pouncing on Rabbit!)!"

Then came a slash as sharp as a beam of light.

The achievement of one's wholehearted dedication is but a fleeting moment.

This technique isn't difficult; many "duel-style" warriors play it this way. But to be as flawless as Lex Luthor and convert all of the opponent's power into his own counterattack is something only he can do.

In actual combat, such "duelers" are extremely rare. Even experts in this field do not always adopt a counter-attacking stance. They fight like ordinary soldiers in normal times, only launching a surprise attack on their opponent at a crucial moment, which often results in a fatal blow.

"The risk is just too great. One mistake and you're dead. And if you openly use this tactic, your opponent will have even more tricks up their sleeve." Perhaps only a brave person with a strong heart would never consider the possibility of failure.

Rean didn't notice that behind him, a little boy was holding a wooden sword and watching him imitate every move.

At first, she almost threw the sword away, but soon she was able to imitate it quite well, and was even more agile and skillful than Rean.

This is partly due to swordsmanship talent, and partly due to "physical talent".

Dragons are still large lizards, with powerful and fierce attacks, but they are always lacking in agility.

Without wings for support, their maneuverability and agility are quite poor.

Cats, especially big cats, have springs installed in their paws.

This "counterattack and deflection slash" is clearly a swordsmanship system more suitable for lion people and cat people.

"Destroy evil!"

But Rean seems to have added something strange to it as well.

"I don't need to be fixated on the warrior class. Think about it, what other advantages do I have?"

For some reason, Rean thought of the "Sword (SKERVA)" in the Dragon Word Spells system.

The same sword, when it comes to his side, seems to become a "cutter" and a "crusher".

Perhaps I can demand less flexibility and precision, making each counterattack more powerful. If a single strike can split a wooden house, then it seems unnecessary to be so precise.

A bizarre scene unfolded in the courtyard. Rean's practice became increasingly strange, with most of his energy focused on the counterattack sword strike.

He wasn't a specialized swordsman, so he couldn't achieve perfect precision in his strikes. Therefore, let this sword strike be imbued with brute force, radiance, and flames, directly burning away the evil that stood in his way.

The more he trained, the stronger he became, while the little guy became more and more like a big cat, more and more like that legendary warrior who could never hit his target.

"Meow Meow Slash!" And she happily gave herself a name she liked.

Rean is developing his own fighting style, while the little guy is gradually mastering his own cat swordsmanship.

(End of this chapter)