Hunter

Chapter 13

Lysandra stood a little off to the side, watching her brother and Jhan prepare for their spar.

The atmosphere heavy with anticipation, and a few curious recruits had already begun gathering nearby.

Nad, standing next to Lysandra, crossed his arms with a huff.

Nad
"This dumbass... I hate it when he does this."

Jhan and Lysander stepped into one of the sparring grounds, drawing the attention of even more recruits as word of the upcoming match spread.

Recruit 1
"Oh? Are they going to spar?"

Recruit 2
"Yeah, looks like it. Heard Lysander's been working on a new technique."

Recruit 3
"Right? It's got a lot of people talking. They say his control over his wind currents has gotten ridiculously sharp."

Recruit 2
"No kidding. Did you see how he cut through those reinforced dummies last time? He's really got that Sage Art down."

Another recruit leaned in, lowering their voice slightly as they turned the topic toward Jhan.

Recruit 4
"Okay, but what about that other guy? What's his deal? I mean, doesn't Jhan just rely on cheap tricks?"

Recruit 5
"I know, right? It's like he just switches weapons to throw people off balance. Is he going to be alright against Lysander?"

A few recruits murmured in agreement, sharing skeptical glances. One of them furrowed their brow thoughtfully.

Recruit 6
"Hold up, I haven't seen Jhan's Arts yet... have you?"

The question hung in the air for a moment, and several recruits exchanged uncertain looks.

Recruit 5
"Now that you mention it, I haven't either. I thought everyone here had manifested their Arts by now..."

Recruit 7
"Yeah, all the recruits from this block have, except Jhan. No one's seen him use any Art at all."

The gathered crowd grew more curious, their eyes flickering between Lysander and Jhan as they readied themselves.

Back on the sparring ground, Lysander tightened his grip on his sword.

Lysander's focus tightened as he observed Jhan's stance.

Lysander (thoughts)
"Yeah... I haven't really thought about it much, but... Aren't you late in manifesting an Art?"

He kept a sharp eye on Jhan, expecting the first move.

Lysander (thoughts)
"He'll move."

And just like that, Jhan moved. In an instant, he reached for the greatsword strapped to his back and dashed forward with surprising speed, swinging the massive blade in a swift, upward horizontal slash.

Clang!

Lysander managed to block the strike just in time, his sword meeting Jhan's greatsword with a jarring impact.

Lysander (thoughts)
"It's heavy..."

Jhan pressed on, using the sheer weight of his greatsword to push Lysander off balance, forcing him to the side.

Two recruits watching from the sidelines exchanged wide-eyed glances, taken aback by Jhan's speed and power.

Recruit 1
"Damn, did you see that dash? He closed the distance in no time!"

Recruit 2
"Yeah, and the weight behind that strike..."
.
.
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Lysander's eyes narrowed, anticipating his next move, his Burst Art building up.