Chapter 285 - Noisy Werewolf

Kretos looked at the werewolf girl who disturbed him while he was basking in the afterglow of the battle he just had. She was looking at him with an expression that was foreign to Kretos. It would seem that she was looking at Kretos in admiration, not fear. 

Her short hair and petite stature made her look extremely adorable as her eyes sparkled while she excitedly recounted the events of the battle she witnessed. Kretos no longer bothered with her and walked away without saying a word. 

Noticing the leaving Kretos, the girl quickly followed behind him. "I'm Leila of the Werewolf Tribe. Can you tell me your name?" 

Kretos looked behind him and saw the werewolf girl awaiting his answer. It doesn't seem like she was going to stop following him anytime soon. 'I guess a little company during my journey will make it, a little less boring.' 

"Kretos." 

When Leila heard Kretos say his name, she found the name oddly familiar. It took her a few seconds before she realized what that name represents. 

"You're Kretos of the Shadow Clan! The Slayer of Demon Lords, the smile of death, and the king of battles! That explains why those goons of the Overlord of the Sky fought with you." 

Leila was getting more and more excited as she continued to talk. Kretos was a tiny bit interested in what she was saying. He was mostly interested in the new nicknames he didn't seem to know about. 

"The Smile of Death, the King of Battles?" The moment Kretos talked, Leila's eyes seem to sparkle even brighter as she enthusiastically responded. 

"Yeah, the smile of death and the king of battles are new nicknames that haven't been used much, since most people think of you as the slayer of demon lords. On the other hand, the people who have seen you battle started calling you the smile of death. Since the moment you show that so called vicious smile of yours, that could only mean one thing for the opponent, it would mean he was about to die."

"As for the King of Battles, this is the name you got after winning all the battles you have fought. No matter if it was inside or outside the ring, victory seems to always be yours. Not to mention it seems like you're always seeking battle." 

"Well, after witnessing your battle against the Harpies, I finally understand why you're called the smile of death and the King of Battles. I would also like to call you the Dancer of the battlefield or maybe a blade dancer. The way you fought was like a dance. It was as if you became one with your blades, and danced among your enemies. Each movement you made was so elegant so spectacular so decisive that it made me want to use daggers as well."

Leila had so many things to say, and she continued to talk without stopping. Kretos had nothing else to do but listen. Then when he heard her something interesting Kretos responded. 

"You saw my movements?" He was going as fast as he could, and no normal being could keep up with his speed. Even though the Werewolf tribe and the Lycan tribe boast of greater physical abilities than the other tribes, and their senses were beyond most demon tribes, Kretos's speed was something beyond that. 

He was using a technique from the Shadow Clan called [Blinding Shadow] which increases his speed greatly. Coupled with his stronger innate mana which he uses to enhance all of his physical abilities, Kretos's speed was not something the eye could see. 

"I saw every bit of it and it was magnificent. The flow of your attacks was neverending. Throwing and catching the daggers while evading the incoming enemies was so exhilarating to watch. I want to be able to do that too, can you teach me?" 

Kretos didn't respond to Leila's question with words, instead, he used [Blinding Shadow] and moved behind Leila. He was about to flick Leila's back when Kretos noticed that Leila wanted to evade. Unfortunately for her, Kretos was too fast and was able to hit the back of her head. 

"Your eyes can keep up, but your body can't... Well, it doesn't matter since I don't take in students." After saying his piece Kretos continued walking onward. Leila was momentarily stunned by what happened that it took her a while before she moved and continued to follow behind Kretos. 

"So you're telling me that if my body can react fast enough to your moves, you'll teach me?" 

"I didn't say anything like that. I said I don't take in students." 

"Why not?" 

"I don't know how to teach."

"Then just tell me how you learned it." 

"I learned by watching."

"Huh?" 

"I learned these techniques simply by replicating what I saw. All the techniques I have learned, I got it by watching someone else do it. Aside from that, the thing I did a while ago while fighting the Harpies, except for the [Blinding Shadow] most of my movements were just me feeling the flow of the battle."

"The flow of the battle?"

"To me, battle in itself is a living breathing thing, it has a pulse and it follows a certain flow. If you can understand this flow, you can predict when to attack, when to dodge, when to counter, and when to block. I cannot feel and understand the whole flow of battle, but I can feel parts of it. I believe that the one who can understand and feel the flow of battle more would eventually be the victor of most battles. Still, there are times when I cannot feel that flow at all. When those times come I just follow my own instincts and make the flow myself. Well, most of the time I can only sense the flow of battle when I'm truly excited."

"I see... So how does one get to feel and understand the flow of battle?"

"Battle, continue to battle until you gain enough experience that you instinctually feel it. You need to battle until your body moves faster than you can think. You need to battle until you gain the ability to feel even the twitching of your enemies. Even then it would be hard to understand it. You may battle all your life and only be able to understand a portion of it."

After hearing Kretos's explanation the noisy werewolf finally stopped talking and was now contemplating what Kretos said.