34 Chapter 34: Prelude to Hell? Part 4

Robert sunk into the deepest calm possible for him. He knew that this technique wouldn't do anything to Yue, but it's the best martial technique in his arsenal, and probably the one he wishes to upgrade the most part from minute subtlety. If possible, he wants to unlock the next step of his Seikuken, and what he means is not turning it into an expert level martial skill, but into something more. Something that transcends Seikuken.

"Oh, this technique. When I saw this last time, I thought it was quite interesting, but it still has a lot of flaws." Yue commented in a carefree manner.

Robert didn't reply to this. He knew that most of the flaws were due to him. He needed to train more. His next step is find a way to attain a state that's even more calm than his current one. A state not affected by inner thoughts nor emotions.

Robert took a step forward bringing Yue even further in the range of his Seikuken. He's going for ultra close combat this time. This would help train his mental fortitude and focus. Robert sent a palm strike towards Yue.

"A palm? Quite different from what your usual style is. No problem though." Yue said while pushing aside Robert's strike, and sent another slap towards Robert's face.

'A slap again?Wait, stop. Focus, Robert' Robert thought.

Robert compressed his Seikuken range even more. This time, the range is half his arm's length. He focused, and tried to erase the thoughts inside his head. He didn't dodge.He raised his hand to block, but instead of actually blocking, the moment his hand made contact with Yue's forearm, he did a circular motion with his wrist, and while doing so, he moved to the opposite side of the force. Doing this, he dispersed the strike while gaining, and slight opening against this damned beast loli.

He closed in even further. Now, the Seikuken's range is only a quarter of its original range, but Robert felt that this was his limit as he couldn't compress it even more. Robert did a hook with his left hand aiming under the lower part of Yue's ribcage. Yue smirked seeing this.

"Ballsy, I see. Won't work though." Yue said as she grabbed Robert's attacking wrist, and pulled the hook away which caused Robert to lose balance.

Robert felt the grip on his hand disappear, and what replaced it was a hit on his body which was the same area as his original aim on Yue. The pain caused Robert to wince, and Robert took the initiative to back off a few steps. He calmed himself down, rebuilt his Seikuken, and go in again.

"Another tip, close range is best used when you are a bit shorter than your opponent. This allows you to enter their weak spots easier." Yue said.

Galerion also told him that he should prepare himself tomorrow as it seemed like it was time for his practical magic training to start. He just rested for the rest of the day, before sleeping.

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While Robert was resting, in Ra's office, Ra could be seen sitting behind his desk with Galerion standing in front of him.

"It's going to be starting again in a few months." Ra said while doing paperwork.

"Indeed." Galerion replied.

"Will he succeed?" Ra asked

Galerion fell silent for a moment, and then pondered for a bit before replying.

"I am not sure. He has shown quite a lot of promise, but he seems to be lacking a certain thing." Galerion replied.

"And what might this something be." Ra said as he raised his eyebrow.

"He lacks a cunning mind. He is knowledgeable, but he needs way more experience. I've seen how he fights. It is understandable though as he is only 5 years old, but I can't help compare him to that boy." Galerion said as he sighed.

"Sebas Arc. He may not be as young as Robert, but his talent and cunning mind has proven to be monstrous. I can feel that he might be able to achieve heights surpassing myself." Ra said.

"We have no choice though. We can't do anything to Sebas. That man's grip on him is solid as steel." Galerion said.

The two talked again before Ra's expression changed drastically. Noticing this, Galerion's face turned even more serious.

"It seems that the disaster will happen sooner than expected." Ra said.

"I'll do what I can. I'll also begin instructing Robert's magic tomorrow. I'll need him to be at least expert rank before the tournament starts so he could help us in what will happen." Galerion said.

Ra nodded before Galerion walked out, and exited the room.

To be continued.....