Chapter 311 Victory in Defeat

Chapter 311 Victory in Defeat

Mako tightened his grip on the obsidian sword, feeling the weight of it in his hand. The sleek black blade seemed to hum with latent power as he could feel the boosts being applied to his own stats.

Since Mako was suppressed, he couldn't even passively activate his aura which meant that the passive boosts that the ability gave him for being active were nullified, making him weaker.

As Magnus took his stance, Mako observed his teacher's movements with a keen eye. Magnus was a formidable opponent, his every motion calculated and precise. He remembered the fight from this morning where he watched the fluid fighting style of Magnus and how even after throwing every single ability at him, the boy wasn't even able to graze him once.

Logically, it would be completely impossible for Mako to get a better result than that boy with no abilities and less training, but he had no choice but to give his best and try and impress Magnus.

*Ding!*

[New Quest Received]

As Mako quickly read the contents of the quest, he readied himself with a deep breath before launching himself forward at Magnus. The obsidian sword gleaming as he swung it towards Magnus with all his might, but Magnus effortlessly sidestepped the attack, his movements fluid and graceful as usual.

However, Mako wasn't finished as he turned the sword mid-strike to now begin slashing horizontally to try and catch Magnus off guard as he was still within range of the horizontal strike.

This was one of the techniques that Commander Sable had taught him which was called a fakeout, a simple vertical slash that was easy to dodge by weaving left or right, but with enough strength and force one could change its direction and momentum mid swing and begin to swing horizontally instead, making it effective against unsuspecting opponents.

But before Mako could even finish putting his strength into the sword to change its direction, Magnus had trusted his blade forward, stopping mere centimeters away from Mako's throat.

The sudden movement and deadly striking position left Mako completely off guard as he was just frozen in place, losing all power he had in his wing; too scared to look down and see whether his throat was stabbed through or not.

"Too slow," Magnus remarked, his voice echoing through the hall. "You need to anticipate your opponent's movements as well. Your opponent won't sit idly by while you finish your attack sequence."

Mako gulped down hard, as the system confirmed that he hadn't been hurt. Frustration began to bubble beneath his skin as he couldn't believe that he was brought to such a state of fear and terror by a singular fake strike!

He had to do better. He had to prove himself worthy of Magnus' tutelage.

Magnus didn't give Mako much time to recuperate as he swiftly swung his sword onto Mako's sword, striking it back and bringing Mako back from his daze.

Mako quickly got back on his feet and feinted to the left before swiftly changing direction and lunging towards Magnus from the right. Magnus remained calm and easily countered Mako's strike by raising his sword to parry the attack.

*Clink!*

The sound of the two swords clashing resounded in the hall and Mako was easily deflected back.

"Nice try," Magnus stated as a big smile appeared on his face, his confidence completely destroying Mako's all hopes and dreams.

In the next instant, Magnus let go of his sword and allowed it to fall to the ground; however, before the sword could drop on the ground, Magnus kicked the hilt of his sword straight up with extreme force.

All of this took place within a second and was too quick for Mako to react as the kicked sword carried so much force and momentum alongside it that it was able to parry Mako's rotating horizontal attack without even a hand holding onto it.

As the two swords clashed, the magma cracks on Mako's sword began to glow extremely bright and had now completely enveloped the entirely of the blade. However, the cracks didn't dim down and began to envelop the sword more and more until finally, the whole sword was bright glowing.

This could only mean one thing.

"oh..." Mako managed to say as he realized but it was too late already.

*BOOM!*

The sword shattered and realized all the energy it had been storing inside it in a violent explosion that blasted Mako back several feet in the air.

As Mako lay collapsed on the ground, exhausted and defeated with the smoke rising from his body, he couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for Magnus. Despite his overwhelming strength, Magnus had never once resorted to overpowering Mako. Instead, he had offered guidance, wisdom, and insight, molding Mako into a better fighter with each passing moment.

As he was reminiscing about the intense fight that he just had, he heard the clicking sound of Magnus' footsteps approaching him

And as Mako stared up at his teacher, his breath ragged and his body aching, he knew that he still had much to learn but it all depended on whether Magnus accepted him into his class or not.

Magnus stood before Mako, his expression unreadable as he studied the young warrior kneeling before him. After a moment of tense silence, Magnus finally spoke, his voice carrying a note of respect that Mako had not heard before.

"You have potential, Mako," Magnus said, his tone gruff but sincere. "I have seen very few cadets that possess your level of determination and adaptability."

Mako's heart soared at Magnus' words, a surge of hope filling him despite his exhaustion.

"Thank you, sir," Mako replied, his voice hoarse but filled with gratitude.

Magnus nodded, a rare smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"I believe you," Magnus said, his voice echoing through the hall. "Welcome to the special power weapons class, Mako. You have earned your place here."

With those words, Magnus extended a hand toward Mako, a silent gesture of acceptance and respect. As Mako grasped Magnus' hand and pulled himself to his feet, he knew that this was a great path for him as with the guidance from such an excellent fighter, Mako knew that there was no limit to how strong he could become.