The figure reaches for his robe.
GRRRK—
The fabric is pulled.
—CKRAAK
The robe is torn away from his body, fully revealing his face.
Albert frowns.
Before him—
Albrecht Zell.
His biological father, who left him at a very young age.
The ground beneath Albert's feet cracks slightly.
KRAK!
Albert lunges.
The ground beneath Albrecht is pressed down and bursts outward—
BRAK!
Albrecht charges as well.
Earth scatters into the air.
Albert narrows his eyes, sprinting forward as the distance between them closes rapidly.
Closer.
Closer—
At the closest point—
His cane thrusts straight toward the chest—
—CLAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!
Metal collides.
Albrecht swiftly retracts his cane and parries.
Sparks flare.
Albert does not stop.
CLANG!
A second strike comes from the side.
Albert slashes across the line.
The pressure remains overwhelming.
Each impact sends vibrations through his arm.
He does not retreat.
He shifts his position—
Avoiding the line of force rather than meeting it head-on.
SWAAAAASH!
The cane sweeps horizontally.
Its range is wide.
Forcing Albert half a step back.
SKLAAAAAAAH!
He immediately steps back in before the swing can recover.
CLAAAAAAAANGMN!
Albert intercepts the blade, blocking the attack aimed at an extreme angle, continuously deflecting the incoming strikes.
His expression remains flat, his eyebrows slightly raised.
"I am disappointed in you, Father… after learning something I never knew," he says, staring deeply at him.
Albrecht twists his body.
The cane rises again.
From below.
Cutting through the air.
SWAAAAAAASH!
Albert has already moved first.
He steps in, closing the distance.
CLAAAAAAAAAANG!
The clash happens too close for a full swing.
He forces the space to narrow.
"…If I had not become part of the government," Albert continues.
SPLAAAASH!
A short, fast, precise strike.
Hitting the same point.
Small cracks begin to form.
CRK—
Albert inhales and exhales, then draws another breath.
"Huft… do you know what I have learned, Father?!" he asks, his expression unchanged.
Albrecht pushes forward.
This time with full force.
BAAM!
Albert is driven back one step.
The grass beneath his feet tears apart.
"…A father who swore loyalty and devoted himself to them… and became part of the glorious Vanguard of that era," he states, locking his gaze onto him.
The cane descends again.
Vertical.
Brutal.
SWAAASH—
Albert tilts his body.
Barely.
The blade passes his shoulder.
He pivots—
Entering from the blind side.
"The problem is… you accepted more than what they demanded, and sacrificed your own child as part of that oath…" he says halfway.
SPLAAAAAAAAAAHSH!
A slash cuts across the chest.
SKLAAAAASH!
The wound spreads—blood bursts outward.
"…and that became the one weakness in my life that prevented me from doing what I truly desired," he continues.
For the first time, Albrecht steps back.
SHHSHH!
His wound slowly closes as he draws a deep breath.
SKHWAAHMN!
Albert gives no space.
He presses forward again.
Close.
Closer.
Extremely close—
Forcing the cane to lose its momentum.
"…and now?!"
CLAAAAAAAAAAANG!
A rapid clash.
Short.
No room for a full swing.
"Huft." A short exhale.
SPAAAAAARK!
Sparks flare again.
"I have to live in the shadows—under disguise, under pressure!" he declares.
Albert shifts his footing.
The angle changes.
His cane comes down from above.
SPLAAAAAAASH!
The strike lands across the body again.
SKWAAAAAAASHH!
Blood bursts outward once more.
"I am disappointed in you, Father."
SHHHHH.
The wound begins to close again with another deep breath.
"And deeply disappointed…"
Albrecht steps back once more.
Albert draws a breath.
His eyes never leave him.
Yet his advance does not stop.
"I can endure the trial you created… but that oath extends for six generations."
Albrecht pulls his cane behind him.
His stance changes.
Lower.
At an unusual angle.
"Do you know what that means, Father?!"
The pressure remains constant.
"If one of my children or grandchildren becomes part of them, it will be a suffering beyond imagination."
Albert raises his cane again—
But he is too late to read the angle.
DUK—
Albrecht charges.
Fast.
Extremely fast.
Too fast.
Straight into the dead zone of the cane's range.
He is already inside.
Too close for a full swing.
The cane moves.
SPLAAASH!
Straight toward the opening that has been created.
There is no room for a perfect defense.
The distance is precise.
The angle is precise.
If that strike reaches his neck—
Albert forms a faint smile.
That attack—
"I do not know, Father… perhaps it would not be so wrong… if I were to die by your hands."
—will end his life.
---
The figure moves.
KPKHAAAAAAHM—
It charges.
An attack comes.
A fist draws back—ready to strike.
Jiza has no time to raise his stance—
—CKTHAAAAAAAHMN!
His face is struck.
SWHAAAAHMN!
His body is hurled toward a tree.
PKAAAAHMN!
His back slams against the trunk.
Yellow leaves fall heavily.
SKHWAHM—
The figure charges again.
Jiza rises.
His gaze sharpens.
The figure leaps.
Its fist draws back.
"Begone—" Jiza mutters.
In a split second—
He pulls his arm back.
"—from this sacred ground!"
CPKHAAAAAHM—
Jiza's fist strikes his opponent's body.
It lands.
SWAAASH—
But does not penetrate.
The figure is thrown far away.
SHHSKHSH—
Its feet drag across the flat stone.
CKH.
Then stop.
Dust scatters.
The figure remains still for a moment.
Its breathing appears heavy. Jiza's strike does not pierce through, yet its force is still felt.
Jiza straightens his body, both fists clenched, drawing and releasing a heavy breath.
"…I did not expect Johan to send you directly to me, this soon," he says.
Before him—
The figure remains silent.
"Hmph?!" Jiza mutters.
The figure reaches for its robe.
GRRRK—
The fabric is pulled.
—CKRAAK
The robe tears away, fully revealing the figure's face.
Jiza lowers his face slightly.
"So you are truly playing with me, Johan," he mutters.
He draws a rough breath.
"The one I replaced in Vanguard…"
He steps forward.
DUK! DAK! DUK!
The broad and massive figure is now clearly visible.
"A solid wall… the god of combat…" Jiza says.
BRAK!
The ground beneath Jiza's feet is pressed down and bursts outward.
"…Marshal of Gaelvorn—"
Jiza lunges.
KRAK!
The ground beneath the figure's feet cracks under pressure.
The figure charges.
Earth scatters upward.
Jiza narrows his eyes, sprinting forward as both close in on one another.
Very close.
At the closest point—
His fist shoots straight toward the figure's face.
"LITHOOVERT."