Chapter 263: The Problem
Words that seemed caring slowly came from Axel's cold, expressionless face.
Yet there was no warmth in them.
They only made the air colder.
At the very least, no one would think this was concern.
"This level of injury doesn't affect me at all!" Zephyr said.
As if to prove Axel wrong, he attacked again with his left fist.
"You're lying."
Axel slightly shifted his body and avoided the blow.
"This punch was about thirteen percent slower than the previous one. That proves your injury is affecting you."
Without emotion, he refuted Zephyr using cold, hard data.
But instead of getting angry at the rebuttal, a rare trace of a smile appeared on Zephyr's face, which had been gloomy since the tragedy.
"You can still argue back."
His voice was hoarse, but firmer than before.
"It seems you haven't thrown away all your emotions like you claimed."
Axel paused slightly.
After Zephyr reminded him, he also became curious about his earlier rebuttal.
Arguing back out of pique, while reminding his opponent about his injury.
Such behaviour appearing in him was indeed worth examining.
But he quickly found a suitable explanation.
Perhaps one that could account for the anomaly.
"Generally speaking, students do not resist when a teacher attacks, because teachers rarely hold genuine killing intent toward their students."
Axel's voice remained calm.
"From what I sensed earlier, you were the same. You merely wanted to teach me a lesson."
"So that was not really arguing back. It was only a well-intentioned reminder."
He glanced at the damaged surroundings.
"Moreover, clashing with my teacher here would be seen as my fault in the eyes of outsiders, no matter what the actual reason was."
Zephyr's cabin was not located in some remote corner.
Although Axel had contained the sound of Zephyr's attack, the dust raised by the impact and the damage to the cabin were real.
Inside this room, Axel could not use light manipulation to create an illusion.
This fight would soon be discovered.
"Hmph. If you say so."
Zephyr's tone clearly said the opposite.
Axel nodded and did not reply.
This time, he did not argue back.
In his view, such behaviour was meaningless.
Extra emotions only hindered thought.
Just like before, he did not actually understand what good intentions were. He could state it flatly only because it was common sense derived from data.
Although there had been no loud commotion, the extensive damage to the cabin was soon discovered.
A Marine soldier approached, saw the situation inside, and respectfully asked, "Zephyr... sir, is something wrong?"
Although Zephyr no longer held a military rank and was no longer an Admiral, the Marine soldier remained deeply respectful.
Because he had once been Zephyr's student.
It was just that, lacking outstanding talent, he had gradually become an ordinary Marine soldier.
Even so, his respect for Zephyr had never changed.
That respect was precisely why he had voluntarily applied for duty here.
There was another reason as well.
After such a tragedy, even someone as strong-willed as Teacher Zephyr could not bear it.
Although Zephyr's body still looked robust, he had suffered serious injuries and refused proper treatment, choosing alcohol instead.
Even the toughest body had its breaking point.
The soldier feared that something might happen to Zephyr, so he stayed nearby in case he needed to notify the medical department.
That was also why, even without hearing any commotion, he had detected the change in the cabin so quickly.
"It's nothing..."
Zephyr's voice was low.
"Just a little greeting between teacher and student."
The Marine soldier glanced around.
Zephyr, whose emotions seemed to have returned slightly to normal.
The child standing calmly at the side.
The floor shattered by immense force.
The cracks sliced open by sword energy.
This way of greeting was truly special.
"There's nothing else here. You may leave," Zephyr said.
The Marine soldier paused, then immediately replied, "Uh... yes, sir! I'll notify someone to repair this cabin later."
Without delaying any further, he withdrew at once.
He tried to close the door behind him, only to realise that with the cabin in this ruined state, shutting the door made little difference.
After the soldier left, Zephyr's earlier impulse gradually subsided.
At least now, he no longer had such a strong urge to beat Axel.
However, that left him unsure of what to say or do.
So he simply stared blankly at Axel.
After a long silence, Axel broke it first.
"Do you have anything else?"
His tone was flat.
"Just standing there foolishly is, from a rational perspective, undoubtedly a waste of time."
"It is like ordinary people daydreaming. Mere thoughts cannot change anything. They are purely a waste of time."
"And right now is the same."
Axel's reason for breaking the silence was nothing else.
He simply considered it inefficient.
At this moment, he held no emotions.
All his actions came from the most precise judgments in his mind.
Zephyr was silent for a moment.
Then he said, "It's nothing."
"Then I have something to ask you."
Zephyr looked at him blankly.
"What is it?"
"A problem."
Axel looked at him.
"Aokiji said there is a problem with my fighting. I want to know what that problem is."
The person who had just fought Zephyr now abruptly asked him a question.
If it were anyone else, they would likely feel too embarrassed or conflicted to ask.
But the current Axel had no such troubles.
Nor did he possess the grief that should have come from the recent death of a friend.
He simply wanted to understand his own weakness.
It was a biological instinct to identify a flaw and improve it.
Zephyr's grief had not faded.
But compared to that grief, he was now more worried about what exactly was happening to this kid.
He had sensed Axel's temperament gradually changing before.
But now, this felt less like a change in temperament and more like the entire person had been replaced.
If Axel dyed his hair and put on some makeup now, Zephyr was certain he would not recognise him.
Zephyr temporarily suppressed his sorrow and said, "To understand the problem, you need to describe the course of the battle."
He sat down heavily.
"Go ahead."
Without hesitation, Axel began recounting the events of the battle one by one.
He spoke like a machine reading data stored in a database, precise and cold, without the slightest fluctuation.
Zephyr slowly opened his eyes.
Based on Axel's description, he already had an answer.
"Your sword."
"Sword?"
"From what you just described, you never used your sword."
Zephyr looked at him sharply.
"Explain your reasoning."
"Based on judgment, the benefits brought by my ability outweighed the effects of using the wooden blade."
Axel stated it plainly.
"Therefore, I simply reacted according to that judgment."
In a battle where the weak faced the strong, attacks with the wooden blade could not truly hit the opponent.
Even if they did hit, they could not produce suitable lethality.
On the contrary, using the wooden blade would add constraints and rigidity to the flexible changes of Vector Manipulation.
.....
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