Soul Art Online

- Arthas -

My sword clashed with Arnold's once more as I was pushed back slightly. Getting my footing, I kicked him but he twisted his wrist and let my sword slide to the side and turned aside, dodging the kick.

Our shoulders pushed against each other while we tried to gain an upper hand in the match of strength. While I might be at a lower level than him, I had plenty of passives to put me on his level… well almost there.

I suddenly sensed the movement of his mana and he made some distance between our shoulders and I understood what he was doing and responded in kind.

A sound of crashing sounded in the battlefield as our shoulders clashed.

This guy… he was using Knight's Charge, basically a charging attack at such close range to throw me and make me lose my balance.

Thankfully, I had similar skills… I responded with the same skill and matched him. We both were pushed back several steps due to the recoil from the impact.

"Much better. Then… shall we start getting a bit more serious?" He said as he held his sword straight and took his stance. "This is a skill which makes Lord Knights and Grand Knights so powerful. Go all out or you will lose." He warned as his sword took on a slight glow.

I didn't hold back either and directly used Armament Haki to reinforce my sword and got ready to face him directly.

What I wasn't expecting was his speed…

Thankfully, both my Observation Haki and Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū were both things designed to assist me in high speed combat.

I clashed with him but this time, I was sent skidding several steps back from the clash.

Damn that was a heavy strike.

He didn't hold back and we began clashing. I was pretty sure if I didn't have Armament Haki, my sword would have been flung away by his attacks.

Still, there was only so much I could do.

Over time I was overwhelmed and lost the grip on my sword but the fight… It was definitely the best one yet.

My Armament Haki rose by one level in that fight alone.

I sat down on the ground, heaving for breath. "That… was something else. I still have a lot to catch up to."

He took a seat in front of me. "Eh, I wouldn't say that. You are doing far better than I had expected. In fact, no other Knight in Llyne could have done what you just did… well obviously other than me…" He laughed.

"What is that Skill?" I asked.

"It's called Battle Aura. More than a Skill, it's a special way in which we use our Magic."

"Magic? But I thought Lord Knights didn't use magic. That was only for Magic Knights and Holy Knights."

"Hah? Who told you that? We all use magic. It's such a powerful thing. Why should we ignore it? What we don't use is Spells like Magic Knights and Holy Knights."

"Eh?"

"Confused right? Well let me explain in detail. Holy Knights use Holy Magic to cast Holy Spells. Your Holy Blade is an example of that."

I nodded.

"Magic Knights use their magic to cast spells like enchanting their blades with magic or throwing fireballs with the swing of their swords."

That's at least what I had heard.

"What we Lord Knights do is use our Magic to enhance our bodies and swords' power. This allows us to achieve strengths, speeds and defences far beyond any of the other two Knights. In fact, one of the requirements for a Lord Knight to advance to a Grand Knight is learning and completely mastering Beginner level Battle Aura."

"Is it a Class Skill?" I asked.

"Yes but it's a tricky one." He smiled.

"What trick?"

"Oh, want to become a Lord Knight?"

"I like to keep some options open for myself."

"Hahahaha you cheeky brat. Well, this is something you will have to find yourself. I have already told you more than I should have. To be honest, discovering the way to unlock Battle Aura is a test in itself and it would be cheating if I told you."

"Well… fair, I guess."

"By the way, what was that Skill you used to match my Battle Aura? I don't think I have ever seen that Skill here."

"It's called Armament Haki."

"Ah… the one used by the people from the other side of the Reverse Mountain. Yes, I have heard of it. I have heard that they have a very similar style of fighting to Grand Knights although I haven't had the opportunity to fight one myself. It's a good skill, quite similar to the Battle Aura. You should master it. In fact, let's polish it in our fights. I need to get my Battle Aura to the maximum level before I can apply for the Grand Knight Assessment too. Don't let me down, my friend."

"Sure." I nodded. I mean, isn't this exactly what I wanted? And now he has come out and said it himself.

No reason to look the gift horse in the mouth.

"By the way, do you have any advice for me? Which skills should I learn? Which skills should I concentrate on more?" I asked. The guy had been a Lord Knight and a City Lord for a couple of years. He would know things which others wouldn't.

"Hmm… rather than concentrating on individual skills, I would advise you to concentrate more on fighting style, like that Swordsmanship Style of yours. Obviously, if you want to learn Skills, try to go for those which enhance your abilities instead of one hit damage skills like Armament Haki, Battle Aura and other such skills. They obviously give lower returns at the start when compared to other skills but when trained to the peak… all your normal attacks hit like Skills. Your body's defence and speed increases as if you are always using some Skill. As for Skills, getting something to deal with your weaknesses should be enough."

"My weaknesses?"

"Yes. For example, Lord Knights are not good against spirit, long ranged or flying type enemies. You can learn attacks which can harm them or something which can attack from a distance to make up for those. Oh and something to heal yourself if you can. Those are incredibly rare though. Learning a hundred Skills is not the way to get stronger. What you should instead focus on is to master the ones you already have. Don't be a Jack of All Trades but master of none."

I nodded. 

"Also, the Skills almost always have an extra bonus when they are fully levelled up. Some of those bonuses can completely change the Skill. It's incredible. There is also a very less known fact that completely learning and mastering some skills could even unlock new classes."

"Wait, really?"

"Yes. Didn't I just tell you that one of the requirements for a Lord Knight to become a Grand Knight was to master Beginner Battle Aura?"

"I… yes." That's something I didn't even think of before.

"People often ignore these classes because mastering a Skill takes a lot of time. I have been stuck at the peak of Lord Knight for the last three years doing the same. You need patience and will power to stick to this because there are some classes which become unavailable to those who choose other options like Shield and Sword Knight cannot become Lord Knights. Not everyone has the willpower to do this when there are other, easier means to grow stronger in front of them."

We talked for a while after which Rose returned from her own training with the Knights.

Normally outsiders weren't allowed inside the Knight Academy but she was allowed because she was with me.

"Finished your spar?" I asked as she approached us.

"Yes." She nodded after bowing to Arnold.

"Alright. I was done for the day too. Thank you for the spar, Arnold." I said as I got up.

"Anytime my friend." He replied as he stood up and dusted his clothes. "Oh by the way, Arthas. Before I forget it, you should go to Greenfrost with me next month. There is a gathering of the nobles under the Marquis of Greenfrost. You are a baron now and I have the same rank. It would be good for you to join us and at least show your face."

"A gathering?"

"Yes. It's an annual thing. Nobles under the Marquis of Greenfrost gather together on his birthday, get to know each other and discuss the political situation of the empire and business. You have acquired a territory, haven't you?"

I nodded.

"And you have a guild too. You can make some good contracts and get jobs for your Guild if you go there. Not to mention, not going could be considered a slight to the Marquis so be ready."

"I…"

"Yes?"

"I don't have any invites." I asked, hesitantly.

"Oh you will get one in a few days, don't worry." He patted my shoulder, laughing.

"Alright then. I will be there. I haven't even seen my territory yet. I don't know where or what kind of place that is." Veena had asked me to check that place either way.

"Good."

We talked for a bit more and I asked him about a few more details after which I left for our home.

Veena had reached level 40 and was out to get information about her Class Change Quest and Bina was in the Guild so it was only Rose and me at home.

"I am going to take a bath or would you like to go first?" I asked.

"I need to go to the Guild for a while so you can be first. Bina needs one of the files at home."

"Oh, alright." I nodded and she left with the file.

I too went on to take a bath.

It was the peak of summer and enjoying a cold bath was always a pleasure.

Since no one was at home, I left the bath, humming a song while drying my hair with another towel.

It's when I left the room and got to the living room that something unexpected happened.

The door opened and in came Bina and Rose. 

Both of them froze at the sight of me and I paused.

The ice was broken when Veena came in from behind. "Oh, you have taken a bath already? Good. I can't wait to take one myself. It was tiring."

She continued speaking as she walked past the two girls as if there was nothing wrong with the scene. But then again, knowing how she was, it probably wasn't anything special for her.

Her words broke the tense atmosphere and I quickly wrapped the towel around my waist and excused myself and quickly went to my room.

This was something which couldn't be avoided with the small house.

It wasn't the only awkward thing either.

The house was small with only two rooms which shared a wall… and no soundproofing. This meant the ones living in the other room could… hear us when Veena was loud… and she could be loud sometimes. What it results in is me getting embarrassed looks from Rose and a more stoic Bina the next day.

Veena was however not bothered by these things. It was just another day for her.

I did want to get a bigger home but Veena rejected saying that we were probably going to shift in a month or two and it would be a waste to buy the house.

Bina agreed with it too.

Rose, that girl was too polite to impose… also, she was the kind who would never spend a single penny more than necessary so she was also against the whole plan.

That's why we are stuck in this situation now.

In fact, this was not the first time something like this has happened.

Twice before when they were new and I still wasn't used to them living here, I had awakened late at night to drink water or just go to the toilet and encountered Rose or Bina.

I wasn't used to wearing clothes when sleeping, partly due to the heat and partly due to Veena's influence… and that's how I encountered them.

Safe to say, the sight drove away all sleep from our eyes.

It didn't help that both Bina and Rose were gorgeous and they dressed lightly due to the heat too, the thin white dress sticking to their bodies due to the sweat revealed their figures clearly.

The sight… was quite stimulating. Unfortunately without any clothes, my stimulation was clear for them to see.

I felt too awkward the whole day to even look them in the eye.

As for Veena, she had just laughed loudly when she had heard of the incident.