"Don't tell me you fight using that ridiculous little knife," Nobunaga chuckled, who didn't know whether to feel tenderness or pity for his new guildmate.

"Actually, I don't use it very often. No offense, Takamori-Sensei," Yoichi smiled, looking at his master. His right hand was still on the back of his head, trying to mask his embarrassment.

​​

"No offense taken, boy. Nobunaga has never seen your power and doesn't know that your Oracle possesses an enhancement skill," Takamori specified.

Yoichi, Nobunaga and Takamori continued to converse quietly on the beach east of Goldhaven, under the uncurious gaze of Rinji, who at times seemed to be sleeping standing up.

Nobunaga explained to Yoichi that the stance he took during the defense phase could not coincide with that of the attack phase: although Kenji's power allowed him to parry blunt and sometimes sharp weapon strikes successfully, it made his response time much longer.

The experienced warrior who once belonged to the Rogue Syndicate showed Yoichi that preferring the dodge to the parry opened up an incredible range of possibilities for him. If the enemy's attack missed the target, he would have much more time to act, thus deciding in which direction and with which limb to counterattack.

The two Nightblades warriors started training again, but unlike in the previous fight, Nobunaga did not use the 'Thief Wind' movement, the unique ability with which he could move as fast as the wind.

He simulated a slow-motion fight, allowing Yoichi to acknowledge the most common mistakes in his combat stance.

One movement after another, Yoichi began to store those moves in his mind: performed by his inexperienced body, they were imperfect and still predictable. Instead, when Nobunaga moved his arms and legs, he seemed to dance.

The purple-haired tamer's attack and defense stances were harmonious and perfect. Making relatively simple movements, Nobunaga never left any side of his body uncovered and always had the ability to counterattack.

Studying his young teacher's movements in-depth, Yoichi realized that those moves, combined with his superhuman speed, made him a much stronger than average warrior.

"Come on, try to hit me one more time," Nobunaga chuckled, who was starting to enjoy that kind of training. He tried to hit Yoichi with a kick in slow motion, allowing the young tamer to step back and dodge.

In the next instant, a punch was dodged sideways and an elbow was deflected by a hand from Yoichi, who had now figured out how to move.

"I'm going to increase the speed now. Are you ready?"

"Uhm... can we have a moment..."

"Go!" - Without giving Yoichi time to reorganize his ideas, Nobunaga carried out the same series of attacks, but in a much more sudden manner.

Yoichi relied solely on his muscle memory and, keeping his concentration level high on his opponent's hands and feet, parried and dodged every blow.

Suddenly, without even realizing it, he blocked his hand, locked in a fist. Surprised at his own abilities, Yoichi noticed that his knuckles were grazing Nobunaga's cheekbone and that the counterattack had succeeded perfectly.

"Excellent! Good job, guys!" Takamori Sada rejoiced, clapping his hands. Ayaka, his mantis demon, simulated the same movement with its front legs. The Gokirama was steady on the guild leader's head, as always.

"Wow! I can't believe it!" Yoichi exclaimed, pulling his arm back and returning to a standing position.

Nobunaga did the same, positioning himself in front of him. "All you need is a little practice, but... Takamori-Sensei was right. You're a quick learner." After those words, the purple-haired warrior flared his nostrils and sketched what remotely looked like a smile of encouragement.

Hearing those words come from the mouth of his guildmate gave Yoichi an incredible charge. Nobunaga didn't seem to be the most sociable or conversational kind of person; that advice probably came from the bottom of his heart, hard as a rock.

"Seeing two of my warriors train with such spirit fills my old heart with joy," Takamori breathed, taking a step toward them. "Today, you have learned what your deepest shortcomings are. I expect you to put Nobunaga's advice into practice every day, Yoichi."

"It will be done, Sensei," the young tamer replied, leaning his upper body forward.

"The hand-to-hand fighting style is perhaps best suited for you, boy. However, we still have a problem to solve," Takamori added, creating some suspense.

"You do not possess a weapon worthy of the warrior you will become," he asserted. The guild leader drastically changed the tone of his voice, as if he was talking about something sacred.

After that suggestion, Yoichi thought it was finally the perfect time to talk to his master about Tetsuiasa and Shusaku, the blacksmith exiled by the current Emperor of Tentochu.

Referring to Ryutaro and explaining to his master that it had been his idea, Yoichi showed Takamori, Rinji, and Nobunaga the rare material he had obtained by solving the riddle of the three spirits of the Blackvault Mines.

The members of the Nightblades looked at the Tetsuiasa with interest, taking it out of its wooden container and twisting it in their hands. Sunlight reflected off the rough, raw surface of that metal, strong as steel and shining like a golden nugget.

"Hmm... Skusaku..." Takamori murmured, repeating the blacksmith's name in a low voice. "I'm sorry, boy. I really have no idea where he might be. In any case, I understand why Ryutaro told you about him. This metal is a rather rare commodity and needs to be worked by the right hands," he added.

"Ryutaro-Sensei told me that he knew someone who might know Shusaku's whereabouts. However, after his arrest, I doubt he can still help me and..."

"I'll help you, boy," Takamori interrupted, turning to Yoichi with his usual smirk.

"What? Really?"

"Sure. I don't know all the people who the supreme Ryutaro knows, but... I'm sure I can glean some clues. You just take care of your training. When I know something, you'll be the first to be informed," Takamori spoke.

Yoichi was unable to express his gratitude in simple words. In recent times, the young tamer had come across several evil beings, ready to exterminate the entire population of Tentochu to achieve their goals, and he had always relied on his own force of will.

Knowing that he could count on the help of an honourable man like Takamori heartened his spirit.