Silence fell as the wind whipped around us. Our battle had begun. The man before me was the leader of a powerful clan and I knew that I had to give it my all if I wanted to win. Without hesitation, I reached for my club and faced off against the leader of the Cronus clan.

Unlike me, he was unarmed, using only his bare hands to defend himself. Thinking it was too early to use my swords, I attacked him with my club. I had to win this battle and so I struck hard, thinking of him as an enemy.

The clan leader effortlessly blocked my blows with the palm of his hand. He was incredibly fast for his age, dodging and maneuvering around my attacks with ease. I had never seen such speed before, not even from my own master.

When my club struck his palm, a powerful sound echoed through the air. Despite my best efforts, he seemed unfazed by my attacks.

His hands were hard and numb as if forged from metal. He kept blocking my swings with ease as I swung my club at him. I couldn't tell if he was giving me a chance or if he was executing a plan. Sweat dripped down my forehead as I tried to do my best. I swung my club behind my back and swung from right to left, jumping up and gaining momentum.

My attack was both uncertain and powerful. I held my club in the air with both hands and swung it over the leader's head, but he easily blocked it with both hands. His strength was unmatched.

As if he hadn't been hit at all, he crossed and held the stick with both hands, pulling me towards him. I was on the other end of the stick and before I could react, he lifted his right foot and kicked me hard in the stomach. A single kick caused saliva to come out of my mouth and I gasped for air. But the leader didn't stop there. He pulled the stick back once more, this time aiming it at my face. I had already lost control of the stick in my hand.

It wasn't long before I collapsed to the ground after he hit me hard in the head with the stick. He let go of the stick as I fell. I never imagined that he could hit me so hard with just a few blows. But he should have known that I wouldn't give up so easily. With determination in my eyes, I picked up the stick again from the ground next to me, stood up, and faced him once more.

The only thing he didn't understand was that my intentions were not evil. If I didn't win this battle, I would have come here for nothing and I couldn't accept that. I had to show all my moves. I pulled myself together and moved towards the leader of the clan in front of me. When we were a little distance apart, I pressed my stick hard into the ground and used it to support myself as I rose with all my strength.

I quickly launched dozens of kicks toward the leader in front of me, my legs moving like lightning as I swung his left and right with countless kicks. While I was giving all my strength, he was blocking my kicks with one hand behind his back. It was almost effortless as he blocked my kicks with one palm or sometimes with his elbow.

Taking advantage of my retreat, the leader started throwing punches at me. I was trying to block most of the punches with my stick and dodging the rest. When I stepped back and found an opening, I took a step forward and swung the stick under my armpit vertically toward the leader of the clan.

At my movement, the clan leader shifted to the left and punched me in the stomach. Usually, I could block a punch with my belly, but this was quite different from the punches I'd taken before. This time my stomach was pulled in, not out. I tried to hit him with the back of my hand, but he grabbed my arm, pulled me back, and hit me hard with his shoulder.

The leader of the clan delivered his blows with precision and strength. Each strike was clean and hard, showcasing his prowess in battle. It was evident that he was the leader, not only from the way he commanded the battlefield with his moves but also from the sheer power he exerted. I stood there, watching in awe as my mind went blank. All the ideas and strategies I had seemed to vanish in an instant.

The leader of the clan was relentless in his attacks. He was determined not to train me and instead accelerated and strengthened his blows. As I thrust my stick forward, he swung hard at it with all his might. I could barely hold onto my stick; it felt like it could slip out of my grasp at any moment.

In a split second, he found an opening and struck my left shoulder hard with his right elbow. I crumpled to my knees in pain.

I made one last attempt to defend myself with my baton as he aimed for my head, but the leader of the Cronus clan was determined to finish me off. My baton was starting to crack under the force of his blows. I couldn't hold on much longer, but if I let go, I knew it would be over for me. I had to resist; what other choice did I have?

With that final punch, the first gift given to me by the king shattered into two pieces. It didn't matter who had given me the stick or what it was called; what mattered was why they had given it to me. Fueled by anger and frustration, I hurled the broken pieces of the stick onto the ground and reached for the sword on my back.

I didn't know its strength or capabilities; all I knew was that I was angry. Without thinking, I swung the sword at the clan leader with all my might. A thick black smoke erupted from the blade as it sliced through the air. It was sharp and powerful.

But my sword strike missed its target. The clan leader managed to dodge the blow, though it left a trail of destruction in its wake as it obliterated half of the garden. What kind of power did this sword possess?