Chapter 913 Wounded
?Lex's figure was frozen still, his gaze fixed on the headless armor. His mind was clear, devoid of any follow up instructions, meaning that the fight was over. Sensing the threat abate, his Overdrive state gradually disappeared, and an excited grin appeared on Lex's face.
He had been struggling with sword intent for so long, who could have guessed it would come so quickly and so easily? He even managed to overcome the first obstacle in growing the sword intent. It was still far from enough to absorb the intent hiding in his soul, but it was a good start. Moreover, Lex had overcome a far superior enemy using nothing but his own skills. It felt good.
"Do you feel pleased with yourself?" Cassandra asked, her expression long returned to her normal, neutral state.
Sensing the rhetoric nature of the question, Lex did not answer.
"In a sense, I guess you really should feel gratified with your progress. Based on your experiences so far, combat usually takes the form of a series of exchanges with the objective to destroy the opponent's spirit, soul or body. Considering your Soulforge physique, the elevated defenses of your soul and spirit allow you to focus on the seemingly easier option of physical combat.
"Based on this premise, learning sword intent is more useful than learning to manipulate energy externally. But when facing an opponent much stronger than yourself, where the odds have not forcefully been skewed in your favor, every single bit of advantage you have can bring you closer to survival if not victory. Let me show you what you can expect to face in an opponent of the same caliber, but without the handicap of only attacking physically. Take off your band, I want you to fight at full strength."
Cassandra's words distinctly lacked the element of admonishment, but even so it was clear that she was unhappy with the fact that he had focused on sword intent rather than divinity. Now, instead of just instructing him, she wanted him to see for himself why she was guiding him on a specific path.
Lex removed his armband and got into position, instantly entering the state of Flow. He expected that this fight would be much more difficult than the previous one.
The suit of armor, which had previously frozen upon decapitation, stood up straight. A bright light shone above its torso, and the helmet which had been cleaved in half reappeared and began to mend itself.
It was slightly difficult to calm down when your body was in so much pain and you were all geared up for a fight, but Lex mamanged. Unfortunately, he was no stranger to pain, but the benefit of that was that he found it easier to ignore.
He also understood what Cassandra was saying. Much in the way that he used pure technique and skill to overcome his stronger foe in the sword fight, having more skills and abilities at his disposal would allow him to use techniques to navigate out of tricker situations against more versatile enemies.
It was not as if he was going against Cassandra specifically. It was just that, in his Flow state, he had judged that victory would be more easily attained through improving his swordsmanship. That was because he misunderstood the necessary parameters for victory. He would only win when he mastered external divinity manipulation, not when he defeated his foe.
"I understand. I am ready to try again," he said, ignoring the gaping hole in his chest, right beside his heart, and the one in his neck.
"No, not like this. Wait. Since you've already felt some of the abilities divine energy affords, you might as well experience some more."
The suit of armor, which had only a short while ago attacked him with the intention to kill, raised his hand and projected out a bright, white light which fell onto Lex's body.
His wounds began to itch, but the discomfort lasted only a moment. A warmth filled his chest, and traveled through his body to the wounds which began to heal rapidly. In a matter of minutes, both his injuries vanished, his dried blood and torn clothes the only proof that he had ever been hurt at all. He felt slightly drained physically, but it was barely noticeable.
This... this was extremely useful!
"Now try once again. This time, focus on the divinity. You have three hours, after which we will move onto the next step - regardless of whether you've learnt or not. Trust me, you'll wish you had learnt external control at that point."
In truth, Cassandra had originally given him the whole day to learn, but once she saw his Flow state, she changed his training outline once again. She could tell why Mateo had been so frustrated. But instead of feeling frustrated, she felt gratified. A student who learned well would make the teacher want to teach even more.
She wanted to see how much he could grow before their time was up.