Lord Byron took a step forward and a pair of sabers materialized in his hands: decay and Blight.

’Is he going to use my sabers to train me?’

As though hearing his thoughts, he spoke. "Normally, I would’ve used a dormant pair of sabers but you have those so I am forced to use these."

Dale nodded and raised his hand.

The Hall Master raised an eyebrow, "Yes?"

He cleared his throat, "Why exactly are weapons needed? I would understand mundane people using them but Dormant, Awakened, and, Ascended don’t need them."

Lord Byron didn’t reply immediately. Instead, he raised both sabers above his head, making sure the blades faced down.

His right leg crouched as he outstretched the left. All in all, he seemed to take on a Mantis-style look.

"Attack me." The Old Man’s instruction was simple but Dale hesitated.

He wasn’t stupid. The only reason why he would ask him to charge in was that he was sure he could evade any attack without using his ability.

This was clearly meant to prove that martial arts were indeed useful.

’But it’s not like I can say no.’

And so trapped between a rock and a hard place, Dale ran in.

He covered the distance between them fairly quickly and swung his sabers at him.

Dale’s plan was simple. When the man fell for his feint and shifted back, he would drop the sabers and grab the hem of his clothes.

However, the man suddenly pushed his right foot off the ground and rotated himself with his left foot as the center.

Lord Byron twisted his way such that he was behind Dale with both sabers aimed at the latter’s throat.

In less than a few seconds, he had won the confrontation.

"That is why it is useful. Do not be so foolish as to assume your only enemies are beasts." The Hall Master warned and pulled his blades away.

Dale adjusted his balance and turned back to face him.

’He is right. This is the military, not an animal culling organization. We are about to go to war with an enemy nation and while there will be abilities thrown around, weapons such as his sabers would certainly even the field.’

Even with just a few of the weapons he had seen, Dale was sure that even Dormant soldiers would be on par with Awakened — as long as they knew how to use their weapons.

Lord Byron cleared his throat to grab Dale’s attention. "Now that I have shown you a bit of pure weapon skill — and you’ve seen parts of my ability skills — it’s time I show you the true potential of weapons." He paused.

"The combination of both. Precision and power." As soon as he completed the sentence, the world shifted slightly.

A subtle pressure filled the hall, spreading until every inch of it drowned in the oppressive aura.

Lord Byron casually raised Decay and dropped it slowly. As it traced an arc, the tip of the saber seemed to pierce the fabric of space, breaking it and disappearing into it.

Dale’s eyes widened as he watched in silence.

Before it could recover, he thrust the tip of Blight into the lightless void.

Space in front of the two blades collapsed completely, creating a dark rift that led into nothingness.

Despite seeing it, Dale couldn’t believe his eyes. ’Such power exists?!’

"Once you carefully combine your weapons’ special skills with your abilities, you can achieve almost anything."

The rift closed after a few seconds but Dale was still awestruck.

Lord Byron turned to look at him in the eye, "After engaging with you for a while, I have determined the best style of martial arts for you; The Winged Snake."

The latter broke out of his stupor and took on a stance. Paying attention could grant him the power he had just seen.

"The form of the Winged Snake is peculiar — focusing on sudden strikes and extreme bodily flexibility."

The Hall Master slowly walked around Dale, using the dull part of his sabers to adjust his stance.

Soon, Dale looked like he was about to run.

Both sabers were tilted at an angle on either side of his body. His right leg was crouched in front of him while his left was directly below him.

Lord Byron nodded and began giving instructions, "Keep your arms wide, keep your body lowered, and as you’re moving forward, balance is the key."

Dale struggled a bit to move and the old man quickly interjected. "Right foot. Left foot. Now move even faster."

He complied, stumbling a little.

"And as you’re moving backwards, keep your eyes on me. Do we understand?"

Dale nodded and focused. He took a step forward with his right foot and followed by his left.

He repeated it again and again, faster each time.

As he tried to move backwards, his eyes landed on his feet.

"Wrong!!" Lord Byron yelled.

"As you move backwards, keep your eyes on me; don’t you want to live?!"

Dale nodded and kept his eyes on the old man as he took a step back, then another, and then a few steps forward.

Lord Byron continued his lesson. "Deep down, you know you weren’t built for swordplay, but that doesn’t mean you’re not prepared to try."

"With my skills and patience, I can make a difference, I can make sure your enemy fears for their life."

Something about the man changed in Dale’s mind. Before, he had only seemed disappointed in Dale and a little aloof but this short interaction revealed a complex layer of emotion in him. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Lord Byron nodded at the mundane sabers in his hands, "Again. This time, involve your sabers."

"Take a step forward and slash with whatever arm you deem fit." Dale complied, stepping forward and performing a slash with his left blade.

The Hall Master nodded slowly. "Left-handed? Interesting."