Chapter 2 - The Path of the Sword

While visitors from other realms were not a rare occurrence at the Takana Inn, organized groups with weapons drawn was something that nobody expected. The friends the twins had made in the region rushed to their aid and, in no time at all, the entire area had turned into a war zone. They scattered individually to face the incoming threat - though one of them had to take on a team - and began to fight for dominance over the mountain.

Zericho Azerich was fried to a near-death state by a bolt of red lightning coming from Natomouge.

Edan was forced to fight Alabaster and Kajurou and ended up getting ripped apart. Through his control over the element of earth, he was able to turn to dust at the last minute and reformed close by, but ended up frozen on the spot a few minutes after.

Sutoraikku was destroyed by a plasma beam fired by his opponent, Kamon.

Hitamashi met a grim end at the hands of Thomas Balvice after an elaborate technique was rendered useless by the latter.

Vincent ended up facing Ignatius Eldridge in a bout mainly encompassing elemental techniques and swordsmanship. It was right there that he'd realized not only how weak he was in the grand scheme of things, but how stronger he had become compared to his peers. Forced to surrender due to his lack of experience, Vincent and his friends struck a deal with their assailants: In exchange for training, they would pass the ownership of the mountain over. Most of Vincent's friends stayed to guard the mountain and to train on the spot, but he journeyed with his newfound teachers to the Isamahii Gardens; a location far, far away from the Takana Hotsprings.

It is here that Vincent's training with the sword begins under the tutelage of Ran, Sohjin Kasake, Kajurou, and Shiki. It was an era filled with intense combats and arduous study, and he would grow to learn different skills from each swordmaster. From Ran, he learned not to rely too much on techniques; strategical points of view often beat hasty approaches. From Sohjin, he learned the basics of combat and how to further expand on them; often times, the only thing we need is to be led down a good path to follow. From Kajurou, he learned how to expand his repertoire of elemental techniques in the battlefield; when something does not work, refine it properly until it does. From Shiki, he learned balance; the momentum one garners in a fight is always there, carried by the body.

Through the perfect synergy of these principles, Vincent evolved into one of the best fighters of the Isamahii Gardens and eventually managed to graduate from their training. Perhaps, just perhaps, he is capable of surpassing every single fighter or teacher in the Gardens at the present time.