The Eminence in Shadow: The Dark Swordsman

Chapter 19: Blades of Defiance

Cid caught off guard, puts more power into his swing than intended. The training dummy becomes a splintered masterpiece, and the once sturdy wall behind it collapses dramatically.

The students collectively gasped as they witnessed Cid's accidental feat of destruction. The splintered remains of the training dummy and the collapsed wall leave them stunned, eyes wide with disbelief.

Cid, realizing the gravity of his unintended performance, thought to himself, (Oh no, I've officially entered one of those "OP Main Character" scenarios, haven't I? This is not how I imagined my day.)

Trying to divert attention away from the chaos he just caused, Cid quickly points towards Kirito and declares, "Well, would you look at that! It's Kirito's turn now. Brace yourselves for the most graceful and majestic swordplay you've ever seen!"

Kirito, caught off guard, blinks in surprise as he realizes it's his turn. "Oh, it's my moment to shine already?" he exclaims, attempting to sound nonchalant but failing to hide his surprise.

As he readies himself, he glances at the aftermath of Cid's accidental destruction. Kirito raises an eyebrow and deadpans, "Well, I guess that's the standard level of finesse for us students, right? Break a wall, earn a gold star."

With a mischievous grin, Kirito prepares to showcase his own skills. "Alright, time to play my cards right," he mutters to himself, oblivious that Cid inadvertently caused this. "If Cid can make a wall crumble, I should aim for at least a chandelier or two."

Kirito swings his sword with what he believes is finesse, but instead, he manages to not only obliterate his training dummy but also send the shattered pieces flying into the dummies behind him, creating a domino effect of destruction. The wall, unfortunately, becomes collateral damage, crumbling dramatically.

The students and the teacher stare in shock, their mouths forming perfect "O" shapes as they witness the chaos unfold. The training area now resembles the aftermath of a sword-wielding tornado, with shattered dummies and crumbling walls.

Cid, eyes wide open, mumbles to himself, "Wait, is this Kirito guy secretly a genius? Did he strategically unleash chaos to make my little wall mishap seem like child's play?"

Cid smirks, raising both thumbs at Kirito with an exaggerated flourish. "Well played, Kirito! " he exclaims, a hint of admiration in his tone.

Kirito, thinking he's successfully played the situation off, grins confidently, returning the thumbs up. "Thanks, Cid!"

Later on...
As Kirito headed to the Bushin Fencing session with Alexia like every day, the internal struggle between maintaining his facade and revealing his true abilities intensified. Alexia's provocations to showcase his power clashed with Zenon's watchful gaze, tinged with malice and perhaps a hint of jealousy.

As the fencing session unfolded, the tension in the air mirrored the intricate dance of blades, each move reflecting Kirito's internal turmoil.

As Kirito navigated the complex dynamics of the fencing sessions, he gradually uncovered the tangled web of relationships around him. Discovering that Alexia and Zenon were arranged to marry, yet Alexia was vehemently against it, Kirito realized he had unwittingly become a pawn in her strategy to make Zenon abandon the proposed union.

Amid their fencing session, Alexia and Kirito faced off, blades clashing in a rhythmic dance. Kirito, despite his internal struggle, displayed remarkable skill as he expertly blocked and evaded Alexia's attacks.

As the session came to a halt, Alexia, slightly out of breath, gracefully wiped the sweat off her face. Looking at Kirito with a mix of curiosity and confidence, she asked, "How was my swordsmanship, Kirito?"