Martial Arts Worlds

After the talk with Azer, Kiernan and his little wolfie, Fen, headed back to the house, and while Fen went to get fed by Julian, Kiernan went to the backyard.

With grass below his feet, he stared at the lone tree standing in the backyard, and it still had the dent, shaped like a fist, on its trunk.

Kiernan touched the fist mark with his own right fist. It didn't fit anymore. His fist had grown bigger.

He remembered like it was just yesterday when he truly 'reincarnated' and threw punches at the tree trunk.

Back then, he could barely damage the tree, and it took thousands of punches to make even a tiny dent on it.

'…If I punch this tree now, it would fly off its roots like a feather in the wind.'

Kiernan then reminisced about the stuff he witnessed inside his mind back in the selection draft while Dark Kiernan made its appearance.

The light shadow images of perfect Iron Style moves.

'…That was an even more evolved form of True Iron Style. I guess I should call it Mastered Iron Style.

'I didn't think there was much I could've improved any further, but those light shadow images showed that I haven't truly reached the potential of my own style.

'Once I've become Martial King, I know that I can use my True Iron Style again, but I want to learn this Mastered Iron Style.

'It's a combination of True Iron Style and Iron Style, honed to absolute perfection without any flaws.'

He closed his eyes, remembered the moves, and started practicing the moves, punching and kicking across the air.

The moves looked fluid. Perfect. And powerful.

Through the kitchen window, Julian couldn't help but admit that those techniques were as perfect as they could get.

However, Kiernan was actually quite displeased, as they still didn't feel and look like the moves that the light shadows did.

'…It feels wrong!'

Kiernan gritted his teeth, Iron Smashed the air in front of him, and then did a hook kick, then Reversal Taekwondo, before finishing with a spinning back kick.

"Iron Style, Reigning Fallow!"

The fists flew—hooks, straights, crosses, and uppercuts—the wind that those punches created was already dangerous for any other martial artist of his generation from New Rakuya.

"What is Kiernan doing? He is scheduled to leave tomorrow for Black Rock, and he is exercising this heavily?"

Karma asked Julian as he walked over to the kitchen after hearing the sounds of swooshing wind.

"This is still light training for him, and I know him. It does seem like he is quite nervous as the day of the tournament is quickly approaching.

"He wants to improve as much as he still can."

Julian said.

"…Mhm. Yesterday, Aoi left to go back to her family, so he must also be missing her quite a bit as well."

Karma thought out loud.

She couldn't come with Kiernan over to Black Rock, and while she didn't mind staying with her father-in-law to watch the tournament, she hadn't seen her grandfather for so long.

She was also missing everyone back home, and thus, went back, as it had been a very long time since she had visited.

"Iron Smashing Bolt!"

Kiernan sped through the backyard and drove his fist through the air like a spear. He then stopped. Then, he turned around and thrust his spearhands forwards.

"Iron Lance Storm!"

The spearhands moved through the air. It was as if there was an army of spearmen thrusting their spears.

It was a crazy sight, and Julian and Karma thought that there wouldn't be anyone under Martial King that could dodge that attack.

Karma, who was currently High Stage Martial Grandmaster, had a chill go down his spine at the thought of going against that attack.

'…Hmm. I think him sparring against the air is ineffective as opposed to a real person. We are equal in terms of martial rank, so aren't I the best possible sparring partner?'

Karma thought, then rolled up his sleeves and entered the backyard.

"Son, would you like someone to spar with me? Me, for example?"

In the past year, he'd been training rigorously, and now his arms were hard with muscles. It was like he had returned back to his younger self.

"…Father? You want to spar with me?"

Kiernan asked with a smile, his eyes shining with excitement.

"…If you can handle me, son."

Karma rooted his ground, taking the offensive stance of Iron Style, and then unleashed a series of lightning-fast strikes.

Fast, sharp, and deadly!

"Iron Lance!"

Kiernan pushed his spearhand through the small gap between Karma's punches and stopped his attack once his fingers touched his father's throat.

"Oh…"

Karma wryly smiled with cold sweat running down his back, and he raised his arms in surrender.

"You should've been using Reigning Fallow, my father. Your punches were far too predictable."

"I haven't been able to learn that, my son. I know how you do it, but it's completely another matter to learn it.

"Iron Style has so many techniques, after all."

Karma said.

"…I leave you some instructions then."

Kiernan said, then stepped away and took his defensive stance, motioning for his father to keep attacking.

With a lunge, Karma slid through the backyard grass ground and started throwing Iron Smashes with a few feints and kicks mixed in.

While the father and son sparred in the backyard, Julian patted the head of the dark-furred Fen, who was also watching the sparring match.

'…It is clear that while Karma knows some of Iron Style's techniques, they are not as honed as when Kiernan does them.

'It's clear that Karma is still a student while Kiernan is a master. The level between their martial arts is vast.

'It doesn't matter if they have martial rank. They use the same martial arts, and Kiernan is more skillful, so he will win a hundred out of a hundred times.'

In the backyard, Karma got knocked down on the ground, his back crashing on the ground, but he immediately flipped back to his feet.

In that moment, Kiernan's attacks came in like an unpredictable lightning bolt, each one more fierce and powerful than the last.

Karma kept losing and losing, but there was a smile on both of their faces—one was a smile of pride, and the other was that of happiness.