Chapter 193: Wind Takes Form
Arthur read through everything slowly.
Then again.
His grin didn’t fade.
"...Yeah."
That one word carried everything.
It worked.
He closed the interface with a thought and lifted his head as he eyes met the commander who was already watching him.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"You look too happy for someone who just failed."
Arthur laughed.
"Failed?"
He shook his head.
"I told you. It worked."
She studied him for a second.
Then her lips curved faintly.
"...Show me."
That was all she needed to say.
Arthur didn’t hesitate.
In fact, he looked more excited than before.
"Don’t blame me if this gets fun," he said as he stepped forward.
She smirked.
"I’m counting on it."
Arthur rolled his neck once.
Then his mana rose.
But this time...
It felt different.
Cleaner and lighter.
Wind threaded through his reinforcement, subtle but present.
Even before he moved, the difference was obvious.
The commander noticed immediately.
Her eyes sharpened.
"...That’s new."
Arthur didn’t respond instead he moved.
He didn’t activate his Intent Step or any burst skill.
Just one step forward..
And he was gone.
The ground beneath him barely reacted, yet his body shot forward like he had been pushed.
The commander’s eyes widened slightly as he appeared right in front of her.
Fast.
Too fast for just reinforcement.
"...Impressive."
Arthur grinned.
"Right?"
His fist came next.
A straight punch aimed at her center.
The commander raised her arm and blocked it easily...
But she felt it.
Not the strength.
The flow.
The force didn’t hit all at once.
It carried through.
Smooth and continuous.
Her stance shifted half a step back.
Arthur’s eyes lit up.
That felt good.
He didn’t stop.
A kick followed immediately, flowing from the same motion.
Then another strike.
And another.
No pause or stiffness.
Everything connected.
Like his body already knew what came next.
The commander’s smile widened.
So that’s what changed.
She moved now.
Blocking.
Redirecting.
Testing.
Arthur pressed forward too, his attacks coming faster.
Not heavier.
But sharper.
Each strike carried a faint cutting edge, barely visible but clear in the way it brushed against her defenses.
He laughed mid-fight.
"Okay... this is crazy."
His body felt light.
Too light.
Every step felt guided.
Every movement flowed into the next without effort.
No resistance.
No drag.
Just motion.
The commander countered with a quick strike.
Arthur leaned back instinctively.
Too smooth.
He avoided it by a hair, his body already shifting before he fully processed it.
"...You’re enjoying this too much," she said.
Arthur grinned.
"You have no idea."
He stepped in again.
Faster this time.
His movements sharpened, the wind responding more clearly now.
A faint current followed him.
Not strong.
But enough to feel.
His punches came in a chain, each one leading into the next without breaking rhythm.
The commander blocked most of them, but a few slipped through her defense, grazing her lightly.
Not enough to harm.
But enough to prove a point.
She chuckled.
"...You just learned this."
"And?"
He pushed forward again.
"You’re already using it like that."
Arthur shrugged mid-motion.
"I just follow what feels right."
That was the truth.
He wasn’t thinking too much.
The system had given him the framework.
His body just... adapted.
The commander stepped back this time, creating space.
"Then go further."
Arthur paused for half a second.
Then smiled.
"Alright."
He inhaled once.
Then his stance changed.
Lower.
Sharper.
The wind around him tightened slightly.
Not stronger.
More focused.
He moved again.
This time..
Faster.
The gap between them closed instantly.
His hand cut through the air, and for a brief second, a thin current extended from his strike.
A blade of wind.
The commander tilted her head, letting it pass just beside her.
"...Edge formation too."
Arthur’s grin widened.
"You noticed."
He didn’t slow down.
Now he mixed it in.
Normal strikes.
Then sharp, cutting motions.
Then back again.
Unpredictable, but fluid.
The commander responded properly now.
Her movements became more precise, her counters sharper.
She matched his pace.
Then exceeded it.
Arthur felt it immediately.
Pressure.
Real pressure.
But instead of backing off..
He leaned into it.
His movements sped up again, the wind carrying him forward.
Each step fed into the next.
Momentum built.
His attacks didn’t stop. He didn’t hesitate.
The commander blocked, redirected, countered.
But even she had to adjust.
Because Arthur wasn’t fighting like before.
There were no breaks or resets
Everything flowed.
"...This is dangerous," she muttered.
Arthur heard her.
"Good."
Their movements blurred for a moment.
Strike.
Block.
Step.
Turn.
Another strike.
The air shifted around them as the spar picked up pace.
Finally...
They both stopped.
A small gap formed between them.
Silence returned to the hall.
For a second.
Arthur stood there, breathing lightly.
He wasn’t tired yet.
But... charged as his eyes remained sharp and focused.
Excited.
The commander watched him closely.
Then she smiled.
"...You’re not done."
Arthur’s grin came back.
Wider this time.
"Not even close."
The wind around him stirred again.
And this time.. It felt even more sharper.
The commander adjusted her stance.
Her expression shifted too.
More serious.
More interested.
"Come on then," she said.
Arthur leaned forward slightly.
A smirk stretched across his face.
"Don’t blink."
Then he moved..
But not forward this time.
He vanished.
The commander’s gaze snapped to the side as Arthur reappeared far across the training hall.
She raised a brow.
"...Switching it up already?"
Arthur rolled his shoulders, relaxed.
"Close range was fun," he said. "But that’s not all I’ve got."
She clicked her tongue lightly.
"I figured."
Her stance shifted.
Not rushing him.
Just watching and waiting.
Arthur lifted his hand slowly.
His expression changed again, the excitement still there, but now mixed with focus.
Let’s see how far this goes.
His mana rose...
And this time, it didn’t stay around his body.
It moved outward, as the air in front of him stirred.
Then..
A small wind construct formed.
A simple one.
A compressed sphere.
The commander’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Then another formed beside it.
Then another.
Arthur smiled.
"...Oh, this is easy."