23 A Witch's Instruction Of A Spear Boy Part 2

(Before I begin this chapter, I would like to thank you all for your recommendations for how the main character should look when he gets a bit older. I will go through all of the photos to see which one I like the most, but I have seen quite a decent number. Also, wow, you all are thirsty for Zhongli)

(Cao Cao POV)

Training under this woman is an experience, to say the least. I am not allowed to rest or stop until she decides to stop me, and she has not done so. The last time I got sleep was a month ago, but thanks to my regen and increased power, the act of sleeping has become less important.

Currently, I am trying to perfect her instinct training, and after a month of pain, I learned to dodge her attacks even without observational haki as I proceeded to dodge her for a week straight. And she got quite inventive on where she can put that staff.

I still get chills remembering those strikes.

Regardless of any possible PTSD, the training is showing results as my skills relating to haki, as well as my mental acceleration/partitioning, have gone up to S rank or Satan class in addition to my Demon Brain going up to A+, and all I can think is how busted a hanma would be in this world. 

To explain it further, this world's power scaling is messed up as humans while starting out weak and taking more time to become stronger, have a much higher power ceiling.

 If someone like Yujiro or Baki showed up and did not stop training, they would dunk on an ultimate class or, at minimum, high-class opponents with their physical strength and skills alone. 

But with that tangent aside, Scathach has begun to train me on something else, her spear arts, and they were something, to say the least, as just by watching her train, my spear art-related skills went up another rank as I understood more of how to use the spear. 

One problem with her teaching me is that her style is innately connected to her being a woman, and there is nothing wrong with that, but our body types are somewhat different.

So I have had to use her style and combine it with the ones from Yu Ilhan and Seol Jihu, and the dividends spoke for themselves as with one use of my "Thrust" technique, I leveled an entire ruined city within the land of shadows. I still remember how Master reacted to it.

After finding me training and seeing my power, she appeared in front of me with an almost blank expression as she said, "Disciple, where did this hole come from?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, master this hole was always there. Erosion truly is an ecological issue." Scathach's look became even more flat as she simply said, "Disciple, there is no erosion in this place because the entire area is time-locked. What happened?"

"I feel as if you don't trust me, Master. This hole was always there." My answer simply caused her to sigh as she pulled out G ae Bulg and said, "Well, if you aren't going to tell me the truth, I must make your training more difficult then. Now Dodge!"

Where did Piccolo come from?! My question goes unanswered as she begins to try to impale me with her spear, and not in a fun way. But I could see the small vestiges of a smile forming on her face.

Every little bit helps when dealing with someone who has lost nearly all their emotions. I could tell her emotions have been severely muted as, thanks to haki, one can tell the emotional state of a person if they don't try to hide their emotional range. 

My Master is one of those people who simply doesn't hide the lack of emotion, as I assume it is some form of intimidation. If an enemy were to have emotion-sensing abilities, they would sense the utter and complete void that is this person.

And no one can truly understand what it is like to go up against someone that feels nothing. Yet, I still try to bring something out of her. But for what reason, I am not entirely sure.

 Is it a way to repay her for allowing me within her lands and for teaching me? Is it because she is within my strike zone? Or have I just embraced the idiocy of a Shonen protagonist?

But with all those questions, even I admit that a large part of it has to do with myself as I am a selfish being. I desire to see anything and everything. I want to see the creation of universes in the beginning and the end. I want to see how our universe will come to an end in either a crunch or silence.

 I hide such thoughts from the spirits within the spear as I fear some form of rejection for my inherent selfishness, even if my fear is unfounded. 

It is a rather simple desire to see the people around you smile, and in what form that smile comes from, either through satisfaction or contentment, I do not care. Even the little things, such as her enjoying trying to impale me with her spear, are enough.

Life was meant to be enjoyed and filled with improvement, and whether that be mental, physical, or spiritual is irrelevant. However, such thoughts do make me wonder if such a desire is normal for a being like myself. Some would have lofty goals like trying to rule the Multiverse or possessing a harem in the size of thousands like King Solomon.

 Yet, in my case, all I want is the freedom to walk out of those gates utterly and completely assured of my victory. I want to see my enemies afraid to merely say my name. But not out of any form of sadism but simply as a deterrent, or at least that's what I am telling myself.

So, as I thrust and swipe in the katas I created to practice my spearmanship, I focus my will and my mind on every second and every single motion. A thrust leads into a slash, then into a cut, and then leads into a stab. A simple rhythm that holds immense potential. The core of my Master's spearmanship is adaptability and the ability to create the greatest damage with the simplest of motions.

Currently, I've been using my shadow clones to Aid me in training as I have had a hundred clones practicing with me to have a form of self-scrutiny and self-study as any mistake is pointed out along with any inconsistency. It has also helped with my chakra control and mental abilities, as holding the strain of partitioning my mind and handling thousands of memories at once is straining.

A couple of times, I even had nosebleeds due to the pure mental strain as my ears had also begun to bleed, but yet I kept going as with every thrust, stab, cut, and slash, the rhythm became better, and my movements more refined. Cato and Celestine had retained quiet so as to let me focus but do speak to me when I take breaks.

 Celestine has been trying to replicate my spearmanship with Cato, studying my very movement for future notice as well as apparent teasing material every time I fail. 

Truly, I have the greatest advisors in my mind. That presence I felt from before is always there, and is seemingly pleased by my improvement, kind of like a parent being happy with their kid getting good grades.

Although the presence isn't really a fan of my Master, as whenever she is there, I can feel it becoming agitated for some reason and almost protective? Such mysteries are for later, but it is still somewhat interesting, to say the least.

A thrust leads into a cut, which leads into a slash and then a stab, and I have been doing this for a week now. Thanks to mental resistance, I have yet to feel bored doing this truly, or is it because I simply enjoy training? I will have to study this further, but Ceslsetine is practically jumping for joy.

(Yes, good Cao Cao, embrace that feeling as it makes you focused and more powerful.) Is this a reference of some kind, I wonder? But the eccentricities of my senior aside, she is somewhat right as feeling my strength increasing is rather addictive. It's as if I have become a Saiyan in all but DNA and name.

I still refuse to shout out my attacks to her disappointment, but I do it mentally to appease her sometimes as I check my LP stores, which number 21,034,200, after a month and a week of time. I have enough for what I want to buy, but I wonder if I have the will to do it. While my Master seems empty, I do see some glimpses of desire, and the desire seems to manifest as a desire for freedom or to see more than this endless expanse of shadow simply.

 And if I buy this, I could help her and create a base for myself to fall back on, yet it would mean much more than that. The Land of Shadows is not simply just a prison. 

It is an entire pocket dimension created to hold its prisoners for eternity and to have them go insane from endless fighting as well as time passing by. There is little to eat and almost nothing to drink. It is a veritable hellscape in all but name.

 But if I were to take this place on my own, I could twist it to my own desires to create something truly beautiful. The small bit of fear that is keeping me back is the fact that since this place is innately connected to her, I am somewhat afraid of what will happen when I sever that connection. It's almost funny as I have only known her for a month and I care about her so much.

Is it because I haven't had true human contact ever since I arrived, or is it because I desire to lean on her because of her experience and my own feelings of being in over my head? 

Or is it pride in allowing my teacher her freedom, something no one else has been able to do or has wanted to? Similar to Sindri in the newest God of War, she rarely, if not never, takes but only gives.

 To her students, she gives her spear arts and her knowledge, and the students give her only companionship or a form of respect. Also, I know she is still a virgin thanks to my spear.

Looking up to her room, I see her staring at me with an unreadable expression on her face as her emotions are muted, but I can feel a smidge of pride but also fear. So becomes another mystery to uncover as I thrust my spear forward, which then leads to a cut and, then a slash, and then a stab.

Beauty in repetition and simplicity.

(Ares POV)

-Outside The Gates To The Land Of Shadows-

It has been a long time since I have felt like this.

This thrill and the feeling of fire in my ichor is almost enough to make a man sick with the pure weight of emotions I am feeling. 

Yet, amongst the fiery storm of emotions, fear is never present. My myths tell me running and losing, but they never tell of my triumphs and the courage I gift to the Warriors who worship me.

 I feel no sadness nor pity for those who decide to follow the way of the warrior, only pride, as even the smallest of children that can wield a sword are worthy of praise. My own children, while I will never admit it, make me proud as even with the shitty situation they are in, a majority of them look up to me. 

Even Athena is not so loved by her children as they are born from her knowledge and thus innately understand that they shall never be more than ideas given form.

 Athena herself never gave birth to the children as she was a virgin goddess, yet her children were born through her essence and the essence of a fellow thinker. Truly, these children are all brainchildren. It almost makes me laugh at the absurdity of it all. The monsters that Uncle Hades has sent have yet to arrive as they need to traverse Tartarus and then access the gate that leads to the mortal world.

 The Devils and the Fallen are being uppity with the amount of monsters that are going through their territory or at least skirting around the edges, but they are too weak and too few to truly matter. 

The only reason their factions even exist is because any other faction understands that if you were to attack one, you would suffer the wrath of all three and their own monsters, even if they would end up fighting each other in the end.

 Now, that is a war I would like to see continued. While I was unable to fight in that war, I still fed off the energies and gave courage and strength to a specific few. 

But now I sit in my war tent outside the gates of the prison for that God Slayer. Zeus would have me hiding away on Mount Olympus and away from this threat, but that would be an insult of the highest order! I am Ares, the God of War. I will run from no one, and even if I meet my fate on that day, I will meet it with a smile on my face and a spear in my hand.

The remnants of warriors that worshiped me continue to sharpen their skills and their weapons, but I feel my innate excitement as they train harder and faster. In my hand, I hold legions of warriors from Spartans to Persians. All who fought in my domain belong to me.

 History may never write of my triumphs nor of my true perspective, but I am all right with that, as all that matters in life is what you think and what you can do. Let not the peasants nor the storytellers spin their webs and ruin you, but accept the beauty in war. For in war, there is no fairness, as there is only victory or defeat.

 Such beauty in simplicity and such beauty in war.

So, as I sit on my throne and await the coming challenge, I look to the camp with my godly senses and see my children, my warriors, train and fight and survive. That is what it means to be my progeny, as I require no plans nor any tricks but simple force. As with everything, all can be accomplished if you hit it hard enough.

Leave Athena to her plans, Artemis to her useless Huntresses and bows, Apollo to his ineffective sicknesses, Demeter to her cereal and plants, and Hades to his reapers as I will have war my way!

So I hope that boy is preparing for a fight as my ichor runs hot with an unending lust for battle.