Soft

Torvald smiled in anticipation of his spar with an opponent he learned to respect a little over the weeks. He wasn't one to give respect to anyone easily, even senior Bob knew Torvald didn't respect him much but did nothing about it since he estimated Torvald would fail again this year which would end his stay as a disciple.

Torvald saw something in Shuu that earned the latter his acknowledgment of a decent disciple. But after seeing Shuu practice the cauldron run day in and day out without rest and even going days without eating and becoming feral.

The young man in front of him was shirtless and a bit tanned after weeks exposed to direct sunlight beams. His body still had some fat on it relative to his tight muscular frame that hid the fact he continuously fasted week in and week out with only a day's break. The new disciple looked at Torvald with excitement and determination as if to learn something out of that spar and that look didn't go unnoticed by the other outer disciples who were around and even senior Bob.

"I like the new disciple, I hope Torvald doesn't break him too much."

"Yeah, Henry was the last person to challenge him and that was two years ago. Henry hasn't recovered since."

Some outer disciples were talking about a disciple who had challenged Torvald two years ago when he was a recruit because of how much food Torvald got and how no one opposed him or fought him for it. The senior's carefree attitude at dinner pissed Henry and he couldn't take it anymore and challenged Torvald to a spar.

Spars were generally encouraged in the clan to improve the proficiency of promising disciples and were usually supervised by a senior disciple or two. Bob was some distance away from the plateau in a tree he usually rests in to avoid the sunlight but was present nonetheless. The outer disciples present on the plateau gathered around them excitedly to form a ring.

Some of the outer disciples began to bet their meal for the night since that was the only valuable thing available to the outer disciples. Mark's group was away practicing at the base of the mountain so they couldn't witness what was about to happen, but some disciples loyal to the group began to make their way to let them know but soon stopped since the fight was already unfolding.

'He is a big guy and is taller than me. Giving him too much space will only add momentum to his attacks and put me in an ugly situation if any of those attacks hit.' Shuu thought as he began to circle Torvald who took a fighting stance and followed Shuu with his eyes.

'But coming in contact with him isn't entirely safe either. I don't know if we are allowed to release our Kagune when we fight and I haven't yet modified my Kagune to my tastes.' Shuu immediately ducked below when he saw Torvald's jab aiming for his face. Torvald's jab only missed his face by a few millimeters. If it were not for his agility which was higher than his supposed level, it would be a different story by now.

Shuu wasn't scared. He knew he was careless for almost being lost in thought as he analyzed his opponent mid-battle, but that had confirmed something that made him hide a smile. Shuu is faster than most ghouls on his level! Torvald smiled after he retracted his left arm and continued to jab but his attacks only came in contact with air instead of Shuu who kept dodging his attacks easily. The crowd immediately became wild and senior Bob couldn't hide his interest as he seemingly glided down from his tree toward a spot in the crowd where he could monitor the duo unnoticed.

"You are quite slippery, are you afraid of getting hit by me? Torvald asked with a smirk on his face but Shuu kept dodging and studying his flow.

'Since he can move nicely, I might as well practice some of the techniques on him I intend to use in the exam.' Torvald thought as he took a deep breath and charged at Shuu at a speed that surpassed his level a bit. Shuu's eyes widened and moved back quickly to avoid his charge.

Torvald hid a smile since his opponent had fallen into his trap by evading backward. His new technique tried to emulate the gliding manner that the seniors use to get around easily to continuously close in on their opponent and add momentum to his attacks since his opponent will always play into his hands. 

Senior Bob could only marvel at that sight! Torvald's new technique might have been a crude method to use their special movement technique taught to inner disciples but he replicated some of it and forced his opponent into his near-endless rhythm. His opponent was doomed to forever wander in his palm until their inevitable defeat. The movement technique itself is meant to be an unpredictable, untraceable movement technique that confuses the opponent and keeps a constant pressure that builds up attack combos according to the battle IQ of the user.

Torvald had only seen a spar once between seniors when he ventured aimlessly into the forest at the base of the outer disciple mountain. He noticed how the seniors tried to imitate the way the clan master moved and introduced the movement in combat. Ever since then, he would pick a secluded place in the forest to practice those movements he saw once. Senior Bob had to accept that Torvald might be one of the talents that would advance.

Shuu on the other hand found himself in a pickle. He couldn't counter Torvald's advance since he had the movement technique although flawed and could easily evade any strike or blow. Escaping his zone was a bit difficult since he had a longer reach and also kept Shuu within his range. Shuu immediately stopped his attack and let Torvald strike him. Torvald saw Shuu come to a standstill and wondered if he had quit already. Torvald could understand why, most of his peers were not his equal in combat after all and he had learned to accept that life of solitude.

Torvald hid his disappointment but went for his finishing blow.

'You looked promising, don't be angry at me and just be a stepping stone.' Torvald thought to himself and launched a right hook with his weight behind it. Shuu's instincts rang madly in his head unlike what he usually experiences in his past as a human. He was usually in tune with his instincts as an athlete back in his home world but never before has he ever felt anything like this.

'This is not fear I feel. This is killer instinct! Somehow I just know.' Shuu thought as the blow landed square in his face. Senior Bob had noted how fast Shuu had been improving and wanted that to continue but with Torvald's attack, he felt his body move to try and save two talents that the clan would benefit from but was too late. The crowd was hyped and satisfied that the newbie at least didn't go down in seconds but at least put up a decent fight even though he didn't manage to hit Torvald. But the next few instants surprised the crowd and senior Bob himself.

"That's soft. Even my grandma hits better than that."

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Hey mortals, I have been having a little problem with accommodations so I haven't had the time to frequently update. But not to worry, I will get settled soon enough and get back on this. Another fanfic is coming soon, ANTICIPATE! Until next time followers of Heavenly Enel, stay awesome!

SEASON 2 PREMIER OF THE TRIBULATIONS OF TSUKIYAMA SHUU is here! Thank you all so far for your support, much appreciated. 

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