SQUARESKULL had said. “Watch these videos so that you will know what to aim for. Your ability to learn quickly can be put to good use. I can’t tell you how one with the spear works because It is something that only the body knows. You will resume your spear dance after resting.”
So began his struggle for the first step of spear mastery. He would spend his time resting on ruminating about what he saw. Through all the simulations he carried out, he discovered the basics of one with the spear. One with the spear is the ultimate basic instinct and the ultimate basic technique. It is a technique that the body performs without even realizing it.
And that technique is momentum redistribution. The instinct to keep the spear unstoppable by concentrating the momentum from every movement and every clash into the spear. It required them to sense momentum and empower the spear with it. This instinctual technique reminded Soverick of the coiling momentum technique. It seemed that one with the spear is the preparation for the difficult coiling momentum technique and yet he had skipped it entirely.
One with the spear is like the reaction of the body when it is falling. A person can instinctively right themselves when they stumble. If not, they can try to soften the blow by using their hands. Every muscle in the body will move on reflex to resolve the quandary. It is not something you think about. It is simply natural to know at that point of falling, that you are off balance and that it must be fixed. Your body will have already begun the process of fixing it before your conscious mind becomes aware of the situation.
But imagine falling from a great height while you are disoriented. The lack of direction and balance will make you indecisive about what action to take. One with the spear can be likened to the ability to always know your direction. To never be disoriented. To always move forward. To aim for the kill. In a single sentence, it is the understanding that the spear is unstoppable and the execution of it, all done without the participation of the mind.
Now he knows why SQUARESKULL is making him fight with the heavy spear. With one with the spear, there is no difference between light and heavy spear, only momentum. And momentum can be initiated by the spear if it is heavy or it can be initiated by the body if the spear is light. Either way, the spear, and the body will be in a state of equilibrium. It is until he is able to overcome the constraint that the weight of the spear places on him, that he will be able to assimilate with it.
It is true that only the body knows what’s going on when it tries to balance itself during a fall. While the conscious mind cannot accurately determine the effort that went into the act. A focused study of the phenomenon of failing and balance by an astute mind that knows what to look for, and understands what he or she is seeing, will have the proper equipment for examination and will be able to suss out the truth of the matter. That’s how people learned that the sense of balance is acquired through the structure and activity of the inner ear. And that’s how Soverick intends to tackle the mastery of the spear.
Now that Soverick knew what to aim for to acquire spear mastery, he started to learn about how to actually fight with a spear, or what SQUARESKULL calls Fighting proficiency. Over the days that followed, he would duel SQUARESKULL, rest and watch spear fighting videos, and practice spear dancing. He became faster as he gained more control of the gate enough to reduce the siphoning rate to 70%. He had yet to master the empowering phase so the gate was still a burden, he was still burning far too much energy for the simplest movements. His body heats up with the strain of long periods of activity.
His spear proficiency also slowly increased. He finally found the truth of one with the spear. For him, it was the grace and agility of a feline predator. Quick and deadly. But with this truth came another question, for what purpose?
A series of reflex actions go into correcting balance, it is a habit. As he had learned, habits can be good or they can be bad. All habits can be made better. And so he sought to make one with the spear better. Why not use the fall to your advantage? Even if that is unable to be achieved, is there a way to make regaining your balance better? He tried to answer these questions and many others so that he can improve on one with the spear.
He gripped his spear with his two hands and performed a horizontal cut. SQUARESKULL was about to smash his spear away but it turned into an upward slash. Its attempt to escape SQUARESKULL’s defense was rebutted because of the twirl he did with his hands. SQUARESKULL’s twirling rotates the spear with the point of grip as the pivot. The rotation raised the blade of the spear and tried to sweep Soverick’s attack aside. It was so fast that it caught up to Soverick’s spear.
But Soverick was counting on it, he let his spear be knocked upward and he did the same thing that SQUARESKULL did. He harnessed the momentum and twirled such that while the blade was going up and away from SQUARESKULL, the butt of the spear was coming from below and towards him. SQUARESKULL shifted the direction of his twirl to address the new threat but Soverick was ready. All that twirling had reduced the reach of SQUARESKULL’s spear. Soverick stepped into SQUARESKULL’s guard the moment when SQUARESKULL’s spear was vertical instead of horizontal. Meanwhile, his own spear was horizontal and so he transformed what was supposed to be a glancing attack into a full-blown thrust.
But somehow SQUARESKULL’s spear blurred, straightened, and smashed into Soverick’s side. His stance was forcefully shifted and his thrust foiled. He put his right foot forward trying to regain his balance and stretched his left leg backward as support instead. His intuition told him that an attack was imminent so he didn’t have the time to right himself. He did the only right thing he could in such a compromised position. He chose to attack instead of getting a proper balance or defending himself. He pushed the spear forward for another thrust.
An inexperienced person will expect him to still be fumbling with his balance, such an inexperienced person will try to move in to take advantage of his incapacitated state. That’s why such an individual will not expect the incoming spear. If the individual is lucky, they will be able to react to the sudden attack. An unlucky individual will be skewed by the spear.
Too bad that SQUARESKULL isn’t an inexperienced individual. He is more than experienced, he is a spear master. He planned to both take advantage of Soverick’s incapacitation and also deal with any possible attack. So he jumped up and gained a vantage point from which he had his pick of attack options. He simply smashed his spear downward. The attack overwhelmed Soverick’s flimsy thrust and hit him in the chest. SQUARESKULL’s attack had the advantage of height and potential momentum, while he was destabilized and clutching at straws.
Soverick smashed into the ground barely breathing. One of his arms was mangled from the time SQUARESKULL hit him in the side. The other arm had various lacerations and cuts. His legs did not go unscathed either. He was missing some toes amidst the veritable amount of injuries he had. The most gruesome of his injuries is the gaping hole left in his chest due to that last crushing blow.
He was battered and bruised. But his eyes were still open and locked onto SQUARESKULL. Those multicolored eyes were fixated on his teacher and they seemed to burn with the thirst for vengeance.
So Soverick tried to stand up but he failed. It’s not because of the demands of the gate now. His body is worn out and refused to listen to commands. Body control or not, his body cannot and will not rise. Soverick’s recovery of his physical capabilities has led to longer dueling times. But it wasn’t a duel, it was a beating.
“Do you know why you haven’t achieved one with the spear after two weeks?”
Soverick just stared, intent on not answering. It was a rhetorical question anyway. That’s how SQUARESKULL usually starts his lecture after beating him up.
‘Must be feeling smug don’t you.’ he thought to himself.
SQUARESKULL continued. “It’s because you think too much. You need to learn to let go. Let your body act for the purpose. Let it feel the spear. Let your spear form shine gloriously. Your mind is holding you back.”
“How can I let go when that will end in failure? Brash actions are stupid. Only smart efficient actions can bring down a superior enemy.” Soverick rebutted with an eye roll.
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