Textbook
Ugh... He seized the Backdoor side of the truck. Even if the portal opens, we can't -
... Doesn't change what needs to be done. We take care of him, get the bus girlie, and head off to HQ.
For fuck's sake... We can't even fight full out...
Despite Ryōshū's assurance, the Sinners did not share her confidence that no harm would come to Charon...
... so they were confined to fending off the animated corpses, unable to fight aggressively.
Ryōshū was the only one unfazed enough to raise her sword against the assailant in this cramped battlefield.
Bothersome little halfwit. Arms straight, I said. How many times... Just how many times must I repeat myself?
Oh, stop making a fuss - it couldn't have hurt that much. On your feet. Get off your ass! What makes you think you deserve a break?
Quit being a whiny little brat and pick up that sword. Slash straight. See? That wasn't so hard, was it?
If I ever hear you whining again... I'll rip your hair clean off your head, so get your act together.
... You.
You're no stranger to this sword style.
The Palermitan Style. I have been trained in it as well.
Did you learn it from Valencina, that boozehound?
I must ask you not to insult her with such a crude epithet. ... My master gave me an order when she imparted this style to me:
To temper and hone it until my mastery of it becomes indistinguishable from yours.
My swordcraft... is now on par with that of your past self when you still belonged in the House of Spiders.
Learning it without understanding anything... and only obsessively copying me...?
Wasting time over such mimicry... It's beyond ridiculous.
If you're no more than a copycat, then the angle of the wrist, the distance between the feet, the balance of the sword itself - every one of these has to be exact, because even a single incongruity...
Are you actually that incompetent, or do you enjoy the beating? Maintain your stance!
Don't bother your stupid little head trying to be clever and just stick to what you've been taught! Take what you memorized and move!
The sooner you become the blade that cuts through all, the better. Only then can I -
... will break your form, making your swordsmanship as precarious as a tightrope walk headed straight for a fall.
*puff* You're no different from those wind-up dolls over there.
... Call me a wind-up doll all you want. It doesn't matter.
You, likewise, are unable to recall and properly wield the Palermitan Style...
Which tells me my usefulness has not yet run its course.
I must perfect every form you've been taught, even if I must repeat the same stance a thousand - no, ten thousand - times over...
... if I am to be a perfectly tailored textbook for you.
What if I said I have no need for childish study-aids?
Your rejection is inconsequential. My role as your textbook has already begun.
Hah. Then I will illustrate my very own art for you...
... until you're slashed and cleaved beyond recognition.
Hah... Damn. My eye's torn up again - Yup, I landed on the right place. That's my Ticket all right.
Gah...!
I told you, Lucio.
You could spend years honing your skills...
But that still won't be enough to catch up to our Yoshihide.
.......
The man staggered a little, his head jerking to the side from the impact of the blow.
Isn't it obvious now that you've seen it yourself?
How sad and pathetic your progress is.
This... This is the problem with greenhorns who haven't had a taste of the War... They don't know what it's like to crawl through the muck and grime of the battlefield where the slightest inattention can get your head blown clean off...
When faced with a superior opponent, don't just rely on brawn, but redirect the force of their attack to the side by locking their arc with the tip of your sword - I've said it time and again.
And when you're outnumbered, lower your form and draw wide arcs with your sword. Did you forget everything I drilled into you after shouting myself hoarse?
Secure a corner,
force them to get to you in a single file...
Because positioning is everything. Didn't I tell you all of this before?
If Yoshihide is to recall even one more lesson from me, the textbook can't afford to have any defects.
... Forgive me, Master.
But... you did manage to collect this one as instructed. Maybe you're not completely useless after all.
Hatred thick in her voice, Ryōshū hissed "The Thumb Nursefather..." under her breath as she shifted into a blade-drawing stance against the second assailant.
.......
Hey. How have you been doing, Ticket?
Your form's really become a wreck since you were away. Just seeing that sloppy grip makes me sigh. I had to beat that habit out of you back in the day, remember?
Tch. Still... this reunion's been a long time coming, so I suppose I owe you a bit of courtesy. You're old enough now to understand what I'm saying without me having to resort to the occasional backhand, aren't you?
"Ticket?"
Still intent on calling me that, huh...
... Clearly, you're still just a sad sack of shit stuck wallowing in a sinkhole of your own making.
... Did you just call me... a "sack of shit?"
Hah... Bitch... you should know your place before barking at your betters.
...!
Sensing a sudden presence outside, the so-called Thumb Nursefather snatched Charon into her arms and swiftly assumed a fighting stance.