With just a distant glance, Kenzo could feel the thrill. A rush that surged from the pit of his stomach and coursed through every fiber of his body to remind him why this was exactly the reason he lived for. There was no need for pretention, Kenzo could very well be defined as a battle junkie. It was what he’d done for the longest time, and in a slightly twisted way, one of his guilty pleasures. As he tried to contain himself, the mercenary continued walking down the stone stairs that led to the training grounds. The Empyrean Gala had started with a blast, Karisa throwing out a party that would probably become legendary. A couple of days had passed since then without much happening in between. It was for that reason that Kenzo burst out of his room without thinking as soon as he heard the gossiping maids speaking about Alisa Vollan. One of them had caught wind of the white empress training by herself, swinging a massive blade as if it was lighter than a feather.

And here she was.

Kenzo approached his guild master carefully, delighting himself in the sight of a person that had dedicated her entire being to strive for perfection. He took a deep breath, his heart rushing and increasing its rate considerably. The male had a question he’d wanted to make for a long time.

”Would you be up for a spar, boss?”

Kenzo felt as if a massive weight had gotten off his shoulders. A part of his mind was honestly wondering why he felt so giddy, as if he’d just asked his middle-school crush to be his girlfriend. But hey, asking arguably the strongest person in the continent for a spar was definitely something like it, right? The warrior extended his hand to his side before a long golden blade materialized out of thin air from his pocket dimension ring. Masamune was certainly a magnificent weapon, much like the pitch-dark blade that the sculptress carried. The outcome of the fight didn’t matter, what was driving Kenzo crazy was the prospect of the biggest thrill of his life. How would he compare to her? How much could he push her to her limits? How much more could he grow from the experience? The possibilities were endless… The only thing needed? A yes.

Kenzo could feel the adrenaline intensifying as soon as he heard his guild master agree. A flashback blitzed through his mind in an instant, making him remember the days when he was still an Advent World member. The warrior had heard heaps of praise and words of admiration for Alisa back when he first got to the country. She had been Blue Pegasus’ guild master for a long time before he came to Fiore, so her exploits were known by everyone. Everywhere he went, there were discussions over whom the strongest mage in the land was, most inevitably pointing at the Hargeon sculptress. Since so long ago Kenzo had put his sights on crossing blades against her one day. His first opportunity to see her in action came with the Grand Magic Games held in Crocus, where she triumphed in a fierce battle over Venus Rose.

The mercenary was one of the thousands filling the colosseum, mesmerized by the sheer overpowering might of their fight. He was far too weak back then, even he could agree to that. He’d sworn himself many years ago he’d become the strongest person in the continent, even lacking magic as he was. As he saw the battle, he realized the title of the strongest now had a face. That encounter sparked a light inside the swordsman; it was the spark that drove him everyday to wake up earlier than anyone else and go to sleep later than everyone else. The spark to challenge his limits and take his body to its breaking point over and over. The spark to travel across the country, risk his life and venture into the unknown in search of ancient and mythical relics that could rival his ambitions. As he saw Alisa agree on his little proposition he simply smiled with satisfaction.

”I Hope I can make you sweat a little at the very least, though I’m unsure if I’ve ever had an opponent of your caliber before” The mercenary chuckled and replied with a face full of confidence as the rest of his gear covered his body, save for Beowulf’s Axe. It was still too early for him to fight using the towering axe, so he decided to keep it inside his pocket dimension ring. He also felt more comfortable wielding swords anyway.

”Hoho~ Sounds like fun ” The proposition of a swordfight made sense to the warrior, considering the place they were at the moment. Since it was a spar, it was better not to destroy the entire surrounding area by going too ham. After all, Kenzo would never turn down a swordfight and it was the perfect opportunity to setup Alisa for a following fight with everything they had at a later date. He had fought against Finn in the past, and he had to admit he was one of the most talented sword masters he’d ever encountered. Considering he was not in this world anymore, this spar held even more of a symbolic meaning.

Positioning himself 5 meters away from Alisa, he unsheathed his 2-meter-long blade and held it with both hands, positioning it at the right side of his body in a back-right guard stance. Masamune’s tip pointed at the ground, allowing Kenzo to quickly respond to any incoming attacks. The warrior’s right eye instantly glowed with a blueish flame, activating its sensorial capabilities, and allowing the man to see everything around him in a 25-meter area. Nodding his head, Kenzo spoke again.

”Ready when you are” He’d allow Alisa the first attack. She was his superior after all.