"Is this considered enlightenment? No, it's not really."
Gal had experienced Roa's state once when he was young. At that time, he was still young, and his mind was full of the Dragon God's figure. For this reason, he almost gave up everything and devoted himself to studying the Sword God Style.
Gal tempered his swordsmanship like a demon. He forgot the time, forgot everything, and then entered a state of almost selflessness. One day, he was like Roa, and in just one day, he broke through from Sword King and became Sword Emperor. Moreover, Gal, who broke through and became Sword Emperor, challenged his senior brother, who was also a Sword Emperor, on that day and defeated him.
And the feeling that Roa gave Gal was just like himself when he was young.
The battle continued.
Different from the last time Roa defeated Gal, Gal clearly felt a strong sense of threat. His keen intuition told him that he couldn't continue like this, and he had to make a quick decision.
But Gal did not choose to make a quick decision, but continued to block Roa's sword moves.
He had lost once before. Compared to the unimportant matter of winning or losing, this time Gal wanted to see if Roa could truly break through the bottleneck and reach the level of Sword God.
Roa was not in the best state at this time. Gal was waiting for an opportunity, waiting for Roa to reach his best state before making a move.
Roa was constantly accelerating his sword moves, and so was Gal.
Two white lights were constantly moving around, and this small dojo instantly turned into the battlefield of the two.
The soil rolled, and dust was stirred up.
The gray-white sunlight shone down from the sky, shining on the two of them. The white sunlight had no warmth at all. Its existence seemed to only illuminate this world.
The slashes easily broke through the atmosphere, and attacked each other with an unstoppable momentum, but in the end, they were all blocked by a wooden sword at a critical moment.
The battle became more and more anxious, and the dojo floor had been ravaged by the two into a mess.
The two's inadvertent small movements would cause huge changes in the surrounding environment.
This was not the first time. Every time, the students who cleaned the dojo would sigh and complain for a while.
The wooden swords parted with a single touch, both adjusting their stances, preparing for the next exchange.
The battle reached a fever pitch. Roa took a deep breath, his bright eyes shining even more brilliantly, his golden pupils involuntarily lighting up.
A cool breeze brushed their faces as they stood facing each other.
The young man was handsome and dashing, like a prince straight out of a fairy tale.
Gal's gray eyes met Roa's. In stark contrast to Roa's vibrant state, Gal sighed deeply, his expression a mix of relief and melancholy.
His era had passed, and a new one had dawned.
The new king would become even stronger, bathed in glory, enjoying the adoration of the masses.
While he would fade into the shadows, growing old and forgotten.
Perhaps his name would linger in history, but the future no longer belonged to him.
Gal's mind raced with thoughts. The elderly often subconsciously reminisce about their past glories, and Gal was no exception.
In that moment, he seemed to see his younger self standing there, pointing a wooden sword at his former master.
Gal cleared his mind, realizing this was no time for distractions.
"Then, let my departure be somewhat graceful," Gal thought.
Roa had reached his peak condition. Except for not activating "Moment," he was in top form.
Now, Roa only needed a catalyst, external pressure.
They widened the distance between them, gazing at each other.
The unspoken understanding between swordsmen led them to simultaneously grip their wooden swords, adopting an upper-level stance.
Right foot forward, left foot back, body lowered, they focused intently on each other.
The movements were fluid and remarkably synchronized.
One face was aged and slightly fierce, the other youthful and impossibly handsome.
They stared into each other's eyes.
Both right hands caressed the sword hilts, holding their breath, searching for any sign of weakness.
The pressure between strong opponents was immense, especially in the Sword God Style, where even a slight mistake could be fatal.
The autumn air was crisp, and pale sunlight illuminated the ground.
The clouds on the horizon turned a milky white, a blend of white and blue, as autumn leaves drifted to the ground on the breeze.
Withered leaves fell, while new green leaves sprouted on the tender branches.
Both figures vanished at once, only to reappear simultaneously.
The wooden swords transformed into streaks of light, two flashes of sword light that disappeared in an instant.
This time, there was no sound of wood clashing against wood.
Everything seemed the same as before: the sky was still the sky, and the ground was still the ground.
But the difference was that only one person stood today.
The other was panting, kneeling on the ground.
The one standing was bathed in sunlight, golden hair cascading down his back.
The one kneeling lowered his head, letting the shadows obscure his face.
The wooden sword lay beside him, his right arm trembling, unable to hold the weapon any longer.
The duel had ended, and the changing of the guard was complete.
Unlike the previous, hurried exchange, this time it was definitive.
In Roa's ears, the system's notification finally sounded after a long silence.
[Congratulations, Host! Through constant training and continuous improvement, you have successfully elevated the Sword God Style to the Divine level.]
The voice in his ears was like heavenly music, pleasing and uplifting.
People's joys and sorrows are not always shared.
Unlike Gal's mixed emotions, Roa felt only joy.
The young man stepped forward, extending a slender, elegant hand to help the old man up. Roa's lips curved into a smile as he said, "Thank you. You've helped me a lot."
Gal gave Roa a complicated look, then took the young man's hand. Looking at the handsome young man before him, Gal finally smiled, the melancholy in his eyes replaced by relief and admiration.
Wasn't this outcome expected?
Besides, hadn't he been depressed for a while recently?
It seemed he was still too concerned with winning and losing.
Gal twitched his lips and said to Roa, "Alright, I guess I'm officially retired."
Roa chuckled and replied, "Old man, it's too early for you to retire. You still have to watch over the Holy Land of Swords for me for at least a few decades."
"You little rascal, no respect for your elders. I'm still your senior, you know."
Gal playfully punched Roa's shoulder, adding a bit of extra force.