The sneer immediately left Humbert's face. In exchange, suspicion of Eugeo's intentions and the cruelty a wild beast displays as it torments its prey with its claws, showed themselves. "Experience, with your body... you say? In other words... do you have the desire to be struck by my sword, Swordsman-in-training Eugeo?" "Of course, I would like to ask for you to stop immediately before you do so, but I am the one who requested guidance, after all. Asking for any more on your part would be impertinent of me." "Oh now, I see, I see. So, you're suggesting that you do not object to ending it only after the first strike?" The neatly combed down grey hair looked as though they slightly bristled. Those eyes, thin even under normal circumstances, narrowed even further to nearly lines, with a brutal leer focusing deep within them. It seems Eugeo's overly respectful manner of speaking had aroused his sadistic anticipation. "True, it is only my duty as the second-ranked swordsman-in-training as well as one born in a fourth class noble family, to respond to a plea for instruction. Very well, I shall show you my sword techniques, Eugeo-dono." The minute he said so, he unsheathed the wooden sword at his side, in his belt, in an exaggerated motion. It was made of the same platinum oak as Eugeo's, but elaborate patterns were engraved onto the side of its blade. With Humbert by his side acting in that manner, Raios first thought to say something to him, but perhaps thinking better of it, immediately shut his mouth. Taking slow steps backwards until he was three mel away, he nodded with a vague smile when Humbert turned to look at him. Getting more into it with the acknowledgement of his superior, Humbert loosely hung his hands, and pointed his sword tip straight at Eugeo who was standing upright and then shouted. "Now, here I come! This is the essence of the High Norkia-style... learn it through your body!" Spreading his feet out front and back, he held his sword up as though he was resting it atop his shoulder. This stance was the secret move of the Norkia-style, «Lightning Flash Slash». Contradictory to his words earlier, he did not try to use the powerful High Norkia-style «Heavenly Mountain Rending Wave» out of concern for Eugeo's body—no, he probably just didn't want to use it. That said, Lightning Flash Slash wasn't a technique that could be looked down upon. Even with the edgeless wooden sword, it would reduce a person's Life by half if it struck directly on the head and caused that person to lose consciousness for a while. Of course, «reducing someone else's Life» was a major violation of the Taboo Index, but in a bout agreed on by both parties, the maximum of a single hit could be forgiven. And there was no doubt that Humbert was aiming not to stop before contact, but to deal a full hit. The craftwork that was the wooden sword brandished by the second-rank swordsman-in-training let out a blue glow. The speed that he activated the secret move with, after entering the stance was as expected of him. However, Eugeo could distinctively predict the path the sword would draw. After all, Lightning Flash Slash was utterly identical to one of the many secret moves of the Aincrad-style swordsmanship, «Vertical». "...Shrya!!" With a high-pitched bellow, Humbert's sword charged in.