i'd give this series another chance. it's the first antagonist of the series so they either want to overpower him, or want the MC to be less overpowered initially by having him actually struggle at first. it feels like some folks here have grown to one-chapter battles and forgotten the age of battles taking volumes to start and finish. i still feel positive about the series, the art is great, the battles (albeit complex) don't feel out of touch and there's actually some suspense mixed in.