Chapter 199: Triumphant Return (5)

The afternoon sun blazed down on the outdoor training grounds. Two warriors clashed, their fierce aura radiating as they exchanged blows. A crimson aura blade repeatedly slashed through the air, only to be deflected each time by a blue aura, forcing it back.

Amidst the thunderous impacts, Leven continued swinging his aura sword. Though he was constantly pushed back whenever their blades collided, he never once collapsed. Each time, he swiftly adjusted his stance, regaining balance and charging in once more.

"

Haah

!" With a fierce shout, Leven's slash aimed for Serati's shoulder, only to be instantly repelled.

He staggered backward with a groan, his breathing ragged. "As expected, I still have a long way to go before I can catch up to you, Sir Serati."

Well, he had only just awakened his aura. It was natural that his path would still be long and arduous.

Steadying his breath, Leven adjusted his stance. "One more time, please!"

Serati watched him with a strange expression.

He's gotten ridiculously strong all of a sudden.

She had been a blue-tier aura user for nearly five years now. And Leven? He had been one for what—five hours? Yet he had already closed the gap between them this much...

Geniuses like him are seriously annoying.

No, she couldn’t afford to think that way. She had to acknowledge what she had been given and continue moving forward with composure.

Calming herself, Serati raised her aura blade again. "Here I come again, Sir Leven!"

"Yes!"

The battle of fierce auras resumed. She focused wholly and kept her mind sharp.

I won't fall behind!

Even if her opponent was a genius, even if he was destined to become the future martial king...

I am a warrior who has devoted myself to the sword! I won't just let myself be overwhelmed!

After several intense exchanges, Leven made his move.

Now!

With his aura awakened, his entire body felt astonishingly light and fast. Now, he could finally execute the family sword technique he had only ever visualized in his mind.

— Storm King's Barrage!

It was one of the secret techniques of the Delphiad sword style, a rapid nine-strike assault delivered in a single breath. In an instant, Serati's vision was filled with flashing crimson sword light.

Her eyelashes trembled slightly.

This...?

If she unleashed her full strength, she could shred through this entire attack. The gap between the red and blue aura was that significant. But this was a sparring match meant to help them grow, not a battle to the death.

Overpowering him with brute force won't help either of us improve.

She forced herself to stay calm. Rather than clashing strength against strength, she would redirect his power and let it dissipate!

"

Haaah

!" With a sharp exhale, Serati's blue aura slipped between the gaps in Leven's assault.

The storm of crimson strikes twisted strangely, scattering in all directions.

"

Huh

?!" Leven's stance faltered in shock.

At the same time, his own aura rebounded against him. With an explosive impact, Leven was sent flying, tumbling across the ground. He had been defeated. But it wasn’t by physical strength or aura reserves, but by sheer difference in skill.

"Well fought." He managed to utter those words before collapsing onto his back.

His entire body ached too much to even attempt standing. Staring up at the clear blue sky, he let out a wry smile.

Yeah... I still have a long way to go...

***

Varos nodded to himself while watching their spar.

Sir Serati's improving a lot too.

She was steadily, diligently, and faithfully honing her skills.

Training her is actually pretty satisfying.

A person didn't need to be a genius who grasped ten things from being taught one in order to become strong. Even if they could only master exactly what they were taught, that was enough. All it meant was that they had to be taught step by step, at a steady pace.

As Serati steadied her breathing, Varos approached her and drew his sword. "How about a sparring match? It's been a while."

Her eyes gleamed as she raised her blade once more. "Yes!"

Serati had already regained much of her confidence after overpowering Leven with sheer skill.

I'm not falling behind these monsters just yet, am I?

Of course, there was no way she could beat Varos. His sheer experience set an insurmountable gap between them. But at the very least, she still held the higher tier in aura. She should be able to fight him without being completely overwhelmed.

"Thank you for sparring with me!" Serati called out boldly, her eyes reflecting the glow of Varos' aura blade.

A blue aura materialized instantly, surrounding his blade.

"

Huh

?"

For a moment, she thought he had forcefully pushed his limits to reach this level. But no. His aura flowed naturally, smoothly riding the current of his energy as it radiated in a clear blue hue.

"Sir Varos? You reached the blue tier? When did this happen?" Serati questioned him.

"It was about time, don't you think? I've been eating well and resting plenty lately," he answered.

"Wait, just eating and resting is enough to raise your aura?"

"For me, yeah."

Well, considering Varos had already overcome every major hurdle long ago, it wasn't all that surprising.

"Wow. He's so far beyond normal that I don't even feel annoyed anymore," she muttered.

"

Hmm

?"

"Nothing! Haha." Forcing an awkward laugh, Serati readjusted her grip on her sword.

There was no way she could avoid falling behind. So, she simply adjusted her goal slightly.

Still... I can't afford to fall too far behind!

***

The duel between Varos and Serati was fierce, at least, for Serati. Varos remained as relaxed as ever while she took blow after blow.

"

Agh

!

Urk

!

Kyaa

!

Cough

!"

Taking hit after hit, Serati finally snapped in frustration. "Why does it hurt when you hit me with aura?! Shouldn't I be getting cut instead?!"

"Strength should be both gentle and firm."

"That's not an excuse to turn your aura into a blunt weapon!"

"I cut when I need to, and I strike softly when I don't."

Wait, when he puts it like that, it kinda makes sense...

Regardless, it was exhausting. She had been able to hold her own against Varos ever since reaching the blue tier, but now she was back to being utterly powerless.

Even so, she refused to give up. "

Haaaaah

!"

Seeing her relentless determination, Lapicel's eyes shone.

As expected, she’s amazing.

Standing at the edge of the training ground, she watched the duel alongside Leven.

There was always much to learn from observing others spar, so she paid close attention. As she watched Serati throw herself at Varos with unwavering resolve, admiration welled up within her.

She's so slow, and yet she still became this strong...

She had just thought something incredibly rude, but she failed to realize it. In truth, it couldn't be helped. Though she had no memory of it, she still carried the soul of the martial king. Instinctively, she could tell that Serati's talent for martial arts wasn't particularly extraordinary, at least, not compared to hers.

It was something she simply knew on a fundamental level. But that wasn't a reason not to respect her. If anything, it made her achievements even more impressive.

A bear breaking a tree with its paw wasn't anything special. But a human snapping a tree with their bare hands? That was incredible. Some people were meant to be strong. Others weren’t, but still became strong.

Lapicel firmly believed that the latter deserved respect. Though if Serati ever found out about her reasoning, she would be absolutely horrified and reject such

respect

outright. Regardless of talent, one thing was undeniable. Right now, Serati was far stronger than her.

How can I reach that level?

Shortly after, the duel ended.

"Agh... my whole body aches..." Groaning, Serati staggered back, while Lapicel hesitantly rose to her feet.

After a moment's hesitation, she quickly trotted over to Varos and made a request. "Big Brother Varos, I want to spar too!"

"Oh, sure."

Since Varos hadn't even broken a sweat, fighting back-to-back duels wasn't an issue. Just as the two squared off and raised their swords, Varos suddenly gave Lapicel a strange look.

Then, he asked an unexpected question. "Isn't it about time?"

"Huh? You think I can?"

"Seems like it."

Serati tilted her head, unsure of what they were talking about.

Just then, Lapicel let out a bright, energetic shout. "

Hiyaah

!"

A brilliant crimson aura surged forth, enveloping her blade.

"

Huh

?" Serati's eyes widened in shock. "Lapicel, when did you awaken your aura?"

The ash-gray-haired girl grinned adorably. "

Hehe

, I just felt like I could do it."

As if it were the most natural thing in the world, Varos repeated the same words he said a while ago. "It was about time, don't you think? She's been eating well and resting plenty lately."

Indeed. For Lapicel, just like Varos, eating well and resting properly was all it took to raise her aura level. After all, both of them had already surpassed all limits in their previous lives. It was an inevitable outcome. Nothing surprising at all.

Then why do I feel so wronged?

Serati, dumbfounded, glanced at Leven, who clicked his tongue in amazement. "Wow, so real prodigies do exist."

You are the last person who should be saying that!

"Hm? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Serati could only sigh. "Forget it. Whatever."

***

The next day, the outdoor training ground was busier than it had been in a long time. The knights of the Zestrad family had gathered to train and warm up their bodies after finally recovering from their extended rest. But at the moment, they were all standing at the entrance, staring blankly, mouths agape.

"What in the world...?"

They still vividly remembered how they had once been awed by Serati alone. Yet now that they had returned, they found that practically everyone was wielding aura blades with ease, swinging them around as if it were nothing.

"When did that Varos boy reach this level?"

"And who is that young man?"

"And that little girl. She can't be more than thirteen!"

"

Haha

...

haha

..."

Sir Torres, a veteran knight who had served the barony for years, let out a hollow laugh.

"Since when did our territory become infested with aura users?"

***

Deep into the night, with even the moon hidden behind the clouds, Karnak remained buried in documents. From the mansion's backyard, he could hear yet another round of strange noises.

"I won't fall behind—

aaaaaaah

!"

"Why is Serati making a scene in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"

She had been doing this constantly lately, and he had no idea why. Just as Karnak considered opening the window to check, a knock came at the door.

"Young master, I brought a late-night snack."

"Come in."

Varos entered, carrying a plate of biscuits. Even now, despite being an aura user, he remained in charge of preparing Karnak's snacks. It seemed the maids had grown quite fond of him, admiring how he hadn't let his newfound strength make him arrogant.

Of course, the real reason was far simpler. Varos broke a biscuit in half and handed part of it to Karnak. "Here, half for you."

"Hey, that's my snack. I'm giving you half, not the other way around."

"It's the same thing, isn't it?"

Karnak was so used to this cheeky attitude after over a hundred years that it didn't even faze him anymore. The two casually munched on their late-night biscuits.

"So, why did you call me?"

Karnak gestured behind him. "Because of him."

A figure emerged from the shadows. "It has been a while, Sir Varos."

The newcomer was a young man in his twenties, with messy blond hair.

Varos frowned. "Uh... isn't that my face, young master?"

"Yep. It's yours."

At Karnak's response, the blond youth touched his face as if realizing something.

"Ah, I forgot to change it back. I borrowed your face for a bit."

His human form flickered and turned translucent. The faint glow of a blue skull beneath was revealed.

Varos, now recognizing him, gave a small nod. "Oh, it's Lord Demphis."

Apparently, Karnak wasn't the only one who could identify people by their skulls.

Finishing the last of his biscuit, Karnak muttered, "Now that Demphis is here, it's time to take care of our unfinished business."