I couldn’t believe what I had just witnessed. Either my eyes were deceiving me, or Leonis had just displayed an attack that shattered the boundaries of logic. It was as if the very air itself had obeyed his command, bending to the will of his blade.

As the images burned themselves into my memory, I recalled that this wasn’t the first time I’d seen an attack of that kind. Just a few days earlier, during our spar in the Coliseum, he’d unleashed that same attack on me.

“Did… did you just break the sound barrier?” I stammered, struggling to comprehend what had transpired.

Leonis winked. “Good of you to notice.”

“How… how did you do that?!”

“Hmm… How to put it.” Leonis crossed his arms as he stared up at the sky in thought. “While it might have looked complicated, the attack I threw was rather quite simple.”

“You call that simple?”

“Just because something is simple, doesn’t mean it’s easy.”

“Ok… So, explain it to me.”

Leonis smiled. “All I did was create a thin mana field around my sword, before releasing it toward a target.”

“That’s impossible! Unless you’re using an element, mana particles are bound to scatter once you release them into the air.”

“Then, how was I able to hit the tree?”

I clenched my teeth in irritation. He had a point. If what I said was true, then Leonis would have never been able to land that attack.

“Why don’t you try to emulate what I just did?” Leonis suggested, motioning me to come forward.

“Fine…”

I clenched my hands into fists and then released, repeating this motion until my hands felt loose. As I stepped on the spot where Leonis had stood, I unsheathed Blood Reaper and pointed it at the nearest tree.

Hey, Solomon. Got any tips?

It was times like these that made having an all-knowing entity in my mind worth it.

Solomon sighed. “No, I don’t… The world of swordsmanship isn’t one I’m too familiar with.”

So much for being all-knowing…

Since I still struggled to control my elemental core, I opted to activate my artificial core only. Almost immediately, I felt a wave of mana flow through and around me.

Closing my eyes, I visualized the mana in my body making its way to my hands. The process was slow but simple.

Just like Leonis had described, I began to coil my mana around the surface of my blade. Drawing on my expertise in barrier magic, I treated the blade as the focal point to craft a thin field of mana around.

Once I’d condensed what I thought was enough mana, I opened my eyes and turned to Leonis. “I think I’m ready.”

Leonis smiled and nodded toward the tree. “Well then, show me what you can do.”

Shifting my gaze back to the tree, I inhaled deeply, shutting out the world around me. If there was even the slightest chance I was going to succeed, I needed to be completely focused.

I leaned my body back, raising my arm slightly as I prepared to deliver a forward thrust.

I waited and waited, biding my time as I got in sync with the atmosphere. I could feel the wind blowing. I could hear the waves in the distance. I even spotted a small squirrel jump out of the tree I was about to destroy.

Wait for it…

Wait for it…

NOW!

In one quick and forceful motion, I thrust my blade forward, aiming for the center of the tree.

Nothing happened.

I blinked a few more times to see if the tree would explode but it didn’t. My attack had failed.

“Try again,” Leonis instructed.

Exhaling deeply, I shook off my previous failure and wiped my mind clear.

As I took my stance, I decided I was going to double the amount of mana I used in my next attack. I had numerous variables to play with. I was going to experiment with every one of them until I was able to blow that damn tree to bits.

Just like before, I leaned back slightly and waited for the right moment to strike.

Wait… Wait… Wait… NOW!

I drove my sword forward, making sure to release every last drop of mana I’d wrapped around the blade.

Unfortunately, nothing changed. The tree remained steadfast in its place.

“Again,” Leonis said.

Shrugging off the failure, I retook the stance and leaned back. This time, I tripled the amount of mana around my blade before condensing it slightly more.

I bided my time before launching forward with a thrust.

DAMN IT! It didn’t work…

Even though I’d failed twice already, this time felt more disappointing. With my first two attempts, despite their failure, I had sensed slight fluctuations in the air. My third attack wasn’t even a fart in the wind.

“Why don’t you try focusing more mana on the tip of the blade than around it?” Leonis suggested.

I nodded, visualizing in my mind what he had suggested. This time I wasn’t going to hold back. I was going to escalate my mana usage to five times the magnitude of all my prior attacks combined. If that didn’t work, I didn’t know what would.

As I got into position and leaned back, I began to focus a large amount of mana around the tip of my sword.

“Whenever you’re ready,” I heard Leonis say.

I held my breath and thrust my blade forward as hard as I could.

WHOOSH!

I let out a sigh, realizing I’d failed once again.

Even though the tree was still standing, I had managed to achieve a greater degree of fluctuation in the wind compared to my previous attempts. It was nowhere near the level of Leonis’s display, but it was still something. It was a start.

Dropping to my knees, I took a deep breath and sheathed my sword. Fatigue washed over me. After just four attempts, I had depleted nearly half of the mana in my artificial core.

“Well, that was pretty disappointing,” Cyrus chuckled from the sidelines.

I rolled my eyes. “Why don’t you give it a try?”

“Oh no, I’m good… I’m not interested in learning how to wield swords.”

“Then what are you interested in?”

Cyrus’s lips curled into a grin as he pulled a bow out of his bag.

“A bow? Why am I not surprised,” I said, turning my back on him.

“Alright, alright,” Leonis said, stepping forward. “That’s enough out of both of you.”

“He started it,” I said, pointing at Cyrus.

Leonis chuckled and patted me on the shoulder. “I know it can feel disappointing when you face failure, but don’t let it get to you… The exercise I showed you wasn’t supposed to be easy. You probably won’t be able to do what I did anytime soon.”

“How long?”

“How long what?”

I rolled my eyes. “How long did it take you to learn that attack?”

“It took me two years to hit the tree, and one more to destroy it.”

“THREE YEARS?!”

I could feel my head starting to spin. Just the thought of a skill taking that long to learn was worrisome.

“The Serpent God Style was never meant to be easy to learn. I’d argue it’s the most mentally taxing sword technique out there.”

“I’m starting to see why…”

“I agree! Swords are a pain in the butt,” Cyrus said, cutting into the conversation. “Why don’t you just give up?!”

At first, I’d ignored it, but now there was no denying it. Something was up with Cyrus.

This wasn’t the first time I’d noticed his strange behavior. For some reason, he’d been acting cold around me lately. No, cold wasn’t the right word. More like, pissed. Whenever I was around, he seemed angry with me.

“Couldn’t we have left the twins behind?” I asked Leonis, my frustration palpable.

This entire trip could’ve been much more relaxed if the twins hadn’t joined us. Nalia’s presence didn’t bother me at all. My words were more directed at Cyrus.

Leonis scratched the back of his neck and chuckled. “They were the ones who insisted on coming.”

“That’s a lie,” Cyrus snorted. “My sister was the one who wanted to come.”

“Speaking of your sister, where did she go?” Leonis asked.

I blinked, realizing that Leonis was right. Nalia was nowhere to be seen.

Cyrus sighed and pointed at the beach. “She’s swimming.”

A sigh of relief escaped Leonis and me as our gazes turned to the beach. There she was, swimming and splashing and…

“Is she using water magic?!” The words blurted out of me without warning.

“You didn’t know?” Leonis’s eyes widened in surprise. “I could have sworn one of us told you.”

I shook my head.

It was surreal to see Nalia use magic. She was erecting three-meter waves and sending them hurling in the air like it was nothing. While in her eyes she was just playing, to me, she was putting on quite the show.

“Uncle, I have a proposition,” Cyrus said, grabbing my attention. “Can I spar Lucian?”

Is this kid for real?!

Leonis’s eyes fell on Cyrus, then on me, before returning to Cyrus. “I’ll leave the choice in Lucian’s hands.”

“So, what will it be?” Cyrus asked, looking at me expectantly.

“If you tell me why, I’ll accept.”

Cyrus shrugged. “Me? Oh, I’m just curious to see which of us is stronger.”

I stared at Cyrus for a moment, thinking of every reason he could have for wanting to fight me. Although he might have been curious, for some reason, I could tell something was up. He was hiding something. The true reason why he wanted to spar.

Perhaps it had something to do with his past, which I knew a little about from some reports Clair had given me.

After a few seconds, I realized it was futile. It was hard for me to get a read on the kid.

“Fine. I accept.”

“Good.”

As Cyrus and I moved away from Leonis to take our positions, I approached him, lowering my voice to ensure our conversation remained private. “If I win, promise you’ll explain why you’re upset with me.”

Cyrus flinched, clearly caught off guard by my directness. “I-I’m not upset,” he stammered, his eyes widening in disbelief.

“There’s no point in lying, Cyrus. It’s obvious you’re angry with me... So, do we have a deal?”

There was a moment of silence before Cyrus replied. “Okay, you’ve got a deal. If you win, I’ll tell you what you want to know... But if I win, you have to stay away from my sister.”

“Wait, what?!”

Before I could press him for more information, Cyrus snorted and walked away.

Left standing in his wake, I couldn’t shake the unease that settled in my stomach. I felt troubled. Cyrus’s words made no sense to me. The only thing I’d gotten from our little exchange was that whatever was going on in his mind had something to do with his sister.

Regardless, that was a matter for later. Right now, my only focus was to win.

“Are you both ready?” Leonis yelled from the side.

Cyrus and I locked gazes, nodding in agreement.

“BEGIN!”

It didn’t take long for Cyrus to make his move. Without hesitation, he leaped back and raised his bow with practiced ease.

I watched in shock as Cyrus conjured a wind projectile in his hand. With alarming speed, he released it, sending it hurtling toward me.

Instinctively, I ducked, a rush of wind brushing against my neck as the projectile soared just over me.

BOOM!

The sound of the projectile colliding against something echoed behind me, and turning, I marveled at the sight of a once-proud tree now snapped in two.

How can a ten-year-old be this strong?!

Never in a million years could I have predicted that Cyrus was a wind user. A skilled one at that. I couldn’t help but be impressed by his display of power. His command over wind magic was astonishing for someone his age. It was evident he’d been practicing archery from a very young age.

“You can give up if you want,” Cyrus chuckled. “If we keep going, you’ll end up getting hurt…”

“Sorry, but I’m not one to quit.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Cyrus said, lifting his bow.

Realizing I needed to close the distance between us, I drew my sword and charged toward him. If I could get close enough to land just one attack, I was sure I’d win.

“If you think I’m just gonna wait for you, you’re out of your mind,” Cyrus grinned.

Ignoring his words, I pressed forward, eager to close the distance.

Before I could reach him, Cyrus lifted himself into the air with a burst of wind magic. The distance between us grew as he flew higher, his movements graceful and controlled.

From his elevated vantage point, Cyrus unleashed another wind projectile, this one faster and more powerful than the last.

Time seemed to slow as I lifted my sword and parried the attack. The force of the impact sent vibrations rippling through my arms as I deflected the projectile to the side.

BOOM!

With a sharp crack, the projectile struck the ground beside me, causing a small explosion that momentarily threw me off balance. I stumbled, regaining my footing just in time to see Cyrus land gracefully on the ground.

Bloody hell…

Despite my efforts, the gap between us had widened. Cyrus seemed determined to maintain his distance.

“The kid is smart,” Solomon noted.

Yeah, I know… I’m going to have to switch up my tactics.

“Go easy on the kid. He might be strong, but if you fight seriously, he’ll end up getting hurt.”

I know, I know… That’s why I’m only going to use lightning magic from now on.

A knowing smile played on my lips as I sheathed Blood Reaper. If Cyrus wanted a long-distance battle, then I was all for it.

Wanting to catch him by surprise, I gathered a chunk of mana in my right hand, shaping it into a crackling arc of dark lightning.

“Try and dodge this!” I screamed, hurling the lightning bolt at him.

Cyrus smirked, his confidence apparent. “You’re out of your mind if you think you can beat me in a long-distance fight!”

Noticing his intention to dodge by taking flight, I adjusted the trajectory of my spell, redirecting it upward. With a burst of energy, the lightning struck Cyrus’s right arm, causing him to cry out in pain as he dropped his bow and plummeted to the ground.

Seizing the opportunity, I augmented my legs with lightning-attribute mana and charged forward. This was my chance to close the distance.

By the time Cyrus realized what was happening, it was too late. I stood over him, sword drawn and poised at the edge of his neck.

His face hardened with anger as he raised his hands reluctantly. “Alright, alright! I surrender.”

Lowering my sword, I smiled and offered him a hand. “You fought well. I’m impressed!”

Cyrus eyed me warily before accepting my hand.

As he stood up, I noticed his clothes were covered in grass. Thinking he’d appreciate the gesture, I brushed some of the grass off his shirt.

Cyrus glanced at me, a hint of annoyance in his gaze. “I can clean my own clothes, you know!”

“Fair enough,” I conceded, releasing him and stepping back. “Just remember to keep your promise.”

“I always keep my promises,” he assured me, his tone firm.

“Good.”