Talent, dedication, and ambition went hand in hand. Someone could be extraordinarily talented and still live an entire life without ever realizing that talent.
Others could possess ambition worthy of kings, yet die in some random alley, defeated by a harsh lack of talent.
Jino Britz was talented—far more talented than Eris. In fact, calling him "talented" was a euphemism; he was a natural genius in swordsmanship.
And, by Rygar's direct influence, he was also dedicated and ambitious. A rare and dangerous combination.
But Eris...
Eris was on a completely different level when it came to determination.
The way she trained, her will to surpass limits, went beyond common logic. It was as if, every single day, she desired to go beyond who she was yesterday.
Jino barely had time to take a breath.
Eris charged forward impulsively, slicing through the air toward the exact point where he had landed after being thrown.
Her speed was hard to follow with the eyes.
He raised his sword reflexively, and the sound of metal colliding echoed through the mountains.
The impact of her blow sent him flying several meters backward, his boots tearing into the ground as he struggled to maintain his balance.
Eris did not relent. She was like a hungry tigress that had found her prey.
"Eris! I was wrong! I don't want to fight you, I'm sorry!" Jino shouted hastily.
The violent kick from the swordswoman had disoriented him, but it also allowed him to regain some emotional control.
He knew he had made a huge mistake attacking Clint.
Although he was still deeply upset that Nina had been injured, he recognized that he had acted foolishly.
He remembered clearly that Rygar was not merciful to those who opposed him... and even less so to anyone who harmed one of his women.
He didn't even want to imagine what Rygar would do if he knew he had wounded Eris afterward.
That was why he quickly apologized and tried to end the fight. But, to his despair, Eris didn't seem to care much about that.
"Huh? Oh, right, you're forgiven then! Apologize to Clint later! Now fight! Don't you dare hold back, or I'll report you to Rygar!"
Cold sweat ran down Jino's jawline. His heart pounded, his muscles were tense.
And before he could breathe, she was on him again. A red blur streaked across the landscape like a blazing comet.
The Phoenix Elegant Dragon Sword sliced through the air in such an arc that Jino's eyes couldn't keep up.
He couldn't see the strike, only feel it.
Instinctively, his own blade, the Storm Tremor Hunter Sword, rose up to respond.
The clash of the steel produced sparks, and a gust of wind exploded between them, tearing leaves and branches from the surrounding trees. And so, the fight spread.
From the mist-covered mountains to the verdant valleys and winding rivers, the battle between the two youths demolished everything in its path.
Small forests shook, flocks of birds fled, animals hid, sensing the absurd power manifesting there.
Eris attacked with the clear goal of winning. Jino, on the other hand, fought to survive. He had underestimated Eris.
She was very strong. Stronger than Nina, and far more experienced than most of her generation.
That led him to believe that Eris, even if stronger than Nina, wouldn't be much stronger. He was terribly mistaken.
Eris had earned the title of Sword King at fourteen. She was seventeen now.
But since leaving the Sword Sanctuary, she had never ceased her training. On the contrary, she had become even more relentless.
Learning Intermediate Healing Magic allowed her to heal her own body from fatigue and minor wounds.
With that, her training sessions multiplied. She bettered herself daily.
During the War, she fought thousands. From common warriors to exceptional foes, each battle was a file that honed her blade even further.
She wanted to reach Ghislaine. She wanted to surpass Taes. To defeat Ornthorn.
Before pregnancy, Ghislaine had still been more skillful than her. Taes, more versatile. Ornthorn, stronger.
But she was gradually catching up to all of them.
Today, her official rankings were: North Saint, Sword Emperor, and Beast Saint.
And, during the fight, her smile grew wider and wider. For, even with all that strength, Jino still resisted.
She felt her blood run hot in her veins, not from fear, but from excitement.
She loved to fight.
And Jino was fighting for real. It was proof that Rygar had not exaggerated when he said Jino was a genius.
Unfortunately for Jino, his endurance only increased Eris's excitement. She wanted to beat him even more.
---
POV: Rygar Adoldia
As Aisha and I flew toward the arenas, I sensed some fluctuations in combat. Different from the norm at the Combat Temple.
They were two strong, powerful presences. From what I could tell, Eris was fighting someone. But I didn't sense any real danger—she was fine.
Thus, we continued our flight normally.
Aisha now wore dark brown leather armor over her usual clothing.
She had always preferred to fight in armor, and the only reason she still didn't wear heavy armor was her size—she was still too small for something like that.
Even so, I was already making plans. When she turned fifteen, I wanted to forge a special set of armor to gift her on her birthday.
But that was still a somewhat distant goal. After all, her second birthday had been just a few months ago.
A few minutes later, we finally landed at the Temple. Helios, Aisha's Dragon, flew off to find other Dragons.
As soon as we entered, the familiar scene unfolded: various warriors greeting us with reverence, as always.
Walking a bit further inside, we reached the central area of the Temple—the arena and its surroundings. It was there that I saw them.
Nina was seated on a bench, wearing her typical swordswoman attire, speaking animatedly—or rather, complaining, in an exalted tone.
Beside her, Eris could barely contain her laughter.
Further back, Baron and Ornthorn were locked in a fierce duel, their movements swift and powerful.
But what caught my attention most was the figure sprawled on a resting couch: Jino Britz. Covered in cuts, lacerations, and bruises, completely unconscious.
Lisena was focused, carefully healing his wounds, while Leonor watched beside her with a vigilant expression.
"Can you believe this?!" Nina said indignantly. "The Death God! He challenged the Death God! And let me tell you... he really thought he was going to win! He said like a fool: 'I've faced warriors much more skilled than you!'"
Eris burst into laughter again, clutching her stomach.
Nina crossed her arms and huffed; this was just one of the many stories she had witnessed.
When they saw us enter, along with Aisha, Nina averted her gaze toward us.
"Little Aisha!" she exclaimed, opening her arms. "You've grown so much!"
Aisha, thrilled by the attention, ran to Nina and jumped into an impromptu hug, one of her rare displays of childlike affection.
I smiled seeing my disciple allow herself that moment of lightness.
Meanwhile, I approached Jino. Lisena and Leonor noticed my presence and respectfully stepped aside.
Both inclined their heads slightly in a sign of greeting.
"How are you, girls?" I asked lightly. "You can leave this to me now."
Leonor smiled briefly, gave a short bow, and soon bid farewell, returning to her own training.
Since the end of the war, she had discovered that she much preferred life in the Gaia Kingdom over the old Milis Kingdom.
Lisena simply said: "It's fine."
And with that, she went to watch the fight between Baron and Ornthorn.
"It's been a while, Rygar!" Nina said, now turned toward me.
"I knew you would win the war... but I thought it would take longer!"
"Ha!" Eris snorted impulsively. "It was too easy!"
I smiled at her impulsive response and said:
"Milis had some good cards up its sleeve, I admit. But... they didn't have anyone who could face me directly. It was faster than expected because of that."
Aisha nodded her head and added:
"But they weren't weak. At least we learned a lot from what they left behind. The Master even became an Healing Emperor!"
Nina widened her eyes.
"You must be joking!"
Her surprise was not unfounded. Emperor-level mages were extremely rare throughout the world.
During her journey to Gaia, she had likely not heard of any.
Perhaps she only knew of the Armored Dragon King, one of the only known.
Among the many magics Milis left behind, the one that caught my attention most was Healing.
I had an innate talent in that branch, and it was also extremely useful in battle.
During the year that passed, after much practice and study, I surpassed the King level and reached Emperor.
This meant that even someone on the brink of death—cut to pieces, bleeding profusely, with failing organs—could still be saved by me, as long as a trace of life remained.
God-level Magic, on the other hand... was another story. It dealt with short-term resurrection. A huge complexity, far beyond anything I had studied.
My hands glowed with a deep green, and within moments, all of Jino's wounds began to vanish.
Flesh regenerated, bones reassembled, blood sprang forth like magic. He inhaled sharply, waking with a start.
"I lost!" he exclaimed, confused.
Everyone stared at him in silence for a moment. Then, inevitably, Eris fell into laughter once more.
Jino blushed with embarrassment, looking around, trying to understand where he was.
Aisha tilted her head and asked exactly what I was thinking:
"Huh... what happened?"
---
As Jino apologized and Eris laughed in the background, Rygar finally grasped the whole situation as Nina recounted it.
He crossed his arms, thoughtful, observing the group.
At least, it hadn't escalated into something bigger—there were no serious injuries, nor irreparable misunderstandings.
But there was something that caught his attention: Jino's fixation on Nina. That needed to be fixed somehow.
Rygar sighed.
Jino's newly discovered arrogance didn't surprise him either. It was almost predictable. Power, in almost any form, did that to people.
It was something Rygar had witnessed many times.
Many kings, rulers, generals, and warriors ended up consumed by this silent poison.
Gall Farion was a great example of this, with his ever-imposing posture and constant quest to assert his superiority.
Even Rygar, with all his discipline and self-awareness, had failed a few times to control his own arrogance.
It was too easy to get carried away when one had so much power in one's hands—too easy to lose one's sense of humility.
The important thing was that Jino seemed to know he was wrong. He had already said he would apologize to Clint. That was a good sign.
Rygar nodded to himself and mentally praised Eris.
She had handled the situation exceptionally well, even if unconsciously. He thought to reward her later, when they were home.
In fact, she had probably not realized how important her intervention had been.
"Basically, hit him." — Rygar thought, with a slight inner smile. That was, sometimes, the most efficient method to break someone's arrogance.
A direct blow to the pride. And that was exactly what Eris had done: she fought Jino and won.
Even though she later said he hadn't been too far behind her, a victory was a victory. And, in that case, the symbolic impact was much greater than the actual difference in power.
Nina woke quickly enough to see Jino's defeat. Her wide eyes and surprised expression were almost comical, and soon the two began talking.
The conversation flowed naturally, and soon they were talking about the journey.
Jino, it seemed, had also acted impulsively in the Dragon King's Realm.
In a moment of audacity—or perhaps stupidity—he had challenged none other than Randolph Marianne, the Death God, the Fifth Great World Power.
And, of course, he lost.
According to his account, Randolph did not seem as skilled as Gall Farion, but still appeared far more lethal.
There was something in his swordsmanship that Jino could not even begin to comprehend.
Rygar made sure to keep that information to himself.
In any case, with Eris and Nina conversing so amiably, any tension between the two groups was quickly dissipated.
Baron was still upset, and Clint was clearly in a bad mood, but said nothing against Eris's decision to end the conflict.
Rygar did not worry too much. If the situation was already resolved, there was no reason to delve into it at that moment.
Anything that needed correction, he would handle later. From now on, he would have the opportunity to observe the situation closely. And that was enough.
The most important thing at that instant was to understand exactly what level each of the new members was at.
Their strengths, their weaknesses, their potential for growth. Only then could he guide them correctly on the path of training.
-----
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