Time passed, and everyone returned to their work, yet the excitement of the battles still lingered in everyone's minds; the academy had witnessed intense activity in student training. Many of them began to imitate his movements, whispering: "Let me show you… what true darkness is." "Who's next?" — and so the night went on, and the students' enthusiasm continued unabated, like fires devouring forests.
In the palace where Aris lived, he was training in a private training hall. He stood in the middle of the arena, holding a training sword, lost in deep contemplation; he breathed slowly while the rays of a magical lamp danced along the edge of the sword, casting long shadows on the walls, and the echo of moments of silence filled the hall with the sound of rustling clothes and distant footsteps of a guard.
He whispered: "I need to choose a set of martial arts techniques for this stage." He pondered different combat sets, because during this period, in the last fight against Skar, he had not used any technique, and his strength was not enough to employ the Ashura Hell Sword technique; this art required more than one weapon, and in his previous life, he used to manipulate aura to materialize weapons and arms, all of which consumed a lot of aura and weakened his power.
After long contemplation, he chose two arts: one called "Ghost Step" and the other the "Shadow Sword" technique. He spoke quietly, a serious expression etched on his face: "Alright, these two techniques are enough for now."
His hands felt the cold handle of the sword beneath his skin, and the place was filled with the scent of old wood and faint sweat, while the air trembled from a possible movement that had yet to begin.
The first technique he would master was "Ghost Step." This movement relies on extraordinary speed and absolute stealth. A swift black flash disappears and reappears in different locations faster than perception, creating a visual illusion that the body had never been there. It is like an ethereal, imperceptible dance, leaving behind a faint shadow that cannot be tracked; it is a lethal maneuver used for ambush and total confusion, making him a difficult target to catch.
The second technique is the "Shadow Sword" art. It is a combat style that relies on speed, precision, and deception. He envelops his sword in dark energy, making his strikes precise to the point of surgical accuracy, targeting the vital points and aura of the opponent's body. This sword, wrapped in darkness, does not aim to destroy defenses but to bypass them. The darkness generates multiplied shadows of the sword or of the duelist himself, realistic yet illusory. This trick forces the opponent to defend against nonexistent attacks, draining their energy, and then be ambushed by the real, swift strike coming from an unexpected angle, from the heart of darkness itself.
Aris recalled the details of these two arts; he had acquired them in his previous life when he raided the headquarters of an organization with Ryan and obtained them there, as they suited him, though he had never trained in them.
Aris immersed himself in grueling training to master the Ghost Step, a technique that requires intense focus in precisely distributing aura to the feet, enabling him to move at lightning speed without overusing the aura or misplacing it.
The beginning was difficult. In every attempt, he felt his body groan under the pressure, as if every muscle in his legs was screaming from strain, his hands trembling from the effort to maintain balance. Once, he dashed too fast and collided with the wall with force, sending dust flying across the ground, mixed with the smell of sweat and burnt rubber from the floor, making his lungs gasp more intensely. Another time, he failed to fully move his body, as if the ground had pulled his feet with irresistible weight, veins throbbing and toes tingling from misbalanced aura. Sometimes, cramps froze his legs, and other times, his muscles felt like they were about to tear from extreme exertion.
Yet, his eyes never lost the gleam of determination and pride. Each time he rose, he wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, the scent of earth mingled with the dripping sweat filling the space with a battle-like atmosphere, and he drew a deep breath, the cold air reviving his will before he tried again.
He focused anew, closed his eyes, and slowly redirected the aura to the soles of his feet. This time, he felt a balanced flow, as if the energy was responding to his will, the ground itself harmonizing with every pulse in his body. He took one step… then another… and by the third moment, his sound vanished from the floor, appearing seconds later three meters away, leaving behind a faint shadowy image of his body, moving like a weak breeze fading between light and shadow.
He paused for a moment, breathing hard, his heartbeat like war drums in his chest, and smiled slightly. It was a small achievement, yet he didn't indulge too much in joy, knowing he hadn't yet reached the technique's full potential.
Despite the fatigue creeping into his limbs, his hands and the soles of his feet tingled from the intense tension of his muscles, and he did not stop. He repeated the movement dozens of times, trying to move in various directions, not just straight lines. With each attempt, his body learned more, and his aura obeyed his commands better, as if the air around him became light and flexible, reacting to every motion.
Sometimes he managed to leave two shadow copies behind him, moving like faint ghosts; other times, he completely failed, staggering from lost balance, feeling the floor beneath him sway as if trying to push him away from the target. Nevertheless, he did not consider giving up.
In his eyes, the training was not just a movement but a battle between him and his physical limits; each progress he made pushed him further toward perfection.
A long time passed, and Aris stood in the middle of the hall, breathing in broken gasps, his body covered in sweat dripping from his head to his toes, filling the air with its scent along with the warm smell of the ground. But the ten shadows he left behind, scattered in different spots, were the visual proof of his success.
Aris's lip rose slightly as he took a deep breath. Before using the Ghost Step, in the blink of an eye, he vanished from his place, and ten copies appeared in different spots throughout the hall.
All the copies moved simultaneously, as if attacking an enemy, yet they were no longer mere copies but became real.
---
At the same time, on the other side in the academy hospital, a young man sat on a bed, looking at the moon from the window, his eyes shining with sorrow yet carrying strong determination.
This was Skar, and after his defeat, he had been transferred directly to the hospital, and thanks to healing magic and potions, his wounds had been treated, and he regained consciousness an hour ago.
He was lost in thought about his fight against Aris, and Aris's attacks on the other students.
"Do I understand the teacher's words? There is a sky above the sky, and everyone is just a frog in a well because they haven't seen the world yet."
Skar didn't truly feel defeated; indeed, he was saddened by the loss, but he believed it was a lesson learned the hard way for growth and persistence.
"I also enjoyed the duel against Aris."
He recalled Aris's form, fighting without even sweating, taking control of every point in the academy. Even the students he hadn't killed acknowledged their defeat, which is why they decided to give him points.
---
Elsewhere, among colorful flowers and by a lake, stood a beautiful girl with pure white hair, sky-blue icy eyes, fair skin like snow, and a small cherry-shaped mouth. She wore nightclothes and a long white cloak with open sleeves revealing her slender figure.
This was Selena, who had gone out to stroll in the garden and feed some birds.
As she threw food into the lake, she saw the reflection of Aris, moving treacherously in the training ground after defeating Skar.
At that moment, she felt that Aris was completely alone, entirely by himself, with no one around.
"What is he doing now?"
She lifted her head to the moon, wondering about him, imagining his face winking at her. She blushed with embarrassment before remembering Aris's audacity.
"Hmph, who cares about that fool!"
She turned to leave, angry at Aris's insolence, but as she moved forward, the water in the pond turned to ice. Selena struggled to control her magic, especially since she possessed an eternal ice body. The cold sensation mingled with the scent of flowers and fresh air, making her skin shiver from the touch of the chilly breeze, yet her heart remained ablaze with both anger and embarrassment.