"What do you want to do? There's still a little over an hour before Erica gets out of her class," Echidna said as they walked side by side through the academy's silent corridors.
Dex looked at his own arms, where crimson patterns pulsed softly beneath his sleeves. "What do you think about testing the efficiency of our little friends with some moves from the demon king's fighting style?"
"That's actually not a bad idea. That way we can test their efficiency and increase our mastery level."
"I think we can use the main training field."
"It might be occupied."
"Even better. That way we could learn something from our second or third-year veterans."
"Speaking of second-years, do you think Marcus is still passed out in the council room?" She said while trying to contain her laughter, remembering the face he had when fainting.
With a neutral expression, he responded. "Although I must admit it would be amusing to see him passed out, I hope he's alright."
And upon hearing this, Echidna could only burst into laughter. "If it were anyone besides me, they would believe those sweet words, but I know very well that you were worried about a visit from the pope and not about your little brother's well-being."
"Bingo!"
And so they conversed through the academy's long corridors until reaching their destination.
They approached the Outdoor Training Field and immediately heard a voice echoing across the field, clear and authoritative.
"Third-year class," Dex murmured, recognizing the professor. In the original game, Valdris had been an advanced combat instructor—one of the most respected.
Valdris, the warrior of fire and steel, a tall woman with silver hair tied in a high ponytail and an impressive scar crossing her left eye, stopped in the middle of her explanation.
'Of course she noticed us,' Dex thought, feeling the instructor's piercing gaze. 'Veteran knights sense even changes in the air.'
And slowly all the students turned to observe the newcomers.
"You're the couple... ThunderBird?" she said, confusion evident in her voice. "Shouldn't you be in some class with your professor? I believe you were in Tiamat's group."
Echidna smiled casually and responded. "We were. But Professor Tiamat became... let's say, a bit obsessed with our talent. We decided to give her space to process."
Professor Valdris blinked once. Then twice. And then, surprisingly, laughed. It wasn't a polite laugh, but genuine and amused.
"Obsessed? Tiamat?" She shook her head, still laughing. "It must have been something truly impressive to affect that dragon. Very well, you may observe and learn a bit from your veterans, don't you think, geniuses?"
"Understood, professor," both said in unison.
Dex moved to the side of the field, and that's when he saw them. In the opposite corner, among the third-year students, was Erica. Their eyes met briefly across the field, and she was clearly confused by their presence here, but quickly returned her attention to the professor.
And beside her, with perfect posture and neutral expression, was Chronara. Her eyes fixed on Dex and Echidna with calculated intensity.
"As I was saying," Valdris continued, turning to the students and pointing to the new couple. "This class aims to improve something you've been training since first year."
She then began walking as she explained. "As most of you already know, both souls and circles evolve from an implosion, caused by excess energy from the base structures themselves, which will quickly be rebuilt using the mana or aura that leaked from the core, and thus slowly the structures become larger and take increasingly longer to reach their limit."
"Therefore, in real combat situations," Valdris continued, now walking around the students, "constantly using circles and souls is nothing short of foolish. Because every time you empty a large part of the energy, we lose months of cultivation progress from meditation and sometimes years of hard work, just from overdoing it."
Most third-year students simply nodded in agreement, after all this was information they had known since first year.
"Therefore," Valdris gestured to a mage in the front row, "mages learn to manipulate ambient mana in most cases. Not their own. Which brings basic techniques, but sustainable indefinitely without draining their own circles."
"And knights," she gestured to herself, "fight primarily with pure physical ability and refined weapon technique. Aura is used only at critical moments."
Valdris demonstrated some basic movements, blade cutting through the air without any trace of visible aura, just pure technique and physical power. "And this class intends to make you as efficient as possible in your combats."
Dex listened attentively. The explanation was exactly the same as given in the game, but through the crimson veins pulsing softly beneath his sleeves, he knew he had the possibility of having an advantage that no one else possessed.
'With Yggdrasil,' he thought, feeling the constant rhythm of his veins, 'we produce aura passively very quickly and if we add the efficiency given by the circulatory system, we might really have a chance that most stronger attacks won't consume days of cultivation.'
"Very well!" Valdris clapped her hands, breaking the moment of reflection. "Enough theory. Let's move to practice. I need some volunteers for demonstration duels."
Several hands immediately rose.
Valdris paired the first combatants. A lean mage against a robust knight. The duel began quickly. The mage maintained distance, using small bursts of earth mana, which despite being ambient mana, would still be strong enough to match the strongest blows of a second circle. The knight advanced methodically, dodging with precise footwork, conserving every drop of aura for the moment of the kill.
And then finally under the knight's attentive gaze, the young mage showed an opening and without hesitation, the knight concentrated a light amount of aura in her legs, thus in less than a second appeared in front of him and executed a transversal strike.
Fortunately for the mage, a golden barrier appeared and saved him from being cut in half by the young woman's sword.
"See," Valdris narrated while circling around the combatants, "Elena used only a small amount of aura, at the exact moment and ended the battle quickly. Moreover, she had only relied on physical capability and superior positioning."
"As for Marcus," she then spoke of the defeated party, "He made some mistakes, among them the most notable was not changing strategy."
She turned to Marcus himself, while explaining one of the many situations in which he could have won. "I understand that as a mage the best idea is to maintain distance, but you could have opted to use ambient mana to pin her feet to the ground and leave her immobilized, thus for a few seconds you would have her stopped and could build a stone spear with your own mana and attacked her."
Upon hearing this, he lowered his head slightly while nodding, acknowledging the error.
Valdris then continued. "Anyway, although it was a relatively quick fight, it still brings an important lesson: Don't be afraid to use aura or mana. Because even though they are crucial for your evolution, it's preferable to lose a few days or months of cultivation than to have your head cut off or torso split in half."
"Now next pair!" Valdris called.
More duels followed, each demonstrating resource management and tactical failures when emotion overcame logic. Dex and Echidna watched intently, absorbing every technique, every mistake.
In the opposite corner of the field, Erica observed her husband with neutral expression, while deciding whether she should be happy or angry about their visit to her class.
And beside Erica, Chronara observed with an increasingly calculated expression. Her eyes fixed on the Thunderbird twins.
'They show up here when they should be in class and the professor does nothing.'
Irritation grew. It wasn't hatred. But... offense. Offense against the Academy's rules she had promised to uphold.
"Professor Valdris," her voice cut through the moment between duels. Clear. Polite. But loaded with something more.
Valdris turned, recognizing the tone. "Yes, Chronara?"
"Since we have talented visitors," Chronara gestured subtly to Dex and Echidna, "observing and, presumably, learning from the veterans... perhaps we could offer them practical experience? An educational opportunity they would certainly appreciate."
The entire field fell silent.
Valdris arched an eyebrow, clearly recognizing the dynamic but also intrigued by the possibility. "They're first years, Chronara. Would that be appropriate?"
"Exactly because they're first years," Chronara smiled—without warmth, only superficial politeness, "it would be educational. Not against someone from the top of the class, of course. Perhaps... someone in the middle? Kael, for example."
Murmurs ran through the field. Kael was known. Solid knight, impeccable technique, three years of experience. He wasn't at the top of the rankings, but he was far from weak.
Kael himself, standing nearby, looked surprised but not displeased. Fighting against promising first years? It would be the perfect opportunity to earn almost free points with the beautiful woman.
"ThunderBird? Interested? It would be valuable experience against a more experienced opponent. Of course, he can only use physical ability, basic technique and no aura whatsoever against you two."
Dex exchanged a look with Echidna. Chronara was trying to put them in their place. She expected to see them humiliated, perhaps even hurt, by someone two years more advanced.
But it was also an opportunity.
'What do you think?' Dex asked mentally.
'That we can show exactly why Tiamat became so obsessed,' Echidna responded, a slight smile touching her lips. 'Besides, it'll be good to see that pretty smile of hers melt.'
Dex nodded almost imperceptibly.
"We accept, professor," he said aloud.
Chronara smiled triumphantly, though trying to hide it.
Kael advanced to the center of the field, rolling his shoulders to loosen muscles. He was tall, perhaps six foot three, broad shoulders but not excessively muscular. Long sword hanging at his side, medium shield on his left arm.
Echidna and Dex did the opposite upon arriving at the main arena. They moved to opposite positions, flanking both sides of the enemy. Just as they had done in the fight with the lesser demon.
"Want to corner me?" Kael asked, genuinely surprised and at the same time amused. "For first-year students, you're actually quite funny."
However, both twins ignored the provocation.
"Rules," Valdris announced, voice rising so everyone could hear clearly. "Kael must not use his soul and only rely on physical abilities, like a fourth soul knight and weapon technique. As for the ThunderBird side, they may use their entire arsenal, not that it's very large to begin with. The first to surrender or be completely disarmed or receive what would be a fatal blow loses. Clear?"
"Clear," all three confirmed.
Dex extended his right hand and concentrated on the weapon hidden on that arm.
And as a reaction to his thought, the chain-blade materialized, flowing smoothly from the tattoos covering Dex's forearm until extending like a metallic whip. But what was most notable to everyone was the lightning energy enveloping the blade.
Kael noticed. His eyes narrowed slightly, focusing on the lightning surrounding the blade.
'Arrogant,' he thought. 'Even if the weapon is interesting, its owner is foolish to waste all his aura at once like this.'
Kael didn't know that assumption would cost him dearly.
Echidna, on the opposite side, was thinking. 'I miss my sword, but I think I can follow Dex's suggestion.' Remembering this morning when he said her long legs would be a deadly weapon.
Valdris ordered. "Positions!"
Kael assumed a classic defensive posture—shield forward, sword raised behind, weight evenly distributed between his feet. Solid. Experienced. And finally confident in the physical strength he had achieved in these three years' evolutions.
Dex and Echidna simply waited, flanking both sides. Motionless. Calculating.
"Begin!"
Kael moved first—not recklessly, but assertively. Speed that the system would classify as rank B propelled him forward in an explosion of movement that would have completely surprised normal first years.
He aimed for Dex. The bearer of the strange weapon. Eliminate the greater threat first.
The sword descended in a clean and powerful arc, force sufficient to easily cut a human body.
But to everyone's surprise, Dex blocked with the chain.
CLANG!
Kael froze completely.
The chain hadn't just blocked. It had trapped his blade with a force that shouldn't come from a first year using only basic physicals.
And then the weapon... pulsed. And through its chains began to flow an aura that didn't belong to Dex. The lightning aura quickly flowed through the metallic sword and reached its bearer.
"Impossible," Kael murmured, while paralyzed by the force of the lightning coursing through his arms.
And in that moment—
Echidna appeared in the sky above Kael's head like a bird of prey, predatory smile on her lips, leg charged with visible black aura prepared to crush his skull in a single devastating kick.
But despite the pain he felt in his arms, Kael managed to deflect his head slightly to the side.
The dodge saved his head, but cost him his left shoulder. Lacerating pain shot through his scapula.
'Damn!' He thought as he felt the sensation of bones cracking.
And amid unbearable pain, he made one of the worst choices of his life: releasing the sword that was now covered by celestial lightning.
'This isn't normal,' he thought, sweat beginning to form on his forehead from the pain. 'First years shouldn't even be able to scratch me!'
On the other side of the battlefield, the two first-year students were conversing quickly, completely at ease.
Dex while loosening the chains and letting the sword fall to the ground, said with a smile. "So my excited queen, did you like my suggestion?"
Echidna moved her heel slightly, while responding with a provocative smile. "It's quite fun, but with a sword he'd already be dead, my useless little king."
"Useless?" He asked, genuinely confused.
"Of course, you, my beloved husband, have a weapon and force your beautiful and perfect wife to fight only with her body against an ogre like him." She said while crouching down to pick up the sword that her enemy had left in his impulsive act of fleeing from pain.
Already with the sword in hand, she tested the balance and weight of the sword with some swings without any technique.
And among the observers...
Chronara, watching everything, felt rage grow uncontrollably. 'Are they... playing around? In the middle of an official combat?!'
The arrogance was unbearable. And worse—they had reason to be arrogant. Kael, rank B knight with three years of experience, had been dominated in seconds.
'Monsters,' she thought, and for the first time, felt something close to genuine fear.
Erica, on the other side, struggled not to smile openly. Pride flooded through the connection she shared with Dex. 'My clever husband,' she thought with deep affection.
And after testing the sword, Echidna positioned herself in a low stance, with a predatory smile toward the knight who was about to be completely humiliated.
"But don't worry, I'll show you how it's done, dear."