They crossed several streets and soon arrived at the edge of the city walls. Outside the walls lay a vast, open expanse with flat ground and sparse trees visible in the distance.
"Now then, let us begin," Riveria said with a nod.
Aiz drew her sword, Desperate. Su Lun likewise drew his own blade, Pale Justice.
"In a sense, both of you are Level 2," Riveria observed from the sidelines. "But let's see where your actual skills lie. Aiz, you go first."
Aiz nodded, her right hand tightening slightly around the hilt. She took a deep breath and chanted softly:
"Awaken."
As the words fell, a green wind surged from the void, wrapping around the silver blade like silken threads before expanding to envelop her entire body. The tips of her hair fluttered in the airflow, and her golden eyes shone with remarkable clarity through the veil of wind.
Through Ariel, Aiz could clearly feel the changes in her body. Her muscles felt lighter and more powerful; the flow of air became tangible in her perception, and the world seemed to slow down by a beat. She knew her attack power had increased, and the wind granted her the ability to move at high speeds. Although the enhancement wasn't overwhelming at this level, the effectiveness of this super-short chant magic was exceptional and incredibly convenient.
If I use this, I should be able to have a proper fight with Big Brother, right?
Opposite her, Su Lun stood with his sword held horizontally, his posture relaxed. "Do you want me to go all out, or..."
"Come at me."
Before her voice had even faded, Aiz shot forward like an arrow released from a bow. It wasn't a straight-line charge; she tapped the ground lightly, using the wind to trace a slight arc. This was a habit she had formed from fighting monsters—approaching from a flanking angle to avoid a direct counterattack.
The wind whistled in her ears and was torn asunder at the tip of her blade. Her first strike was aimed directly at Su Lun's throat, but at the moment of impact, she flicked her wrist, dropping the point and redirecting the blade toward his heart.
I can't actually hurt Big Brother, but... I need to make him take this seriously.
Su Lun's movement to raise his sword and parry seemed leisurely, yet it was completed at the exact moment she finished her mid-strike transition.
Clang!
Pale Justice steadily blocked Aiz's edge. The collision of forces sent a slight numbness through Aiz's hand.
Such a stable stance...
After half a month of continuous combat against the Evilus, Su Lun's physical attributes were more than double or triple what they were when he first leveled up. In terms of pure physical capability, he had the confidence to contend with a Level 3 who specialized in strength. Therefore, Aiz was bound to face some frustration.
"Eldritch Blast!"
The moment their blades pressed together, Su Lun flicked his wrist. Purple-black magical energy erupted from the edge of the blade, condensing into a beam that shot straight toward Aiz's face. The beam grazed the tips of her hair and struck the ground behind her with a boom, blasting a crater the size of a washbasin and sending stone fragments flying.
"Good reactions, Aiz."
"Big Brother is very strong." Aiz's gaze was calm, but her voice held a hint of hidden excitement. "Then I won't hold back."
Her sword style shifted abruptly. The previously nimble and swift thrusts turned into wide, sweeping slashes, yet within those heavy trajectories, countless variations remained hidden. It was the prototype of the swordsmanship her father, Albert, had taught her in her childhood. Even if she only possessed one percent of its form, the essence of the Mercenary King who had dominated battlefields was enough to cleave through gold and stone.
Father's sword... I don't remember it clearly, but my body still knows.
Su Lun focused as he received the strikes. He didn't meet every blow head-on with brute force. Instead, he predicted the trajectory the moment Aiz raised her sword—parrying, guiding, or deflecting. Each move precisely neutralized her offensive. The sound of clashing metal was incessant on the training field as the two figures flickered, separated, and clashed again in the center of the open space.
Why... do I keep getting read?
Aiz's sword grew faster, and the whirlwind surrounding her became even more ferocious. A teal vortex centered on the two of them swirled outward, kicking up dust and sand like a moving eye of a storm. She moved with more freedom in the wind, using it to accelerate every step, until her sword shadows nearly blurred into a single sheet of steel.
Su Lun suddenly took half a step back, waving his left hand at his side.
"Grease."
The ground instantly became exceptionally slippery. However, Aiz instinctively used the wind to leap, briefly floating in the air before thrusting downward with great speed.
From above!
Su Lun raised his sword to meet the downward thrust, the two blades clashing with a piercing, sharp ring. Simultaneously, a faint light flashed beneath his feet.
Layering Expeditious Retreat and Longstrider, his figure retreated over a dozen meters in a burst of speed. The moment he neutralized the impact, he had already reset his stance. His blade rose as a smite spell erupted.
"Thunderous Smite!"
As the blade swung down, the air let out a tearing boom. An invisible shockwave of cutting force, accompanied by a roar, tore through the ground and shot straight toward Aiz in mid-air.
Aiz's reactions were lightning-fast. She swung her sword horizontally, and the wind blades generated by Ariel met the Thunderous Smite.
Boom!
The moment the two forces collided, the Thunderous Smite actually swallowed the teal wind blades, and the aftershock slammed heavily into Aiz. She felt a dull pressure in her chest and was sent flying. She managed to adjust her posture in the air, but she still stumbled back dozens of meters upon landing before finding her footing.
I got hit... even though I blocked it...
This was still the result of Su Lun's intentional control. If the Thunderous Smite had been aimed directly at a vital point, the spar would have ended in the first round. Aiz looked down at her chest; her training clothes weren't torn, but the pain of the impact was real.
She looked up, her brow slightly furrowed. "You didn't use your full strength. You're lying to me." There was a trace of unwillingness in her voice.
"If I really went all out, Riveria wouldn't be very happy," Su Lun said, sheathing his sword and smiling. His breathing was as steady as if he had just come back from a light stroll.
Beside them, Riveria sighed and pressed a hand to her forehead. "You two..." Her gaze swept over the craters and sword marks on the ground. "Nevertheless, this destructive power already exceeds the standard for an ordinary Level 2."
Aiz bit her lip and tightened her grip on her hilt again, the wind swirling back into existence.
Not fast enough... I need to be faster...
The two clashed again. Aiz pushed her speed to the limit, her sword strikes pouring down like a torrential rain. But Su Lun's defense was airtight. He rarely took the initiative to attack, yet every time he struck, he precisely disrupted her rhythm.
After ten rounds, Aiz's breathing began to grow labored, and fine sweat beaded on her forehead. Maintaining Ariel at such high intensity took a significant toll on her body, and her sword strikes finally showed a visible lag.
That was the moment. Su Lun's blade darted in like a viper, lightly tapping the inside of her wrist. The force wasn't heavy, but it was perfectly timed to disrupt her grip. Aiz's fingers went numb, and her sword flew from her hand.
Again...
She stared blankly at her empty hand and then looked up at Su Lun. He was still composed, not even breaking a sweat.
"Did I... lose again?"
But she felt something strange. When the sword flew away, it felt weightless—as if it hadn't been struck by a great force but rather supported by a gentle breeze, spinning until it landed on the ground nearby.
"No, you didn't lose. This was just a spar, not a battle to the death."
"A battle to the death? You certainly have a way with words," Riveria said, her fine eyebrows knitting as her gaze shifted between the two. "Still, from your perspective, just how strong is Aiz?"
"Evaluating Aiz?" Su Lun sheathed his sword. "Against monsters, her combat power is extraordinary. But against people, she can't use many of her lethal moves. She's essentially a 'blank slate.'"
Aiz listened from the side, blinking. Blank slate? Does he mean like the wooden training dummies? She didn't quite understand the specific metaphor, but she grasped the general idea: she wasn't strong enough yet, and there were too many things she couldn't utilize.
"Then what should I do?" she asked directly. If she didn't understand, she asked—it was only natural.
"You just need to rest well, eat well, and follow Riveria, Finn, Gareth, and Loki. Study their techniques diligently. That way, your growth will be steadier and faster." Su Lun's tone was gentle, like he was giving directions to a lost child.
Aiz nodded and walked toward her fallen sword. As she picked it up, she couldn't help but steal another glance at Su Lun.
Big Brother is really strong... but one day, I want to be that strong too.
Although she wanted to become strong immediately, she remembered Gareth saying, "You have to maintain your weapons properly for them to last." Furthermore... Big Brother's words sounded a lot like her long-lost father. She remembered the blurry figure of her father and his words: "I cannot be your hero, but you can find your own."
She peeked at Su Lun. Was he a hero? At seven years old, she didn't think too deeply about it; she just felt that she could learn things by fighting him.
"Can I spar with you again in the future?" she asked bluntly.
"Of course. You're welcome anytime. A child like you would surely be loved by Goddess Astraea as well."
Riveria let out a helpless laugh. "If Loki found out, she would never allow Aiz to run out so often."
"No matter. Loki can't keep Aiz tied to the Familia forever. She needs to see the world and interact with people," Su Lun said with a smile.
"You have a point, but this child... perhaps it is because of the seeds of revenge buried in her heart," Riveria said, her voice dropping slightly.
"Revenge, huh..." Su Lun looked at Aiz. The girl's golden eyes were crystal clear, yet they reflected a certain stubborn light.
"It's getting late," Riveria said, changing the subject. "I'll leave it to you to take Aiz back to the base. I had some business to attend to, but I didn't expect to be delayed this long."
"Leave it to me."
"I'm counting on you. Aiz, be good and listen to Su Lun, okay?"
"Don't worry, Mama Riveria. I'll listen to Big Brother Su Lun," Aiz replied naturally.
Riveria wasn't her mother, but she was the one who looked after her and taught her things. To Aiz, Riveria was "Mama."
"Ma-Mama..." Su Lun nearly burst out laughing.
Riveria's body stiffened, and a faint blush appeared on her face. Catching Su Lun's expression as he tried to stifle his laughter, she said irritably, "I'm still very young!" She paused, her voice lowering. "By Elven standards, I am indeed still young..."
"You are very young. For an Elf, you're a beautiful young woman," Su Lun said.
"Are you very good at charming women?" Riveria gave him a sidelong glance.
"Why? Am I the first one to say that?"
"At the very least, it's the first time I've heard it," she huffed softly. "I'll take it as a compliment. Let's go."
Su Lun took Aiz's hand, a strange sensation welling up in his heart. This was perhaps an effect of the Heroic Nature skill—a natural attraction for women who harbored good intentions and longed for heroes. Both Riveria and Aiz fell into this category. He worried this ability might attract too much unwanted attention... He shook his head, not daring to think too deeply on it.
Once Riveria had walked a fair distance away, Aiz lightly tugged on his sleeve. "Actually, I've been here before." She pointed toward an unremarkable small hut near the base of the city walls. "This is my secret base. Don't tell Riveria or Loki."
She spoke seriously, her amber eyes watching him as if she were sharing an important pact. Su Lun smiled and agreed; in his eyes, Aiz was still a child who needed guidance and protection.
"Promise. Pinky swear," Aiz said, sticking out her little finger with a solemn expression.
"Unchanged for a hundred years?"
"Is a hundred years too short?" Su Lun teased.
Aiz thought about it seriously, then shook her head. "Then unchanged forever."
The word "forever" made Su Lun's heart skip a beat. This child was quite "intense." This promise coming from a child's mouth was pure and direct. He smiled solemnly and hooked his pinky with hers. "Alright. Unchanged forever."
Afterward, they stopped at another fried potato puff stall and bought various flavors—mustard, red bean, and more—before heading toward Twilight Manor. The Braver, Finn, and Gareth the Heavy Warrior were already waiting at the gate.
"Apologies. Did Loki say something nonsense again?" Finn asked with his usual composed smile.
"No, Lady Loki is... quite interesting. More reliable than a mere prankster, and more fun than a stiff professional," Su Lun laughed.
"I'm glad you think so," Finn chuckled wryly. "Sometimes even I get a headache from our Goddess's erratic behavior. In any case, thank you for bringing Aiz back."
Su Lun waved it off, a satisfied smile on his face. "Aiz is very strong and has great potential."
"It's thanks to you that she was able to reach Level 2 so early," Finn noted.
Compared to the original story where she leveled up a year later, Aiz had achieved it in just eight months. Su Lun knew this change was related to the deepening of bonds brought by Heroic Nature; the deeper the connection with him, the faster they grew. Ryuu, Kaguya, and Alise were all currently at the peak of their respective levels, only needing a suitable "Great Feat" to advance. However, those rats of the Evilus had scurried back into the gutters, making feats hard to find.
Maybe it's time for a trip into the Dungeon.
He hadn't seen those "cute" monsters in a while. A slight smile played on his lips, and a look of anticipation flashed in his eyes.
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Danmachi: My Magic Style is Different from Yours (Simulpub – Ongoing)
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