A few days later…
In the courtyard of the University of Bologna, Dante and Missio stood opposite of each other. Dante wielded a longsword in his right hand with its sheath at his waist. Missio remained unarmed in his casual attire. A small breeze passed them, blowing their hair.
"Let me see the results of your training. Hit me."
Dante spoke with confidence. He positioned himself with a high guard staring down Missio. He activated his attribute. In an instant, electricity danced around him like the planets orbited the sun. Missio drew in a deep breath, closing his eyes. He opened them and locked onto his brother.
"Here it comes."
He raised his arms. A serene light flashed before his palms, forming into daggers. The daggers didn't stay in one place for long. They shot towards Dante with incredible speed, cutting the air. Dante furrowed his brows, swinging his sword. The daggers were intercepted, flying off in opposite directions. Missio shifted his position. More weapons manifested around the supreme commander.
Daggers, Swords, Arrows, Naginatas, Battle axes – any weapon Missio could think of appeared from the light. They rushed at the King.
"Keep it up! This is Good!" Dante exclaimed, guarding himself.
As the weapons neared him, he spun deflected each one of them. With precise control, he made them crash against each other. He was no stranger to battle – he was a hard-forged veteran who had fought chaos incarnates long before Missio ever graduated Stratos. He swiftly moved, using Sempiterne swordsmanship. The sound of clashing metal resounded through the courtyard. Missio clicked his tongue.
'This isn't working…'
He switched tactics. He flicked his finger upward. Dante noticed this. Beneath his feet, multiple sword were created. He lowered his head, gazing at the sharp tips of the blades. His face contorted with panic. He pushed off the ground, flipping away. The sword shot into the sky with maximum velocity. Dante landed, locking onto Missio. The swords fell back down to the earth. The courtyard began filling with various weapons.
"Are sword and daggers the only things you can think of?" Dante smirked.
Missio frowned, his mind racing. He swung his hand – creating a chain. It flew at Dante. Dante raised his sword. The chain wrapped itself around the blade. Missio grinned widely.
'Yes!'
But his hopes were to be broken the next moment. Dante raised a brow. He snapped his fingers, vaporizing the chain. Missio's face went pale. The leftover piece of molten metal fell to the ground. He gritted his teeth, circling his brother.
"I've told you again and again…" Dante placed his hand on his hip, raising his head. "Think outside the box. Use your Imagination."
Missio paused. He stopped in his tracks, recalling what his brother had taught him.
'Wait a minute… everything can be a weapon, can't it?'
A wicked grin couldn't help but make its way onto his face. He crossed his wrist, pressing them against each other. Dante stepped back, positioning himself in a low guard.
'Come on, Missio… think…'
Suddenly, a serene light bloomed under his feet. He blinked. The next second, he flew up in the air as a tree grew under him.
"What the fuck?" Dante shouted in surprise.
"Happy, now?" Missio pointed two fingers at his brother.
He concentrated his energy, his fingers flashing with blinding light. A bolt of lightning shot out from his fingertips. It rushed towards Dante. Dante turned his head – upside down. He stared down the bolt as it approached his face. Suddenly, time seemed to slow down. Dante's body glowed with something beyond divinity as his face twitched.
"Seriously? My attribute is literally lightning."
He raised his finger, flipping up right. He snapped his hand to the right. The bolt immediately redirected itself at Dante's command. Time returned to its normal speed. Missio blinked. The lightning circled back, striking its creator. Dante landed on the branches of the tree. Missio's hair became fuzzy as dark shades covered his face. Dante covered his mouth, chuckling at his little brother. Missio coughed smoke. He clutched his chest and drew in a sharp breath.
Dante whistled. "Wanna stop?"
He leapt off the tree. Missio wiped his face and locked onto his brother.
"No."
As Dante fell to the ground, a piece of cloth manifested before him. He was blinded by the light of its creation. It landed on his face, blinding him further. Missio pressed his feet against the ground. He rushed forward and leapt towards his big brother. He raised both his legs and drop kicked the supreme commander. Dante gasped. He flew back into another tree. Missio smiled in satisfaction.
"That's what you get."
"Bro…" Dante inhaled sharply. "This is a spar. You will get hurt."
Missio adjusted his headphones and replied to his brother.
"Then, let's end it."
"Alright…" Dante fell against the tree. "Sounds good to me."
"So? How did I do?" Missio approached his big brother.
"Decent. You're still not using your creation ability to its fullest potential."
"Really? I think that tree really caught you off guard."
"That was better but the lightning was pure stupidity. The cloth was also good." Dante pointed out.
Missio sat beside Dante. "Alright – Alright… stop the glaze."
"I ain't glazing you." Dante scowled. "I'm assessing you."
"So, what do you think of me? O' mighty Supreme Commander."
Dante grumbled. "I'm your big bro. Don't call me that."
Missio laughed. "Fine - Fine. How did I do?"
Dante patted his brother's back. "Pretty good. I think you're ready to go to the next level."
"Of what?" Missio ruffled his hair.
"The Pillar of Transcendence." Dante answered.
"What's next?" Missio inquired – intrigued.
"The level after Breaker is… Ascendant."
"Ascendant…" Missio repeated. "What will it do to my powers?"
"Upgrade them." Dante replied. "It's like an increase in your Creation capacity. Now, you'll be able to create larger and more complex things."
"Like how big and complex?"
"I dunno. I'm not climbing that Pillar." Dante pinched Misiso's cheek.
Missio frowned at his brother's actions.
"Stop it…"
"I can't." Dante wrapped his arms around his little brother. "You're just cute."
Missio sighed in annoyance as his big brother continuously kissed him on the cheek. After, Dante wiped his lips and opened his mouth.
"After Bologna, our next destination is Vatican City. That's where you'll ascend."