“So that’s how it is!”

  Grim drew his war hammer and lunged at me. Too fast! I tried to block the blow with my spear’s shaft, but it snapped instantly—and the hammer kept flying toward my chest.

  “Grim, damn it! What are you doing?!”

  Munk blocked the hammer with his sword mere inches from me. I stood holding the two broken halves of my spear. The one my teacher had given me. That moron broke my teacher’s gift…

  “I’ll kill you, you bastard…”

  A black-and-white sun ignited at the tip of one broken half, casting gray lightning wildly around me.

  “No!… Grim, get out of there!”

  Vasa shouted, trying to outrun me and pull Grim out of danger. The technique of sequential steps… Grim realized he was in serious trouble. He recognized my teacher’s technique—it was written all over his terrified face.

  That bastard clearly didn’t want to die here. As a last desperate move, he raised his hammer to shield himself. The moment the black-and-white sun touched it, Munk grabbed my left arm and hurled me to the ground. My aura exploded, shredding the hammer and Grim’s fingers to dust. The field Munk threw me onto cracked open from the impact.

  “You bastards… Today I’ll crush him, no matter what it takes!”

  I had no weapon left, but thousands of gray lightning bolts danced on my outstretched fingers. Beneath each one, black-and-white pellets began to form—each powerful enough to maim a God of War, if not kill one outright.

  “Grim! I said run!” Munk shouted. “We’ll hold him off!”

  “Hold him off? You think you can?!”

  “Wait, Aney, let’s talk about—”

  “There’s nothing to talk about. That piece of trash attacked me and broke my teacher’s gift! He’s going to die for that!”

  I rose into the sky again, preparing for the strike—and this time, I wouldn’t let either Vasa or Munk stop me.

  “Wait!” Munk was frantically trying to de-escalate the situation. He clearly had no wish to risk his life for Grim’s sake. “He’ll compensate you a hundredfold—I swear it! Grim! Give me your best spear and something else—something valuable!”

  Grim, now slowly backing away from me, pulled out the spear I recognized from the auction and a small round shield. With his aura, he passed them to Munk.

  “He can shove that junk up his ass!”

  I activated five magic circles at once. Bright, crimson seals began to rotate slowly around me. Time-element magic to boost my speed further, and inferno to keep the two Gods of War off my back while I charged at my target.

  The air within five hundred meters burst into flame and vanished, replaced by pillars of plasma that tore the fabric of reality, opening rifts into black nothingness. The armor on Vasa and Munk caught fire, forcing them to retreat outside the spell’s radius.

  Grim was a little over a kilometer away. One point two seconds in my current state, my brain calculated. This time, I wouldn’t miss!

  The Gods of War were afraid—all three of them. They knew either they let me kill Grim, or everyone would suffer, and no one could predict how badly. Munk looked atGrim as if saying goodbye. It seemed he’d made his choice—and wouldn’t stand in my way. I looked at Vasa. She hesitated. Come on, just this once—don’t be a fool, get out of the way!

  “Aney!” a voice called behind me. “Let Grim go, and your friends won’t be harmed!”

  Damn! I hadn’t expected the mages to interfere. Pask and Vist had my ship locked down with spells, while my team and the Rector desperately tried to hold them off with a barrier. This was bad—obviously a one-sided fight. They wouldn’t last long.

  “You’re threatening hostages now? You’re bold bastards. Not afraid to die alongside Grim?”

  “Whether we die or not is still uncertain,” Pask replied. “But your friends? They’ll definitely die. That’s a fact.”

  He was right. Damn it! I didn’t really have a choice. I deactivated the magic—but kept the aura on my fingers just in case.

  “Let my friends go. And that idiot”—I pointed at Grim—“better vanish so thoroughly I can’t even sense his shadow. Because next time, I won’t give you this chance!”

  “Grim, get out of here!” Munk barked again.

  This time, Grim obeyed. He disappeared beyond the horizon. The mages released the ship, which dropped briefly before stabilizing and hovering in place. I dismissed the aura from my fingers and landed on the field, where I picked up the broken pieces of the spear, trying to fit them back together. Was it salvageable at all? Or was it just scrap now? That bastard. If I ever see him again—I won’t let him walk away.

  “Forget it, kid,” Vasa said, slapping me so hard on the back it knocked the wind out of me. “When we get to the capital, I’ll introduce you to a good smith. He’ll fix it good as new.”

  “Having fun?” I muttered.

  “Hahaha, I haven’t felt that kind of adrenaline in ages! So yes, I am having fun!”

  Vist and Pask approached.

  “Aney, how are you using magic?!”

  “Are you even serious right now? You were holding my friends hostage a minute ago—and now you think we’re buddies?!”

  I jumped into the air and headed for the ship. They could all go rot. I descended into the cockpit where my team was recovering from the intense magical clash.

  “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to put you in danger.”

  Raman gave a weak wave of his hand.

  “It’s fine. We’re alright.”

  I didn’t even have the words.

  I sat down at the artificial horizon control and guided the ship toward a large lake visible a few kilometers ahead. Screw the capital—we needed rest. Two mages and two Gods of War were tailing us.

  “I knew you were reckless,” Irgen said, settling beside me. “But this reckless?”

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  “I can’t tell—is that judgment or admiration?”

  “Hmm. Can I choose both?”

  I laughed and pulled her close.

  “Of course! I’m not one to limit human will or choice.”

  “Aney… seriously, though, that’s more than enough adventure for the past few days. The dungeon—fine, no one could’ve predicted that. But fighting three Gods of War at once?! I thought you had more common sense than that.”

  “Well, technically, I only fought one—and only because he attacked me. The other two were trying to stop the fight. So your criticism is misplaced.”

  “Still… don’t ever do that again.”

  “Alright, next time I’ll just let some little godling beat me to a pulp…”

  Irgen jabbed me in the ribs with her elbow. I started bringing the ship down, and the crew stumbled out of the common room, looking confused and trying to figure out what was happening and why we were landing.

  “How about we relax by the water for a bit?” I asked them.

  They all exchanged uncertain glances, like I was up to something sneaky.

  “Captain,” Mara finally spoke up, “you did get your ass kicked, didn’t you? You’ve never suggested something like this before…”

  “I’m gonna rip your head off for that lie!” I hissed. “Who took you all to the restaurant in Lhote after you sold the cores?”

  “Captain, you’re really gonna keep bringing up that one time until we graduate?”

  That was Grass. Yep, discipline on this crew is absolutely nonexistent.

  “Oh, I’ll bring it up after graduation too… Or do you think you’ll somehow hide from me then?”

  They all laughed weakly. I landed the ship on a clearing near the lake.

  “So, what’s it gonna be—meat or fish?”

  “Meat!” some shouted.

  “Fish!” others yelled just as loudly.

  “To avoid arguments,” the Rector said diplomatically, “those of you who want meat—go hunt it. Those who want fish—go fish.”

  I shook Ramen’s hand. What a guy. Then I looked up at the mages and Gods of War hovering a hundred meters above us.

  “Gentlemen, you’re welcome to just hover up there and wait, but we’re not going anywhere today. So you can either join us or head on to the capital.”

  Eventually, they chose the first option and came down a while later.

  It was evening when I lay not far from the fire, watching my crew gather around the Ninth Circle mages, listening to them like they were divine oracles. Damn… Just half a day ago they had those same mages held hostage, and now this? This damned world really has no principles…

  “Can we talk?”

  Munk approached me, Vasya standing behind him.

  “Alright, Mr. Munk.”

  They sat on either side of me. Mistrust? Or just years of battle-honed caution?

  “So, the Kruk passed his technique on to you. That’s why you refused to become a student…”

  “Yeah.” I looked him in the eye, then glanced at Vasa. “With your type of aura, it’s not compatible. Don’t even try it—unless you’ve got a death wish. I can’t help you with that.”

  They exchanged a glance, trying to figure out if I was bluffing. Well… maybe a little.

  “Your aura’s too long for it.”

  I pulled out a knife and handed it to Munk.

  “Try cutting my arm. You can even use your aura if you want.”

  I was fully confident in my aura chainmail. That knife would turn to dust before it left a scratch. Munk hesitated, then slashed at my wrist, putting nearly a third of his strength into it. My arm sank halfway into the ground.

  “Easy, Mr. Munk! I asked you to cut it, not rip it off!”

  I pulled my hand out, completely unscathed. They exchanged another look.

  “So, is your aura capable of that? And just so you know—I wasn’t even using mine. So take my word for it: that technique’s not for you.”

  They fell silent. I watched the fire.

  “Why are you telling us all this?”

  “Mr. Munk, do you think I’m stupid? You really think I didn’t understand why you came to talk to me now? I’m just defusing the inevitable conflict ahead of time. That’s all.”

  “You know your teacher was forbidden from passing on that technique?”

  “Yeah. And I also know a lot of fools chased it until they died.”

  “The Church still watches to make sure no disciples are—”

  “I’ll deal with the Church. Unless you’re planning to play the role of their little enforcers? You can try, of course… but you’ve already seen what I can do. Are you sure I’ve shown all my cards?”

  Silence. That last part was pure bluff—but I stayed completely relaxed, which definitely didn’t help them feel brave enough to make a move.

  “Whew… Aney, we don’t care. Let the Church deal with that. But—what do you mean ‘aura too long’?”

  “Oh, that—” I twirled my hand in the air, “—just means it’s not compatible…”

  Yeah, like I was really going to explain it. You can smash your head against the wall for all I care, trying to figure out what I meant.

  “So, does that mean I can’t be your trainer anymore?”

  Dear gods, is she actually that dense?

  “Lady Vasa, I stand by my word. It’s your choice.”

  Holy hedgehogs… How can someone be this powerful, this cy… have that kind of bust—and still be this dumb? How did she even survive at the imperial court with a brain like that?

  “Then let’s go!”

  “Come again?”

  “Get up—we’re training!”

  “Lady Vasa, my weapon…”

  “No need—we’ll spar hand-to-hand!”

  “Well, if the trainer insists, I can’t say no.”

  We soared high into the air, away from the others.

  “Rules?” I asked when we stopped.

  “Oh, look at the little Ancestor, worried about rules! Use everything you’ve got! Well, except the Kruk’s technique, of course. And that fire magic of yours!” she quickly added more conditions.

  I waited to see if she was going to throw in anything else.

  “What are you standing there for? Are we training or not?”

  Fine! I activated five-circle magic. Bright red light shattered the surrounding darkness. She’d forbidden me to use fire element—the one I’m best with… So what then? Time?

  No, she’d still outmatch me in speed… I scrambled to think through fifty different spells, searching for the right combo.

  Space. I needed to distort space around me so she couldn’t pinpoint where I actually was. After all, what’s the point of all that strength if you can’t even land a hit?

  This might actually work—even against a Goddess of War. Fourth-circle space magic—Distorted Field. Third-circle dark magic—Grave Silence. Fifth-circle wind magic—Airburst… first Sequential Step—I struck.

  Looked like Vasa really couldn’t see me through the distortion and silencing fields. She could barely sense my aura, and with the space warped, she blocked from the wrong side entirely. My fist ripped through her aura armor and smashed into her ribs—left side, near the spleen. The impact threw her back a good hundred meters.

  “You’ve got tricks, I’ll give you that!” she shouted, rubbing her ribs. “But that’s not gonna cut it!”

  Strong! I attacked again. Vasa tried to adapt, trying to figure out where I actually was, but her fists kept missing me, while my blows always landed, even if they didn’t seem to cause any visible damage to the body of the Goddess of War.

  I was too weak. Then suddenly, she made an unconventional move—she simply kicked the ground in a circle around herself. I couldn’t possibly stop that. Though I managed to block with my arms, the blow still hit hard. I felt my bones creak and bend.

  “Lady Vasa! You said fists only!” I shouted when I managed to stop myself.

  “Ha! Only a fool trusts an opponent in battle!”

  Oh, so that’s how it’s going to be? Alright then! I charged again. This time, as I got close, I unleashed my bloodlust, which, after the recent slaughter in the dungeon, had taken on a physical crimson-black hue, laced with despair from the moment of death of high-class monsters. I hadn’t only absorbed their cores back then—I had devoured their very lives, and that couldn’t help but leave a mark.

  “Ughhhh…” Vasa groaned, raising her palms in front of her.

  I appeared behind her and, grabbing a fistful of hair from the crown of her head with my right hand, drove my knee with full force into the base of her skull. The Goddess of War was thrown back, leaving a generous tuft of hair in my hand.

  “Got you!”

  Suddenly, she was in front of me again, arms wrapped around me, pulling me into a crushing hold. Damn! What strength! I felt my spine and ribs crack, about to give way. The last thing I remembered was her white forehead crashing into the bridge of my nose.

  I came to with cold water pouring over me. It streamed in a thick flow from a spell cast by Gras, right above me. My team stood around me, along with Vasa, who was smiling with satisfaction. I sat up, feeling nauseated and dizzy. She’d hit me good. Real good. I pulled out a recovery pill and swallowed it. That seemed to help a little.

  “You did well, holding out against me for so long!”

  Oh, shut up. You tied my hands behind my back with all those conditions!

  “So, shall we continue?” Vasa asked.

  I waved her off.

  “Sorry, coach, but excessive training can be harmful to a student’s health, so… not today. Come back tomorrow!”

  “Oh, is that so… Alright then, we’ll continue tomorrow!”

  “Lady Vasa, how did you figure out where I was?”

  I didn’t really expect an answer…

  “Ha! Simple. Gods of War feel every part of their body, no matter where it is. You’re just a Battle Ancestor—you don’t know that yet.”

  She turned and walked away, clearly pleased with herself. What an idiot—who just tells their enemy everything like that?

  So, my failure happened simply because I was stupid. Never grab a woman by the hair! Especially not to rip it out…

  “How are you?” Irgen sat down beside me.

  “I think… I’ll live…”

  “You have a… pfffff, you still have a huge bump on your forehead—ha-ha-ha, sorry, I just can’t… it’s hilarious…”

  Irgen pulled out a mirror and handed it to me. Right between my eyebrows was a massive yellow lump… Damn it. I swallowed another pill and headed for the boat. I just wanted to crawl into bed and not see anyone for a few hours.