Nomura raised a privacy sphere after Riseth gave a small nod of affirmation.

  "As you know, the Japanese culture of Alistair’s world has a lot of overlap with your own, including what they call ninjas or shinobi," Riseth explained. "After a little digging on my sister’s part, it wasn’t difficult to make some educated guesses. Though I’ll admit, we have nothing conclusive."

  Nomura continued to study her, and Riseth was certain she was employing some subtle social skills, though their exact nature was hard to discern. However, it didn’t feel intrusive or hostile.

  "Many react rather poorly when they learn of this," Nomura said calmly. "Which is why we are usually quite hesitant to share this particular secret."

  "You don’t need to worry too much," Riseth replied. "We, too, have our fair share of troubling secrets. Trust takes time, even between close allies."

  Nomura inclined her head slightly. "I suppose, if we are to strengthen our bond further, it’s time to confirm what you likely already know," she said. "We do have a large cadre of shinobi in our employ. While we accept assassination contracts, we prefer to focus on gathering intelligence. I apologize for the secrecy—we had intended to tell you soon."

  "None of this is an issue as long as you don’t deal with the Syndicates," Riseth replied, her tone steady. "If you did, it would complicate things for us."

  Nomura shook her head, a placating smile forming. "Our honor would never allow us to associate with those factions," she assured. "You have nothing to worry about."

  Riseth returned the smile. "While we’re already sharing, did you infiltrate our world?" she asked, her tone light but curious. "We know you investigated us after our first meeting, but we couldn’t learn much more."

  Nomura shook her head. "The risk of discovery was deemed far too high," she replied. "We didn’t want to upset your clan or jeopardize our relations. Rest assured, your security measures are quite thorough—even our best were hesitant to attempt it."

  Nomura looked at her expectantly as if waiting for something. Riseth hesitated, briefly considering whether to share King’s status but deciding it wasn’t her place. Instead, she reached out to Alistair through the Akashic Link, explaining what they were currently discussing.

  "Tell her," Alistair responded, his tone firm but understanding. "They’ve been quite open with us, and if we want to form a true alliance, we need to do the same."

  Riseth nodded and turned to Nomura, her gaze briefly flicking to Denodia, who had grown noticeably tense but remained silent as she watched the exchange.

  "Alistair's familiar has undergone a Draconic Ascension and has become a high-tier dragon," Riseth said evenly.

  Nomura’s expression shifted to mild admiration, but it was soon replaced by confusion. "While very impressive, I fail to see the concern," she replied.

  "He has become a Progenitor, and his core concept is that of curses," Riseth clarified, watching as Nomura’s expression turned to one of understanding. "He has also already found a matriarch, who is expecting her first clutch soon."

  Nomura grew thoughtful, her fingers lightly drumming against the armrest. After a moment, she inclined her head deeply, a seated gesture of respect. "That is certainly something that could spell trouble for your clan if the wrong people were to learn of it," she said. "I am grateful for the trust you have placed in me and my clan. Rest assured, we will not betray it."

  "The same goes for us," Riseth replied.

  "I have to admit, you surprised me," Nomura said. "I expected to have these talks with your sister."

  "You usually would," Riseth admitted, her tone light. "But I’m not one to pass up a good opportunity to bond—and deal with the less savory matters."

  With that, Riseth pulled out three bottles of Spirit Orchid wine, handing one each to Denodia and Nomura. She raised her own bottle, a toothy smile spreading across her face.

  "To bonds forged in trust, tempered by honesty, and more savory things."

  Nomura let out a genuine laugh as she raised her own bottle. "To more savory things indeed," she said, her grin widening.

  They turned their attention to Kujo and Alistair, who had teamed up to take on a small grouping of Tier 7 cyberbeasts.

  "Those two also seem to get along quite well," Denodia observed, breaking her silence.

  "Warriors tend to form strong bonds in the heat of battle," Nomura replied, a knowing smile playing on her lips.

  "Good thing we ladies are more refined," Riseth quipped, flashing them a mischievous smile.

  "You ladies having a good time?" Alistair questioned, watching them leisurely sitting in comfortable chairs while sipping on Spirit Orchid wine.

  Kujo stepped up beside him, his gaze lingering on the bottles with obvious interest. "I hope you brought more. I ran out of those far too soon."

  Riseth smiled and tossed a bottle to each of them. Both caught their bottles effortlessly. Kujo grinned as he opened his, taking a long sip before letting out a contented sigh. "Ah, that’s the good stuff."

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  "Not that I’m complaining," Alistair added, raising an eyebrow as he gestured toward the lounging group, "but I thought we came here to work on our coordination. So far, I only see myself and Kujo doing the fighting."

  "We opted for a slightly different team exercise," Riseth replied innocently, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

  Alistair chuckled, bending down to give her a quick kiss. "One involving alcohol and watching your men get sweaty?"

  "Pretty much," Riseth replied with a smirk, raising her bottle in another mock toast.

  Alistair returned her smile, taking a sip from his own drink before shifting his attention to his skill selection. He had ignored it earlier, caught up in the thrill of battling multiple cyberbeasts alongside Kujo. While the fight had certainly been enjoyable, the dull ache from the aftermath lingered. Minor wounds crisscrossed his body, steadily regenerating, the sensation of flesh stitching itself back together a persistent and somewhat distracting reminder of the intense skirmish.

  Tier: [Legendary]

  Skill Name: Telekinetic Control

  Description: Increases all relevant Statistics when using telekinesis to an extreme degree. Drastically reduces the energy cost and focus requirements for telekinesis. The effects of magical weight and resistance when using telekinesis against any target are significantly reduced, and the effects of any interference are reduced dramatically. Greatly enhanced efficiency when used in conjunction with Kinetic skills and effect.

  -

  Tier: [Legendary]

  Skill Name: Forcebound Momentum

  Description: A boosting skill utilizing the concepts of Battle, Momentum, and Force. The user's power is enhanced through the momentum of battle and forcefully accelerated using the concept of Force. The user's [Power] and, to a lesser degree, [Control] and [Body], grow exponentially over time. The amount of power the user can handle is determined by their [Body] Statistic and body enhancements. Once [Power] exceeds the threshold the user can handle, damage over time is inflicted, which can be counteracted with healing and regeneration for a limited period.

  The user can convert accumulated [Power] through the use of the [Arcane Energy Manipulation] skill and discharge it through attacks or other means. Strain inflicted by this skill becomes harder to heal once it exceeds natural regeneration.

  -

  Tier: [Supreme]

  Skill Name: Flames of Purity

  Description: The user creates [Purity]-aspected flames, burning those deemed impure, such as the corrupted, cursed, and undead. The user can unleash torrents of flames or coat themselves or their weapons through the use of the [Blazing Edge] skill. The skill significantly hinders the regeneration of targets considered impure and inflicts greatly increased damage on them while affecting regular targets to a lesser degree. The flames do not affect targets considered pure or designated as friendly.

  The skill requires a small amount of the user's Mana or Qi to use and maintain scaling with the user's [Control] statistic at a high efficiency. The damage of the flames scales with the [Power] statistic at a very high efficiency.

  Alistair couldn’t help but smile. Most of the skills he had trained for had appeared, though Telekinetic Control was a surprise—albeit a positive one. He had known that particular skill would have to pop up sooner or later, and its inclusion was a fantastic boost to his telekinesis.

  Forcebound Momentum was the skill he had trained for the longest and was by far the most complex among those he had been working on. Having it as a proper skill now would make improving it much easier, as he no longer needed to manually control each magical interaction. While the lack of mention in the skill description regarding focus reduction stood out, it also gave him a clear progression path. Reducing the focus requirement further would greatly free up his mental faculties, enabling him to push the skill to even greater heights.

  Flames of Purity making the cut wasn’t surprising as it hadn’t been the most challenging skill to create. Not only did he have a high affinity for all the concepts involved, but they also clicked into place as though they were meant to be combined. He had a completely different experience when he had tried to create Kinetic Fire, which had worked, but the concepts had clashed and required the meta aspect of force to bind them together. He was certain that without his core concept, he wouldn’t have been capable of achieving it at his current grade.

  The visuals of the flames had been the most fascinating aspect of the experiment. They burned with a deep black hue, interspersed with streaks of yellow and gold energy that crackled and popped with kinetic force, almost resembling lightning. Interestingly, the flames hummed softly, and he had subconsciously added mass to them, making them feel heavy in his hands. They struck with an impressive impact when he hurled them at a target. However, their primary issue was instability—the flames were short-lived once they left his control, violently exploding and spreading in a chaotic yet focused burst.

  The inherent idea behind Kinetic Fire had been to create flames that spread and shaped the battlefield to his advantage, much like Kujo did with his inferno. However, its inherent instability had been the main reason he had set it aside for now.

  While he certainly had the affinities to make it work if he invested the time, he wasn’t sure it would be worthwhile. Despite the undeniably striking appearance of the flames, the conflicting nature of the concepts—particularly the flame concept—made them difficult to synchronize, unlike the seamless harmony he had achieved with purity.

  Sotarr had observed him with deep interest during those experiments but had refrained from commenting on whether it was a good idea. Alistair got the distinct impression that it might be something he could refine and make work at a higher grade.

  Alistair hummed, still deep in thought. He had just enough skill points to acquire all three skills and still have one point to spare. However, that meant he would be one point shy for his next selection unless he delved into some dungeons. He considered whether he could gain access to one of Citar’s dungeons, though he knew it wouldn’t be easy.

  The threat of someone destroying a dungeon core was always a serious concern, and he hoped his status and reputation would be enough to allay any fears. After all, he had no intention of doing something that reckless. Still, he couldn’t be certain. Compared to the Tok’eall Empire, he and the Ryser clan were small fry, and the damage a destroyed dungeon could cause was no small matter.

  He took one of the offered seats next to Riseth and decided to pick up all three skills. If not on Citar, he would doubtlessly be able to get access to one dungeon or another. The Synth Alliance had promised him access to their dungeons, and he was slated to meet with them soon.

  Alistair watched as Riseth and Nomura veered off, pulling Denodia along with them to join the hunt. Left behind, he and Kujo settled into their seats, the air calm after the earlier chaos. Alistair raised his glass to Kujo, sharing a satisfied smile.