Chiyo put a demon mask over the bottom half of her face and closed her eyes. Focusing her senses on the man golems piing Max on the ground she moved.
Shockwaves tore through the forest as a figure that appeared to have eight arms slashed through four golems simultaneously before parrying a trident thrust.
Max tried to get to his feet but stumbled as his ability took its toll causing him to fade and trigger the wards.
“Sorry.” Max squealed out as he appeared outside of the arena, a golden tail having grown from his form. As far as he’d appeared, someone had taken him away, the figure was fast and clad in golden armor.
Chiyo sighed as she slashed at Marshal forcing him to summon a ball of water which he used to push his opponent away.
Chiyo received, moving to the side as a blade of wind nearly bisected her from behind.
“Too close.”
Yaclak landed atop the hidden wind magic user immediately sending him out of the arena. Sadly it didn’t prevent a trident that nearly decapitated him and Chiyo at the same time. Nearly as if the force kicked them both out of the arena.
Insects swarmed the forest taking out two of the remaining wind users and allowing for the recently arriving Volain to run through Marshal kicking him out soon before he could snap his neck.
“Dinner? That was hardly an appetizer. Where is the third captain?”
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Song arrived at the barbeque with his six allies. They outnumbered Bella eight to one.
“Looks like the fight is over, two captains down from each team, and your members greatly outnumber ours. So, what do you think we should do in a situation like this? Having been thoroughly trounced before we could put up a fight?”
“Cecil would say that the smart thing to do would be to surrender. But… I also don't know how strong you are.”
“Very weak. When compared to how strong your top members are, sadly, the only one remaining on your team is Volain. And he isn’t here.”
“Is that so?” Bella rapidly increased the gravity around the eight warriors causing seven to pop while Song seemed unbothered.
“Well then. I guess I should surrender then.” Song answered in a monotone.
“Just who are you?”
“Who knows? I surrender!” Song placed a hand over his heart and vanished from the arena.
“With that ending, we can mark half of the Semifinals complete!” Meh Thod bellowed.
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Kyrion watched as the poison in Eden’s body flowed into the flowers placed around her as her body was slowly purified. As it happened her body slowly gained an immunity to it. The pain would be immense while the changes happened but she would get out of it stronger than ever. As a healer, the idea of a little pain now for immunity was a lot better than getting poisoned a second time.
As the method of cleansing occurred, Kyrion took notes and watched for hours, missing the end of the tournament and watching as she slowly regained consciousness.
Eden looked up at the red-haired Kyrion, his expression was soft and his eyes their usually green for the first time in a while, she saw him as himself. A white doctor’s scrubs covered his form as he waited.
“Mr. Kyrion?”
“Yes, I'm back. The story is that, during the attack, the Elven Matriarch took me in as a student to keep me from being taken and killed. She taught me how to create plant clones and we managed to escape. During that time I've been with them training. While Rion(one of my clones) was with all of your training.”
“So you already know how to make plant clones?”
“Yes. It isn’t a technique I perfected until recently though. And that was while I was here.” Which wasn’t a lie, he’d figured out how to split his consciousness and send them out while on the island but mastered it while training here for at least three months.
“Ah. You’re confusing, teacher.”
“You can blame your Grandteacher and Great-Grandteacher for that,” Kyrion stated bluntly.
“Kyrion? I don’t want to die like that. Stabbed from behind and unaware. I hate it the most when I’m helpless or unable to fight back.”
“I understand. That pain you felt, let it be a driving force. When you’re better, I will train you in a second-sight ability. It’s one I’ve been using for years, especially after losing my eye. It's called spatial sense. Everything that takes up space within a certain radius of my body is seen at all times as though seen and understood with two perfectly good eyes, past that is vague shapes and actions aside from where my real eye is focusing. When I push mana into it I can then do all sorts of things, like tracking my mana signatures or those of my friends. Seeing beyond regular walls and doors is also simple.”
“Wait is that how you’re able to dodge things you can’t see? Or knew those people were coming?”
“I mean, I also trained a lot. Though I'm not sure a build like mine is good for you.”
Eden imagined her head on Kyrion’s body and started laughing.
“Hey, it isn't that funny.” Kyrion sighed.
“No, it is.”
Kyrion rolled his eyes. “Now then, let's get down to business.”
“What?”
“Going by what I can see, your core is about the size of a single grain of rice.”
“What’s rice?”
“One of two things I can cook without help.”
“So rice and noodles?”
Kyrion looked defeated. “As long as step one is to boil water and step two is to wait. I can do it…Most of the time.”
Eden shook her head and sighed.
“Business. Grain of rice. It's safe to proceed to rank four given the mana concentration and the mana condensed while you were poisoned, you should slowly start to push to rank four while we up your physical training. This means more running, pushups, and situps. As well as heavier weights. Maybe twenty on each limb instead of ten. Unlike me, you don’t have to worry about mana poisoning or building a castle out of muscle just to contain it. When you can complete your exercises like that, you should be in the top 5% of spirit masters.”
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“Yes, teacher. What about Bastion?”
Max was soon rushed into the emergency room his body resembling a lizard-human hybrid more than a human as Minah sat him on a bed.
“Somebody heal my brother.”
A flash of gold and an old man in gold regalia appeared in the room. “Easy daughter, he isn’t sick. This is a cocoon of sorts. A necessary stage for growth for those who will inherit my throne.”
Minah’s eyes looked shocked. “You chose Max as your successor?”
“He is a son. And he does have my potential for growth if not more. I have been waiting a long time for this to occur.”
“What about me? We’re twins.”
“And you didn’t inherit my ability, you inherited your mother's, albeit a more useful one than just manipulating friction.”
Minah slowly blinked. “Friction? Not potential and kinetic energy.”
“Like I said, your power is different. I expect you to do great things in your lifetime, but ruling my legacy is not one of them. However, what happens after I leave this world is none of my business. If I'm being honest, I won’t step foot in that country ever again. Which will cause trouble.”
“You’re dying…”
“Incarnating if I can help it. But not before I finish his training. I am oathbound to do so.”
Minah squinted. “So Max will be the next king. What happens from there is up to him.
“Correct. We will probably be at war with our eastern rivals and I’ve promised a duchy to one of my grandsons. Had Max not shown his potential, Sinbad would be the one in this position.”
“I see. So I'm at the mercy of my little brother.”
“He came out first. You were just the first to talk, walk, and run.”
Kyrion scowled as his conversation was interrupted. “So my land purchase?”
“What, you wanted Drisil to be the new capital, didn’t you? The headmaster already has blueprints. Max will own most of the important land while you will have a good piece, you also have the other continents to worry about.”
“Fine. Maybe Max will let me take his tablet.” Kyrion crossed his arms.
“Those aren’t normally inheritable so long as I don’t rank.”
Kyrion eyed the mana inside Max and sighed as he cut open his left thumb.
“Stay back.” Minah moved in front of her brother.
“You increased its power further. That's quite dangerous for you.”
“I didn’t intend for that to happen. Also Minah, this will help more than harm. So you intend to grant him some of your potential?”
“My blood regenerates over time, and chances are, I’ll be killing a lot of dragons soon. So this should at best help a little. This ability only works on dragons mind you.”
“I think I get it. I have another question. Is Ander cheating on me?”
“Were you two going out? Or were you trying to make me jealous? The latter would never work and I doubt he’d agree to such a thing without being tricked.”
“Answer the question.”
“Yes, and no. He accidentally got betrothed while in another world, then he fell in love with said woman, and now he’s a married man. He’s also tried to formally break up but I must assume he’s bad at it.”
“The new fledgling that fights at a practitioner level right?”
“Correct. I think this is the first time Ander has felt affection outside of a doting brother. Given how quick he was to jump ship.”
“It’s like all the good men are taken. You have Lin, Ander, Chiyo, Brion has Everest, and Max is my brother. There's also Bella and Cecil, but that was always going to be a thing. Bastion is like five.”
“Wait wait wait… Brion and Everest? How? When? Oh poor Hel, no wonder she looked as though she swallowed a bee.”
The golden General looked at the teenagers and proceeded to teleport away. While they weren’t paying him any mind.
“Why are you looking at me with pity?”
“You should marry outside the family, possibly outside the kingdom.”
Minah threw a punch at Kyrion’s jaw. The first passed through empty air as Kyrion reappeared in the doorway.
“Not nice. Eden, we will progress your training when you get out.”Kyrion then teleported again.
The elven man with twin blades eyed Kyrion stoically. They were back in the meeting room where the only other occupant was the headmaster. “Are you done, checking on your allies?”
“Not really, is anyone else injured?”
“Surprisingly no. The other brat on your team was quite effective, but I’d take him out of the next round. The orcs know how dangerous he is already. While they won’t be as deadly as the assassin, they will probably aim to take him out quickly.”
“So long as he doesn’t make another oath to some kids…” Kyrion scowled and waved a hand causing Bastion to appear under his arm like luggage.
“Huh? What? How long have you been able to do this?”
“Very recently. As of ten seconds ago?” Kyrion said bluntly.
“I was an experiment?”
“Were you about to swear an oath to fight in the next round?”
Bastion looked away and scratched his chin. He wasn’t that good at lying yet.
“How close?”
“They double dared me. I was nearly backed against the wall. It hasn’t been thirty minutes. Only one scoop of victory ice cream for you.”
Bastion looked as though he’d been betrayed, “Only one?”
“Yes. Got anything to say?”
“I’m sorry for causing trouble. Mr. sniffle Kyrion.” Bastion said the word, instead of sniffling. The crocodile tears were building, via water magic that may have been stolen from an opponent he beat.
“Fine, but you’ll need to tell me how you beat your opponents with a touch. I know you can drain mana but do you take life force as well?”
“Oh, that. It’s the glossy bubble that rests on your skin when we fight. All I do is pop the bubble by draining it.”
The elf slowly blinked. “That would explain it. So you can drain mana, despite it being of that tier. So, I suspect you have the intention of holding onto that magic you absorbed from the popped barriers?”
Bastion held out his left hand and an inkly liquid flowed from his hand and formed a black bubble around him.
The elf sent his mana out and gasped. “Negative mana… No antimagic. That magic counters the barriers as well as the contingency spell we put on our contestants. Useful, but I must ask that you not use that here. It is quite dangerous.”
“Dangerous?”
“Yes. Your power is quite interesting. It consumes all indiscriminately. Quite a glutenous one at that.”
“I think that information is worth two scoops? Don’t you?” The stern elf's expression softened.
Bastion shot up. “Really?”
“Fine. Now then, headmaster.” Kyrion withdrew a white fox mask meant to cover one's upper half. Black outlines surrounded his eyes with silvery accents, as a silver string with Cerulean ornaments made from Issac's excess feathers. The ears were embedded with diamonds with silver outlines as well. A star made from five black triangles sat under the right eye.
“I don’t want to talk.” The headmaster held his head and waited.
“This young man went out drinking a bit too much. I didn’t know experts could even have hangovers.” The elf stated.
“So that's why I haven’t seen Sigfried today.”
The headmaster scowled. “I’m sorry that I’m in this condition but, if I’m being honest. The mana gained from such an item was surprisingly potent. Just where did you…”
“I made it with means I can’t use often. It’s an item I intend to sell off. Though that was only my four distillation brands.”
“You can’t cook, and you had no talent for alchemy, how are you so gifted with booze?” The headmaster held his head.
The elf looked at Kyrion curiously. “Isn’t brewery just another form of alchemy?”
“I make 99% of the ingredients and received training from some of the best to perfect this art. Though I can’t drink my finished pro…Wait no I guess I can, technically. But I shouldn’t.”
“Sheesh. The only one of us walking around right now is your mother.”
“How is her alcohol tolerance higher than yours?”
“Did you forget that your grandfather was a pirate?” Caeden asked.
“So she’s been drinking tea since she could walk… And I’ve been unknowingly drinking medicinal tea for years because of it.” Kyrion placed a hand over his prosthetic eye.
“That explains your iron stomach and poison tolerance. Fight mana poisoning with spirits.” The headmaster recalled having to work to disable Kyrion during his fight against Minah.
“Yes, and it’s only grown since. My liver is my second strongest organ. Now then, why are you here?”
“Max will inherit the kingdom on graduation. You intend to learn from the matriarch, is that correct?”
“Yes sir.”
“Good, she was the one who trained me in misdirection. The main reason why I’ve been able to stand on my own, despite being so young. Though I'm probably old to you.”
“Time goes by too fast. I’m starting to feel old as well.”
“Don’t you start? We aren’t old until we hit our first century.”
“I disagree, the turning point is at the millennia mark.”
Bastion looked at all the grandpas trying to sound young and shook his head, “Uh-huh. So what now?”
“Right. Kyrion, many of the techniques you’ve learned from Gamodren and me were adapted from the Matriarch's teachings. Which isn’t public knowledge. Thus so long as you use a mastery of the techniques you already know. Your cover will work well. Just avoid fire.”
“Will do sir!” Kyrion said a bit too loudly as the hungover man teleported away.
“Now then. I’ve been informed you can impart your shards onto bodies of their own. Show me.”
“I can’t create bodies at will. Letting you know that these were made ahead of time.” Four copies of Kyrion jumped out of the domain, each with slight alterations.
One wielded a Photon Greatsword and held blond highlights in his red hair. Over his body was a suit of flexible body armor. His mask was the same as Kyrion’s only instead of silver and blue, the decorations were red and white respectively. This one was Kyrie.
The second was a woman, her red hair had green highlights, and her eyes were slightly sharper. She wore Green robes with the symbol of a serpentine dragon coiling about. Her mask held Green and gold alterations. Her posture gave away her identity as Ra.
The third was another man, his hair was shorter than the first two and was silver at the roots. His expression seemed old and withered, but in his eyes were years of experience and knowledge. His accents were black and purple, and his robes seemed to match. A red and gray beard protruded from his chin. At his side was a long staff. The man resembled the Shaggy Kyr from the Realm of the Lost.
The fourth and final, was short and androgynous, like Ra, they were unarmed, save for a series of floating triangles that surrounded their arms and rotated. Their hair was white with golden strands mixed in while their eyes were a brighter red that glowed in the dark. This shard was known as Arion. Arion was a shard that manifested in Kyrion’s mind during his trip abroad. Their name was Centarion, which didn’t roll off the tongue much if at all, and both.”
“Four and of this quality. What’s the limit on their bodies?”
“I can only make one while the other is destroyed or while both are in my domain. Which makes creating more a pain as they aren’t simple to make properly.”
“With that taken into consideration, I must say that you have truly grown quickly.”
“It wasn’t that quick. Just had a bit of luck with time management.”
“Good, if you can get that far, now, we won’t have to change much for your few lectures. Now you are dismissed.”
The Four clones bowed before reentering Kyrion’s domain.
Bastion sighed. “It’s ice cream time.”
“Don’t you get tired of ice cream?” Kyrion asked.
Bastion looked at Kyrion as though he’d grown a second head. “Do you get tired of breathing?”
“Where did I go wrong?”
“No idea, now let's go!” Bastion ran ahead.