I step in the middle of the circle and the noers activate. A second later I feel a sinking feeling in my stomach as the view around me changes. Instead of the small room where I had been just a moment before, I am now in the middle of a sprawling field, dotted with stones and the occasional gnarled tree. I look around and quickly spot the three Azzure I was meant to defeat. Unlike in my Apprentice exam, I do not need to use second sight to see them.

Taking a deep breath, I recall all the training I have done in preparation for this. Then I attack.

Using Burst, I dash toward the three Azzure. In return, they also run at me. I move quickly, and just as I am about to reach them, I activate Hilla’s Barrier. With it protecting me, I slam into the Azzure in the center, separating it from the other two. The remaining two turn around to chase me down, but for a second or so I will be all alone with the Azzure in front of me.

I activate D-three - even after all this time, it is still my best starting move, especially since the amount of Uua I can Focus now is far more than before. I drop Hilla’s Barrier and begin my attack, launching a barrage of punches at the Azzure. Surprisingly, it mirrors me, focusing Uua around itself and blocking the punches I throw. Then it opens its mouth wide.

After my fight with the Majin, I had become sensitive to things like that, so I immediately dash away using Burst. The next moment a Roe flies out of its mouth, hitting the ground where I had been just a moment before and producing a small explosion. Unfortunately, the time I had bought for myself has run out, and the remaining two have gotten to me. But I am not worried as they converge on me. Calmly, I bring my palms together.

During my training with Luoi, it had taught me something. Laen are not considered masters at any spell until they can cast it without consciously forming the respective noer. The easiest way to reach this point, according to Luoi, is to repeat the spell, along with a particular action. The action will act as a cue, and muscle memory will take care of the rest. In a fight, as long as you perform the action, your body does the rest. I tested his hypothesis with what I am about to do.

During a spar with Luoi, I discovered a neat little trick: I could unleash the Uua I Focused around me to unleash a relatively massive explosion. To Focus, you have to gather and compress large amounts of Uua around yourself, usually, it is used as a hybrid form of offense and defense, but with what I discovered it can be turned into a quite devastating offensive move.

As I bring my palms together, my body does the rest and the Uua Focused around me explodes. Not expecting it, the Azzures are caught off guard, but they manage to summon Hilla’s barrier. Still, they are thrown off balance and I don’t intend to waste that opportunity. I activate the Sensing noer - the noer Luoi had given me when I first met him, and my sensitivity toward my Uua and the Eani increases exponentially. Some Uua from the earlier explosion still remains - though it is rapidly dispersing. Focusing on the closest Azzure to me, I clench my fist, and the Uua reforms into two Roes, blasting toward the head of the Azzure.

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As the Azzure focuses on that, I swing my arm releasing a sharp wave of telekinesis. The unguarded Azzure is immediately split in two. One down. Two to go.

I unleash a wave of telekinesis which blasts apart the remaining two Azzures. With this, I don’t have to worry about them teaming up against me for a few seconds. I dash at one of them, Focusing Uua around myself once again. I throw a punch, and the Azzure reacts quickly, Focusing Uua on its own arms and grabbing mine, stopping my punch.

Thinking quickly, I twist my hand until I have enough leverage to also hold unto its arm. Then with my second hand, I grab unto its other arm and pull them apart, leaving it wide open. I can feel my arms get hot as its Uua reacts violently with mine, but I have no intention of letting go just yet. It is time for a little mouth action of my own.

With my mouth wide open, I let out a shout, and with the shout a massive wave of telekinesis. It slams into the Azzure throwing it backward, but since I am holding on to it I also get carried along. I stop, and while the Azzure recovers from the attack, I unleash the last one. Opening my mouth once more, I unleash another wave of telekinesis, but this time it is infused with a large amount of Uua. The unprepared Azzure is blasted to pieces. Two down. One more to go.

Breathing heavily, I turn to face the last Azzure. I have used up quite a bit of Uua with my previous attacks, but a quick check shows that I still have a sizeable amount left. I am confident of ending this quickly.

Something invisible slams into my stomach, knocking the breath out of me. Then is slams into my face from the left, right, and then uppercuts me. It is only during the uppercut that I regain enough of my senses to activate Hilla’s Barrier. Then the invisible attacks stop. Now wary, I focus on the last Azzure. It had obviously used telekinesis on me.

With Hilla’s Barrier still active, I dash toward it, using Burst to further increase my speed. In response, the Azzure causes the area around it to burst into flames. I don’t stop. Instead, I activate the flame-absorbing noer I had invented during that terrible concert.

By the time I am within arm’s reach, there is no more fire left. Knowing that its earlier attempt had failed, it Focuses Uua around itself, and throws a punch at me. Bad move. The entire purpose of my dash was to fake it into making an attack. The moment I was about to get within reach of its arms, I prepared to use Burst. I release the Burst now, pushing myself to the side and away from the Azzure’s punch.

After that disastrous concert, Drew had gone over the fire absorbing noer I had made and showed me how to tweak it to cause everything absorbed to be released instantaneously. Aiming a palm at the Azzure, I use that noer and unleash all the flames absorbed earlier. The resulting explosion consumes the surprised Azzure. But I don’t expect that to finish it off.

I swing my arm thrice, releasing three sharp waves of telekinesis at where the Azzure was before the explosion. Then I stop. The fire dies down, and finally, I can see the result of my attacks. The Azzure is in pieces. I let out a smile. It looks like all of my training has finally paid off. This fight wasn’t as hard as the one during my Apprentice exam.

The next moment, the world around me blurs. I am teleported into the room I had been in before the fight begins. The Teacher who had tried to pressure us by reminding us that others could be watching is still there. Apart from him, the room is empty.

He says with a smile. “You passed. You’re also the first to finish. I have to admit, that was not a bad fight for an Apprentice. Hand over your robes.”

I remove my Apprentice robes and hand them over to him. A noer appears on his finger and he uses it to touch the robe. The color of the robes changes to the blue that all Pre-protector robes are made of.

“Congratulations, you are now a Pre-protector.”