Jumping back to his feet and assuming his stance, Damien focused on the crazy woman, “I see Ela taught you the basic stance for a katana; just don’t get too used to it. With how vast the universe is and that there are other universes besides our own, I am sure you will come across a better version or better ways to utilize a katana,” Ruby stated calmly.

Nodding his head, Damien did not take his eyes off her if she tried to sneak attack him again. Seeing that he was not taking his focus off her, Ruby smiled. “Good, remember to always keep your eyes on your opponent otherwise you will end up not knowing how you lost.”

“Now, come at me with everything you have so I know what I'm working with. No abilities use only your body and sword.”

Hearing her words, Damien rushed forward at Ruby, who was standing opposite him. Looking down at Ruby’s hands, he noticed she was wearing some type of gauntlet, giving Damien the feeling that she was most likely some type of brawler focusing on hand-to-hand combat. Using his reach advantage with his katana Damien got just close enough to where she could not reach him but with his katana, he could reach her.

Slashing at her side, Ruby effortlessly blocked his attack, making the sword slide down the side of her right gauntlet. She then responded by taking a quick step at Damien and unleashed a quick jab at his abdomen.

Remembering Ela’s words, he prepared himself for the attack but did not take his eyes off Ruby in case the attack was a feint. Clashing his sword once more with her fists they continued to throw attack after attack.

Damien tried everything he could think of, but nothing was working Ruby’s defense seemed to be impenetrable. Breathing heavily at this point, he once again went to block one of her attacks, but this time, he was caught off guard, so far, Ruby had been throwing attacks without any tricks in them everything had been simple. This time, though, after blocking Damien’s sword, Ruby closed in on him with extreme speed and threw the first feint in the hours they had been fighting.

Not being ready for this and being used to her simple attacks, he was not able to raise his guard in time, resulting in a powerful attack hitting him in the chest. Flying backward and landing on his back, Damien looked up at the night sky, panting heavily.

After a few seconds, Ruby came into view, blocking the sky above, “Good job today. Tomorrow we will continue to work on your stamina and also improve your attacks themselves. Get some rest.”

Finishing her words, she said goodbye to Ela and headed out of the arena. Once she was gone, Ela walked over to Daimen, who was still lying on the ground, exhausted. This was the first time since he awakened that he had felt truly tired.

Looking down at him, Ela smiled. “So, how was it?”

“It was fun. Training with someone much more skilled in combat than me showed that I have a massive room for improvement. I also just want to say that woman is a monster. How is she not even slightly out of breath after fighting for so long?”

Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

"That's something she will surely teach you. It’s called conserving your energy by minimizing wasted movement. With the way you're currently fighting, the stamina you waste on unnecessary movements and attacks is significant. Once you learn how to conserve your energy and avoid wasting it where it's not needed, your stamina should last you double or even triple."

An expression of surprise appeared on Daimen’s face at her words, but it quickly vanished as what Ela said made perfect sense. Though he wasn't sure where he wasted energy, he realized he could analyze the fight to pick some of those moments out.

Reflecting on the fight, that last attack had truly caught him off guard, highlighting just how much better Ruby was compared to him. Throughout the fight, she had engaged him with simple maneuvers, deliberately making him waste stamina before landing the final blow with a feint. The reason it worked so effectively was that she had executed it flawlessly, acclimating Daimen to her basic attacks.

“Shall we go back to the inn?” Ela asked, snapping Daimen out of his thoughts. Nodding, he followed her as they made their way back. The moment he lay down on the soft bed, he passed out without a word.

‘Cute,’ Ela thought as she covered him up and kissed him on the forehead. Walking over to the balcony, she became lost in her thoughts, reflecting on the multitude of experiences in her life. As she thought about her parents, a memory surfaced.

She recalled her earlier conversation with Daimen about their parents and what had happened to them. During that discussion, Ela had mentioned his blood type from before the system’s arrival, along with the concept of soul fires; she hadn’t fully explained it to him because her emotions had overwhelmed her.

Sighing, she reminded herself to share that information with him in the days to come. For now, it was important for Daimen to focus on his training. The sooner he learned actual combat, the better.

Meanwhile, in a dark and desolate building, far from Ela and Daimen, a solitary figure moved through the dimly lit halls. He stopped in front of a door and stepped inside.

The room was illuminated by the flickering light of candles, its massive brick walls towering around him. As he approached the center of the room, the figure halted in front of another person, whose face remained shrouded in shadows.

Bowing his head, the figure waited for the person to speak. "You better have a good reason for entering my chambers," the man said, his voice firm, exerting pressure on the bowing figure.

Cold sweat began to bead on the figure’s forehead. Clearing his throat nervously, he replied, "The scry detected something, Your Majesty... A primordial has reappeared somewhere in the multiverse."

Upon hearing the word "primordial," the man's eyes instantly narrowed. The pressure on the bowing figure intensified, causing him to drop to his knees.

"How is that possible? The primordial died a long time ago; I personally witnessed his death. It should be impossible for another like him to reappear in the universe."

"Your Majesty, you should know that nothing is truly impossible when the system is involved. Also, you must remember that a man’s blood is unique; if a being were born with a blood type similar to his and possessed a bloodline like ours, he could become primordial. That’s the best conclusion the scry and I could come up with."

Listening to the words of the man below him, His Majesty closed his eyes. 'We cannot allow another of his kind to emerge again. Otherwise, our race will become the slaves we once were.'

"Mobilize our forces. Do everything in your power to find the primordial. I want him brought before me within a year. Should you fail to do so, you know the consequences. Also, do not let those people discover this; the primordial is enough of a headache, and we don’t need to deal with those fanatics on top of that. Am I understood?"

"It will be done," said the man, bowing his head once more before quickly turning and leaving the room.

Once the man was gone, His Majesty let out a heavy sigh.

“Damn, primordial’s.”