Flames raged in his body passing through one part to another in perfect harmony.

There was no additional heat that burned his flesh like days ago, nor was there intense pain when flames passed through him in waves. All there remained was an inching sensation that passed through his body as the claymore in his hand clashed with David Jian.

Extending his muscles he moved like he remembered from his class in Everlast and sometimes he would even combine Icarus's teaching, making traces of his sword disappear as if it never existed.

With each swing, his body became lighter, and with each movement, he could feel his understanding of his body improving. At one point, his hand even deflected a strike that almost cut his head off, minimizing it to just a little scar on the left side of his neck.

The speed he grew was unheard but facing David his heart shrank when he noticed ancient-looking Jian flying his way with even greater speed than before.

Powered by his flames he deflected strike after strike, guarding himself from the storm of slashes that came unnaturally fast, unnaturally strong, and unnaturally from different sides. David's entire style of battle was unnatural, his brown eyes wide open never blinking even for a second and his hand and wrist moving sometimes in unison and sometimes as if the sword in his hand didn’t weigh even libre.

Fury of swings then turned into one heavy strike that sent him stumbling back before he gained his balance back with raged breath.

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Having been lost in a trace for hours Hildebrant didn’t notice the sweat that drenched his entire body or that because of it his hands grasped claymore so tightly blood began to pour out of his palm on sweat-cowered ground.

The memory of a pale girl easily stabbing a black-eyed monster and Icarus tearing the ghost she had hidden in her belly apart was still fresh in his mind.

He wanted to return home but how could he when he was unable to protect himself?

Pouring a little more flame into his hand, he deflected another David strike, and then pouring even more he swung his sword and his veins slightly glowed as it accelerated and clashed with David Jian.

He then did it again and again, until flames in his hand exploded and air ripped from the speed his hand descended.

Frustration flooded out of his body through his sweet and blood that now flowed down his hands, but he continued to swing nevertheless pressuring David to a standstill.

The pain was nothing, he already adapted to it, in the end, it was just pain and from pain...

…come strength.

He thought and swung his sword again moving his body as the golden marshal dictated but it was also a little different after hours of combining it with what Icarus taught him.

His posture was like that of a mountain, unmoving and stable but his strikes were not just brutal but also ghostly and refined to the point his slashes slowly stopped leaving sound behind and the only thing sounding in his ears was a clash of two edges of steel.

"That’s enough!"

David said and then raised Jian above his head and then slashed down pushing Hildebrant who held a sword to protect his head up with both of his hands stumbling down and kneeling on one knee.

Then David helped Hildebrant to stand up and both took a breath of fresh air.

All parts of Hildebrant body hurt, his non-visible muscles ached, and his face kept corroding as the burned part of his body screamed in annoyance, but his face showed no emotions as he drank the water David handed him.

After a minute of rest, they jumped at it again, continuing the strive until the day turned into night.