After the last battle, Akiza discovered she did not have the strength to actually break through Akira's armor. Knowing this, the only option she really had was to hit his head, but that was impossible with Akira being strong in offense and defense. The only option she had left was her fire. The fire was something that she had learned to do earlier, but she primarily used it for cooking. It was something that she could use to further enhance her attacks.

Since the last fight, Akiza had been practicing to control the flow of her Internal Energy. Being able to direct the energy where she needed was vital in ensuring that she could control and direct the flames as needed. If the fire was too big, it would go out of control, and that was something she worried about a lot. At the same time, it needed to be big enough to actually cause the damage needed to hurt Akira.

As Akiza practiced her moves, she practiced directing her Internal Energy within her at the same time. When she threw a punch, the Internal Energy should concentrate into her arm and then through her hands. When she tried to jump, the Internal Energy should concentrate to her legs. By properly channeling her Internal Energy, she could enhance them with her fire.

Every day, Akiza continued sparring with Akira. She could last much longer in a battle now and for the most part, the fight was even. However, she was still unable to break Akira's defense. She did not have a weapon to damage Akira's armor and she did not have the power to break it with her bare hands. All Akira had to do was focus on defending his head to win, but he made it clear that he would defend against as many attacks as possible. Nearly every attack Akiza threw at him, he would block it with his shield or parry it somehow.

After another two weeks, Akiza finally felt confident enough to use her fire in combat. "Today is the day I will finally beat him," she said to herself. She continued warming up for the fight by throwing a few punches and kicks. Finally, she threw a fire enhanced punch that was backed by her Internal Energy and physical strength. That was the moment the pain hit her again.

About three months had passed since she last felt this agonizing pain. The heat from her Dantian flowed throughout her body, causing it to ache throughout. Her arms crossed as they grabbed each side of her body and she fell to the floor. Her eyes glowed with the bright pink color of her flames.

Within Akiza's Dantian the red egg began to crack all over. "It's finally happening," Akira said with a big smile on his face. The pink color in Akiza's Hero Flower began to darken as traces of red and blue appeared on it. When the colors on the flower stopped changing, the egg was cracked all over.

When the changes were over, Akiza was still collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily from the ordeal that she just went through. There was still an immense amount of pain throughout her body. She turned herself over so that she could at least lie on her back. She looked at the roof of the cave and tried to create a pink fire in her hand, but she could not. The ordeal had consumed nearly all of her strength and she fell asleep.

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Akiza had been nearly asleep for a full day when she woke up again. She was feeling refreshed after sleeping for so long and was finally able to get up. Her body was still sore from the changes, but she could at least move now. She created the pink flames to heal herself, but it was not doing anything. The pain continued.

"It will go away with time," Akira said.

"Why was this breakthrough so much worse?" Akiza asked.

"First, congratulations on become a Spirit Stage martial artist," Akira said with a gleeful tone in his voice. "The reason why it hurts more with each step in advancement is because your body literally cannot handle the amount of power flowing in it."

"Why?" Akiza asked.

"You are about seven or eight years old, and your body has not fully matured or developed," Akira responded. "When you make an advancement in Stage, your Dantian is temporarily overloaded far beyond its capacity."

"Is there anything that can stop this?" Akiza asked.

"The only thing that can help you is time," Akira responded. "As you age, your body will change, and it will be easier to adapt to these new changes. You may have become very strong for your age, but going too fast can also be bad."

"Then why do you push me so hard Master?" Akiza asked.

"Because you need to be strong," Akira answered. "There will be a day when a Demon Lord awakens, and you must be prepared to face it and protect your world."

Akiza recognized the title of Demon Lord. There were stories of Demon Lords who appeared from out of nowhere. They destroyed the lands wherever they went and sometimes corrupted the land for hundreds of years, making it impossible to be used. Others threatened to kill everyone or conquer the world. Most Demon Lords could only be stopped by a proper Hero.

Akira continued, "It is also why I have been fighting you so hard. I made you used to pain."

Akiza realized the point of the daily fighting. She experienced death, being crippled, and the feeling of losing one of your senses. Akira had used all of these different methods when fighting her. She barely felt some of the killing blows because she had been fighting Akira for so long. That immense pain that she felt could have killed her had she not been training and adapted to the pain. Even now, the pain of the breakthrough remained still remained in her body, pulsating with the flow of Internal Energy in her body. "Thank you Master."

"When you are ready, come into your Dantian, I have something to show you," Akira said.