56 ᵥₒₗᵤₘₑ ₅, ₚₐᵣₜ ₇: ₛᵤbₜₑᵣfᵤgₑ - Prelude to the Epilogue of the War.

~7086 words

***** 10 days later ****

26 February, K422 (50 days remaining)

"Slow." Julian mumbled, kicking Adam in the gut. His little body caved in as the sword in his hand dropped down on the grass patch. He barfed - bile and blood mixing in a nauseating macabre, forming a small puddle beneath him. 

"Done? Go back and wash up. Your next session would be after supper." Julian said and turned around, wiping the small trail of sweat from his face. The sun was at its capstone, casting long, gently warm rays everywhere. 

However, as he took a step forward, he heard the still frozen grass making a crunching sound. Looking over his shoulders, he saw Adam use the wooden sword as a support, his legs wobbling as he struggled to not teeter off his heel. 

He remained silent---his usual demeanor. Instead of talking, he wiped the trails of blood from his mouth with the edge of his sleeve and brought his sword up, holding it in his both hands. He then brought the sword back, getting into a lower stance. 

"You're injured. Part of the training is to realise which kind of fights you can win and which you cannot. Do you still think you can?" Julian asked, tilting his head and looked away from him. His scrutiny landed on the tallest tree in his yard. The tree was bald, its branches interlinking together to form a complex nexus. It lacked leaves and flowers. 

"No. I can't. But I don't want to fail again." Adam spoke up. Julian looked at him. Adam's crimson eyes gleamed underneath his dark silver hair. The memory of 5 days ago was still fresh in his mind. The despair, the anguish, the powerlessness he felt. Everything had accumulated and was fueling an undecipherable amount of determination in him. 

"Your sword is wooden. If you want your real sword back, your objective is to land a hit on me. You know the deadline, yes?" Julian asked and removed his hands from his pockets. 

"Hm." He nodded his head. 

The next moment, Julian blurred and punched his jaw, snatching away his consciousness from him. The audible grating sound of his jaw dismantling filled his ears as he fell to the ground, the blood from his mouth flying away while his head crashed into the ground. His jaw dangled down. 

"Lunch is ready! Get insid-- JULIAN!" 

Nanahoshi caught Julian secretly casting healing magic on him. Suddenly getting caught in the act, he increased his output and before she reached them, his jaw had snapped back into place. "What did you do to him?"

"Uh, I just hit the back of his head." Julian lied, casually, looking the other way. 

"Don't hit kids on their head. They might get dumb." She scolded him. However, she her chest was heaving up and down rapidly. She was out of breath. Julian noticed it but she calmed down once she inspected Adam all over. "Well, bring him in. Once he wakes up, we'll have lunch." 

"But I am hungry now." Julian complained after having missed dinner last night and breakfast in the morning. 

"No lunch until he wakes up." 

Her tone was resolute and flinty. Knowing nothing was going to get him eat early, Julian's shoulders sulked as he followed her back with Adam on his back with the face of a hunger-stricken traveler.

Meanwhile, Adam dreamed of something. Not exactly, a "dream", per se, but rather a recollection. A memory that would haunt the little boy for years to come. 

Flashback

16 February, K422 (60 days remaining)

There was a blizzard warning from Julian. And the blizzard struck hard. It was the last month of winters, with spring season following right after it. That meant that cities, especially Sharia would have many blizzards. Kind of like "farewell" from the winters and leaving their indelible mark on people. 

Nanahoshi looked outside the window. A look of worry was etched across her face. Julian went outside because he had something to discuss with the principle and later on with Ariel. However, after a while when he left, the blizzard had struck the city. Despite him warning that there was going to be such a thing, he still went outside. 

From Nanahoshi's perspective, it somewhat made sense. Julian was strong enough to cleave blizzard itself and ward it off with a single strike of his sword. However, her heart still couldn't stop worrying about him. Or rather, everything. She had feeling on the edge recently, ever since he started negotiations with Ariel, specifically. 

She was wary of him, knowing quite well how she took his first kiss and their history together. She was also wary because she thought he might bring her in as well. Even this, from her perspective, was a valid worry. He was a growing boy, and despite being in just the beginning age where his hormones had just started raging, his libido was more than what she could handle. 

She was keeping up quite well until now, but lately, she has lost the stamina and even her libido was dying out. It's not like her feelings had dimmed out for him or she didn't want to sleep with him. She loved him more than anything. And she wanted to be with him, in his bed, every time. But something had suddenly changed. She was worried. Her inability to give birth to children was also something that made her very insecure. 

Looking back, she saw Adam sitting on the carpet, looking at the sword Julian had just given him. It was the same teal sword he had found with Roxy all those years ago. However, Adam wasn't able to wield this sword. Still, it meant a lot to him. Slaves weren't allowed to wield weapons. Especially those who had no slave crest ingrained on them. 

Not only was he not branded, but he was being trained and was even given a magical sword this early. He was scared of Julian, he still was. He didn't like the food he made, nor could he stand straight when he looked down at him with a condescending gaze. However, despite all this, he still didn't hate him. 

After all, there was someone else who made him feel at home. Nanahoshi. 

He had started to get exceedingly infatuated with her. Despite Julian's recipes leaving people biting their fingers, Adam never liked it. Instead, he always opted to eat something made by her. Julian was surprised himself---a rare occasion, but just shrugged it off since he believed that it was impossible to satisfy everyone's taste buds. 

Satisfying everyone was impossible. However, satisfying the largest contingent who have homogenous tastes and preferences was possible. However, Adam's alignment towards Nanahoshi's dishes was not due to his unique taste buds. It was his consternation of Julian and reverence of Nanahoshi. 

It was evident from the fact that Julian told Nanahoshi to act like she was making something, whereas it was actually made by Julian. When she gave it to him, he at it all, which otherwise he never did. The taste was enough to satisfy his palette. Julian was confused for a while but understood how there was something called "cooked with love as condiment." The idea seemed absurd to a logical person like him but seeing it before his eyes made him realise and acknowledge it. 

Even express envy for it. 

"Do you like your new sword?" Nanahoshi asked, walking over to Adam. 

"Hm. Hm." He hummed in affirmation, looking at his own reflection inside the sword. Nanahoshi smiled bitterly and sat beside him, rankling his hair in a playful manner. Adam cracked a smile, enjoying the little gesture of love like a cat. 

She was treating him as her son. Although, her make-believe utopia was often shattered by the way Julian treated him. However, she noted sometimes, he'd probably treat his own kids like that. He was just like that. Optimising everything. The thought of her not being able to conceive his child was the only thing that made her not stop him from potentially copulating with someone else in the near future. 

"Adam? Are you scared of Julian?" She asked, patting his head and placing it on the edge of her lap, near her knee. 

"N--" he was about to deny but Nanahoshi hardened her grip on his hair. 

"No lies, ok?" She whispered, softly and the grip loosened, returning to the previous soft ones. 

"I am." He replied, honestly, closing his eyes. 

"Why?" She asked again. A question she had been asking every time they were alone. 

"....." 

And just like every time, she was met with a harrowing silence. What had Julian done to the boy to traumatise him like this? She wanted to know. But never asked Julian since she didn't want to fiddle her nose in matters that he didn't tell her himself. 

"Well, that day when maste---"

*knock knock*

Just as he broke the silence for the first time and started talking, they heard a knock on the front door. Adam immediately stood up, looking at the door with wary eyes. Nanahoshi thought that it couldn't be Julian, since he has a habit of barging in---only inside his own house. And he had a key to it. There was no way he would knock on the door. 

Not many knew about the existence of this place. It was recently made. And Julian had no friends. Which was no surprise. 

Warily, Nanahoshi made her way to the door and Adam picked up the huge sword, or rather the sword was big only in comparison to his frame. He clicked it open, ready to unsheathe the teal blade from its scabbard at a moment's notice. Her steps were muffled due to the rumbling of the winds that had yet to reach it's crescendo. 

Just as she was about to reach for the handle of the door, the windows shuddered and a haunting hissing sound filled the air, making her jump back from the door. She saw outside through the window and observed that it was just the winds getting stronger. 

"Who's there?" She asked, her voice peeping. 

"P-Please madam, help us. We're travelers and got caught in the blizzard." 

A scared, almost dismayed voice spoke from the other side. Skeptically, she reached out for the door again, this time first confirming it through the peephole. The convex lens provided the view of two young men; one with long brown hair and the other with a bald head. Looking behind them, she saw a broken carriage on the pathway. 

Seeing as nothing was suspicious, she opened the door. 

Both of the men bowed and immediately came inside as she shut the door after them. Once inside, the bowed again, "Thank you, young miss, for letting us in. There aren't many houses here, and the ones we knocked on before seemed to not house any residents. We thought were goner, haha." He chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck. 

"Oh... It's alright. You can stay until it subsides." She agreed and motioned for Adam to relax. The men looked at Adam next and the brown haired one seemed to be taken aback as Adam's hair came into his view. 

"Is that your kid, madam?" He asked, narrowing his eyes on Adam. Adam looked back with a stern look, his hand on the hilt of the sword. 

The question threw her off-guard, plunging her into a deep spiral of regret and insecurity---again. "Yes." She answered, making Adam's eyes go wide. 

"Oh? Sorry if I sound like I was intruding. I was just curious since he has a hair colour that isn't very common." He apologised genuinely. 

"Ah, no need to be sorry. I get that a lot. His father has white hair, so he got silver." She replied. She had thought about it. It seemed like Julian's hair was never going to revert. If this was how he was, she always thought if his white hair when influenced by her black would make the kid's hair colour as silver. Seeing Adam have silver hair made her giddy. 

"Oh, that makes perfect sense." He replied, smiling. 

Fidgeting nervously, she nodded before turning, "Would you like tea? You must be cold." She asked. 

"Sure." The brown-haired man answered. 

"Nah, fuck that." Suddenly the bald man spoke and before anyone could react, he was holding Nanahoshi in a chokehold, pressing the knife against her neck. "Tell that bastard, Julian Greyrat to come out this instant. Or the next thing he'd be seeing would be your lobbed of head." 

"Be gentle, John. Don't harm her. If we don't find that bloody bastard here, we can use her as a negotiation chip." The brown-haired man spoke with a sinister smile on his face. 

*click*

The sound of sword leaving its scabbard resonated. Using his extraordinary strength, Adam lunged forward towards the brown-haired man---Jack and swung it at him. Jack unsheathed his own sword in the blink of an eye and blocked it effortlessly. 

'What brute strength! His power is so explosive!' He monologued. 'But he has no technique.'

Before Adam could spin and reposition himself to attack again, the man stabbed Adam in the right side of his chest. Using the sword as a pole, he picked his little body up and then stabbed the sword in the wall, pinning Adam to it like a decoration. 

"Bahaha, yo John, did you look at this? Little lad was swinging that sword, thinking he was some noble knight, bahahaha." 

"Keke, kids these days. Anyways, we can sell the lad, can't we? He's quite a beauty." 

"ADAM!" Nanahoshi screamed after him, but John made her stand face first to himself and slapped her, making her fall to the ground. Her head hit the edge of the counter, making a small cut appear on it. 

"For fuck's sake, don't kill her." Jack whined. 

"She ain't dying. Also, we were told to only capture and interrogate. They never said something about doing something like this..." He spoke with a vile sneer as she began to move his hand from the bottom of her feet to up. Roughly caressing her skin as he reached the knee, Nanhoshi kicked his hand away. 

"Stay away from me..." She mumbled, her breathing unnaturally fast. 

Adam tried to yank the sword out of his body, but he couldn't. The sword was stuck inside the wall. 

"Heh, resist as much as you want." John said as he walked over to her, loosening his belt. 

"You arrived quite early than I expected." A voice said from behind. Both of them turned around as they saw a man... no, a boy. His white hair was covered with snow, while his dull blue eyes were bored. However, as soon as he saw Nanahoshi on the floor with the man loosening his belt, a wave of dread coursed throughout the house. 

Jack and John felt like throwing up. They felt like a demon had crept from the pits of hell, ready to take their soul away. 

"What do you think you are doing?" Julian asked as the light producing artefacts that he had made all flickered out of life, leaving only a few candles to dimly illuminate the place. An eerie shadow casted over his own face as he looked down at them. 

"Do you really think you can beat us? Both of us are North Sain---"

As John tried to speak, his face seemed unusually close to Julian. However, it wasn't Julian who had moved. It was him. John had moved. However, not entirely. 

Only his head had moved. Julian was gripping John by the few strands of hair. He had yanked his head off his shoulders with his bare hands, looking at him in the eyes. The speed at which he did it was so fast that even his brain was still in a trance, making him experience the feeling of being headless. "That isn't the answer I was looking for." 

Jack was paralysed. Tossing his head in Jack's feet, Julian moved towards Adam and freed him---healing him in a near instant. After than he picked him up and placed him in the room behind him. The intruder was still petrified, knowing well that if he moved, he'll die. He sat beside Nanahoshi. 

"Are you hurt?" 

She tapped at her bleeding forehead, "This is just some make-up. Dress-up for Halloween." She replied with a smile, hiding the stinging sensation. 

"Halloween isn't until later in this year." 

"Heh. I know." 

Patting her on the head, he helped her on her feet. Caressing her wound with his thumb, it vanished completely. "Go inside the room. Adam is there too. Don't come outside until I tell you to."

She was an obedient one. She obliged without a question. However, the reason that she was worried about Adam also played a big role in accepting what he said right away. Once they were in, Julian walked over to the brown-haired man. He placed his finger on his neck. "So? Grabell sent you here?" 

"No. Not him." The man replied. 

"I hate liars." 

The next moment, Jack's head went flying. He experienced everything. The moment how Julian brute forced his skull, breaking a part of it in the process and then the unimaginable pain of his skin and tissues ripping around the neck as he beheaded it. 

*clap*

A sudden clap brought him out of his reverie. He looked around. The scenery had changed. He was in some kind of basement. He immediately touched his neck. His head was attached to his shoulders. 

"A bad dream. Phew." 

"It can be described as psusdo dream, yes. But can you experience dreams as real as this?" 

The colour of his face paled, losing all blood as he saw Julian sitting in a chair, upside down. 

No. 

It wasn't Julian who was upside down. It was Jack, himself. However, his senses didn't sense anything. He was convinced he was the normal one. 

"Disorienting, isn't it? It is the inverse world." 

"Inverse worl--what?"

"We're inside your mind. Albeit you're not in control." 

"Huh? What is this nonsesn---"

Before he completed his sentence, rats flooded him, picking at his flesh as they devoured him. He didn't had time to react. They ate him away---his feet, hands, crotch... making their way to his face. Even after they hollowed him out, he was still alive---existing like a skeleton as they fed on his bones. The sensation continued---the pain that came with it as well. 

He experienced the acidic properties of the inside of rat's digestive system as he was broken down to bits and then pushed out from the rectum. He lost his sense of self as he spent what felt like an eternity, existing as a pile of excretion before decomposing. 

Just when he thought his end was near, he found himself face to face with the same boy again. "Long time no see, huh?" Julian said with a bored look. "However, it's pre-recorded and programmed in your brain so I guess I won't be able to see the look on your face. Well, anyways, enjoy your stay here. Actual death is a lot boring anyways." 

Tears welled up in his eyes. Everything was happening so quickly yet so slow. Seconds felt like an eternity and an eternity of him staring down at him like a measly fly went by in seconds.

The next thing he knew, he was in a wide arena, filled with the people he killed. His legs were attached to two bulls. The realisation dawned on him and before he could think about it, the bulls ran in opposite direction, tearing him into half. Normally a human die from this. But they were in the mind realm. Even after being ripped apart into two, the pain, the sensation, the sound of people cheering and being happy----everything persisted. He laid there, in two pieces until he was consumed by the earth, his skin peeled away by decomposition, tissues and flesh eaten by worms and decomposition breaking him down. 

He stayed there until his bones turned to dust. 

It was then when he saw Julian again, "Hey. Enjoying your stay here?" 

"P-Please, let me out. It was Grabell. That bastard. I have a family. Please let me go. I promise I will never come back. If you want, I can gather men and kill Grabell. Please let me go. I will do anything." 

"P-Please, let me out. It was Grabell. That bastard. I have a family. Please let me go. I promise I will never come back. If you want, I can gather men and kill Grabell. Please let me go. I will do anything is probably what you're saying right now. But like I said before, it is all pre-recorded. You're currently in a grave in the middle of nowhere, reliving multiple....hmmm, let's say fun activities. Anyways, don't forget to enjoy yourself, ok?"

With that, he was gone again, leaving the one who tried to harm her in a perpetual cycle of death and life.

FLASHBACK END

Adam woke up to the subtle murmurs in his ear. Waking up, he saw Julian casting a wind spell where he was causing specific oscillations in the air to make Adam wake up. 

"Oh, look. He woke up. Can I get something to eat now?" 

Nanahoshi looked at Adam and then at Julian, "Did he wake you up?" 

Adam immediately shook his head, "No." 

28 February, K422 (48 days remaining)

Adam could use both swordsmanship---touki and magic---mana. However, he was skeptical. Could he really land a hit on Julian before 2 months? There were only 48 days remaining before Julian left for God knows where. 

However, Julian gave him a handicap. He will be using touki only to minimally coat himself in it. He won't be using his limitless technique. 

'I know that he's a unique person... but will fighting him really be hard when I have no restraints on magic and touki? He was using mana and touki without any restriction before. Maybe I can do this if he is like this. Plus, he isn't using any weapon.'

Despite the doubt gnawing at him, he felt somewhat at ease due to Nanahoshi giving him a few words of courage. 

"On a side note, don't feel down from losing too much. Also, I don't plan on going easy on you. So, shall we begin?" Julian asked with a casual look. 

It irked him a little. 

The instant Adam nodded...

Whoooosh!

Julian closed the gap between them—his fist right in front of Adam's face. His movement's speed wasn't one that a regular Advanced Ranked Swordsman could react to. He planned on finishing the first battle with one strike. Even though it was just a spar, fighting as if it was the real thing was the optimal way to make him the perfect guard.

There was always an 'opportunity' and a 'variable' in all the dangerous situations that Adam got in the previous days. Julian took him on hunts where Adam killed monsters... and even humans. However, it was mostly because human never thought that the kid, they're taking advantage of is trained in the way of sword or some other similar situations. 

Therefore, Julian wanted to show him the reality of being exposed to 'true danger'. The fastest way to become stronger was to simulate the intensity of danger. And so, Julian aimed his fist at Adam's face.

However, it met the surface of a scabbard that was shielding his wooden sword instead.

'He blocked it?!'

Julian's eyes widened.

It wasn't completely blocked, though. Through the scabbard, the shockwave traveled to Adam's body and instinctively made him back off---despite how much he had held back. 

The staggering made Adam lose the ability to defend or dodge. There was nothing worse than losing your balance in a battle. Julian could easily take him out with one more blow. Although, he could only be surprised after being denied a direct attack.

'I'm sure it was at a speed that he couldn't react to—even accounting for his blessed physique. Did I get slower? I think I felt like my punches got minisculely slower.'

Adam was still defenseless. He hadn't even drawn his sword, yet Julian's second fist was already about to make contact with his ribs. However, he saw Adam's hand lunge forward. 

[Photon Light]

A custom spell that turned mana into blinding light. Julian closed his eyes in the little fraction of a second that the spell was active and use his enhanced mana perception to not lose sight of him. However, his tall height was being a hindrance. Adam was too short. 

"Erk!"

Pow!

Because of the bright light, his stance still faltered, causing his punch to not go as expected. Still, it was enough for one of Adam's ribs to be blown. The light couldn't change the fact that the punch was enough to end the battle.

Before following up with a third strike, Julian felt admiration for his opponent. The boy had unnatural strength and a good amount of adaptation to pair it with. 

'It's over.' 

Even Adam could tell that. He tried to lure Julian in using his magic techniques by turning the ground subtly into a swamp, using bright light and other things... but everything he did was biting Adam back. With the punch from Julian, all the set-up Adam had done turned down on him. 

He made him think he was winning before stealing the food from his beak. A truly sadistic way of teaching. 

Even Adam knew that, when he faced Julian, the fight would be over in seconds. Before the battle began, he constantly thought of the different variables that could affect their fight. Ultimately, all of the variables he tweaked never worked to any extent.

Crack!

The third punch was sent straight into his hip. Adam flew about three meters and lay on the floor.

The spar had ended. Total damage was a broken rib and a fractured hip bone. Much less than last time.

5 March, K422 (43 days remaining)

5 more days had passed since Adam's quest to land a hit on Julian. No longer did he pre-cast spells before the fight. 

"That was also a close game." At the 95th battle, Julian wiped her forehead after knocking down Adam.

He grimaced. "You said that yesterday as well. This makes it 95 losses. It's kind of depressing..." He complained. 

After Nanahoshi finally told Julian about Adam's initial fear towards him, Julian said that he already knew. He was using the fear as a catalyst to boost his growth. When he first bought him and looked into his memories, he had installed a natural instinct of fear inside him. However, Adam had already found a motivation to get strong. There was no longer any need to torment him. 

"The small differences will accumulate. And now, you can fight me for at least fifteen minutes." Julian replied with an aloof shrug. Looking up he noticed that the winter's strength was sapping away. The streaks of sun, albeit soft on the skin felt harsher than before to Julian. "Go on. You can take a break." Julian suggested. 

"I want to practice that, master." Adam spoke up, lowering his head. 

Since one week ago, after each battle, Adam only left the training area after completing ten thousand swings. That was a simple yet an excruciating way of improvement that Julian suggested. 

Ten. Thousand.

'Swing your sword in a way that your first strike and your ten thousandth one is similar in force and will.' Was the only instruction he gave him. It was the basics of the ultimate technique that Julian had devised. A technique he had yet to use. 

A realm that could be awakened when the first and last of ten thousand swings were identical. While training with Julian, Adam could enact the same swing three thousand times. Without an exhausted body. However, fighting Julian didn't come in the most optimum condition. 

After all these days, today was the first day when Adam didn't retch his guts out. Continued exposure to bloodlust was making him slowly immune to it. 

'This isn't about physical strength. Whether he is exhausted or perfectly fine, the importance is in the transferring of one's will---absolute concentration into the blade.'

Adam took his stance for the long haul, and Julian exited the sparring room.

7 March, K422 (41 days remaining)

'Did the anxiety and nervousness slowly recede after each and every spar?'

Two days later, during the 115th spar, Adam almost landed a hit on Julian. As the battle reached the 70-second mark, Adam's stab penetrated Julian's shoulder.

"Huh!"

The moment his attack succeeded; they were both very surprised. Adam in particular.

In fact, it was a wound that was severe enough to prevent anyone from continuing the battle. However, his wound immediately stitched itself back into place. 

"Did I pass?" 

"Kind of. I wasn't using touki at all. Let's increase my output to 10%." However, despite saying that, he felt content with his growth. 

18 March, K422 (30 days remaining)

It was the final day. Julian had decided to train Adam only for 30 days. And today marked that day. There were a few things he needed to oversee in the [Kingdragon Realm.] 

Over these past 11 days, Julian noticed how Adam was extremely talented in magic when compared to the sword. It's not like he lacked talent in sword, but his acclimation with magic was quite impressive. From a normal person's perspective, it wasn't impressive since Julian bought him because of his huge pool of mana. 

However, this is where the interesting part began. He had a talent in something that Julian found some problems in. 

[Summoning Magic]

Julian had tried summoning or recreating a spirit like the lamp spirit that were jailed in the light producing artefacts around his house, but due to his small pool of mana, he wasn't able to make anything above Beginner or Intermediate level. He could make advanced if he still had his 100% input rather than the current 95%. 

Nanahoshi was also present today. Normally she wouldn't be present there most of the time, finding Julian's relentless beatdown as impossible to take for her heart. But since he told her than he can hold on his own, even though he will be holding back gave her some reassurance and she agreed to sit in the far corner. 

With a fedora over her head, she leaned back into her chair. 

Both of them stood face-to-face, a few yards away from each other. Adam was holding a real sword, albeit not the one Julian had decided to gift him. It was a small sword, custom made for this duel specifically. The sword was perfect for Adam's size. He was an average boy when it came to height.

Meanwhile, Julian stood with a kitchen knife in his hand. Tossing it around from one hand to another, he looked closely at it. Appraising it, he knew that the knife can only land shallow hits. 

"Well, begin. Give it your all. It might decide your future." 

Julian clenched his fist and cinched his grip over the hilt of his word while Adam muttered.

"Summon."

For the past 150+ battles, it wasn't only his swordsmanship that improved. His magic was also greatly enhanced---mana pool and utilisation of summoning magic.

Fwoooosh...!

Adam conjured a dimensional portal, and a massive flaming bird emerged from it. And Nanahoshi—who was looking at Adam's phoenix—let out a gasp. She knew who the phoenix was. 

Nanahoshi was learning from Perguis for a while, but she ended up never contacting him ever again once Orsted told her she would never be able to return. From him, she knew about the bird. A flaming bird---an evil one. Something he wasn't able to replicate or remake. However, that wasn't the case for Adam. 

He had someone who knew the core essence of Magic. Someone who was limited only because of his pool of mana. Using the theoretical knowledge imparted by Julian, he was able to shape the beast. Regulate its mana in a way that it won't fizzle away moments after summoning. 

The heat increased visibly, remnants of snow melting away from the top of their house and foliage catching fire under their feet. 

'I only have a minute.' Adam thought to himself. 

With sweat rolling down his face, Julian stared at Adam's phoenix, half-disappointed, half-content with his progress. He felt the burning heat waves every time the mystical blue-flame phoenix flapped its wings.

The phoenix hovered above Adam's head. 

Shing!

Adam unsheathed his sword. He stood still, pointing his sword at Julian. It was only a month ago when he was the challenger. Now, the tables had turned. Or so he thought. 

"Brace yourself, Adam." A white aura surrounded his two fists, and he bolted forward like a bullet, instantly closing the gap. 

In his current state, Adam couldn't follow Julian's movements with his hand-eye coordination. Usually, he predicted his movements and counterattacked based on intuition and instinct.

However, he didn't need to do so today. The phoenix---Emberly---Adam named her, emitted deep-blue flames that licked its surroundings, preventing Julian from approaching. Julian was only at 4% of his output. The flames seemed to burn right through it. 

On top of that, Emberly's flames had a special ability called 'Pressure'.

'I have to make the flames make contact. If it gets on him, then he'll start to rapidly burn energy!'

As the name suggested, pressure pressed upon the opponent afflicted with the phoenix's ability.

Emberly's flames had weight that defied all laws of nature. Therefore, the moment it landed upon a shield made of mana or touki, he couldn't ignore it because the flames didn't extinguish easily compared to a normal fire.

Because the opponent's body itself would feel as heavy as a rock in water.

It used opponent's mana as fuel. A natural enemy to Julian's infinity. 

Dodging the flames, Julian weaved through each attack and put himself in a defensive stance. As such, Adam was easily given the upperhand.

'I can only keep Emberly here for about one minutes. Within that time, I must make a meaningful attack towards him, so I can end the battle swiftly afterwards.' Adam thought. 

Julian jumped into the air, dodging a flame, and Adam swung his sword towards him. He quickly twisted his torso, and the blade barely scratched his back. A minor tear on his clothes, but enough to make him realise that he shouldn't play around too much.

Then, as soon as he landed and caught his balance, a sphere of mana formed in Adam's left hand.

'Wind Blade! Using this, I can force him to dodge once more.'

He threw Wind Blade towards his ankles, and as he expected, Julian leapt into the air again.

'I'll prevent him from regaining composure to pester his impatience... And then I'll end it!'

After fighting Julian for more than 150 times, Adam realized that his patterns were not very diverse. It was the speed that he executed them made it practically impossible for him to react. But as of now, he can predict them ahead of the time. 

There was a common 'order'.

Julian moved to the left, dodging the Wind Blade. He fixed his eyes back to Adam as the spell flew past him. With fire in its mouth, Emberly was prepared to shoot its breath.

'He's getting desperate.'

Julian quickly turned his head. From the sides, Adam swung his sword multiple times, creating multiple crescent slashes in the air. And with Emberly shooting its breath at the same time, an attack from the front and sides approached him.

It wasn't impossible to dodge both attacks, but doing so would enable Adam to have the offensive advantage once more. 

Or at least that was the general plan. 

Emberly's breath struck Julian. The cone-shaped blue flames seemed to swallow him. However, the flames couldn't penetrate the layer of Battle Aura around him. Julian had cranked his output to 6%. 

Emberly couldn't unleash anything stronger because the strength of the phoenix depended on the summoner's mana.

Suddenly, Julian bypassed the flaming barrier around Adam and caught hiss blade. His grip tightened and a crack went through it. He was aiming to break it. 

Crunch!

In order to throw a punch, he planted his feet on the ground and pulled on the sword to drag Adam towards him. He threw his punch. 

BAM!

A refreshing, clear sound of impact should've been made. But the lack thereof caused Julian's amusement to rise. It didn't take him long to comprehend it. 

'I must've felt and pulled the weight from Pressure ability of the phoenix.'

A blue fire burned brightly at the other end of the sword. After Julian caught the blade, Adam had given up on his sword and repositioned himself. In lieu of him, he placed a heavy flame on the hilt of the sword, in hopes of tricking his opponent.

However, this was all as Julian planned. 

"Utilisation of phoenix was good. However, you're lacking creativity." Julian mentioned as he swinged the sword caught on phoenix flames, its hilt hitting Adam in the face. Adam went flying towards the opposite corner of the lawn, crashing into the thin barrier erected a while ago so the damage won't spread outside the boundary of their house. 

Adam's body slipped against the barrier. Julian didn't have a weapon that could counter him. He could use his hands, but Adam would die if he went slightly overboard, which was a possibility due to the infectious adrenaline and battle addiction Julian had developed over the years. Hence, he waited for Adam to use the pressure ability. 

He was sure he would use the increased weight to think that he can trick his senses. In that moment, he used Adam's own sword against him. 

Adam coughed, however, this time he didn't spit out blood. 

'He didn't hit me that hard.' Adam realised. Julian flicked his fingers and the veil dissipated. 

Nanahoshi was still comprehending what the hell just happened. 

Despite the prolonged fight, or rather what felt like it was prolonged, the fight ended at 37 seconds mark. The phoenix landed beside Adam, slowly fizzling away. However, before it completely vanished, it casted a warm glow over him and then disintegrated---fugaciously though. 

He could summon the same thing again. 

Julian walked over to him. Adam stood up and hung his head low. He knew his master knew no empathy. Since he failed to do anything, this was his end. Julian raised his sword up, aiming for his neck. 

Nanahoshi looked the other way. 

The next moment, a teal coloured sword landed beside Adam's heel. 

"Don't make me confiscate it again." Julian murmured and placed his hand on Adam's head. Adam felt his vision double. Despite being just a gentle caress, his hand felt heavy and hard, almost as if a hammer had struck his head. 

He was confused. He was just pardoned. Was he not going to kill him? He felt like crying but all he felt was a dry lump in his throat. He was unable to cry. The reserves of tears had already been wasted in his childhood, rendering him impossible to cry even when he felt like doing so. 

Bowing his head, he spoke, "I won't disappoint." 

'Hm. This will do.' 

Julian thought to himself. 

25 February, K422 (51 days remaining)

Rudeus Greyrat reached the Magical City of Sharia. His main goal was to enroll in the Magic University. And since Roxy Migurdia has recommended him as well, he had received a letter of recommendation as well. 

Rudeus had some plans about what to do now. Mostly, it was to boost himself and to gather allies. It was all Man-God, guiding him on to paths of unique magic and how to handle his life decisions. His life has been nothing but flowers ever since he started listening to him. 

He was about to get married to Eris after his expedition. After talking to the principal and enrolling as a special student, he immediately entered an application for a leave for two months. Although, he was required to take at least one class. Agreeing to the terms, he decided to do it. 

26 February, K422 (50 days remaining)

Rudeus was researching [Melded Magic]

Once he got into class, his eyes landed on a certain individual. His heart almost skipped a beat. 

27 February, K422 (49 days remaining)

"Sylphy?" Rudeus' voice echoed through the empty hallway. The girl in question, currently on a leave from her guarding duties due to the princess being under the protection of a North Emperor, looked back. 

Tears welled up in her eyes. "Rudy..."

28 February, K422 (48 days remaining)

Rudeus and Sylphy went into the market. He told Sylphy about his engagement to Eris. 

Sylphy was heartbroken. 

01 March, K422 (47 days remaining)

Sylphy contemplated ending her life. 

Rudeus was there to save her. He learnt how she waited and searched for Rudeus all this time after going in to hiding. However, he never knew why she went into hiding. After all, she knew that would jeopradise Ariel due to Rudeus' loyalty to the first prince. 

02 March, K422 (46 days remaining)

Rudeus and Sylphy went on a date. Partly because he wanted her to cheer up. However, he couldn't hold himself together when she made a bold move and kissed him. 

Rudeus took Sylphy to bed. 

03 March, K422 (45 days remaining)

Rudeus bought a home for cheap. And later with Zanoba, he found a mechanical doll inside that house. He planned on moving in with Sylphy after realising he loved her as much as he loved Eris. However, he told Sylph that it was his duty and responsibility to marry Eris first. 

She agreed. 

The night before they moved into their place, the whole house was reduced to splinters by an unidentified user of Gravity Magic. It was reduced to shambles and then ignited with blue flames that didn't die out until Rudeus casted his magic. 

A white-haired boy looked down at the desolate place. "That will keep him safe for a while. At least his family won't be taken hostage or used against him." With a contended look, he left.

06 March, K422 (42 days remaining)

The real estate man who sold the house to Rudeus gifted him a newly built house, as compensation for his loss. The benefactor who invested in it was anonymous.

He accepted it anyways. 

17 April, K422 

Julian Greyrat placed his first step inside the Sword Sanctum.

Rudeus Greyrat arrived in front of a dying behemoth, his green eyes looking at the boy atop the dying S-Class monster. 

"Hm. It's quite cold here. I should've worn an extra layer." 

"God damn, it's hot as fuck!" 

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NEXT CHAPTER - TURNING POINT 3