Aeronis' eyes widened.
He finally realized it.
Up!
He looked up.
Kael was already above him.
But it was too late.
Kael fired another projectile straight toward Commander Aeronis' face.
This time, Aeronis blocked it with his arm again.
"Huh?"
He was confused.
The projectile hadn't exploded.
Instead, a large amount of dust began falling from his arm.
What is this?
It was already too late to dodge.
The wind around the backyard blew the dust straight toward his face.
"ARRRGHH!"
Aeronis immediately covered his face with both arms, dropping his Ice Sword in the process.
Realizing he was in a vulnerable position, he quickly created a barrier made of wind around himself.
A swirling sphere of wind surrounded Aeronis.
Kael landed safely on the ground as he watched Aeronis inside the wind barrier.
Cih... How am I supposed to attack that? Kael wondered and thought for a solution.
But not for long.
The wind sphere gradually began disappearing as Aeronis' condition improved. And all of a sudden a voice broke the silence.
"Wow, Kael…"
Aeronis clapped his hands.
"That was an amazing move! I'm impressed! Amazing!"
He genuinely praised Kael, but he wasn't expecting Kael to respond so quickly.
"Amazing, huh?" Kael answered.
"Well, Commander, I have a lot more to show you."
Kael smiled.
"But first... let me grab that badge."
Kael lowered his stance and pointed his Tesseract blade toward Aeronis.
Immediately, the two long blades from Kael's back rushed toward Aeronis at insane speed.
SWOOOOSH!
Kael launched himself forward, following the two blades.
KTANNG!
KTANGG!
SKREECHT!
After parrying the two blades with his Ice Sword, Aeronis continued blocking Kael's attacks.
The Might Splitter and Ice Sword clashed together.
This time, Kael returned to using his one-blade style.
Both of their pushing strength seemed equal.
Kael stood firmly on the ground, gripping his sword with both hands.
So did Commander Aeronis.
Their faces were separated only by the Ice Sword and the transparent Might Splitter locked against each other.
He pushes me?
Aeronis felt Kael's blade pressing against his Ice Sword.
His grip...
His stance...
Even the way he held his sword...
Everything had strengthened by an incredible amount.
"Arghhh!"
THUMPHHPH!
The ground exploded beneath Kael's feet as his Electrical Shoes suddenly released another burst of speed.
Aeronis was pushed backward.
The force created some distance between them. But it's not over yet Aeronis felt the excitement of wanting to strike Kael back.
But then, he stopped and looked at his Ice Sword.
His eyes widened.
There were cracks running across the blade.
Krrek...
Huh? Since when...?
….I also can't retract it back into my Might Energy!
Aeronis tried to absorb the Might Energy from the blade, but it didn't work.
That was when he realized it.
Kael had already improved his Might Splitter.
"Oh... I see now, Mikael."
Aeronis looked at the transparent crystal blade.
"To think that a mere neutral Might crystal could interfere with my Might Energy..."
He smiled.
"Such an annoying invention you have there."
Aeronis tightened his grip around his Ice Sword.
"However, you must already know... my Might Energy is far superior to those crystals of yours."
Aeronis extended the arm holding his Ice Sword.
Mist began forming around the blade.
Kael widened his eyes as the cracks he had created on the Ice Sword slowly repaired themselves.
Cih...
Kael became irritated.
"Come on, Mikael..."
Aeronis smiled.
"We still have a lot of ti—"
THUMMPH!
Aeronis' eyes widened.
"A sudden rush again, huh?!"
KTANGG!
The Might Splitter once again collided with the Ice Sword.
SKREEECH!
KREEK!
A new crack immediately formed across the Ice Sword.
Aeronis stared at the crack.
Again...?
"ARGGH!"
Kael pushed forward with his entire body, forcing Aeronis backward before leaping away.
"How many times do I need to tell you...?"
"This is useless, Mikael!" Aeronis said. "Even if you manage to break my Ice Sword, I can simply create another one!"
Aeronis swung his Ice Sword.
Mist once again began gathering around the blade as he tried to repair it.
But this time Kael wouldn't let that happen.
He reached behind his back and pulled out another invention.
A small flamethrower-like device.
"Huh? What is it this time?" Aeronis thought
Kael aimed the edge of the flame device toward Aeronis.
"Hey, Commander."
"Hmm?" Aeronis answered, still focusing his Might Energy on repairing his Ice Sword.
"Will Ice still be able to repair itself if I burn it with flame?"
Kael held the flamethrower in his right hand while his left hand gripped the Might Splitter.
His finger rested on the trigger.
"What kind of question is that, Mikael?"
Aeronis frowned.
"Besides, you talk as if you can create a flame."
"Yeah….Of course I can..."
Kael smiled.
"That's the whole point, Commander." Without hesitation he pulled the trigger. And immediately…
FHWOOMPH!
A burst of flame erupted from Kael's device.
Aeronis' eyes widened.
He had no choice but to leap backward on reflex.
As he landed, Aeronis looked at his hand.
His Ice Sword...
Was gone.
Melted away by Kael's flame.
"Wh... What just happened...?"
Aeronis stared at his empty hand, still trying to recover from the sudden burst of fire and light.
And more importantly... where is h—
SWOOSH!
Aeronis turned around.
Kael was already there.
His hand was reaching straight for the Dragon Badge on Aeronis' chestplate.
But once again, Aeronis' reflexes saved him.
CLANG!
He managed to fend off Kael's hand just before it reached the badge.
"Cih! That was close!"
Kael immediately leaped backward.
Aeronis was still trying to understand what had just happened.
How had that fire suddenly appeared from such a strange metallic device?
But he had no time to think about it.
He had to focus.
SWOOSH!
Another floating blade came rushing toward him.
Aeronis raised his arm.
KTANGG!
The floating blade clashed against his defense.
And once again...
Kael attacked using his floating blades.
SWOOSH!
SWOOSH!
Two blades once again rushed toward Aeronis' neck, but he parried them with his arm.
KTANNG!
Just as Aeronis finished parrying them, several blinding projectiles came flying toward his face.
He managed to dodge them.
But once again...
He lost sight of Kael.
Ha?! Where did this kid go again? At the top? Or behind me?
THUMMPH!
THUD!
"Ugh! What?!"
Suddenly, Aeronis felt a huge impact against his shoulder.
But he managed to hold his stance.
He looked to his side.
Kael was there.
He had rushed in from the side and slammed his shoulder into Aeronis.
Kael immediately reached for the Dragon Badge as he leaned against Aeronis' body.
But Aeronis easily fended him off.
He pushed Kael away before recreating his Ice Sword with his Ice Might.
"What a filthy trick you have, Mikael."
Aeronis pointed his Ice Sword toward Kael.
"But I recommend you use more than that!"
SWOOSH!
Aeronis swung his Ice Sword directly toward Kael.
THUMMPHH!
Another burst of flame suddenly erupted.
The flames engulfed the Ice Sword, making it vanish instantly.
"Huh?!"
Aeronis was shocked once again.
Impossible...
How can a Mightless human create a flame strong enough to melt my Ice Sword?!
But Kael gave him no time to think.
The two long blades came rushing back at full speed, attacking Aeronis once again.
"Cih! This annoying blade!"
Aeronis extended his hand, preparing to create another Ice Sword.
But then he realized something.
If I create another Ice Sword, Kael will burn it again...
If I create a Crystal Sword, it will consume too much time.....
Argh!
He had no choice.
Aeronis reached out and tried to catch the two incoming blades with his hands but its too late
SWOOSH!
the blades slipped past his grasp.
One of them sliced across Aeronis' cheek.
"!"
Luckily, he managed to dodge the blade before it could do serious damage.
But as he tried to regain his stability—
BOOMB!
BOOMBB!
"Ugh!"
Two more projectiles struck him.
And then—
"more?!"
Another projectile came flying toward Aeronis.
Kael had fired them without giving him even a moment to breathe.
Aeronis shook his head in annoyance.
"Enough!"
He quickly created another Wind Might Sphere around himself, protecting his body from the incoming projectiles.
Aeronis took a breath.
"Alright, Mikael..."
His expression changed.
"Seems you really enjoy attacking me, huh?"
He tightened his grip.
"Why don't I show you this time..."
Kael watched from a distance confused.
Without warning, Aeronis' body became surrounded by powerful wind currents.
"You want to know how far our gap is?"
Aeronis looked directly at Kael.
"Then let me show you... how Might abilities truly work when I command them fully."
"Command? Might?"
Kael tilted his head confused.
Meanwhile, Liraen, Volgran, and Grak'Mar widened their eyes the moment they heard those words.
Might Command.
It's a technique used by Realm Protectors, and even taught to students at the Academy.
Might Command allowed users to command the surrounding Might Particles and combine them with the Might Energy within their own bodies.
This allowed them to produce an even greater output from their Might.
In other words...
It is a command that gathers the surrounding Might Particles and combines them with the user's own Might Energy, focusing everything into one specific output and creating far greater power.
Aeronis was the one who showed Liraen, Grak'Mar, and Volgran this technique back when he trained them.
"Ha..."
Aeronis smiled.
"I never thought I'd be using this in your test, Kael."
He glanced toward Liraen.
"And I'm sure a few of your friends already knew about this technique, right?"
Liraen remained frozen in shock.
Suddenly...
The wind surrounding the backyard stopped moving.
The Might Particles around the area began to become tangible.
Visible.
Cyan-colored particles of various shapes and sizes appeared throughout the backyard, floating motionlessly in the air.
It was a clear sign that the surrounding Might Particles were present.
Kael stared at them.
His eyes widened.
But instead of fear...
He became fascinated.
So those are Might Particles...?
His curiosity immediately took over.
Aeronis extended his left arm and formed a gesture as if he were preparing to fire something from his hand. And then he said it…
"Wind Might Projection: Cyclone Arrow!"
"Kael, dodge!" Liraen screamed.
But Kael's eyes widened.
He couldn't react fast enough.
SWOOOSH!
A powerful wind arrow shot straight toward Kael.
FHWOOMPH!
The backyard exploded from the impact.
Dirt and sand were swept into the air by the powerful wind, creating a massive cloud of dust that completely blocked everyone's vision.
Aeronis smiled.
"That's your clear End, Mikael."
To Be Continued...