— Hey, Tenebrae...
Samael called out to the enormous crow, who was clearly still in a bad mood after being forced to interrupt their journey.
The creature was perched atop one of the cemetery's walls, silently observing the gloomy landscape of Rime.
While absentmindedly plucking the petals from one of the white roses beside him, Samael asked a question that had been bothering him for some time.
— Did Nephilims have genders?
Tenebrae remained silent.
Samael continued twirling the flower between his fingers.
— It's just that...
He shrugged.
— I only know two Nephilims.
One is me.
The other is Nephis.
She's clearly a woman...
While I...
Not so much.
The crow let out a long sigh.
— What a stupid question.
His voice carried its usual disdain.
— You should know more about your own race than I do.
Samael simply shrugged.
Silence returned.
It lasted only a few seconds.
Tenebrae eventually relented.
— No.
— Nephilims did not have genders.
Samael slowly raised an eyebrow.
He actually answered...
He discreetly glanced at the crow.
Could he be a tsundere?
Almost immediately...
An intense killing intent descended upon him.
The air seemed to grow heavier.
Tenebrae slowly turned his head.
— Are you thinking something offensive?
His voice was dangerously calm.
— No.
Samael answered without hesitation.
Can he read minds now?
The pressure disappeared.
The two returned to silence.
Samael lay down among the bed of roses.
His long, pale hair spread among the flowers as he stared at the eternally dark sky.
There was no sun.
No dawn.
Only...
Night.
It's always night here...
If someone were to observe the scene from afar...
They would see a beautiful young woman covered in bandages, resting in a sea of white roses.
Beside her, a gigantic black crow stood guard.
It was a strangely beautiful image.
And deeply macabre.
The beautiful golden sun of Liu now looked more like a beautiful white rose.
Samael placed a hand over his chest.
Then looked down at his own body.
— Until my wounds heal...
He smiled faintly.
— I'll remain stuck in this gender.
As unbelievable as it seemed...
He no longer felt as uncomfortable with it.
Quite the opposite.
This is good.
His golden eyes reflected the dark sky.
Until my body returns to normal...
...I'll completely accept this side of myself.
He slowly clenched his hand.
It's a promise.
He stood up immediately afterward.
Brushed the dirt from his clothes.
Summoned Foolishness.
Then, the Predatory Spear.
Both weapons appeared surrounded by a silver glow.
Samael took a deep breath.
Then began to train.
The sword traced precise arcs.
The spear thrust forward like a striking serpent.
As he performed each movement, he carefully guided his essence through the newly reached First Stage.
His body felt much lighter.
Much faster.
Much stronger.
The difference was enormous.
He was still far from being a true master.
But...
He had already reached a level that once seemed impossible to him.
I'm almost as fast as Sunny was back then...
The spear shot forward again.
Maybe...
Another thrust.
...when I reach the Second Stage...
The sword spun in his hand.
...I might be able to surpass him physically.
A moment later, he smiled to himself.
Although...
...the Sunny of today is probably much stronger too.
He sighed.
— Competing with Divine Aspect users really isn't fair...
Even while complaining...
He continued smiling.
No one was forcing him to compete with them.
But his pride refused to let him fall behind.
Tenebrae watched silently.
After a few minutes, he finally asked:
— What are you doing, Nephilim?
Samael stopped his movements.
— Training.
The crow made a sound resembling a laugh.
— This is extremely inefficient.
Samael raised an eyebrow.
— Then how should I train?
Tenebrae ignored the question.
— Why didn't you use your Sorcery against those Nightmare Creatures?
Samael blinked.
— Sorcery?
He pointed at himself.
— I don't know how to use Sorcery.
The crow became completely still.
Then released a deep sigh.
— I never imagined I would encounter such a weak Nephilim.
His voice carried a rare hint of disappointment.
— You don't even know how to use Shaping.
Tenebrae slowly turned his head.
— If I weren't looking at you...
— I would never believe you belonged to that abominable race.
Samael smiled.
— I thought you hated Nephilims.
— I do.
The answer came immediately.
After a few seconds...
Tenebrae continued:
— But I know their strength.
His gaze lost its focus.
As if he were remembering a distant past.
Silence returned.
Seconds turned into minutes.
Minutes...
Into hours.
Samael continued training.
Dancing among the roses with sword and spear.
Without realizing it...
His wounds were healing at a rate far beyond normal.
He looked at his own skin.
I'm recovering way too quickly...
He frowned.
Could it be because of this place?
Before he could think any further...
Tenebrae's impatient voice echoed once more.
— Let's go.
The cemetery began floating again.
Impatient crow...
Samael stored his weapons and walked toward the edge of the wall.
He sat down there.
Waiting for the next visitor.
He didn't have to wait long.
A few minutes later...
A creature emerged from the dark mist.
Its body seemed to be made of pure shadow.
It had three heads.
Four arms.
And no definite shape.
— Ah...
Samael sighed.
— You guys could at least let me rest for a while.
You and that miserable crow.
He jumped from the wall.
Foolishness appeared in his hand.
The instant his feet touched the ground...
All of his essence concentrated in his legs.
BOOM!
The reddish soil exploded beneath his feet.
Samael shot forward like an arrow.
The sword descended vertically.
Attempting to cleave the creature in half.
At the last moment...
The shadow simply dissolved.
The blade passed through empty air.
Damn.
His Beastly Reflexes exploded into action.
Something appeared behind him.
Instinctively, he threw his body to the side.
A mass of darkness passed exactly where his head had been a moment before.
Samael rolled across the ground.
The reddish dirt covered his clothes.
Even his hair was stained red.
He immediately stood up.
Looked around.
Nothing.
Then...
His instincts screamed again.
This time, from the left.
Before he could fully react...
BOOM!
Something struck his ribs.
Pain tore through his entire body.
Its claw ripped through his ribs, and blood began to flow.
He was sent flying several meters backward, rolling across the red earth once again.
— Damn...
Samael used the sword to support himself as he stood.
— I'm too slow.
He took a deep breath.
He still couldn't see his enemy.
Does this count as training for my rematch against Sunny?
Despite the pain...
He ended up smiling.
He slowly closed his eyes.
He began relying solely on his Beastly Reflexes.
He sensed it.
To the right.
His arm instantly strengthened with essence.
Foolishness cut through the air like a silver lightning bolt.
This time...
It hit.
A shallow cut appeared across the shadow creature's body.
It immediately retreated.
When I strengthen my body...
Samael tightened his grip on the sword.
...I can feel every muscle with much greater precision.
Before he could think any further...
Another presence appeared behind him.
Samael jumped to the side.
The creature passed through empty air.
Its body dissolved into shadows once again.
Fighting shadow users is way too annoying...
The creature reappeared directly in front of him.
One of its black hands shot straight toward his face.
Samael blocked the attack with Foolishness.
At the same time, he twisted his waist and delivered a horizontal kick.
It struck nothing but air.
The shadow disappeared once again.
Samael let out a long sigh.
— This is getting boring...