Chapter 79 - Awakening the Old Pawns
79 Chapter 79 - Awakening the Old Pawns
"I want your body, Diana,"
Zeph declared with a mischievous smile on his face, thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to tease her.
"W-what!? "
Diana stammered in response, her silver hair glistening in the sunlight as her sapphire-blue eyes shifted downwards. Her grip on her sword hilt tightened.
SWISH
In the blink of an eye, Diana vanished from her spot, her sword swinging down towards Zeph's head. He welcomed the challenge with a grin, deftly sidestepping her attack.
Swiftly, he closed the distance between them, his hand intercepting her sword and the other hand resting on her waist, creating a stance reminiscent of a salsa dance. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
They were in a closed position, but with a deft move, he pushed her into an open position.
"You! " Diana glared at him, their closeness making her heart race.
"Calm down, Diana," Zeph looked towards her, his golden eyes meeting her sapphire ones as he again pulled her near.
Their proximity left Diana flustered, and she attempted to headbutt him, but Zeph was too quick.
He gracefully transitioned into the fan position, rendering her efforts futile.
"Become my training partner, Diana," he proposed.
"W-what!? "
Diana's sword fell from her grasp before vanishing in thin air as Zeph's fingers intertwined with hers.
He couldn't help but notice the contrast in her hands—delicate and soft yet slightly rough from rigorous training. He felt a pang of empathy, thinking that he would need to acclimate her hands to wielding a softer and round sword in the future.
She looked at him, confusion written on her face.
Zeph sensed something as he looked towards the room's window and took a step back, leaving her bewildered with her hands still hanging in the air, frozen in the salsa position.
"Cough... Professor Adriannel will teach me about mana control, and I need you as my training partner to help me learn faster. Afterward, I will give the artifact to you," Zeph stated, feigning a cough and offering her a reassuring smile.
"Okay, I will do it," Diana agreed, her decision made.
Zeph felt satisfied with her response and knew that she would likely take her leave — her way to hide her vulnerability by isolating herself. She confirmed his suspicion by stating, "I am going to use the bathroom."
Zeph smiled and bowed politely, allowing her some privacy.
As soon as Diana disappeared into the bathroom, Zeph's cheerful expression gave way to a serious one.
His gaze fixated on the floor, where two delicate strands of black hair lay. Their clean-cut ends revealed how close the deflected sword had come to his head.
'There's a reason she's the strongest,' Zeph mused, deeply impressed.
He knew he wasn't a typical mana user as due to Zendal replenishing mana on daily basis for a year his body has reached it's full potential, making it as hard as tungsten akin to a dragon's upper body shell and muscles infused with unending mana granting him strength beyond imagination.
His gaze shifted toward the bathroom door. 'But does it truly matter if you're not on the smart side?'
From his perspective, Diana's vulnerability was evident for one reason alone: her intellect While it was by no means weak it's just others were akin to straight-A supercomputers.
Thalia's intuition, Alora's brutal tactics, Rihane's soulful gaze, Valeriana's mind-reading abilities, and Alisia's brilliant mind—all of them were impervious to falling in love, as no one in this world could captivate them. Zeph, however, was unique because he hailed from a different world.
He directed his gaze towards the window where a small golden bird was flying.
Opening the window, the bird flew into his hands, transforming into a letter of golden light — it was an ability he had discovered from the Spirit Beast inside him, «Luinera».
Luinera, could materialize his form due to the vast mana within Zeph's body, although the amount was still insufficient for a spirit beast to fully manifest.
This was one of the reasons Zeph needed to learn about ‹Archmage Mana› .
As the letter materialized in hands a smile crept on his face reading the contents of letter , ' So, Liander duchy is in chaos'.
According to the content of letter, Liander Duchy after the attack of Alexios Tenebri, second in command of Demon army, had drown into chaos but due to intervention of one of the ⟨Obsedian Knights⟩ the inevitable has been somehow stopped.
Zeph, looking at the content of the letter, couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction.
The Obsidian Knights were the last line of defense for «The Obsidian Order».
These seven beings were preparing for vessels and had another way to manifest their energy—by ascending as the Seven Guardians known as Knights. They were akin to the Saint Realms' Guardians but at a weaker level since it was a one-time use transformation.
Consequently, only six Knights remained and Zeph had already prepared the means to end all those remaining ones too, but even for him, One thing was Sure.
If they were able to hold their own against Alexios, then Zeph knew he needed to increase his strength.
Alexios was on a whole different level, surpassing most human characters, with the exception of the heroines and beings like Amrantha Tenebri.
Another letter materialized in Zeph's hands, and golden words began to inscribe themselves.
Zeph wanted these words to convey his response to the sender, who had remained well hidden until this moment, choosing to become useful to the person who had saved her from a gruesome fate.
*********
Diana's POV
"Professor Adriannel will teach me about mana control, and I need you as my training partner to help me learn faster. Afterward, I will give the artifact to you," Zeph's words washed over me, and the anger and mixed emotions swirling inside me began to calm.
'Can I truly get rid of this curse? ' I wondered.
Yes, it was a curse, a significant one at that. When he deflected my attack, I couldn't even see him.
It was as if he hadn't been there in the first place.
That's why I detested all of this.
Without mana, I couldn't even stand against someone with mana, let alone leave a scratch on them.
I sat by the door, supporting my back, and folded my hands, burying my face into them.
"Just three months more," I told myself
In my mind, I didn't doubt Zeph's capabilities to learn things.
After all, he was ranked first for a reason.
This Academy wasn't a place where just anyone could score such marks among the talented individuals from various kingdoms in the human realm.
'I will definitely prove my worth, Father,' I thought, my determination unwavering.
'And once I do that,' I clenched my fist and vowed, 'I. Will. Kill. Zephyr. Liander.'
I touched my face, and it was completely warm. I couldn't believe him.
'He was in his underwear all this damn time!'
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11:14
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Inside the vast Liander Duchy, a young girl dashed down a hallway, her silver hair billowing behind her as her silver eyes shimmered in the sunlight, casting an enchanting aura around her.
"Mother! "
She exclaimed, bursting into one of the rooms and hugging her mother.
She giggled with excitement, her youthful enthusiasm radiating.
"Oh my, Elsa, calm down. What's with this hurry?" her mother asked, her tone gentle.
"Mother, Brother Zeph sent a message for you!"
Elsa eagerly conveyed. The woman's expression shifted from mild amusement to seriousness as she inquired about the letter.
In response, the little girl's small hands were enveloped in a cold, blue-hued mana. From within this mana, a golden bird materialized, revealing a method to conceal mana signatures using the girl's own mana.
Zeph had suggested this to re-write the mana signature, aiding in the hiding of messages if ever they needed to be sent.
He had instructed Elsa to practice this skill for a year until he is in the academy.
The golden bird flew toward the woman, transforming into golden dust before coalescing into a letter. She read the letter with a solemn expression —
Time has arrived, Isabella.
Go back to Ronen Duchy with Elsa and deliver a small message to Maria: Her brother is alive and in the Dungeon of Duchess Kassidy.
Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!
A4KL
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