*CRACK!*

The stone beneath both fighters exploded as they launched forward simultaneously.

*CLANG—!!!*

The sound of the collision was violent enough to send actual shockwaves rippling all the way across the wide training ground.

It was the sound of steel screaming in protest against steel as Nero and Aurelia met dead in the center of the arena, and their blades were locked in a stalemate that made the air around them vibrate with pure kinetic force.

*BOOM!*

A literal sonic boom erupted directly from the point of impact.

The gathered warriors standing on the sidelines instinctively stepped back as the heavy pressure wave hit them in the chest, and several of them actually had to raise their arms to shield their faces from the sudden, stinging gust of displaced air.

"Holy..."

One of the spectators whispered the word in disbelief while blinking dust out of her eyes.

"Did Master Nero just...?"

Another voice chimed in, trailing off as if they were afraid to finish the sentence.

"No way he is matching her strength!"

The wolf-eared warrior armed with twin axes stood there gaping at the scene, and you could practically see her previous confidence crumbling in real time.

Aurelia held her blade, Sollien, firm and steady as her golden eyes studied Nero's form with a cold and analytical precision.

Ever since she became an SSR, her evolved SR-tier body had restored the vast majority of her past prowess, and the other top-tier warriors in the group had definitely felt the terrifying difference during their recent training sessions.

She had become noticeably stronger, faster, and significantly more durable than she had ever been before.

Yet here stood her Lord Nero, matching her raw power push for push without buckling even a little bit under the immense pressure.

"..."

She nodded slightly to herself.

To be honest, this was not surprising, not really.

Nero had been training under three of the most terrifying teachers anyone could possibly ask for, and his growth rate had been nothing short of absurd from the very beginning.

Of course he would reach this level eventually, and it seemed that same eventually was happening right now.

*CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!*

Nero suddenly disengaged from the lock and immediately transitioned into a high-speed offense.

His transformed blade blurred through the air as he launched six consecutive strikes, and each one of them was targeting vital points with a scary level of precision that made his weeks of intense Valkyria Swordsmanship training very evident.

The first strike came screaming in from a high angle, looking to crash right into her collarbone.

His footwork shifted smoothly across the dirt as his weight transferred through his hips, and his blade carved a diagonal path that hummed with controlled momentum.

The second attack followed instantly, manifesting as a horizontal slash aimed directly at her ribs.

His wrist rotated with practiced fluidity, and the dark steel traced a deadly line that would have definitely opened up flesh if it connected.

The third strike snapped out to target her left shoulder.

The fourth went low and dirty toward her knee to cripple her movement.

The fifth came from a sharp upward angle, trying to exploit the tiny opening created by her defensive repositioning.

The sixth was a thrust straight toward her center mass, delivered with enough force to penetrate plate armor.

All six attacks flowed together like a choreographed dance, and each movement was building off the previous one with a terrifying mechanical efficiency.

Nero could not afford to hold back even a little bit.

He knew damn well that Aurelia was leagues stronger than him in overall capability, and testing her limits right now would be stupid.

So he went all in from the very start, pouring every single ounce of skill he had learned into each strike.

*CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!*

Aurelia blocked every single one of them.

Sollien moved with impossible speed as divine radiance flared along the edge of the blade each time steel met steel.

Her defense was perfect, economical, and she looked completely unbothered by the rapid assault raining down on her.

"Damn..."

A spectator breathed out the word.

"Did you see that?! Master's technique is insane!"

"He has been training for what, a week? And he is already pulling off combinations like that?!"

The gathered warriors were basically losing their minds over what they were witnessing right now.

The elf archer who had bet on Nero landing a solid hit was grinning like she had already won the entire pot of gold.

"Told you ladies. Master is built different."

She crossed her arms and looked smug.

"Okay, I will admit it," the scarred human with the greatsword muttered, his eyes locked on the duel with intense focus. "That was way cleaner than I expected. His form is actually..."

"WAIT, LOOK!"

The wolf-eared warrior interrupted him and pointed urgently toward the battlefield.

Everyone's attention snapped back to the fight just in time to see Nero pull something completely new.

***

Aurelia had just deflected his sixth strike when she noticed the subtle shift in his expression.

That smirk.

It was the one that usually meant he was about to do something unpredictable and likely dangerous.

Her eyes narrowed slightly as her instincts kicked into high alert.

Then she felt it.

Mana was gathering around his feet, concentrated and deliberate.

"Fire: Boost."

*FWOOSH!*

Flames erupted from Nero's heel like a miniature rocket engine coming to life.

The sudden propulsion violently adjusted his trajectory mid-motion, and he twisted out of the path of her counterattack with a burst of speed that physics should not have allowed.

Aurelia internally approved of the improvisation.

Combining basic elemental magic with combat movement showed a level of tactical creativity that went far beyond rote technique.

But that playful smile was still sitting on his lips.

Which meant he was not done yet.

'What is Lord Nero planning...?'

Aurelia didn't need to wait as her answer came immediately.

Nero's shortsword thrust forward toward her midsection, and the motion was clean and fast.

But something was obviously wrong here.

The distance between them was at least two meters, maybe even more.

His blade was only about 1.2 meters long at maximum reach.

There was no physical way the attack could reach her unless...

"!!!"

The blade extended.

It did not happen gradually, but rapidly.

The black steel stretched out like it was living metal, shooting toward her stomach with a velocity that turned a simple thrust into a deadly projectile attack.

"W-What is that?!"

Shocked voices erupted from the spectators as they scrambled to process the visual.

Aurelia reacted on pure instinct and twisted her body to the side while bringing her elbow down to parry the extending blade.

*SHING!*

Steel scraped harshly against her armored forearm as she deflected the strike, but the sheer speed of the extension caught her just enough.

A shallow cut opened along her arm, and a line of blood welled up before her regeneration kicked in and sealed the wound within seconds.

"..."

She blinked once while processing what had just happened.

Nero's grin widened as he retracted the blade back to its original length with casual ease.

"Surprised?"

"..."

Aurelia allowed herself a small nod as her golden eyes studied the transformed weapon with renewed interest.

"It caught me off guard," she admitted honestly. "A blade that changes length mid-combat provides significant tactical advantages."

She adjusted her stance and shifted Sollien into a more defensive guard.

"It is worthy to be called a unique blade of legendary UR-tier."

Then her presence shifted.

The playful testing phase was clearly over, and her aura became focused and serious.

"However, I will not be caught off guard again. That will not happen twice."

Nero laughed, and the sound carried genuine amusement mixed with something a little more intense.

"There is no need to worry."

He went silent for a beat while his grin somehow managed to grow even wider.

"There is more where that came from."

*SHING!*

The blade in his hand oddly twisted as if it were a living creature in pain.

This change was already enough for Aurelia and the others watching to feel a foreboding feeling rise within their chests.

... Then it started to change.

Black branches erupted from the metal, twisting and growing with an organic fluidity that looked almost wrong.

A core-skull formed near the base of the weapon, and its hollow eyes were glowing faintly with a crimson light.

Within three seconds, the shortsword had completely transformed into a mage's staff.

"...!"

Aurelia's eyes widened significantly.

The gathered warriors went dead silent in shock!

"That is..."

Even Celis, who had been watching with her usual serene expression, tilted her head in visible curiosity at the same time with a bit of rare surprise leaking into her usual calm expression.

Nero wasted zero time capitalizing on their shock.

He channeled mana into the staff, and the flow felt absurdly efficient compared to casting without a focus.

"Fire: Fireball."

He casually casted.

It was the most basic spell in elemental magic.

Every mage learned it during their first week of training.

It was the magical equivalent of learning how to throw a basic punch.

Simple, reliable, and completely unimpressive under normal circumstances.

... Except for the fact that the fireball that formed above Nero's staff was not normal by any definition of the word.

The sphere of flames grew rapidly, expanding from fist-sized to basketball-sized to absolutely-this-is-not-okay-sized within seconds.

Heat radiated outward in waves that made the air shimmer, and the temperature in the training ground spiked dramatically.

"... Isn't this illegal?!"

One of the warriors shouted in genuine complaint as the fireball reached the size of a small meteorite.

The flames roared with an intensity that actually hurt to look at directly, and the compressed mana inside the spell made everyone's danger senses scream warnings about imminent heat damage.

Nero chuckled playfully.

"Catch."

*BOOOOOM!!!*

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