*BOOOOMM!!!*

The fireball detonated on impact.

Heat and force erupted across the arena in a wave that turned stone into molten slag, and the center of the training ground was completely obliterated in seconds.

Chunks of debris flew outward like shrapnel while flames licked hungrily at everything within range.

The shockwave hit the spectators hard enough to make several of them stumble backward while shielding their faces.

"Holy shit!"

"That's a basic spell?!"

"Master's gonna get scolded for property damage again!"

Through the smoke and heat distortion, a silver blur moved with inhuman precision.

Aurelia had dodged at the last possible second, her wings flaring as she kicked off the ground and twisted mid-air to avoid the worst of the blast radius.

Her boots hit solid ground twenty feet away, and her golden eyes narrowed as she assessed the smoking crater where she'd been standing moments ago.

That was overkill.

Complete and total overkill for what was supposed to be a friendly spar.

Her gaze shifted to Nero, who stood on the opposite side of the destruction looking entirely too relaxed for someone who'd just tried to nuke his teacher.

That casual smirk was still plastered on his face.

He twirled the staff once like it was a toy.

"Water: Icicles."

The air temperature dropped instantly.

Moisture condensed and froze into massive two-meter-long spears of ice that materialized above him in a semicircle formation.

There had to be at least fifteen of them, each one glinting with deadly sharpness.

Then they launched.

*WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!*

The icicles screamed through the air with enough force to punch through armor.

Aurelia moved immediately, her body flowing between projectiles with practiced efficiency.

She parried one with Sollien's blade.

*CRACK!*

The ice shattered against divine steel.

Another came from her blind spot, and she ducked low while letting it sail overhead close enough to feel the cold radiating off the surface.

A third aimed for her legs, and she kicked off the ground to vault over it entirely.

Her movements were fluid and precise, wasting zero energy as she closed the distance between them while deflecting what she couldn't dodge.

*CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!*

Ice exploded around her in rapid succession.

Then she parried the last icicle with a sharp upward slash, and that was her opening.

Time to end this little magic show.

Her sword glowed with concentrated silver aura as she channeled energy into the blade.

The divine radiance intensified until Sollien looked like it was forged from bottled starlight.

"!!!"

Nero's eyes widened slightly as his danger senses went off like alarm bells.

Aurelia swung.

*SHING!*

A slash of pure energy erupted from the blade and tore across the arena at twice the speed of his icicles.

The attack carved a trench through the stone as it raced toward him with overwhelming force.

"Earth: Stone Wall!"

Nero slammed the staff into the ground.

*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*

Thick walls of reinforced earth erupted from the ground in rapid succession, each one layered behind the previous to create multiple barriers.

Three walls.

Five walls.

Ten walls.

He kept summoning them as fast as mana allowed.

But as expected of an SSR-tier attack...

*SLICE!*

The energy slash tore through the walls like they were made of paper.

Stone exploded into dust and debris as the attack demolished every barrier faster than Nero could create them.

The entire arena filled with choking dust that made visibility drop to nearly zero.

"..."

Aurelia landed softly and immediately scanned the area through the haze.

Her instincts told her Nero wouldn't fall from something like that.

He was too clever to just stand there and take it.

"MASTER MOVED!"

One of the spectators shouted from the sidelines.

"WHERE?!"

"OPPOSITE SIDE! IN THE AIR!"

Aurelia's head snapped toward the location just in time to see Nero's figure emerge from the dust cloud.

He was airborne.

No wings, no visible propulsion magic.

Just pure momentum carrying him through a trajectory that suggested he'd used spatial movement to reposition while hidden.

And he was charging straight at her.

The dark staff was gone.

His body had shifted into a martial CQC stance that looked disturbingly professional for someone who'd been learning combat for less than a month.

Then she saw his hands.

Black-bladed gauntlets covered both fists, the metal formed into wicked claws that glinted with sharp edges.

"Just what kind of weapon does Master Nero have?!"

One of the warriors watching practically screamed the question.

"It changes size, transforms into a staff, AND becomes gauntlets?!"

"What the hell kind of blacksmithing creates that?!"

Several of the summons who specialized in weapon crafting looked like their entire worldview was collapsing in real time.

Their eyes were practically bloodshot as they stared at Nero's equipment with a mixture of awe and professional jealousy.

Aurelia processed the tactical implications in milliseconds.

Close combat.

He was forcing CQC where his recent training with Velraeth would give him the most advantage.

Clever.

Nero grinned mid-air as their eyes met.

"You shouldn't let your guard down, Aury."

Victory was in sight for him.

His trajectory was perfect, his timing flawless.

He had her.

... Except he'd forgotten one basic fact.

Angels were natural aerial warriors.

A rare playful smile touched Aurelia's lips as she spread her wings.

"That goes for you, Lord Nero."

*FWOOSH!*

A single powerful flap sent her body sideways out of his attack path with impossible speed.

Time seemed to slow as she repositioned behind him with practiced ease.

Nero's eyes widened as he realized the mistake.

He'd overcommitted to an aerial attack against someone who owned the sky.

Aurelia raised Sollien for a decisive counter.

But something felt wrong.

She tilted her head slightly and caught Nero's expression.

He was smirking.

"I know."

The gauntlet on his hand glowed with stored mana as a silent spell activated.

*FLASH!*

Gravity magic.

The sudden reversal of force yanked Nero's body backward toward Aurelia with violent speed, completely inverting his momentum.

Her golden eyes widened in genuine surprise as his body collided with hers mid-air.

His limbs moved with practiced efficiency, wrapping around her arms and torso in a restraining hold that locked her wings against her back.

They fell.

Gravity reclaimed them both as they plummeted toward the ground in a tangle of limbs.

Nero adjusted their rotation mid-fall so that he landed on his back with Aurelia held firmly in his arms.

*THUD!*

They hit the stone together, and dust billowed around the impact point.

Nero's voice came out playful despite being slightly winded from the landing.

"It's my win, I assume?"

"..."

Aurelia went completely silent.

Her brain was still processing how she'd been caught so thoroughly.

Seeing how the angel was still holding her ground, Nero leaned forward and kissed her.

"...!"

Welp, looks like that's effective.

Yep, just right there.

He did it right in front of everyone.

Her face immediately turned bright red as she sputtered incoherently.

"I... y-you... Lord Nero, this is...!"

"So I win?"

A moment of silence came before e a defeated sigh came from the restrained Aurt.

"Y-Yes… you win…"

She managed to stammer out the surrender while trying and failing to hide her flustered expression.

The spectators erupted into mixed reactions.

"MASTER ACTUALLY WON?!"

"No way, that has to be a fluke!"

"Did you see Lady Aurelia use any real skills though? She was just testing him the whole time!"

"Yeah, she didn't even activate her signature abilities. This was just a spar, not an actual battle."

The analysis was technically correct, and Nero knew it.

But he'd take the technical victory anyway.

Meanwhile, a different group of warriors stood off to the side with dramatically pouting expressions.

"They're so lovey-dovey..."

"Right in front of us too..."

"Master could at least pretend to notice we exist..."

"I'm feeling attacked on a personal level right now."

The bitter complaints carried just enough volume to be heard, and their exaggerated sulking would've been comical if they weren't being completely serious about it.

Nero pretended not to hear them as he released Aurelia and stood up.

The black-bladed gauntlets shimmered and collapsed back into the familiar form of his shortsword.

He caught the weapon as it reformed and examined the blade with genuine satisfaction.

What he'd shown today was just scratching the surface.

The true potential of this transformed relic went far beyond size manipulation and form changes.

"Welcome back, partner."

The thought carried warmth as he gazed at the weapon that had been with him through so much.

Dawnbreaker had evolved.

It had transformed into something that would continue accompanying him no matter what challenges lay ahead.

His HUD flickered as new information displayed across his vision.

===

Relic: Dawnbreaker, "Condemnation of Dawn"

Item Type: Special (Form: Shortsword)

Tier: UR

Status Effects: +500% All Weapon Efficiency, Owner's Soul Imprint.

Class Effects: Additional 100% all weapon efficiency for the user who's <All Class>.

Origin: A masterful sword originally forged from the fires of Celestial Cradle has now been reborn by the will of another legendary weapon, gaining an ego that corresponds to its rightful master.

Description: The Dawnbreaker has heard the wishes of its master. Now retaining its original form and traits, to better suit the needs and to accompany its master, this ego relic can now respond and transform into any suitable weapon based on its master's will.

===

Condemnation of Dawn.

The title of his evolved partner felt right somehow.

His Dawnbreaker had evolved specifically to match his needs, and the thought made him smile as he slid the blade back into its sheath.

But his moment of reflection ended abruptly when soft footsteps approached from behind.

"Lord Nero."

Celis's gentle voice carried that signature mysterious undertone that always made him pay attention.

He turned to face her.

She stood there with her usual half-closed eyes and serene expression, but something about her posture suggested this wasn't just a casual check-in.

"Celis? What's up?"

She smiled softly, though her next words seemed unsure as she tilted her head.

"The presence of thy relic… tis a bit familiar…"

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