After that, Bedryt began teaching the two of them how to weave together the powers from every one of their past lives. He started with their time on Earth as Ace and Edith, moved through their lives as Ashton and Esmeralda, followed by their era as Azroth and Evelina, and finally, the nine separate lives they had lived as Ard and Eva. The goal was to unlock their absolute, true potential.

Both Ard and Eva felt as if they were being torn apart as they followed Bedryt's instructions. Tears streamed down their faces, sweat poured from their bodies, and their hands shook violently. It was as if their minds were being forced to relive every single moment of their existences, from Earth all the way to their ninth incarnation.

They pushed through it step by step. Their energy began to leak out, growing from a flicker into a massive roar. Sitting before them, Bedryt watched as a black aura enveloped Ard, rising like towering tongues of dark flame. Eva was the same, her body shrouded in a brilliant white aura that flared up like a massive pillar of holy fire. Bedryt smiled at the sight, yet he kept a sharp, serious eye on them while stroking his beard.

Suddenly, their dimensional storage spaces snapped open. Exgrandal and Exelion flew out, slamming into the ground and standing upright directly in front of Ard and Eva. The two swords began to pulse with the exact same energy auras as their masters. Slowly, a blinding light engulfed the blades, and their forms began to shift—melting and reshaping as if the weapons were being reforged and perfected in real-time.

"Good. This is exactly how it should be. Three thousand years ago, because they lived on Earth and carried so much resentment and trauma from that world, they could never reach their full potential. That is why they could only seal Malekh and not kill him. But now, things are different. Now, they finally understand what it means to truly live," Bedryt thought to himself.

***

Meanwhile outside, Alicia, Mirea, Milia, Pyria, Beatrice, Rosalind, Claudia, Adeline, Geoffrey, Ainsley, Irwin, and Irina were training in the backyard field. They all stopped to stare at the black and white auras erupting from the dojo where Ard and Eva were. Everyone except Irina was stunned by the breathtaking sight; the building looked as if it were being swallowed by black and white flames at the same time.

"What is happening in there?" Alicia asked.

"It looks like Ard and Eva have begun their training with the Dragon God," Irina answered.

"Oh... I see," Beatrice added.

"So, what are we supposed to do, Sis?" Irwin asked.

"The Dragon God asked me to train all of you," Irina said.

"Including me?" Adeline asked, pointing at her own face.

"That's right. Don't worry, our training won't be conventional, and it won't be exhausting at all. As we all know, every living creature has elements within their bodies. You inherited these from your parents, but usually, you only use the one that manifests first. Now, it's time to merge those elemental powers and draw a sword from your very soul," Irina explained.

"Huh... a sword? Like Wilgram?" Milia asked, gesturing to her blade.

"Exactly. That sword contains the elements of wind and water, but you've only been able to use the water side. You haven't unlocked its full potential yet," Irina replied.

"Hmm... I see. So, how do we start the training?" Mirea asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Like this," Irina answered.

Without warning, Irina plunged her hand into Irwin's stomach. Everyone gasped in shock and scrambled backward. "Blergh," Irwin groaned, spitting up fresh blood as he slowly turned his head toward Irina. His trembling hand reached up to grab her shoulder.

"Wh... why are you doing this, Sis?" Irwin stammered.

"The potential of any living being only truly wakes up when they're on the verge of death. Ard and Eva can draw out their full power because they've died so many times; for them, it's just a matter of merging those experiences. Don't worry—in this dimension, it's impossible for you to stay dead. Even if you do die, you'll just come right back. Now, go to sleep. We'll start the real training once you wake up," Irina explained.

"Thud."

Irwin collapsed face-first onto the ground. Irina turned her gaze toward the others. Alicia, Mirea, Claudia, Beatrice, Rosalind, Pyria, Adeline, Geoffrey, Milia, and Ainsley all flinched in pure shock as they felt her eyes lock onto them.

"Don't tell me you're going to treat us the same way?" Alicia asked, her voice trembling with fear.

"Don't you dare try anything," Beatrice added, drawing her sword out of sheer panic.

"Relax, I'm not going to leave you half-dead right away. We're going to fight to the death. After all, none of you have actually experienced what dying feels like, have you?" Irina said with chilling seriousness. She stretched out her hand, and a sword forged from pitch-black shadows materialized in her grip.

The blade was beautiful yet sinister. The crossguard was shaped like bat wings with a single eye embedded in the center. The hilt was black, designed like a serpent coiling upward toward the guard. The blade itself curved slightly like a black scimitar, its edge glowing with a lethal crimson hue. Everyone swallowed hard, their bodies shaking. Instinctively, they drew their weapons and braced themselves to face her. Seeing them ready, Irina flashed a wicked smirk.

"Alright then, let's get started. All of you, come at me at once," Irina said, her voice dripping with cold disdain.

Without wasting a second, Geoffrey lunged forward, swinging his massive greatsword toward Irina's head. But as the blade came down, "thud," Irina caught the heavy weapon with casual ease. Then, "slash," she swept her sword through Geoffrey's arms, severing them both. Geoffrey froze in pure shock, watching helplessly as his own hands, still gripping the greatsword, fell to the grass. Before he could even process the pain, Irina's blade buried itself in his neck. Geoffrey coughed up a spray of blood, his eyes rolled back until only the whites were showing, and he collapsed.

"Thud." Seeing what happened to Geoffrey—who was actually a formidable fighter—Alicia, Adelina, Milia, Pyria, Mirea, Claudia, Ainsley, Beatrice, and Rosalind lost all the strength in their legs. They collapsed onto the ground, their knees shaking violently. Their eyes were fixed on Irwin and Geoffrey, who lay there completely motionless. Irina turned and started walking toward them, resting her sword on her shoulder with a smirk.

"Hey now... why are you all just sitting there? Come on, attack me... or I'll be the one attacking you," Irina teased.

"You... you monster... I'll kill you!" Milia suddenly screamed, bolt upright.

She lunged forward, thrusting Wilgram straight at Irina's face, but Irina simply slipped past her. "Bresss!" A massive diagonal gash suddenly split Milia's chest from her right shoulder down to her left hip. Blood sprayed into the air. Milia's expression froze in surprise as she fell to her knees and then slumped forward, moving no more.

"Mi... Milia... Milia... damn it," Alicia stammered, her voice shaking uncontrollably.

"I'm... I'm scared," Adeline whimpered.

"I'm right here with you, Adeline," Beatrice said, pulling Adeline into a tight embrace.

Suddenly, Rosalind stood up in front of Beatrice and Adeline to shield them. She leveled her sword at Irina, who was strolling toward them with her thin tail flicking lazily back and forth.

"Don't come any closer!" Rosalind screamed at her.

Claudia and Mirea immediately stood up to flank Rosalind. Meanwhile, Pyria appeared out of nowhere behind Irina, thrusting her blade straight for the back of Irina's head. With casual indifference, Irina tilted her head to the side. "Blergh." Pyria spat out fresh blood, her face turning a ghostly pale. She slowly looked down to see Irina's sword, pointed backward, buried deep in her stomach.

"Pyria!" Claudia screamed.

Driven by rage, Claudia lunged forward, swinging her sword with every ounce of strength she possessed. But "clang"—Irina ripped her blade out of Pyria's gut, letting her fall backward into a motionless heap, and parried Claudia's strike.

"Now that's more like it. Keep attacking me," Irina said, her tone completely relaxed.

"Go to hell!" Claudia shrieked, raising her sword for another blow.

But suddenly, Claudia's world began to spin. As her vision rotated, she caught a glimpse of her own body still standing in front of Irina. She realized then that her head had been severed from her shoulders in the blink of an eye.

"Cla... Claudia," Mirea sobbed, her sword leveled and shaking as she stood her ground beside Rosalind.

Irina gave her sword a sharp flick to clear the blood. Then, she casually picked up Claudia's head and pressed it back onto her shoulders before letting the body fall flat onto its back, unconscious. She turned her gaze toward the survivors: Alicia, paralyzed by terror.

Adeline and Beatrice, clinging to each other; Ainsley, so petrified he had lost the ability to speak; and finally, Rosalind and Mirea. The two of them stood at the front, their faces as pale as if they were trapped in a horror movie, hands trembling as they gripped their hilts.

"Fine. If you're just going to stand there, I'll be the one to move," Irina said.

In a blur of motion, she lunged forward, finishing off the rest of them in a heartbeat.

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