After Zane and Sofia finished their meal and conversation, they spent their day together, collecting materials from the monsters until nightfall.
"Hey Zane, since you finished your training, how about you show me what you learned like we agreed on?" Sofia said while walking over to a clear area where other soldiers were training.
"Are you sure about this, sister?" Zane asked.
"Why not? Are you trying to run away?" Sofia shouted. Everyone heard her and started to gather around them.
"Fine," Zane said.
They stepped forward wearing protection gear.
"You are still wearing those weighted bracelets?" Sofia asked while looking at Zane’s wrists.
"Yeah, but these ones are heavier than the ones you saw me wearing four years ago. They help me suppress my power, too," Zane said while adjusting them.
Gloria stepped into the middle of the field.
"FIGHT!" Gloria shouted.
Sofia and Zane shot forward at each other, drawing their wooden swords as they collided.
BOOOM!
Their clash created a shockwave that forced the surrounding soldiers to cover their eyes. It even blew away a few tents close to the ring.
They began exchanging blows so rapidly that even the veteran soldiers couldn’t follow their movements.
"WOW you have grown stronger than I expected," Sofia said, taking a few steps back to create distance. Zane did the same.
"You praise me too much, sister," Zane replied.
"If you say so, then," Sofia said, putting her sword away.
" MANA ZONE : BARRIER REFLECTION!"
FWOOOSH!
The entire area was enclosed by mirrors made of barrier magic, every single one reflecting Zane’s image.
Zane charged directly at Sofia.
"BARRIER SHIELD MIRROR!"
BOOOM!
"Daaah!" Zane yelled.
When Zane’s attack hit the Barrier Shield Mirror, the force was redirected right back at him before he could react. He leaped backward to recover, but Sofia didn’t give him room to catch his breath; she was already mid-air, coming down at him.
"It’s over once the princess activates that skill," the soldiers whispered to one another.
"These idiots... Prince Zane hasn’t even shown most of his power yet," Sofia thought to herself.
DARK VOID!
A massive black magic circle formed beneath Zane, and a matching one opened behind Sofia. Zane stepped through the portal and instantly appeared right behind her.
"What?!" Sofia and the onlookers gasped in shock.
"I’ll use the attack I learned from the Death Mage," Zane thought.
"IMPACT!"
FWOOOSH!
BOOOM!
Sofia was sent crashing straight to the ground.
Silence fell over the arena. Everyone stood in complete shock at what Zane had just done.
"Is this for real? How can someone who was sick and classless defeat someone who graduated from the Royal Academy?" the soldiers began whispering among themselves.
"Aach... Aach... That was amazing, Zane," Sofia said, rubbing her back as she stood up.
Her body suddenly glowed with a soft green light.
"That’s more like it," Sofia grinned.
"That was Self-Regeneration. So every member of our family has it," Zane noted mentally.
"You’ve really grown strong. Controlling three elements is exceptionally rare, too," Sofia said, placing a proud hand on Zane’s shoulder with a smile.
"Wait, he can use three elements? That’s insane!" the soldiers murmured in awe.
After the duel, they relaxed and talked for a while before turning in for the night.
In the morning, they woke up and prepared to part ways, one group heading toward the Palace, and the other toward Ironcliff.
"Hey sister, do you mind if I go with Gloria, Joshua, and Maria to Ironcliff?" Zane asked.
"I don’t mind. But what do you need Gloria for?" she asked.
"To train her, and to make her one of my personal guards," Zane replied.
With their plans set, Zane, Gloria, Maria, and Joshua mounted their horses and rode off toward Ironcliff, while Sofia and her soldiers began their march back to the palace.
A few days later, as Zane and his team approached Ironcliff, they spotted a chaotic scene: local adventurers, City Lord Sandra, and Mariana were locked in battle against a massive monster wave.
"Well, look at that. They’ve grown pretty strong, too," Zane remarked.
"Let’s go help them out," Maria suggested.
Riding closer to the battlefield, Zane called out from his horse, "It’s been a while, Mariana."
Mariana froze, staring at him in disbelief. "Zane...?"
"Zane!" she yelled.
"Why don’t you order everyone to fall back? We can catch up properly after we clear this out," Zane said. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
Mariana turned to the defenders. "Miss Sandra, City Lord, everyone fall back!"
The defenders were hesitant and shocked another monster wave was already barreling toward them but after seeing the calm confidence on Zane’s face, they relaxed and retreated behind the defensive line.
"It’s been a while, Sandra, Lord City Lord," Zane said, dismounting to shake their hands.
"You’re alive! I’m so happy... and thank you for saving my father," Sandra sobbed, wiping away tears. "Thank God you’re both alive, Mariana, Sandra..."
"...We haven’t felt like ourselves for the past three years," Sandra’s father, the City Lord, confessed as he removed his glasses to wipe his eyes. "Thank you for saving my life."
"Don’t worry about it. Let me finish this up first," Zane said, turning toward the city wall and climbing to the top.
Joshua looked out at the incoming horde and swallowed hard. "Wow, there are so many of them!"
"How many attacks do you think it’ll take me to wipe them out?" Zane asked, staring down the front lines.
"Five or more, easily," Joshua guessed.
Mariana looked at the smirk on Zane’s face. "One or two, judging by that look on your face."
Zane glanced down near the gates. "Mmm... Is that Dennis?"
"Yeah, he’s been helping us defend the city for the past three years," Mariana replied.
"I see," Zane smiled. "Honestly? I think I can clear them all in one shot."
The entire wall went silent before erupting in shock. "What?! In one shot? That’s impossible!"
Maria just sighed. "I knew you were going to say something like that the moment I saw you smile while walking up here."
Zane chuckled. "You caught me. I guess I really need to work on my poker face."
"That would probably be a good idea," Mariana agreed with a light laugh.
Zane raised his hand toward the field. "Well, they’re in range now."
FWOOOOSH!
A violent gale roared across the battlefield, whipping up dust so fierce that everyone had to cover their eyes. Then, just as suddenly as it started, the wind died down. Total silence washed over the Landscape not a single leaf or blade of grass moved within a one-meter radius of Zane.
"Time to test out that skill I got on the 95th floor," Zane thought with a smirk.
"VOID WAVE!"
FWOOOOOOOSH!
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
A massive shockwave erupted from his hand, vaporizing everything within a one-kilometer radius. When the dust settled, the entire monster horde had vanished, leaving the land completely leveled.
Everyone on the wall stood frozen, completely speechless.
Meanwhile, Sofia had arrived at the royal palace the previous day. Today, she stood in the throne room before her father, the King, summoned to give her official report on the events at Demon Mountain...