Nina and Jino were shocked at the sight.
They were used to the cold of the Sword Sanctuary, which lay to the north, but the Great Forest had a tropical climate, especially in that region where there were waterfalls and cascades.
All that remained was a refreshing environment, but not cold. The air was heavy with moisture and life, the constant sound of running water created an atmosphere both serene and powerful.
The surrounding constructions were made in such a way as not to destroy the forest around.
Just like the traditional houses of the tribes of the Great Forest, the buildings were attached to rocks and hills, fused with nature.
The structures seemed to have an unusual durability, probably thanks to the use of magic in their construction. Every building, every bridge, felt like an extension of the earth itself.
Eris naturally walked ahead, not paying attention to the visible surprise on her friends' faces. For her, it was already part of the routine.
As they walked, Jino spoke, surprised:
"Huuh... Rygar really went all out to create this place..."
He watched the mountains in the distance and noticed that the constructions extended across a large part of the forest — so far that it wasn't even possible to see where they ended.
Nina agreed and commented:
"Yeah! Like, who would build something this size? It must have taken a long time... Didn't he have anything better to do?"
Eris replied with a light smile: "Just so you know, if he's at the Temple, he can hear what you say even at this distance."
Nina froze for a moment.
Eris continued: "And no, it didn't take that long. Actually, most of it was built in a single day. Rygar is really good with Earth Magic, remember?"
Nina and Jino had already heard about Rygar's magical feats, but had had few opportunities to witness them.
At the Sword Sanctuary, Rygar focused almost entirely on improving his swordsmanship, and had seldom demonstrated what he was capable of using his magic on a large scale.
They only knew it must be impressive.
Nina only said, looking around suspiciously, as if she were being spied on:
"I see..."
The three made their way to the central area of the Temple.
Along the way, they saw many warriors — probably some hundreds — training, meditating under waterfalls, fighting among themselves, performing all kinds of physical and spiritual training.
They all exuded strength and mastery. If classified, they would probably be at the peak of the Advanced ranking.
They trained in all fighting styles: Sword, Magic, Martial Arts. But there was a clear preference for the Beast God Style.
It was possible to see how the influence of the Beast God Style had grown after Rygar defeated so many powerful enemies.
They continued walking until they reached the central part. As they passed through a natural arena, Jino and Nina's gaze was drawn to a fight. In the center were Taes Dedoldia — the Wolf Monarch — and a boy of the beast-leopard race.
He was Jal Igaly, generally called Jaly by those closest to him. As Rygar had sensed when he saved him during the war, Jaly had enormous talent.
At that time, at only twelve years old, he was already an advanced-level swordsman in the Sword God Style.
After the war and the year that had passed, he was now fourteen years old, the same age as Jino, and had already reached the Saint level in both the Sword God Style and the Beast God Style.
He was still behind geniuses like Jino, who was born with a sword in his hands and was trained from a very young age. But Jaly's natural talent was indisputable.
His fight was a spectacle to behold. Jaly was fast — so fast that the eyes could barely follow his movements.
If it were only in terms of speed, he surpassed anyone of his level, doing justice to the reputation of the leopard tribe.
Eventually, however, Taes managed to land a full kick, sending the boy flying with a dry impact.
Taes then looked at the three visitors and waved to Eris from a distance. Then, he cast a direct look at Nina and Jino.
For a moment, both felt an invisible pressure upon them — as if a predator were assessing them.
Taes was twenty-one years old and at the peak of his strength. He was a Beast Saint, after training directly with Rygar for a year. But he also held the title of North Emperor.
When he fought using all his swordsmanship techniques, combined with chantless magic, he easily reached the Emperor level, and a very strong one.
He defeated Ornthorn in combat to claim the title of North Emperor. It was only natural that Nina and Jino would feel pressured in his presence.
Taes averted his gaze and went to Jaly to heal him with magic. It was then that a Red Dragon emerged from the surrounding rocks, walking toward Taes while swallowing a fish too large for its mouth.
The dragon was about two meters tall and seemed fully comfortable with the humans' presence. It reached a corner of the arena and, without ceremony, focused on its meal.
Jino and Nina were once again shocked. That was — without a doubt — one of the fifteen Red Dragons that Rygar had stolen at that time. They looked at each other, seeking an explanation, and then Jino asked:
"Is that...?"
Eris answered, unconcerned:
"That is Taes. The other is Jaly. And the Red Dragon is Wiver, Taes's dragon. Oh! Maybe you know him by his titles... which are... actually, I don't remember. It doesn't matter!"
She spoke so naturally that the two were embarrassed to appear ignorant if they continued asking, so they preferred to remain silent.
The three gradually approached the center. Along the way, they saw many powerful fighters. They saw Kilian fighting Garrison, the deer-race beast.
They saw a powerful red demon exchanging blows with a member of the Doldia tribe. In the central part of the Combat Temple, only warriors of Saint level and above trained and faced each other.
Just observing from above, there seemed to be several dozen, perhaps more than a hundred. And all in the midst of serious duels, sweat, blood, and magic mixing with the sound of waterfalls.
They also saw six more Red Dragons along the way, all roughly the same average size. And none of them seemed uncomfortable being close to humans.
And then, they finally reached the main hall. But, surprisingly, Rygar was not there.
In fact, who was there, training alone, was Clint — the Sword Emperor who had previously resided at the Sword Sanctuary.
Clint stopped his movements when he noticed the newcomers. With seriousness and firmness, he greeted them:
"Jino. Nina. Long time no see. You have grown quite a bit."
---
It turned out that Rygar had not come to the dojo that day. He remained at his house, located in the Doldia Tribe village, probably with his little sister or Ghislaine — or both.
Despite never having relaxed in his training, Rygar made sure to dedicate time to his family and loved ones.
Among them, his younger sister held a special place.
When he returned to the village, she was already four years old, but she had never met him before — the letters took a long time to arrive, and Rygar only learned of her existence much later, still at the Sword Sanctuary.
Currently, she was five years old, and Rygar did everything he could to win the favor of the cute sister he so wanted to know.
Nothing needed to be said about Ghislaine. She had been pregnant for several months, about three until the birth of Rygar's first child — a son or daughter.
Naturally, he spent a lot of time by her side. Since Verdia cared for Ghislaine most of the time, he ended up seeing the two often.
Eris and Verdia had not become pregnant yet. After all, getting pregnant with the couple being of different races was a challenge in this world. Verdia was an elf, Eris was human.
Ghislaine was a Dedoldia, while Rygar was an Adoldia. Despite the slight difference in lineage, the two still belonged to the beast race and shared great genetic similarity.
Therefore, during the mating season, Ghislaine became pregnant.
Eris wanted to be the first to give birth to a Rygar heir, and so, she carried a contained anxiety. Rygar, in turn, made a point of reminding her that there was no rush.
Still, she showed herself somewhat impatient.
In any case, the time that Rygar chose to spend with his family meant, at times, his absence from the dojo. Instead, he studied and practiced magic at home, investigating various schools and possibilities.
Clint, who usually trained with him, with Ghislaine and Ornthorn, ended up being alone in the dojo.
Clint talked with Nina and Jino, showing satisfaction with their visit. He had spent his whole life at the Sword Sanctuary and had always been loyal to Gall Farion as a swordsman.
However, after the Sword God was defeated by Rygar using methods different from what he believed to be right — and after Gall Farion abdicated the title of Sword God —, Clint refused to serve under Timothy's command and left the Sanctuary.
It was then that he found his place beside Rygar. His routine had changed little: he trained with his sword, learned from Rygar, and taught the disciples.
Clint tried to learn the Beast God Style, but it was not compatible with his nature, stopping at the Intermediate level.
Even so, Rygar had already proven to him that relying solely on the speed of a sword was not enough, so Clint began practicing the North God Style as well.
Even so, his main form of combat remained the Sword God Style.
As they talked, other swordsmen began to enter the main hall, curious about the new visitors. The hierarchy within the Combat Temple was well defined.
Almost all the Gaia's Twelve Kings were present, and the arrival of two new powerful swordsmen could shift the balance of power in the Kingdom — especially considering they were guided personally by Eris.
When it was mentioned that Jino and Nina were Sword Kings, the youth of the leopard tribe, Jaly, turned toward Jino curiously:
"You are a Sword King?"
Jino scratched his cheek, half embarrassed, but Nina answered for him enthusiastically:
"Ha! Jino isn't just a Sword King! He's also a North King and a Water Saint! I don't know if there's a clear ranking in the Beast God Style, but he's great at it too!"
The words caused varied reactions. Many smiled scornfully. It was hard to believe that a fourteen-year-old boy dominated so many styles.
If that were true, wouldn't he be close to matching Rygar in his youth? Even those with keen senses, able to perceive how dangerous Jino was, hesitated to accept such claims without proof.
Then, someone spoke mockingly:
"You talk big, but do you have the skill to back it up? How about some fights? I bet there are many here wanting to test the newcomers."
The atmosphere changed. Several nodded, excited. Nina seemed unsatisfied, but also determined to prove her sword skills.
The warrior who had spoken stepped forward, drawing his sword:
"Alright. Let's skip introductions. I challenge you, boy. Jino Britz, right? You may attack when yo—"
Before he could finish the sentence, Jino's blade came out of the sheath like lightning. The opponent barely had time to raise his sword. A deep cut appeared on his neck, and he collapsed backward, unconscious.
"They told me there are high-level healers supervising these fights, so I didn't go easy. Well, how about we head to the arena?" said Jino seriously.
Eris looked at the sword Jino held: a long, straight blade, with cloud and lightning engravings on the metal, as well as demonic runes.
That was one of the 48 swords forged by Yulian Jalisco: the Storm Tremor Hunter Sword. Jino and Nina each possessed one of these swords, gifts left by Gall Farion for them when they reached the King level.
Most of the onlookers wondered, 'Why couldn't I see that blow?'
Some tried to convince themselves they were distracted, but deep down, they knew that excuse wouldn't hold up in a real duel.
If it had been a mortal battle, their heads would already have rolled without them knowing how.
Taes began to heal the injured with chantless magic, then laughed:
"Hahaha! Looks like you're something! Sure, let's go to the arena! We'd probably destroy the hall if we fought here..."
With this casual remark, he headed toward the battlefield. The others followed, including Jino. But before he left completely, Taes turned and gave Jino a serious look:
"But control your strikes, brat. If you kill one of mine by accident... I'll dismember you personally."
He then smiled again and left.
The injured warrior woke up, dizzy and confused. Nina and Eris lingered behind for a moment.
"What's with that guy? Jino had total control over the blow!" complained Nina.
Eris shrugged:
"Taes doesn't know Jino. There's no way to know if he controls his strikes..."
She began to walk, following the others:
"I'd suggest you don't kill anyone. Taes is quite protective. And if it's a life-or-death battle... I don't even know if I can beat him."
Nina followed her, huffing:
"You talk as if you were stronger than us!"
Eris smiled over her shoulder:
"That's what we're gonna find out now."
---
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