The arrival of Jino Britz and Nina Farion at the Combat Temple was, at first glance, relatively friendly.
It helped that Eris Adoldia greeted them personally, and she also seemed to be talking with old friends, not unknown newcomers.
Most of the more experienced and powerful warriors of the Temple welcomed them warmly because of this.
Simpler folk, like Gretta and Taes, were even more receptive, embracing Jino and Nina almost instantly as friends.
However, there was still some tension.
The atmosphere grew slightly tenser when Jino, without beating around the bush, declared his desire to one day defeat Rygar—the Beast God.
Some warriors sneered with contempt; others furrowed their brows.
Those who had fought alongside Rygar during the war—and those who had known him long before—were not so bothered.
In their minds, there was no room for doubt: Rygar was invincible. Jino's talent was evident, even brilliant, but still laughable compared to Rygar's vastness.
Still, not everyone thought that way. Some reacted with genuine hostility.
And Jino, who had already begun to develop the keen senses of the Beast God Style, sensed that wave of hostility.
But even looking around, he couldn't discern exactly who was the source.
Kilian, one of Rygar's most loyal followers, who had been with him since the beginning, watched everything with narrowed eyes.
He was the type who firmly believed that potential threats should be cut down before they even blossomed.
He knew that Jino's talent didn't really pose a threat to Rygar, but he didn't like the idea of anyone even considering defeating his leader.
The other was Baron, the Red Ogre.
He had arrived in Milis late, after hearing of the destruction of the Holy Land at Rygar's hands.
The regret of not having fought alongside the Beast God haunted him. And to redeem himself, he swore lifetime loyalty to Rygar.
Baron knew Rygar's strength, but not to the same degree as others. He had not witnessed his most devastating battles.
Perhaps because of that, part of him genuinely believed that Jino might have a chance.
Jino was an extraordinary talent. A human of only fourteen years. And he knew well how quickly humans evolved.
For a moment, the Ogre felt a raw, visceral urge to leap into the arena right there and tear Jino to pieces.
But, realizing that no one else was reacting with the same intensity, he contained his fury and kept his thoughts to himself.
The entire Temple had been in turmoil since Clint's defeat.
Clint, the Sword Emperor, had been Jino's mentor since he was just a child running around with a wooden sword.
Losing to his own pupil was a hard blow—not only to his pride but to his authority overall.
He had already tasted defeat at Rygar's hands when Rygar was also very young, so he was not too shocked by losing to Jino.
However, the way the fight ended left him slightly dissatisfied.
Jino was arrogant. He defeated him and didn't even treat it as a big deal.
He also declared that his father, the current Sword God, was no longer his opponent.
And even before that, he made clear his desire to challenge Gaia Kingdom's number two, Taes Dedoldia.
Even though Clint didn't care much about that, there was still a small dissatisfaction in his heart.
He needed to reclaim his position among the Twelve anyway, so he decided to teach the boy a lesson in humility while doing so.
Jino and Nina seemed to be in a romantic relationship.
So, for convenience and strategy, Clint decided to challenge Nina Farion. If he couldn't give a lesson directly to the pupil, he would do it indirectly.
The next morning, without even waiting for her full recovery, Clint headed to the training field and issued his challenge.
The fight, however, didn't go as planned.
Nina resisted with surprising determination. Her gaze was sharp, her movements precise.
Due to Clint's wounds, he was not at his best in the fight. She nearly defeated him at one point.
And when Clint realized he was about to be beaten, he counterattacked with more force than he intended.
Physical exhaustion prevented him from measuring the power of his blow. And in an instant, the strike hit Nina in the head.
She fell to the ground, unconscious, blood trickling down her side.
Clint's expression immediately after the blow revealed surprise—and regret. He hadn't meant to wound her that way.
---
Jino was strong. Incredibly strong. Since he was little, his strength stood out, but it was thanks to Rygar's interference that this talent was shaped into something much greater.
With Rygar, he learned to truly love fencing, to feel the thrill in every fight, to hear the metallic ring of blades clashing.
He loved to fight, he loved to feel his body in motion, his sword slicing through the air with precision.
And, most importantly, he was good at it. Good enough to start believing he was the best of his generation.
Rygar always taught him that confidence was a crucial weapon for a swordsman. Without it, the blade hesitates. And Jino internalized this deeply.
In time, he realized that among the young warriors his age, there was no one who equaled him.
Nina hadn't been able to defeat him in a long time, and every challenge in the Central Continent only reinforced his conviction: he was invincible among his peers.
His relentless dedication to training, day after day, was turning him into an ever more refined prodigy. No one could compete. Except one.
Rygar.
Jino wasn't sure if he could beat him. And that was precisely why he had made him his goal. Defeating Rygar had become his personal mission.
But even that warrior's goal didn't surpass something even more important to him: Nina.
She was his world.
His partner, his rival, his companion in journey and heart. During the long journey across the continent, they decided to marry officially.
They ceased to be just very close friends and became husband and wife.
That was why, when Jino saw Nina gravely wounded on the ground, everything inside him shook.
A furious heat began to rise up his spine, and the hostility emanating from Clint, however subtle, fell on him like poison.
Nina was the only one he would never accept seeing harmed.
But he forced himself to remain calm. Maybe it was an accident. The Combat Temple had healers; that was what they were there for.
Even though his insides were convulsing, his eyes remained cold.
"Bring Taes or that other guy to heal Nina," he said in a low, cutting voice that echoed across the arena.
Clint, still rising with difficulty, answered nonchalantly:
"Taes and Kilian went on a mission early this morning. They're not here."
He still intended to mention that Rufus and Lisena were nearby and could help, but was interrupted by a sudden explosion of murderous intent.
Jino exuded an intense, fierce aura that made the nearby warriors step back.
"What do you mean… on a mission?" Jino asked, his voice carrying an icy fury.
"And where is Rygar?"
The tension rose.
Seeing the boy's arrogance again, Clint also became irritated. He squinted and replied in an equally cutting voice:
"Who do you think you're calling by name, brat? Do you think the Beast God needs to be available to heal your little girlfriend whenever it's convenient? Who do you think you are?"
The words struck like stabs. Before Clint could say anything else, Jino lunged forward.
He was too fast for anyone to react. The swordsmen present ran to fetch help, and within moments the commotion spread throughout the Combat Temple.
Clint, still wounded from the previous fight, could not resist. The surrounding warriors ran for help when they saw the scene unfold.
In seconds, the Red Ogre Baron and the Flash Sword Leonor appeared, accompanied by other Saints.
They all witnessed the alarming scene: Jino Britz, the fourteen-year-old prodigy, with his sword pressed against the throat of the Sword Emperor, who lay on the ground covered in lacerations.
"Bring a healer for Nina. Now," ordered Jino, his voice laden with rage.
His logic was simple: if they wanted to heal Clint, the healer would come—and could heal Nina too.
His judgment was clouded by the tense situation.
After all, Jino was just a fourteen-year-old youth. A hot-blooded teenager, who had just won his girl only to see her gravely injured.
His strength and confidence were growing.
Young people are notoriously foolish at that age.
Not everyone was like Rygar—reincarnated—or like Aisha, a genius of intellect.
Some were simply impatient and, from time to time, did foolish things.
The Red Ogre reacted with an even greater murderous intent, and Leonor reacted cautiously, trying to understand the situation.
---
POV: Leonor Hangel
Alright… I'm not understanding absolutely anything.
As far as I knew, these two hadn't officially become our allies yesterday? So why were they trying to kill each other?
Silently, I activated the magic circle that Lady Eris had given me with clear instructions: use it immediately if any problem arose.
If she were nearby, she would arrive in seconds.
Lisena was already coming to help, sent to heal Nina. Meanwhile, I needed to understand exactly what was happening here.
I spoke, trying to keep my voice firm and authority visible in my gaze:
"Jino Britz, you'd better think carefully about what you're doing. If you cause trouble in the Combat Temple, you won't escape so easily."
Contrary to what I expected, he didn't retort. He actually seemed to consider my words.
The visible tension in his body eased for a moment, and the heavy breathing gave way to more controlled silence.
Still, his posture indicated that he didn't trust Baron's aggressiveness at all—who continued to stare at him as if poised to shred him.
Jino looked at me seriously and asked:
"Nina needs a high-level healer. Where is the nearest one?"
I was already opening my mouth to answer when…
A red shape shot across the arena like lightning.
It was so fast that for a moment my brain thought it was Baron moving—but he was still standing by my side.
In the next instant, something struck the face of Sword Emperor Jino Britz. A dry, loud impact echoed.
A… boot?
Yes. A kick hit Jino in the face at high speed.
The impact generated a shockwave that rippled through the entire arena. Jino Britz flew like a puppet with severed strings, hurtling backward with absurd violence.
The arena didn't collapse—it was reinforced by high-level magic—but still, the entire floor vibrated.
Jino rolled, skipped over the water, skipped across a small river like a stone skipping on water, and collided violently against a mountain in the background.
The impact sent debris flying in all directions and a thick cloud of dust filled the air, obscuring the view.
And then I saw her.
Standing beside Clint, who was on the ground, wounded and bleeding, eyes half-closed in pain, was an imposing red-haired figure.
Tall, with wild hair and eyes blazing like embers, the woman stood with her hands on her hips, looking at the scene with amused disapproval.
"Hey, hey, hey, Jino!" she yelled in a loud, provocative voice.
"Who told you to make this mess on your first day?!"
It was Eris Adoldia.
She cast a brief, hard glance at Nina and Clint, both gravely injured. Her expression shifted—from scorn to immediate seriousness.
She furrowed her brow and drew her long curved sword with a fluid motion.
"Leonor! Lisena was right behind me!" she shouted without taking her eyes off the distant dust.
"Run to her and bring her here!"
"Understood!" I replied, already turning to run.
Before I took two steps, Eris was already darting forward like a crimson bolt toward the spot where Jino had been thrown.
"Let's see how much you've improved, Jino!"
-----
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