To accurately gauge the level of Jino and Nina, there was no better method than direct combat.
Therefore, after a brief conversation on various subjects—from adventures across the Central Continent to the advances each had made since the end of the war—Rygar proceeded to the training arena.
Ornthorn and Baron, who had been training until that moment, immediately halted their fight upon seeing him approach.
After Rygar announced his purpose, they actually stayed, wanting to watch the battle.
Both walked to one of the corners of the arena, remaining alert. There was curiosity and anticipation in their eyes.
Ornthorn, in particular, was somewhat worried.
With Taes out on a mission and Ghislaine pregnant and removed from combat, he was the tallest among the Twelve Kings available at the Temple—currently holding third place.
This meant that the responsibility of keeping Jino in check and preventing him from rapidly climbing to the top of the rankings fell on his shoulders.
Despite this, Ornthorn trusted in his strength. He knew that Jino had not yet reached an excessively high level, since Eris could still defeat him.
He was fully certain that, if they fought today, he would emerge victorious.
Ornthorn was a subordinate, but also a close friend of Rygar. Especially after the war, they had grown even closer.
The fact that the North Emperor kept his promise and went to help in the War of Milis even without Rygar being there showed how serious he was about keeping his word.
He even felt that, since joining the Combat Temple, his own level had improved considerably—even more than in recent years, when he had trained exclusively at the North God Style headquarters.
But even confident in his own strength, he clearly remembered a conversation with Rygar, days before, when the Beast God had stated that, in terms of pure talent, the only people he considered to be on a level close to his were two: Aisha, his direct disciple, and Jino Britz, the swordsman of the Sword Sanctuary.
Talent, however, was just that: talent.
Transforming talent into real power required effort, resilience, and discipline. Rygar was proof of that.
Even so talented, he trained more than anyone, delving into deep studies of all combat and magic styles, seeking new paths and solutions in everything he touched.
It was precisely because of this that he ceased to be seen merely as a genius and came to be considered a true world force, despite being so young.
And if Jino, now under his tutelage, possessed comparable talent... how quickly would he climb the ranks? Ornthorn knew he needed to watch him closely.
In the center of the arena, Rygar stood silently, waiting. Jino and Nina would be his simultaneous opponents.
The duo had already fought side by side countless times, and thus their synchronicity was remarkable. They complemented each other well.
Even so, Rygar seemed unconcerned. He had not even drawn one of his swords. His expression was calm, his body relaxed, as if he were merely on a stroll.
Eris casually walked to the edge of the arena and raised her hand, projecting her voice for the entire Temple to hear:
"Begin!"
Immediately, Jino and Nina darted to opposite sides, circling Rygar like predators trying to corner prey.
But the image was illusory—everyone there knew that, if anyone was the predator in that confrontation, it was Rygar. He did not even move, remaining motionless in the center, observing.
Jino looked at Nina with a glance only they understood, a silent signal, and Nina advanced like an arrow.
Her eyes narrowed with absolute focus, her sword seeming to glow as she executed her most familiar technique: the Longsword of Light.
The blade sliced through the air with its familiar whine, aiming directly at Rygar's neck, a lethal strike from the outset.
They knew that, against Rygar, there was no room for testing or restraint—they needed to give their all from the first moment.
Rygar did not even activate his Demon Eyes. Instead, a slight smile formed on his face.
His body leaned subtly backward, and his stance shifted in a natural flow.
With an almost ethereal movement, he touched the tip of Nina's blade with his finger, and his hand slid along the length of the sword with surreal lightness, almost as if dancing.
Nina, in the midst of her attack, felt something strange. An invisible force coursed through her blade from Rygar's touch.
It was as if her trajectory had been ripped from her control, as if her sword were part of a river and Rygar the current that redirected it.
A desperate inevitability hit her at that moment.
Jino, swift as the wind, was also in motion. He appeared from the opposite side, combining Wild Dash with the Longsword of Light, his speed hallucinatory.
In moments, his figure seemed to multiply, creating afterimages that would confuse untrained eyes; his attack was rapid.
But, taking advantage of Nina's redirected momentum, Rygar executed the secret technique of the Water God Style: Counter-Flow Current.
With a single gesture, he channeled Nina's offensive force and sent it toward Jino, as if she were a puppet tied to invisible strings under his control.
Nina flew like a bullet, the sword still in hand, hurled with surprising violence.
Jino, realizing what was happening, halted his attack mid-move, eyes wide.
With a swift motion, he caught her in midair, preventing a full-force collision and stopping her from falling.
But before he could do anything else—before any thought could form—Rygar was already beside him.
Rygar's presence appeared like a ghost, silent, aura-less. Jino only managed to turn his gaze at the last second, raising his sword instinctively. But it was too late.
A brutal kick struck his solar plexus with inhuman force.
The impact stole his breath instantly; even with his Touki barrier, his lungs emptied like a punctured balloon, and he was hurled backward like a ragdoll.
Nina, still trying to regain her balance, was also thrown in another direction, hit by the whirlwind of dispelled force.
Silence fell for a moment in the arena.
Rygar remained standing where he was, without even adjusting his posture, calmly observing the two swordsmen as they slowly got to their feet, still trying to comprehend what had happened.
While everyone watching the battle showed no great surprise, Jino and Nina themselves were in a complete state of shock.
They knew, of course, that Rygar was powerful—after all, they were facing the Beast God, one of the most renowned and feared warriors in the world—but what they had just experienced surpassed any reasonable expectation.
Rygar had not even drawn one of his swords.
What left them even more astounded, however, was the use of one of the Water God Style's Secret Techniques... without even wielding a blade.
The Counter-Flow Current—one of the Five Secret Techniques—had been employed with mastery, completely redirecting Nina's attack with absurd fluidity and technique.
Not even the current Water God had that achievement in her record.
Rygar had mastered the technique at its apex for a simple reason: among the Defensive Style's Secret Techniques, the Counter-Flow Current was the most suited to handle sudden attacks.
Unlike purely offensive or counterattack techniques, this one did not allow a direct counter, but rather to parry, disperse, or redirect enemy blows with minimal effort and maximum efficiency.
Its main virtue was adaptability.
For Rygar, it was a survival technique—a final instant-reaction card, even if unprepared.
With such keen senses, it might be paranoid to think of being caught off guard... but Rygar left no room for risks.
He had much to lose if he fell now.
As Jino and Nina were still rising from the impact, Rygar slowly walked toward them, hands clasped behind his back, expression tranquil.
"Nina, what were you planning with your first strike?" he asked, voice calm but firm.
Nina, still stunned, blinked several times before replying:
"Ah... I was trying to draw your attention. It was meant to be a distraction so Jino could strike you from behind..."
Rygar interrupted her:
"Since when is the Sword God Style used as a distraction?"
Nina's eyes widened, surprised by the question.
"In the Sword God Style, your focus is to kill the opponent with one blow. Your intention to kill was tangible; I felt it. But it lacked purpose."
He took a step closer, his voice now sharper.
"Unconsciously, you had already accepted that you could not kill me. That weakened your strike from the start."
Nina stood agape, slowly absorbing what she had just heard. It was true. Despite attacking with everything, deep down... she knew she would not win.
That influenced how she moved, how she executed the technique. Rygar continued:
"You rely too much on Jino. Simply accepting that he is stronger. But that can be solved with individual training."
Then he turned to the boy, his expression growing even sterner.
"As for you, Jino... your mistake is greater."
Jino furrowed his brow.
"Mistake? But my technique work-"
"Why did you catch Nina when I threw her at you?" Rygar interrupted bluntly.
Jino promptly replied: "Because we are fighting together. It was natural—"
"No." Rygar's voice cut in again.
"Nina is a Sword King. That throw could have injured her, yes, but nothing that would incapacitate her. To try to win in the best way possible, the correct choice was to dodge her and continue the attack. You hesitated. You stopped to protect her."
Rygar stepped toward Nina again and said:
"That is a beautiful feeling. But foolish. You left a huge opening for a potential attacker. Even a combatant of King level could have finished the fight there."
Jino slowly turned his face toward Nina.
And saw that she was looking at him with slightly furrowed brows—not in irritation, but in surprise and... understanding.
As if she were realizing how protective he still was of her.
Rygar concluded mercilessly.
"That feeling is harder to fix. Because I believe that protecting Nina is one of the main sources fueling the essence of your swordsmanship. But it is not irreversible."
He paused for a moment, looking into both their eyes, letting his words reach them.
"Obviously, the first thing I will do in your training... is separate you. You will train individually for a while."
Rygar raised an eyebrow.
"I imagine that is not a problem, right? Since you have trained together your entire lives."
Jino and Nina exchanged looks, shocked. Nina tried to protest:
"Wait—"
"I am not accepting complaints," Rygar said authoritatively.
"Continue the combat. And keep what I said in mind. Attack with the intent to kill."
Jino clenched his teeth, frustrated but determined. He exchanged a firm glance with Nina, and both returned to the arena.
Eris, leaning with her arms crossed, seemed to be enjoying watching the two take hits. Aisha chatted casually with Lisena.
Baron and Ornthorn, on the other hand, kept their eyes fixed on Jino, analyzing every movement with scrutiny.
And so, the training continued for another half hour. Rygar pointed out every mistake, every deficiency.
He not only criticized them—he explained, corrected, demonstrated. With patience and honesty.
The Sword Sanctuary had molded two formidable warriors, but the Sword God Style, as an isolated style, had already been overthrown by the Beast God himself.
Now, they had much to learn.
---
Eris Adoldia
Age: 17
Titles: Red Lioness, Dragon Knight
Mana Reserves: Saint Level
Magical Skills:
Fire Magic: Elementary
Water Magic: Elementary
Healing Magic: Intermediate
Combat Skills:
North God Style: Saint
Beast God Style: Saint
Sword God Style: Emperor
Battle Strength: Emperor-level
Languages:
Reading and writing in Beast-God and Human languages
Practical Skills:
Basic Mathematics, Infinite Energy, Greeting in the Boreas style, Bad Cook, Gaia Kingdom Commander
---
Nina Farion
Age: 18 years
Titles: Sword King
Mana Reserves: Advanced Level
Combat Skills:
Sword God Style: King
North God Style: Intermediate
Battle Strength: King-level
---
Jino Britz
Age: 14 years
Titles: Sword Genius
Mana Reserves: Saint Level
Combat Skills:
North God Style: King
Sword God Style: King
Water God Style: Saint
Beast God Style: Saint
Battle Strength: Emperor-level
---
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