The crisp morning air was broken only by the sound of Saturu's controlled breathing and the rhythmic strain of his body. "197... 198... 199... 200... Done." He lowered himself from the pull-up bar, landing softly on the ground. He flexed his previously injured hand; the wounds were healed, the bones knit strong. "And my wounds seem to be healed..." he muttered to himself, a frown etching his features. "This is a waste of my time. If I want to achieve mastering my full power and go further beyond, I need him to teach me mana expansion."
Frustration propelled him across the training grounds to where Kayon sat in deep meditation, floating a few inches above the ground, surrounded by a faint, shimmering aura.
"Yow," Saturu called out, breaking the silence without ceremony. "When are you going to teach me mana expansion?"
Kayon's eyes remained closed, his voice calm and infuriatingly even. "You failed doing it before. Why would I waste my time on it again? And for a fact, you are not ready."
"I have been here for three months," Saturu shot back, his voice tight. "And you want me to just waste away? I'm starting to think that you have gone soft."
Kayon's eyes snapped open. His serene expression vanished, replaced by a sharp, dangerous seriousness. The air around them grew heavy. "Are you saying that I have gone dull?" he asked, his voice low. "If so, prove it to me that you are ready." He descended to the ground, the meditation aura dissipating. "This is now a battle of win or lose."
Saturu's eyes began to glow with a dark blue and purple light, the Divine Authority stirring within him. "So be it."
They stood opposite each other on the battered training ground. In an instant, they moved, a blur of motion as they closed the distance simultaneously. But Kayon was a step ahead. With a mere thought, he activated his earth manipulation. The ground beneath Saturu's feet shattered and upheaved, disrupting his footing. Saturu reacted instinctively, driving his sword into the broken earth to act as an anchor. He used the leverage to swing himself into the air, but Kayon was already weaving his next spell.
Lightning crackled from a clear sky, forks of raw energy streaking down towards the airborne Saturu. He twisted, using his blade as a conduit to deflect the first few strikes, but a powerful bolt slammed into his shoulder, sending him crashing to the ground in a shower of dirt and sparks.
Seeing an opportunity, Saturu used the resulting dust cloud for cover. He pushed his spiritual manifestation to its limit, increasing his speed to a blinding degree as he shot through the haze towards Kayon. Their clash was titanic; sword met a sudden barrier of hardened air, the impact cracking the ground beneath them and sending a shockwave of displaced air rippling outwards.
Kayon, a master of a thousand battles, saw Saturu's reliance on the blade. A swordsman's greatest weakness was being disarmed. In response, Kayon manifested a sword of pure, solidified mana. The two weapons met again, their furious exchange leaving deep gashes in the earth and stone around them. The ferocity of Saturu's assault forced Kayon to create distance. He raised a hand, and the air itself seemed to ignite.
"Fire Manipulation: Dragon's Breath!"
A torrent of flame, shaped like a colossal dragon's maw, roared towards Saturu. There was no time to dodge. Saturu crossed his arms, bracing, and took the full force of the blast. The explosion engulfed him, but from within the inferno, a new power surged. "Heavenly Authority: Divide Blade!" A blade of pure, concentrated mana formed in his hand, and with a mighty swing, he cut through the flames, emerging singed but unbroken.
A flicker of genuine surprise and respect crossed Kayon's face. "Impressive." The sorcerer then decided to stop holding back. A wave of power emanated from him, and the years seemed to melt away. His form became more youthful, his movements impossibly faster. He speed-blitzed forward, too fast to follow, grabbing Saturu by the arm and hurling him like a ragdoll towards a stone fountain.
As he flew through the air, Saturu acted. With a powerful kick, he sent his physical sword shooting towards Kayon like a missile. The sorcerer, expecting a physical attack, reached for it casually, but the speed was deceptive. The blade nicked his forearm, drawing a thin line of blood. In that split second of distraction, Saturu was above him, driving a knee hard into Kayon's gut, sending the sorcerer plummeting down into the fountain's basin.
But an elf is never truly off-balance in nature. As Kayon hit the water, he fused with it. A giant hand made of water erupted from the fountain, intent on crushing Saturu. He dodged, but Kayon instantly shifted, "Ice Prison!" The water hand flash-froze, the temperature in the training ground plummeting. Shards of ice shot towards Saturu.
"Heavenly Authority: Solar Edge!" Saturu's mana blade blazed with the heat of a sun, shattering the ice prison into a thick, freezing mist. Blinded, Saturu closed his eyes, relying on his enhanced hearing. He threw a volley of concentrated energy blows into the mist, each impact exploding against the ground where Kayon stood, forcing the sorcerer on the defensive.
From within the chaos, Kayon formed a divine arrow of restraining energy and fired. "Restrain!" Saturu, eyes still closed, sensed it. He didn't dodge; he simply cut the arrow in two with a precise flick of his Solar Edge.
"Let's see if you can handle this," Kayon's voice echoed, now charged with immense power. "Fire, Water, Earth, Lightning, Shadow... combine! Flow of Natural Order!" A vibrant, primordial green energy, the color of life itself, swirled around him, coalescing in his hands. The very weather responded, the sky darkening to an overcast gloom, a stormy rain beginning to fall.
Saturu felt the shift. "The conditions have been met," he whispered. He fell into his signature stance, the one he had created himself. "Let's end this." He pulled his mana blade back, and energy erupted from him, his eyes becoming orbs of solid blue light.
"Behold the Natural Course of Heaven: Celestial Judgment!" Kayon roared, his body a beacon of green energy as he launched himself forward.
Saturu met him with his ultimate technique. "Blossom Shower!" He vanished, appearing instantly behind Kayon in a movement that defied perception. The sorcerer's eyes widened in shock. He tried to backflip away, but it was too late. He saw only a blue smirk and those terrifying, glowing eyes before the slash connected.
CRACK!
The sound was not of tearing flesh, but of shattering power. Saturu's manifested mana blade, pushed beyond its limit, exploded into a thousand shards of dissipating energy.
"Not now...!" Saturu gasped, his momentum broken, his ultimate technique incomplete. "Not... now!"
Kayon didn't hesitate. "It's too late!" He closed the gap, his hand forming a blade of pure force. He delivered a series of devastating chops to Saturu's gut, each impact a concussive thud that forced the air and blood from Saturu's lungs. The final blow sent him flying backward, crashing through a pile of training rubble in a cloud of dust.
Silence fell, broken only by the falling rain. Then, from the dust, a figure stood. Saturu was on his feet, but his eyes were vacant, rolled back into his head, showing only white. He was unconscious, his body operating on pure battle instinct alone.
Kayon watched him, his own youthful form returning to normal, his breathing slightly labored. He rubbed his back with a wince. "...Ahhh, my back... Phew... that was close." A look of deep, ungrudging respect settled on his face. "If that sword hadn't shattered, I would have lost already." He looked at the standing, unconscious boy. "His sword mastery is beyond what any grand swordsman can achieve. That high level of battle instinct, plus the authority to adapt and invincibility... and the other one...." He shook his head, a faint, proud smile touching his lips. "It looks like there is nothing left for me to teach you now."