Ren dusted himself off as he walked over to where the other team leaders were standing, his steps a bit unsteady from the intense sparring match. Hiroshi, Kaida, Razorgrin, and Goro all looked up as he approached, expressions of mixed concern and camaraderie on their faces.
“Good match, Ren,” Hiroshi said, clapping him on the back. “You held your own pretty well out there.”
Kaida nodded, her fiery hair catching the light. “Yeah, you were really pushing him. Your fire attacks were impressive.”
Ren chuckled, though it was clear he was still catching his breath. “Thanks. But master
Yuuto’s still on another level. His speed and strength… it’s like fighting a force of nature. And he obviously held black”
Razorgrin, his one eye gleaming with amusement, grinned. “Well, you gave it your all, that’s for sure. I think you even made him break a sweat… a little.”
Goro stroked his mustache thoughtfully. “Your strategy was solid, but like master Yuuto said, adaptability is key. You’ll get there. We’ve all got room to grow.”
Ren sighed, looking over at Alister, who was preparing for his turn in the arena. “Speaking of room to grow, how do you think Alister’s going to do today?”
Hiroshi shrugged. “Can’t really call Alister’s spars with master Yuuto actual training. All Alister does is trade some blows with him in hand-to-hand combat. They do that till Alister is tired or just can’t go on anymore, and master Yuuto holds back the entire time.”
Kaida smirked. “Yeah, it’s more like an endurance test for Alister, he is a summoner after all. Master doesn’t even use his full strength. He’s just toying with him, really.”
“But you have to admit, he dose hold his own to a certain extent.”
Razorgrin crossed his arms, a faint frown on his face. “He may have more physical strength then other summoners, fact, he’s more skilled then most. But just that won’t be enough to survive the wastelands.”
‘Sorry for boring you all to death then, perhaps it would have been more normal for a summoner to actually go toe to toe with an immortal monster.’ Alister thought with a touch of nonchalance.
Alister took on a battle stance, his fists clenched and his eyes focused. “I’m ready when you are, sir.”
Yuuto smiled, his eyes glinting with anticipation. “Not yet, Alister. Today’s spar is going to be a bit different. Today, I will be sparing with you and your summon.”
Everyone present yelled, “What?!”
Lady Aiko, standing on the opposite side of the arena by one of the lower rows closer to the arena than the ones with protective barriers, instantly called out,
“Master Yuuto! I thought we talked about this. Alister can’t use his summon here because of the risks involved and the damages caused last time!”
Previously, Yuuto had attempted to spar with Cinder on the first day of their training. Naturally, as one would expect, her flames did drastic damage to the arena, though they never landed on Yuuto because he dodged them effortlessly.
Although the arena was in good shape now, it had been a real pain for the management team to fix it, and so it was decided it would be better to train with just Alister. After all If he, the summoner, were to lose consciousness, his summon would dematerialize regardless of how powerful it was—or so they thought.
Yuuto turned to Lady Aiko, his expression calm but firm. “I understand your concerns, Aiko. However, this is a crucial part of Alister’s training. He needs to learn to properly control his summon. The risks are worth the potential gains.”
Yuuto then playfully said, “Although you have a point. So his drake will not be allowed to use its flames but only physical attacks instead.”
Aiko yelled, “That could be even worse! What if, as the summon is trying to defeat you, it causes too much damage to its surroundings? It’s not wise to let it do so.”
Yuuto then said, “What a real shame, if only his summon had better control over its physical capabilities.” He said with a knowing smile.
For a moment, Alister and Yuuto both stood there, narrowing their gazes at each other.
Some people in the crowd began to mutter, wondering what Yuuto was up to. “What’s the guild master thinking? Letting Alister use his summon in this arena?”
“I heard Cinder nearly burned the place down last time. Why risk it again?”
“Maybe the guild master wants to see if Alister can control Cinder better now. But it still seems reckless.”
“Do you think Alister’s control over his summon has improved that much? It would be impressive if it has.”
“It’s not just about control. It’s about him being able to properly coordinate his summon in the heat of battle. To ensure it is able to properly protect him and deal serious damage.” “Still, if things go wrong, it could get messy real quick. I hope the guild master knows what he’s doing”
Alister broke the silence as he said, “Sir, I don’t think it’s necessary to test my coordination with my summon here. As you said previously, the best place to display my skills will be in the wastelands. Using my summon here will simply cause too much damage to our surroundings.”
‘I’m sure he’s up to something. He’s acting like he did at the treasury again, and I don’t like
it.’
Yuuto chuckled. “Come on now, don’t be a bore, Alister. Do you really always need a reason to motivate you?”
Alister frowned, puzzled. “What are you talking about?”
Yuuto smiled as he slowly walked up to him. “Okay, how about this, let’s make a deal.”
For a moment those words caused a certain memory to flash before Alister’s tired eyes, but he shook it away.
Arriving in front of him, Master Yuuto told Alister to bend his head slightly down. Alister did so, and Yuuto whispered,
“Come now, if your summon is able to lay a finger on me, I’ll tell you where you can find one of the items you are currently searching for. But you are not allowed to cause serious damage to the arena, or melt anything, so you have to make sure your summon has better control of
its attacks.”
“Do you understand what I’m saying?” Yuuto smiled.
Yuuto was referring to the remaining ingredients of the omnipotent elixir, as well as expecting a more refined form of combat from his summon.
Throughout the entire week, Alister had visited the black market twice and completed his daily training in the wastelands, but he was nowhere close to finding the remaining ingredients. And Miyu basically had two weeks and a couple of days left at this point.
Alister remained calm after hearing Yuuto’s words despite the tempest of emotions his words had stirred.
Terra’s voice suddenly echoed in his head, ‘My lord, it’s obvious what he is requesting that
you do.’
‘He wishes to see Cinder in her battle form.’
‘Would revealing such be wise, considering the fact he is still keeping secrets from you?’
Alister replied, ‘I know, it may not be, but I currently have no choice but to bite. It’s obvious he isn’t lying, not yet at least. He must have already known dragons can change form, so pretending in front of him would be pointless.’
‘Besides, whatever estimate he has on me today will become irrelevant tomorrow. After all I’m only going to get stronger.’
‘Infact I can use this as an opportunity, he acts like he knows it all, it would be nice to remaind
him he dosen’t.’
Yuuto stepped back, watching Alister intensly. “So, what’s it going to be, Alister? Will you
accept the challenge?”
Alister simply paused, yet to respond as his gazed lingerd on Yuuto.
‘My lord, if this man stands against you, then I am more than willing to cut him down!’ The voice of a male dragon boomed in Alsiter’s thoughts.