Hero (7)
I trudged through Frostheim, which I'd reached after a long absence, heading toward Baekseol's castle.
With every step, the snow piled up to my ankles, crunching underfoot.
Snowflakes danced in the wind, brushing my face with a chill that felt strangely pleasant.
'I wonder how much Ria has grown.'
Before I left, Ria could only observe with her eyes—she couldn't interfere yet.
A good amount of time had passed since then...
'Can she interfere enough to move it a little now?'
Unlike typical Supernatural Abilities, ones like the Demon Eye that physically altered the body required more than just mana manipulation. The body itself had to adapt to the power.
The structure of the eyes had to change, the nervous system had to develop to process new information, and the brain had to strengthen to handle the overwhelming visual data.
That made mastering the Demon Eye more difficult and dangerous than any other ability.
A single mistake could lead to brain hemorrhage or blindness.
Of course, I trusted Baekseol had trained her well in the meantime.
I didn't know much about the Demon Eye, but no captain matched her precise mana control.
Besides, Ria was driven by a firm goal to kill all demons, and that unyielding will would have accelerated her growth.
Intense emotions like vengeance and rage would fuel the Demon Eye's power.
As the castle drew near, a familiar white figure came into view in the distance.
Baekseol, her nine tails swaying gently as she watched me approach.
"It's been a while, Baekseol."
"Astra! You're back sooner than I expected!"
'Don't pets wag their tails when they're happy?'
I glanced at her tails for a moment, puzzled, but she had said she'd lost most of her original personality, so I dismissed it as a misconception and walked up to her.
"No issues with Ria?"
"Talking about Ria right away after so long... Makes me a little jealous."
Baekseol said with a playful smile.
"Enough joking."
I replied in a slightly cold tone, and Baekseol chuckled softly.
"Let's go see her now. You'll be shocked at how much she's grown."
Confidence gleamed in Baekseol's eyes.
"You sound so sure. Must be impressive results."
I gave a faint smile.
Then Baekseol suddenly blanked out, and I prompted her.
"Baekseol. What's the holdup? Let's go."
"Y-yes! R-right! Of course!"
Baekseol stammered in surprise.
'I'm really curious now. How much has she improved?'
Excitement bubbled inside, but outwardly I maintained my perfect charisma as I followed her.
Entering the training grounds, Bai Ling Regiment knights were diligently practicing swordsmanship. In the center, a knight sparred hand-to-hand with Ria.
Thud! Thud!
The dull impacts of fists clashing echoed across the grounds.
Ria faced the knight barehanded, her movements like those of a seasoned fighter with five years of training.
As Baekseol opened her mouth to call Ria, I stopped her with a hand.
"Wait. Let's watch."
I crossed my arms and observed Ria's movements closely.
Her pupils glowed purple.
The Demon Eye was active.
With it, she predicted the opponent's moves, dodging attacks and countering flawlessly.
'Not bad.'
The Demon Eye interfered with demonic mana, black magic, and negative emotions, but it also let her see those energies directly.
That allowed precise reading of mana flows, predicting and preempting attacks.
Ria twisted away before the knight's fist even reached her, landing a counterpunch simultaneously.
Her movements flowed as naturally as if reading his mind.
'Who'd believe this is the same young lady who had no fighting experience a few months ago?'
Seeing the knight struggle and sweat, I could tell she'd made huge combat progress—even if interference was still uncertain.
"Baekseol."
"Yes?"
"Tell the knight to use his ability."
"That might be too much..."
Worry laced Baekseol's voice.
"No. What Ria needs now is training like real combat."
I stated firmly.
Baekseol hesitated, then called to the knight.
"Use your ability against Ria from now on!"
The knight glanced at Baekseol, nodded slightly, and assumed a combat stance.
Ria had her back to me, so she hadn't noticed. The knight knew the name Astra, captain of Jin Gang Regiment, but not my appearance, so he didn't recognize me.
"I'll fight with my ability now, Lady Ria."
"Yes! That's what I wanted!"
Ria's eyes burned an even fiercer purple.
In that instant, the knight's speed surged.
He circled to Ria's flank in a flash, overwhelming her.
"That knight's ability is Swiftness."
'Swiftness... A solid ability.'
Second-lowest blue-rank among abilities, but its versatility rivaled purple-rank.
Swiftness accelerated the body for 30 seconds, with cooldowns. Veterans chained it seamlessly for near-constant use.
'Let's see how Ria handles it.'
I crossed my arms and watched.
Ria faltered at first against the accelerated speed, but her Demon Eye flared brighter as she focused.
* * *
'Ugh, so fast.'
Movements she'd tracked easily were now blurring.
Until now, Ria had predicted actions via mana flows, countering to compensate for her physical weakness.
But the knight was too fast now—even her Demon Eye couldn't predict before strikes landed.
Thud!
The knight's fist slammed into Ria's side.
"Nngh!"
Ria reeled back, swallowing the pain.
The knight pressed relentlessly while Swiftness lasted.
Ria dodged desperately but ate more hits.
"Haa... haa..."
Ria panted, glaring at the knight.
'Can't interfere with his mana. If there were demonic energy or black magic around...'
The knight held no negativity—he saw this as mere training.
Then her Demon Eye detected black magic nearby.
'Black magic?'
Turning on instinct, she saw Astra watching, arms crossed.
'When did he arrive?'
But knowing Astra watched steeled her resolve.
She refused to show weakness. She wanted to display her growth.
Astra emanated faint black magic—intentional or not.
'Baekseol-unnie allowing abilities must be on Astra's orders.'
Ria quickly interfered with the drifting black magic around Astra.
Her purple pupils blazed brighter.
'As expected... Astra's black magic.'
She'd handled remnants before, but pure black magic was denser, deeper than anything— an endless abyss weighing on her through the Demon Eye.
'Heavy... but I can do this.'
The black magic stirred slowly but surely at her will.
The knight activated Swiftness again.
But this time was different.
Ria spread Astra's thick black magic like a thin veil around her, blocking the knight's fist.
Thud!
"This... black magic?"
As the knight faltered, Ria channeled it through her body for reinforcement.
She burst to his rear in a surge of speed.
"What?!"
As the knight whirled in shock, Ria condensed the black magic and detonated it behind him.
Boom!
Black energy scattered with the explosion.
The knight stumbled forward, off-balance.
"Th-this!"
Shock, fear, and faint anger flickered in the knight.
Ria's Demon Eye seized those negative emotions instantly.
'Negativity.'
She delved deep, slowing his movements.
"Wh-what? My body suddenly feels... heavy."
As the knight checked himself in confusion, Ria darted to his side.
'I win!!'
As Ria wound up her full-powered punch—
Crack!
A massive ice wall erupted between them with a frigid snap.
Ria's fist thudded against it.
"That's enough."