Two small mountains rose from the ground, and there was one more Cyan Engraved Golem watching the Cloud Sub-Dragon's performance.
Originally, I thought a brief communication would suffice, and my Magic Power could hold up, but unexpectedly, she decided to teach on the spot, so I had to summon a golem to extend the endurance.
"Watch closely; first comes concentrated concentration." The Cloud Sub-Dragon opened her mouth and spat out a whirlwind that was tiny compared to her mouth.
The whirlwind descended diagonally and struck the mountainside, not only piercing through the mountain but also penetrating deep into the ground behind, creating a bottomless hole.
"Next is dispersed concentration." The Cloud Sub-Dragon released a Dragon Breath towards another mountain.
It still appeared to be a whirlwind, but in reality, it was composed of many sharp Wind Blades rotating around the center.
The second mountain was immediately chopped into pieces by the Wind Blades, collapsing with a rumble.
Wendy's eyes sparkled: "So amazing!"
The Cloud Sub-Dragon spoke quickly: "Can you understand now? Show me all the other moves you know."
"Yes!"
"Sky Dragon's Claw!"
"Sky Dragon's Wave Wind!"
Wendy demonstrated her magic move by move, and the Cloud Sub-Dragon corrected her each time.
Even though the teaching seemed rushed, she insisted on explaining until Wendy and Rhode understood everything.
Feeling that this was enough for today, the Cloud Sub-Dragon stopped and asked Rhode, "Is the Mountain Range lying? Weren't you supposed to hold on for only a short while?"
Rhode chuckled, "It must have been a long time since I told you that? People do make progress."
The Cloud Sub-Dragon nodded in satisfaction: "Not bad, not bad, I'll be off then, see you next time."
Suddenly, Wendy spoke in a tiny voice, so soft it could be missed if not paying close attention: "Um..."
But the Cloud Sub-Dragon heard her, crouching down to listen.
It seemed she smiled warmly afterward, gently extending her right wing for Wendy to leap up and snuggle against joyfully.
Rhode and Mira could roughly guess what Wendy had just said.
Rhode now thought that a Summoned Beast having rich emotions wasn't bad at all. Lucy probably thought the same.
After staying close for a while, the Cloud Sub-Dragon carefully patted Wendy on the head and slowly vanished.
Before leaving, she tossed back to Rhode: "Don't push yourself next time; it's unnecessary. Just call me after rest, won't you? While caring for others' feelings, be mindful of your own body."
Thanks to her quick speech, otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to finish such a long reminder.
"Don't mention the obvious..." Rhode muttered under his breath, "And getting interrupted at such a moment really kills the atmosphere."
Mira lifted Rhode's arm and placed it on her shoulder.
Rhode comfortably leaned on her.
"Brother Rhode, are you okay?" Wendy rushed over nervously, "I'm sorry, I was too willful."
"It's fine, just need a few minutes of rest."
Rhode wasn't pretending; the Crown of Insight was still in effect, requiring only a few minutes to recover.
Feeling his Magic Power had almost replenished, Rhode received the Cloud Dragon Soul: "Come on, let's fight."
"Receive: Satan's Soul." Mira didn't refuse, "It's a chance for Wendy to also see how we battle."
Mira remembered Rhode wanting to partner with Wendy, so letting her understand more of Rhode's fighting style was good.
The two started fighting immediately, every punch and kick carrying immense power.
Wendy and Carla couldn't help but step back, watching them fly up and down, engaging from ground to sky and back again.
The night sky frequently shimmered with magical light, and fierce winds often swept across the wilderness.
"What's going on?" Carla clung to Wendy's leg, worried she might be blown away, "Are they really just training?"
Wendy's pigtails swung in the wind, her left hand forming a fist, shielding her forehead with her forearm, eyes closely following the ever-changing positions of the two: "So strong... Brother Rhode and Sister Mira are incredibly powerful!"
But the strongest mage in the Guild is Kildas.
Carla recalled the man they saw during the day, thinking of how destructive their fight already was; in a town, it would have destroyed countless houses. How strong could he be?
Rhode and Mira were evenly matched, but as Rhode gradually adapted to the Cloud Sub-Dragon's powers, Mira started lagging in speed.
She took a punch to the left shoulder, and before she could grab him, another hit landed on her back. Mira flapped her wings vigorously, trying to distance herself from Rhode.
But with a speed disadvantage, it wasn't easy to do so.
Wendy was slightly puzzled, "Why do Brother Rhode's flying maneuvers resemble Hapi's so much..."
"That tomcat?" Carla didn't want to admit it, but Hapi seemed better at flying than her.
"Demon Hutley!" Mira switched to a stronger Devil Soul, finally catching Rhode's wrist, "Speed increased tremendously, but the strength seems less than the Mountain Sub-Dragon form."
"Yes, maybe if I further adapt, it can become even stronger." Rhode took a deep breath and exhaled.
Mira tensed up for a moment, but it turned out to only ruffle her hair.
Rhode chuckled, "Payback for you."
Mira paused, realizing what kind of payback it was.
She canceled the Receiving Magic, her small hand fanning her nose deliberately, "Hmph, breath stinks."
"Hmph hmph." Rhode kept silent.
Wendy came to check Mira's shoulder, relieved after confirming no serious injury: "Do you always train like this?"
Mira replied, "Occasionally, mostly it's regular exercise to increase Magic Power and stamina."
Wendy became a bit unsure, "Can I really be of help in the exam?"
Rhode affirmed, "Of course, Wendy is a Sky Dragon Slayer Mage, if you had cast a Strength-enhancing spell on me earlier, I might have already beaten Mira. Plus, you now have the Cloud Sub-Dragon teaching you, right?"
Wendy nodded vigorously: "Yup!"
They still took the River Crab back, with Rhode and Mira escorting Wendy and Carla to the girls' dormitory, watching them go upstairs before leaving.
After walking a distance, Rhode suddenly hugged Mira.
"What's up?"
Rhode pressed his lips up against hers, "Let you see if I have bad breath."
"..." Holding a grudge! Mira lightly punched Rhode's shoulder twice, then hugged him back.
...
The next morning, the family of three went to the Guild as usual.
Suddenly, a person staggered out of the alley.
Elfman recognized him: "Gajeel?"
It was indeed Gajeel, but he didn't seem in good spirits, his clothes were torn, and his face had cat scratch marks.
Mira had a changeable relationship with Gajeel and showed concern, "Are you okay? Did something happen?"
Gajeel weakly shook his head and left dejectedly.
The three of them were left wondering, with faint cat meows echoing from the alley.