Sylvia stared at the long blade standing upright beside her, blinking her eyes obediently.
She raised a small hand and gently shifted the sword aside a bit.
"Um… you see, we don't really have a proper space here, so maybe next time…"
Sylvia was now absolutely certain—whatever Acheron claimed about this being a "practical combat drill," she was definitely harboring some mischievous intent deep down.
This woman was just not honest.
What she said and what she actually did often didn't quite match up.
Especially right now.
Sylvia even felt like Acheron was about to draw her own blade and take a swing at her.
Yet clearly, Sylvia's weak and feeble resistance served no purpose other than making Acheron a bit more… 'excited.'
"No time like the present. In a place like Penacony, every bit of strength you can gain matters. Let's go."
Acheron released Sylvia, then pulled her up to her feet, a pair of crimson eyes fixed intently on her.
Though she said nothing more, her meaning was unmistakable.
"…"
"…"
"Alright, fine, we'll train, we'll train! Just stop staring at me like that."
With that, Sylvia raised her hand and nudged Acheron's shoulder, pushing her right through the teleporter.
--+--
They arrived once more on that desolate planet where they'd first met.
But Sylvia felt no joy in revisiting old ground.
Because the moment they landed, Acheron's scabbard came whistling through the air, smashing down toward Sylvia's head.
BOOM—!!!
Sylvia barely managed to summon her greatsword, blocking in front of her as flames erupted from it. Yet she was still sent flying backward by the sudden, tremendous force.
She crashed straight through several ruins.
"Oww… you're really going all out, huh… haah…"
Amidst the billowing dust, Sylvia scrambled quickly to her feet.
But before she could even guess Acheron's next move, suddenly—
Schiiing—
With an incredibly sharp, clear ring of steel, Sylvia instantly felt the whole world turn monochrome—black and white.
Time seemed to freeze in place, leaving only that sharp, blood-red gleam, surging toward her thick with the power of Nihility!
"—?!!"
Holy crap, you're serious?!
The crimson arc of the blade came with terrifying speed. Sylvia didn't even have time to speak.
She could only manage to unleash the full power stored within her bottle—the energy from Phantylia.
Frenzied flames erupted from Sylvia's body.
As if sensing the threat from Nihility, her Herrscher Core pulsed wildly.
Continuously releasing flames infused with the power of Destruction.
Sylvia compressed vast amounts of fire onto her greatsword, the intense heat distorting the very space around her.
The music playing from the greatsword grew faint and distant as a result.
"Haa—!"
Sylvia roared, raising the sword with both hands before executing a simple, straightforward horizontal slash—flames howling as it smashed fiercely into the blood-red blade-light!
CLANG—!!
A terrifying force, accompanied by the erosion of Nihility, spread from the greatsword, while the powers of Destruction and Permanence resisted unceasingly.
Sylvia herself was pushed back by this blade-light, her feet shattering the ground beneath her as she skidded backward.
Until, at a certain moment—
The crimson blade-light was split in two by Sylvia.
The fragmented energy, with Sylvia as the dividing point, left behind two immense gashes in the earth, stretching who-knows-how-many kilometers.
Panting heavily, Sylvia glanced back. Thankfully, Acheron had held back.
She didn't sense much lingering Nihility power within those enormous scars.
Just then, Acheron—her blade now drawn—appeared soundlessly before Sylvia.
Her form, like a white-haired demon, seemed to be the very embodiment of death itself.
This was Sylvia's first time facing Acheron in such a state, and while she felt a touch of fear, once she realized Acheron was still holding back, she cast aside her worries.
Gripping her sword, accompanied by booming music, she charged actively toward Acheron!
Watching the roaring flames approach, Acheron gave a satisfied nod and, likewise sparing no words, closed the distance.
She was pleased with Sylvia's growth.
Though the girl's mouth often ran freely, when it was time to act, she never hesitated or made excuses.
And precisely because of this, Acheron was willing to spar with Sylvia, honing her blade again and again with her own strength.
--+--
A long while later.
To say the exchange between Sylvia and Acheron shook heaven and earth would be no exaggeration.
But fortunately, this godforsaken place had nothing to begin with, so neither paid much mind to the environmental damage.
Amidst the nearly leveled ruins, a breathless Sylvia leaned against Acheron without a care for her appearance.
Her greatsword had been tossed aside, and she couldn't be bothered to retrieve it.
As for Acheron, she had already sheathed her blade, returning to her usual blue appearance.
"Haah… Mei, I knew you were going hard on me on purpose."
Sylvia rested her head against that soft cushion, tilting her face upward to complain at Acheron.
Acheron, meanwhile, removed her glove and gently stroked Sylvia's white hair.
"This was also to gauge your progress lately. You've been spending less time training recently, haven't you?"
Acheron was well aware Sylvia had been distracted by many other matters.
Compared to the early days, Sylvia's time dedicated to swordsmanship had indeed decreased.
But since Sylvia hadn't stopped entirely, Acheron noticed but didn't comment.
After all, even Acheron herself wasn't by Sylvia's side every day.
But Sylvia wasn't buying it.
She pouted and said, "I don't believe you. You were definitely taking revenge. What kind of 'progress check' starts with trying to slash me like that?!"
Acheron smiled without speaking. The two things weren't mutually exclusive, after all.
There were many experiences she hadn't had for so, so long that she couldn't always put them into words clearly.
So often, Acheron preferred to express herself through action.
And Sylvia had been quite… provocative in teasing her.
So naturally, Acheron would show her displeasure.
Not that she disliked it—Acheron didn't really mind Sylvia's remarks.
But that didn't stop her from drawing her blade and giving Sylvia a few strikes, right?
However, that smile on Acheron's face, in Sylvia's eyes, seemed like a deliberate admission. Sylvia's eyes widened.
"…Did you just admit it?!"
"No, I didn't."
"You totally did! You've been smiling this whole time, nonstop."
Hearing Sylvia's complaint, Acheron suddenly pulled out her phone and tapped away rapidly.
Then, Sylvia's phone chimed.
Pulling it out, she saw a message from Acheron:
[Acheron: [｡°(°.◜ᯅ◝°)°｡]]
"…"
[Sylvia: What are you doing?]
[Acheron: Didn't you say I was smiling the whole time?]
[Sylvia: …]
"Was I asking you to send me a sticker?!"
Faced with Sylvia's confusion, Acheron not only didn't answer, she deftly changed the subject.
"Alright, rest a bit and then we should head back. Take a good bath and get some proper rest."
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.