Jumping back to his feet and assuming his stance, Damien focused his eyes on Ruby, “I see Ela taught you the basic stance for a katana; just don’t get too used to it. With how vast the universe is and with there being other universes besides our own, I am sure you will come across a better way to utilize a katana,” Ruby stated calmly.

  Nodding his head, Damien did not take his eyes off her if she tried to sneak attack him again. Seeing that he was not taking his focus off her, Ruby smiled. “Good, remember to always keep your eyes on your opponent otherwise you will end up not knowing how you lost.”

  “Now, come at me with everything you have so I know what I'm working with. No abilities, use only your body and sword.”

  Hearing her words, Damien rushed toward Ruby, who was standing opposite him. As he looked down at her hands, he noticed she was wearing a gauntlet, which led him to believe that she was likely some kind of brawler focused on hand-to-hand combat. Knowing he had the advantage in reach because he was wielding a weapon, Damien closed the distance between them just enough so that she could not reach him, while he could strike her with his katana.

  Slashing at her side, Ruby effortlessly blocked his attack, making the sword slide down the side of her right gauntlet. She then responded by taking a quick step at Damien and unleashed a quick jab at his abdomen.

  Remembering Ela’s words, he prepared himself for the attack but did not take his eyes off Ruby in case the attack was a feint. Clashing his sword once more with her fists they continued to throw attack after attack.

  Damien tried everything he could think of, but nothing seemed to work; Ruby’s defense was impenetrable. Breathing heavily at this point, he attempted to block one of her attacks again, but this time he was caught off guard. Up until now, Ruby had been launching straightforward attacks without any tricks. However, after blocking Damien’s sword, she closed in on him with extreme speed and executed the first feint in the hours they had been fighting.

  Caught off guard by the unexpected attack, Damien found himself unprepared, having grown accustomed to her simpler moves. As a result, a powerful blow struck him in the chest, sending him flying backward. He landed on his back and looked up at the night sky, panting heavily.

  After a few moments, Ruby appeared, blocking out the sky above. “You did well, but remember what I taught you today. Don’t let yourself fall into the same trap in the future. When you’re fighting, opponents who are smart will use tactics similar to mine to lure you into a false sense of security, which allows them to catch you off guard. Tomorrow, we’ll continue to work on your stamina and improve the effectiveness of your attacks. Now, get some rest.”

  Finishing her words, she said goodbye to Ela and headed out of the arena. Once she was gone, Ela walked over to Daimen, who was still lying on the ground, exhausted. This was the first time since he awakened that he had felt truly tired.

  Looking down at him, Ela smiled. “So, how was it?”

  “It was fun. Training with someone much more skilled in combat than me showed that I have a massive room for improvement. Also, that woman is a monster. How is she not even slightly out of breath after fighting for so long?”

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  "That's something she will definitely teach you. It's called conserving your energy by minimizing unnecessary movements. With your current fighting style, you waste a significant amount of stamina on superfluous actions and attacks. Once you learn how to conserve your energy and avoid wasting it, your stamina could last double or even triple the current duration."

  Daimen's face showed a brief expression of surprise at Ela's words, but it quickly disappeared as her statement began to make sense. Although he wasn't exactly sure where he had wasted energy, he realized that he could analyze the fight to identify those moments.

  Reflecting on the fight, that last attack had truly caught him off guard, highlighting just how much better Ruby was compared to him. Throughout the fight, she had engaged him with simple maneuvers, deliberately making him waste stamina before landing the final blow with a feint. The reason it worked so effectively was that she had executed it flawlessly, acclimating Daimen to her basic attacks.

  “Shall we go back to the inn?” Ela asked, breaking Daimen out of his thoughts. He nodded and followed her as they walked back. The moment he lay down on the soft bed, he fell asleep without saying a word.

  ‘Cute,’ Ela thought as she covered him up. Walking over to the balcony, she became lost in her thoughts, reflecting on the multitude of experiences in her life. As she thought about her parents, a memory surfaced.

  She remembered her earlier conversation with Daimen about their parents and what had happened to them. During that discussion, Ela had mentioned his blood type from before the system’s arrival, along with the concept of soul fires. However, she hadn’t fully explained it to him because her emotions had overwhelmed her.

  Sighing, she reminded herself to share that information with him in the days to come. For now, it was important for Daimen to focus on his training. The sooner he learned actual combat, the better.

  Meanwhile, in a dark and desolate building, far from Ela and Daimen, a solitary figure moved through the dimly lit halls. He stopped in front of a door and stepped inside.

  The room was illuminated by the flickering light of candles, its massive brick walls towering around him. As he approached the center of the room, a figure halted in front of another person whose face remained shrouded in shadows.

  Bowing his head, the figure waited for the person to speak. "You better have a good reason for entering my chambers," the man said, his voice firm and exerting pressure on the bowing figure.

  Cold sweat began to bead on the figure’s forehead. Clearing his throat nervously, he replied, "Our scrying detected something, Your Majesty... A primordial has reappeared somewhere in the multiverse."

  Upon hearing the word "primordial," the man's eyes narrowed instantly. The pressure on the bowing figure intensified, causing him to drop to his knees.

  "How is that possible? The primordial died a long time ago; I personally witnessed his death. It should be impossible for another like him to reappear in the universe."

  "Your Majesty, you should know that nothing is truly impossible when the system is involved. Also, you must remember that a man’s blood is unique; if a being were born with a blood type similar to his and possessed a bloodline like ours, he could become primordial. That is the best conclusion the scry and I could come up with."

  Listening to the words of the man below him, His Majesty closed his eyes. 'We cannot allow another of his kind to emerge again. Otherwise, our race will become the slaves we once were.'

  "Mobilize our forces. Do everything in your power to find the primordial. I want him brought before me within a year. Should you fail to do so, you know the consequences. Also, do not let those people discover this; the primordial is enough of a headache, and we don’t need to deal with those fanatics on top of that. Am I understood?"

  "It will be done," said the man, bowing his head once more before quickly turning and leaving the room.

  Once the man was gone, His Majesty let out a heavy sigh.

  “Damn, primordial’s.”