Chapter 43
A month and a half passed by.
During these weeks, Blake had worked hard and finally broken through to the Iron Stage.
He spent his days training with Austin, pushing his body to become stronger and practicing his spells over and over.
Their training was intense.
When they sparred, both moved so swiftly they were like blurred shadows, their speed so great it could leave faint after-images in the air.
Austin was the faster of the two.
This was because he often trained with Blake's father, the family patriarch.
Blake's father was a mighty Moon Class, with his Ocular power so great it could rival the legendary Saint Classes.
Austin himself was born special, with his Third Pathway already open.
This gave him incredible natural physical strength, which was growing even faster than his Mana Core.
While his body grew stronger, his core was still at the peak of the Iron Stage.
He was right on the edge of breaking through to the Silver Stage, but he could not take that final step yet.
He needed something more to harden his foundation, to make it unshakeable.
Unlike friend Lucas, Austin needed more time and more dangerous, life-or-death battles to temper his spirit and strengthen his base.
Even so, Lucas was currently physically stronger, nearing the peak of the Third Pathway.
If Ronan did not use his spells, Lucas could overpower him.
Austin still had a long journey to reach that point.
Lucas had the advantage of special tempering fluids and, most importantly, he cultivated the rare and powerful Sanguine's Eight Pathways technique.
He was now the only person in the entire world who practiced it, making his progress much faster.
A major problem for Austin was that he could not cultivate these Pathways himself.
To do that, he would first need to awaken the legendary Six Worldly Eyes.
With those eyes, his control over mana could reach a supreme level, allowing him to potentially cultivate up to the 6th or 7th Pathway.
But reaching the 8th Pathway was nearly impossible for anyone without the Mana Eyes.
A person who awakens the Mana Eyes becomes unbelievably strong, especially in their Mana Core.
Their control reaches such heights that mana itself bows to their command.
They can reach a level where they can command all forms of energy, not just mana, with effortless ease.
This was the very reason the Great Sage had tried to kill Lucas before he could awaken the eyes, but he had failed.
So, Lucas could not be compared to anyone else.
At this moment, he was a monster who should not even exist.
Those eyes are the only thing that can understand the supreme Law of Creation, which includes both the Law of Life and the Law of Death.
Back at the training ground, Austin and Blake had just finished their sparring session.
Sweat dripped from their brows as they caught their breath.
Austin looked at his friend and said, "You have improved a lot. But your spells are still lacking. Now that you're at the Iron Stage, the power of your spells should match mine, but you're still behind. You need to improve that. Also, I think you can cast them much faster."
"Yeah, it's hard to keep up when I'm facing you," Blake replied.
He then looked up into the vast blue sky and asked, "Oh yeah, the new year is almost here. Do you plan on doing anything special?"
"Why should I plan anything?" Austin questioned.
He shrugged and said, "To me, every day is the same. That's why I train or go on missions almost every day. Sometimes I relax with friends, but it's all part of the same routine."
"So, for you, a party is just like training, doing missions, and more training?" Blake asked with a curious smile on his face.
"You're saying that like you're not exactly the same," Austin shot back quickly.
Blake sighed and looked away for a moment. "Well, I am adding another thing for myself this year," he said, his voice becoming a little shy.
Austin didn't understand why Blake seemed embarrassed.
He simply added, "Spending more time with your family?"
"Yeah, I'm going to do that, and you should join us, Austin. You're more like a big brother to me, and I'm not the only one who thinks that way," Blake said.
He then took a small breath and mumbled, "But I am, or you could say… I have a date."
At that moment, time seemed to freeze for a second before Austin burst into loud, roaring laughter.
"Hahahahaha! You have a date? What the heck is going on!" Austin laughed so hard he knelt on the grassy ground, holding his stomach.
"Says the most single talented in our whole clan," Blake fired back, annoyed at Austin's reaction.
"Hey, that wasn't cool," Austin said, but he was still smiling. He wiped a tear from his eye and asked, "Okay, okay. Who is the lucky girl?"
"Violet Motomato," Blake answered back, his voice low.
"Wow!" Austin exclaimed, his eyes wide. "The most talented kid of our clan is going for the coldest girl in our clan. What a funny outcome."
He chuckled softly. "But if you have chosen her, I trust your decision. Just don't forget to keep pushing forward for our goal, okay? Don't place all your focus only on her."
"Okay," Blake answered.
Then he turned the question back on Austin. "Why aren't you dating anyone?"
"Hmmmm, me dating, huh?" Austin just shook his head slowly.
A slightly awkward look came over his face. "Well, I get super shy around girls," he admitted, scratching the back of his head.
Blake stared at Austin for a full minute, then he started laughing all over again. "Is that why you always tried to leave so quickly when Victoria wanted to talk to you? And it also happened with those other girls! The strongest of our generation is really shy around girls? That's much funnier than me having a girlfriend!" Blake laughed without stopping, until Austin reached over and lightly slapped the back of his head.
"Shut up," Austin said, but he was smiling.
"I just don't know what to do, you know? I don't know what to say or how to act in that kind of situation. I don't know what you're supposed to do in a relationship. It's complicated, so I've never really tried."
Blake's laughter softened to a chuckle. "Do you want to know a few tips?"
"Like you would know! You just got a girlfriend! And why should I listen to a 10-year-old boy?" Austin said, raising an eyebrow.
"We only have a six-year difference. It's not that big. And besides, aren't you the one who is always praising me for how mature I am?" Blake pointed out.
Austin lowered his head, admitting defeat.
Blake patted his friend's shoulder.
"A wise friend of mine once said: don't complicate things. If you miss someone, go and talk to them. If you want to be with someone, go and talk to them. If you want to achieve your goal, just find a way to do it and go for it. Are you afraid? It's okay to be afraid. Just go, and let the fear teach you as you move forward."
After a moment of quiet, Blake stood up and brushed the grass from his clothes. "Okay," he said, his mood bright again.
"Enough serious talk. Let's go get something to eat. I am as hungry as hell."