[Plane: Rostovia. Location: Royal Training Grounds. Time: 7 years ago]
"Strike!"
The drill instructor shouted his command again, this time with even more ferocity.
"Hyah!!" Twelve boys and seven girls struck at their training dummy, embedding their sword deep inside its shoulder.
Each of their swords struck the exact same part of their training dummy. Their drill instructor watched closely, studying each of his students' form, follow through, and aggression.
Stroking his beard, the drill instructor stepped onto a platform overlooking all of the students.
"Ahem." With a simple clearing of his throat, he demanded the attention of all of the students. "How many times have you swung your sword today."
Each student instantly removed their sword from their dummy and held it at their side in the proper way. Blade down to the ground and in between their feet, hilt at their waist.
They moved with a mechanical precision that fitted worn veterans much more than little children.
Realis opened his mouth to answer but another student beat him to it.
Aerelia.
"783 times, sir!" She confirmed before looking at another student, the only one that had any fat on him. "Except for Ryker. He swung his sword 751 times."
The drill instructor smiled for a second, relieved that his teachings were getting through to someone. Then his face hardened as he turned to Ryker.
"Boy," Ryker stiffened at the harshness in his voice. "What is the primary objective of us descendants of the Terikan bloodline?"
"T-to become the perfect killers."
"Why." The drill instructor showed no pride in his student for knowing that answer.
"B-because the gods demand it. Our family must remain the strongest across all dimensions."
Nodding his head, the drill instructor turned to Realis.
He stroked his beard again before asking, "Realis, what happens to those who fail us?"
"They die." Realis answered plainly. "The Terikan bloodline will never lose its place as the strongest within the Interdimensional Arena."
...
[Interdimensional Arena, Present day]
"Nobody challenges us!!" Realis screamed as he raised his sword.
The indomitable red mana swirled around it, making it look as if it was encased in ethereal energy. Drakis knew that if it hit him even once, he'd instantly disintegrate.
But it wasn't like this was his first time facing adversity. Even if he grew up without any mana, he was still taught how to fight.
Realis swung his sword again, releasing a wave of mana like before. Except this time it was hundreds of times stronger.
Drakis immediately tucked his torso against his legs as he rolled. Air cracked against him as the crumbled dust crystallized.
He landed with a harsh thud, the newly sharpened ground tearing against his skin. Spilling the first blood suddenly didn't feel as good when Drakis forced himself to his feet.
His right arm was mangled as the ground dug straight through his armor. Blood dripped down like a running faucet, evaporating before it hit the ground.
Just like before, something kept Realis' Mana from simply eviscerating him.
'Is it that white aura around me?'
At first he had assumed it just meant he had no Mana. In a chromatic world, the only white he saw was that thin layer around him, like a coat of painting.
Sszztt!!
Putting aside his burning question, Drakis jumped back. In the next instant red mana crashed into the ground. Realis was approaching again.
Drakis reached for another knife. As he moved his arm his wounds opened, tearing apart at all the tiny cuts in his arm. In just an instant it began bleeding profusely again.
For just a second it was merely a trickle. But then it was like a broken dam and his blood flowed with no resistance.
'Damn it...' Drakis gritted his teeth as he grabbed a knife with his left hand.
He already knew his accuracy was going to be shit, but it was his only option. Even if Realis was going berserk and destroying the arena he wasn't giving up here.
"Listen here, you bastard!!" Realis screamed, the red mana seemingly fusing with his face now. "The Terikan bloodline is supreme! Who the fuck do you think you are to strike someone like me. I– do you even have mana!?"
Realis laughed uncontrollably in between his insane outbursts.
His face contorted the more he spoke. As Red mana fused with his face, it took on a more demonic appearance. A faint red glow of a hollow abyss became the silhouette of his mouth, and his eyes stretched far more than was humanly possible.
To most people, he would still look human. However, Drakis could clearly see that the boy had lost himself to his anger, and no longer had any control over his mana. And he was only becoming more unstable.
"Answer me!!!" Realis screamed before closing the distance, his abundance of mana now refusing to collect on his sword. "Do you even have mana? Because as far as I can tell, your nothing more than a worthless bitch!"
Despite his injuries, Drakis dodged this flurry of attacks with ease. Even if his wild mana made using his [Omniscience] skill far harder, the boy's wild fury made his strikes completely inaccurate. To Drakis, it almost felt akin to a drunk fighter.
Smiling seconds after dodging another strike, Drakis said, "Yeah, I have no mana."
He threw his throwing knife at Realis' face, which was promptly blocked. However, it gave him an opening to equip his dagger.
"But I still hit you. I'm still going to kill you."
Realis swung his sword wildly in front of him, the red mana swelling around him so much that not even air existed next to him.
But Drakis knew he would be safe from that mana. If it was directed into a proper attack, he knew he'd die.
Realis swung his sword once again, screaming, "You're not going to kill me!! Y-you failure!"
Drakis dodged his strike once again, ducking under it and lunging straight for Realis. Gripping his dagger tightly, he forced his mangled arm behind Realis' head before thrusting his dagger toward his chest.
Crack!!
Just before his dagger would've entered Realis' chest, a burst of energy struck it from his hand.
'Shi–'
Realis' right hand shot to Drakis' throat, squeezing it.
"You... are an imbecile." Realis growled. "You're a failure. What made you think you could be a Terikan?"
"This bloodline stands at the pinnacle of all bloodlines. As long as you exist as yourself, don't ever try and compare to us."
'What... is he talking about...'
Thoughts were escaping Drakis as Realis continued his iron grip. However, he managed to maintain consciousness, even if just a little.
With that little bit of strength, Drakis was reaching for his dagger.
But there was simply an entire universe between him and it. All Drakis could do in the moment was watch Realis lose his mind.
Realis' face twitched as he continued glaring at Drakis. The red mana completely enveloped his head as he growled, "If you cannot fight, you are not Terikan. If you cannot survive, you are not Terikan. If you cannot kill, you are not Terikan."