At Karath Academy, Director Tim Ayr was sitting in his office, watching those pillars of light rising into the sky. He thought to himself,
'It seems things will reach their end this time. Should I go myself, or leave it to the king and his aides?'
Suddenly, Star Instructor Ryan Shine rushed into the office and said,
"Director! We must go to those lights!"
The director replied calmly,
"There's no need. The king has already gone there. At most, he will be dealing with an eighth-level evil spirit.This is also a personal matter."
Ryan pointed toward the black light with the white point at its center and said urgently,
"Shion Lan and Sol Hart are there!"
The director was stunned so he jolted upright, grabbed his cloak and staff in a single instant, and said,
"I will not allow that filthy spirit to lay a hand on my students!" And he disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Ryan was stunned that the director had left without him, but he shook his head and prepared himself as well. After all, he was Shion Lan's teacher. He then set off to join the king's forces.
...
"Solan, where are you taking me?"
An eight-year-old girl pulled Shion's hand and led him toward the armory. She said,
"Master Guardian! Can you choose a weapon?!"
Shion was stunned for a moment, but Solan Neumann continued,
"I'm now on the verge of the second circle, and I need to create a spiritual weapon that you can use in this world."
Shion felt something tremble deep inside him.
'When was the last time I held a sword? Eight years?!… Finally, I'll be able to wield a sword again!
He rushed toward the sword section and He moved, searching eagerly soon fixed his gaze on a particular blade, staring at it for a long time.
'This sword resembles the ones from Shi Yun Lan's world. As someone who lived there for a long time—and will live there again in the future—I think this sword suits me.'
Shion pointed at the sword. Solan looked at it; its appearance was unusual. Holding it, she asked,
"Is this the one you chose, Sir?"
Shion flew around in joy, as if he were smiling broadly. Solan smiled as well and said,
"I'll do my best, Master Guardian!"
She quickly left the place. Shion sat on the ground, staring at his hand.
"Three years have passed, and I managed to establish contact with my body in the real world. I learned how pitiful my physical condition was. I also managed a simple connection with Shion Lan—nothing more than a severe headache, without even understanding what he was saying. Throughout all this time, I used my hand only as a fire claw and cutting motion. But with that connection, I was able to continue my training. It was slow, but still progress. Now I learned a lot about the spirits and I can form six cutters and open six paths. To reach the strongest power of the third level, the number must reach ten."
Shion sensed the spirits around him and looked on with irritation.
"Those things never stopped following me once they noticed me. They watch me constantly. Even though Solan forbade them, they still observe. At first, I thought Solan had sent them—after all, mentally she's eighteen years old, and she encountered a spirit she couldn't deal with, so caution was natural. But I later confirmed, by slipping through walls, that she scolded them for disobeying orders and warned them that I was extremely dangerous. That's when I realized how evil I must seem."
Shion flew out of the palace, thinking,
"Years have passed here. I've developed the (Stellar Spirit) and linked it to the fire element. Now I need to develop it again to use the water element efficiently once I obtain the sword."
Days passed. Shion upgraded his spirit until he reached the second level. He reestablished contact with Shi Yun Lan—this time the headache was milder, though the words were still incomprehensible. Shion didn't care.
He decided to use the (Water Vortex), which violently enveloped him. He had missed this feeling, but he didn't lose focus. He began practicing some spells even before receiving the sword. As he used his skills, his spiritual perception rose sharply. He sensed someone approaching a benevolent spirit, trying to engage it in battle.
Shion flicked his finger and sent a (Water Bomb) toward the evil spirit, killing it in a single strike. After all, this was third-level power.
Seeing this, an idea flashed in Shion's eyes.
'Aren't (Paths of Fire) lines whose tips explode when they connect to the target? What if I added a (Water Bomb) at the tip? And wait—don't fire paths flow like rivers, while water bombs erupt like volcanoes?'
Shion entered a moment of meditation, savoring the thought. Evil spirits approached him, but Solan arrived and commanded her spirits,
"Protect Master Guardian!"
Although these spirits were only first-level, they were numerous. Solan had worked tirelessly over the past three years purifying spirits. She was startled when her world suddenly froze—there was no attack on her. She realized then that the attack was aimed at her Master Guardian.
She grabbed the sword and rushed toward Shion, who was meditating and unaware of what was happening. A large-scale battle erupted inside the palace: hundreds of spirits against dozens of powerful evil spirits. Solan controlled them with ease, erected a barrier around Shion, and stood guard beside him.
She saw him inert, yet the light within that shadow shone intensely.
'Is Master Guardian learning something new?'
Shion remained immersed in meditation as the battle raged. Solan proved her worth, issuing proper commands as she had done in the real world. Soon, the evil spirits were surrounded.
Then something dangerous happened: Imat Neumann intervened, having been taken over by an evil spirit.
'My uncle is under control now. I can't purify him no matter what, because he's the original summoner not a soul in this recorded world. His power is fourth level. I hope Master Guardian wakes up in time.'
Solan didn't want to wake Shion unless absolutely necessary. The eight-year-old girl stood before Imat and called out,
"Spirits, gather with me!"
The spirits responded, surrounding her completely to shield her. Solan formed hand seals and chanted various spells. Imat looked at her, and the possessing spirit showed shock.
"A fourth-level spell?"
Fourth-level spells were impossible for lower levels, as they required linking the concepts three circles first and then adding a fourth, placing enormous strain on the mind. But Solan borrowed the power of her spirits to supply the strength of four circles. With her pure spirit, she could perform a fourth-level spell—though it required more time.
Imat advanced toward her indifferently, but the spirits resisted him with their numbers—hundreds of them. Still, the evil spirit invoked fourth-circle magic within seconds.
"(Spirit Corruption)!"
Every spirit that approached him was tainted, their power turning dark. They turned on their former allies and attacked them. The spirits clashed again, but this time the evil spirits had the upper hand.
The spirits maintaining the barrier around Shion grew anxious and shouted for him to wake up. When Shion opened his eyes, he saw the unfair battle.
"The young lady is forming a fourth-level spell, but she can't protect herself now!"
"Save her, Master Guardian!"
Shion looked at Solan, regret filling his heart.
"I shouldn't have done that…"
Then he noticed a sword lying on the ground.
'Could it be…?'
He grabbed the sword—and he could hold it.
"I didn't expect this! That girl actually succeeded in forging the sword!"
He scanned the battlefield and saw the evil spirit rushing toward Solan. Rage surged within him.
"(Star Surge)!"
Shion hadn't used that strike for eight years, yet it still unleashed its ferocious power. He charged at Imat, who raised his hand to defend himself, having never faced such an attack before so he underestimated the power within. But he was shocked by its reach and was hurled backward, passing through a wall.
Shion turned toward the spirit battle, summoned claws in one hand and held the sword in the other.
"(Star Vortex) (Star Tide) (Fire Claws) (Cutting Flames)!"
He unleashed all his power at once, striking every evil spirit in a single blow. The battle regained balance.
But at that moment, Imat attacked from underground. Shion, with his powerful spirit, was barely affected. He grabbed Imat.
"(Star Vortex)!"
The vortex enveloped them both, cutting off Imat Neumann's connection to the evil spirits, which began to weaken. Shion and Imat fought at close range. Despite Shion using only the fire element to maintain the Star Vortex, Imat struggled. Shion fought with both hands—one forming claws that summoned cutting flames, the other detonating its threads.
Though the spirit was strong and ominous, Shion mocked it,
"What a stupid bastard. Do you expect me to be scared of these tricks?"
Shion lunged, slicing through Imat's chest and shattering him. The tide of battle shifted decisively in favor of Shion and the young Solan.
Imat screamed and tried to flee.
"Are you scared?"
But Shion sensed something else and turned around. To notice Solan had completed her spell and looked at Imat.
"Let me try to purify him, Master Guardian."
Shion nodded, unsure what the little girl intended. He exited the vortex, tightening it around Imat only and increasing its power. He gathered all his stellar power to restrain the evil spirit.
The spirits converged toward Solan's hand, compressing into a sphere of pure energy. Shion watched in shock and amazement.
Solan said,
"Evil spirit, and Uncle Imat—both of you destroyed my family. I will do the same to you!"
She unleashed her full power. Imat couldn't evade the strike and was blasted violently, sent flying a great distance. But he didn't care and tried to flee, but cold silver eyes stared him down. Without wasting another second, Shion killed him.
Imat Neumann returned to his original state, and all evil spirits were eliminated.
Shion looked at his sword, loving the familiar design from Shi Yun Lan's world. He turned to thank Solan, but she was sitting cross-legged, her eyes closed.
"It seems she's on the verge of reaching the second level. I'll guard her."
Shion smiled and sat down. He felt her spirit washing over his body, as if all fatigue had vanished. Minutes passed, and Solan Neumann advanced to the second level.