Chapter 103: Bonds and Breakthroughs
Several days had passed since Prince Hunter's departure. The Bright Brilliant Blade Sect returned to its steady rhythms, though certain bonds had grown stronger in that short time.
Inside a sparring hall, Ramiro stood opposite Seralily. Her aura shimmered with new strength—she had reached Gold Tier 1. The two excitable Fanged Elf women who always followed her were nearby, spears in hand, watching closely.
"Hehe, amazing Sister Seralily! You've become a formidable force! Look, Papi Ramiro is smiling too. Papi, it's my turn to spar!"
"Yes! Sister Seralily advanced so quickly. Soon it will be us, once our spear arts rise to the same level."
Their energy pulled a warm, heroic laugh from Ramiro.
"Hahaha, hearing you cheer for me is soothing for the soul."
"It's soothing for us too, lifting you up. Mi papi es genial!" Seralily teased with a faint blush.
(Translation: My daddy is amazing!)
Ramiro grinned and bowed slightly.
"Hehe, I'm amazed you're willing to adopt words from the language of my people—err, my human tribe, to be clear. Gracias a mis amigas preciosas por todo!"
(Translation: Thanks to my gorgeous friends for everything!)
His eyes shifted to the last person in the room—silent until now.
"And of course, thanks to you. Who would have guessed you'd be one of Christy's close friends here?"
It was Sofia Garcia—an old acquaintance from lands governed by the León family and one of Christy's allies since joining the sect.
"Ah, Papi, I've missed you since I was recruited for my talents years ago. I'm happy we're together again… though I didn't expect women to be flocking to you so soon. Papi es tan guapo y carismático," she murmured softly.
(Translation: Daddy is so handsome and charismatic.)
The Fanged Elves, with their sharp hearing, caught every word and nodded with light blushes.
Ramiro's grin widened. "So much loving support! I can go another round! Let's spar again. Sofia, you're close to Gold Tier—push harder. Come at me!"
"Yeeees, Papiiii!" the three women chimed.
Sofia raised her magical dual-ended staff, its tips shifting between bladed and blunt forms. The others leveled their spears. Ramiro spun his blunt spear into position—and the hall rang with the clash of wood and steel.
In another part of the sect, the Soloman recruits gathered for a meeting. Erica sat among them, her displeasure written plainly across her face.
"So tell me…" she began coolly, "to interrupt my time with El Onyem—no, with Big Brother Elton—what could possibly be so important?"
"Too young to be scowling like that, Lady Erica," Rija smirked. "Relax, and focus on the meeting."
"You bitch!" Erica snapped.
"Ladies, please," Sarkies, a broad-shouldered young man with a kind expression, said firmly. "This is our first clan gathering here. For the good of the family, we must exchange information."
"Brother Sarkies is right," added John Soloman. "Lady Erica, Lady Rija—you should represent our family with grace. Lady Erica, you also—"
"Yes, yes, I hear you," Erica cut him off with a wave. "Let's move on."
The thirty or so Soloman members sighed. Erica's age and talent gave her far more leeway than most. Rija only snorted.
The discussion turned to their alliance with the Bright Brilliant Blade Sect and their role in the coming war. Erica's comments centered on following Elton's movements, often with a faint look of disgust when pointing out how strange it was that he—blood of their clan—hadn't even been invited.
Her stance drew three main reactions:
Irritation that a discarded family member could influence her so strongly. Neutral acknowledgment that Elton hadn't shamed the family. Quiet agreement from a few who'd learned more about him or met him.
Rija had felt all three at different times, leaving her conflicted.
At Prince Hunter's send-off, she'd met many of Elton's companions: Ramiro León, whose talent had recently bloomed; the dangerous yet composed Shayleaf; Amberleaf, Seralily, and Joe-Pine; Erica herself; Lady Christy of the Aka Boshi no Tengan clan, who could rein in Erica; and Zoro Tatsumaki—whose killing intent had once frozen Rija in place.
And then there was Elton Solman. She knew of his family's forced name change from Soloman to Solman, and of the tragic war that left him the only survivor. He was charismatic, powerful, and intriguing, yet something about him defied her understanding. Without realizing it, she'd grown slightly obsessed, a thought that unsettled her.
As the meeting went on, Rija kept those feelings buried. She didn't notice Erica glancing at her in annoyance—or Sarkies watching her with narrowed eyes and a faint grin.
Time passed.
More dangerous missions appeared, their rewards higher. Zoro often left with Kageha and Kuroha. Ramiro sometimes joined them, accompanied by the three Fanged Elves and Sofia—now wearing a White Star Radiance mask and bearing their banner.
Elton focused on cultivation, often training in synchronization with Shayleaf—whose excitement bordered on wild—and Amberleaf, who wasn't much calmer. Through experimentation, he discovered ways to synchronize with Christy and Erica as well, both determined to master the method.
During one session with Christy—
"Gege… feeling our energies blend while I use my Aka Boshi no Tengan… ahh! I think I'm about to break through!" she gasped, a faint, bloody bite mark visible on Elton's arm.
"Yes, I can feel it too," Elton said, blushing. "Try to relax."
"Haa… haaa… Whew. I finally understand the euphoria Shayleaf talks about… This is dangerous. If we're not careful, it could lead to… things we shouldn't do yet."
Elton was silent. Normally Christy kept such thoughts hidden, but in her post-cultivation state she seemed unaware she'd said them. He decided to ignore it.
"Well then, Gege, I'm going into closed-door cultivation to break through. See you soon!" she said, hugging him before hurrying out.
Elton exhaled. "Compared to Erica, that was easy. Still… these synchronizations are risky. If we overdo them, we might end up actually dual cultivating…" He paled at the thought.
In her own cave, Christy collapsed onto the floor in embarrassment.
"D-did he hear me? Oh no… Ugh. I need to stop denying my feelings before they turn into a heart demon. Gege… he feels the same, doesn't he? Then why hasn't he shown me? He's the man!"
She sighed, deciding to set the thought aside—for now.