"Um... how does this help with swordsmanship?" Asks Kiku.

"Mmmm... not for yourself, perhaps, but the boy will be using Aeris as a weapon, yes? It is therefore just as critical to understand the properties..."

"...of the weapon. Yes, I get it now. I had to subtly change things in my own style when Nii bought these swords for me." She nods.

I kind of understood already, but the full explanation never hurts.

It has been five days now, and I've finally stopped making a fool of myself fighting Kiku. My skill with the trance like mode has increased, and I now have awareness when using it, albeit dimly.

At the same time, Seria has continued drilling me in magical attunement exercises that were now possible with a manifest spirit.

All of this has allowed me to exchange ten blows with Kiku yesterday. I've still not hit her, though. However, this was enough for her to approve me using Aeris finally.

"Aeris, if you would."

"Un! It’s about time, master-sama!" She snickers, changes into a sword, and flies into my grip.

"Then, boy, see if you can control the lightning fully, like you say."

I take a deep breath. Yes, something completely not evident from just identifying and watching Seria in battle is that this whole time, she has had pristine control over the intensity and shape of her lightning.

Those times I thought I had saw a new spell, like that Plasma Ball recently, were not new at all. She was simply manipulating the thunder spells she knew very carefully. In that case, she was keeping it in an endless loop without grounding it, like the Ouroboros snake eating its tail, which continually caused it to recycle and ever increase its voltage and amplitude as extra spiritual power is poured in.

My nerd self decided to classify this as her using Dungeons and Dragons style metamagic. A 'Maximised Energised Concentrated Arc Splitter', if you will.

By thinking of it this way, I had soon got the basics down of the process in just a day, stunning her into a frenzied libido again, which was difficult to survive.

But I managed. This will be the first test using Aeris directly. Let’s hope this crazy plan will work.

"What I seek is Thunder! Arc Sever!"

I swing Aeris in a shoulder diagonal slash, the main one Kiku has drilled into me, and as I do, the entire Air is severed, sending out a blade-like pulse of electricity.

It worked!

Was the chuuni phrase necessary? No, of course not. But after I said it 'accidently' once... well okay I always wanted to try it once. Much to Aria's amusement, Aeris liked it so much she was practically pirouetting in joy. So… I shrugged and carried on doing it. Embarrassing? Well... who needs pride anyway?

'Bang! Slash! That was good, right master!?' Aeris' voice resounds in my head.

'Yep, it was great. You're a very good spirit.' I praise her.

'Un! I am a super spirit!' She buzzes.

In any case, I'm satisfied with the result, for sure. The training dummy was split as if being slashed, and then an electrical explosion tore it apart from the inside with an ear-cracking peal of thunder.

"Um... it’s a good job these dummy things gradually fix themselves. But... um... it’s pretty fucking good. Yep. Too pissing slow in a pitched swordfight, but we've already discussed that." Kiku nods sagely, stroking her cheek, and twiddling her hair, which is down at the moment.

Indeed, after these few days, Kiku decided, with some annoyance, that I wasn't really Bladesward material from the get go. That would require years of training I don't have, and I think her elder sister is also a benchmark I couldn't possibly live up given the stories she has told.

Even scarier is that her father isn't even a Bladesward, but could routinely trounce the elder sister, so ludicrously obscene was his regular blademastery. A potential father-in-law from hell, for sure.

"Boy... you're utterly mad. Mages with your aptitude level almost never create their own variants." Seria shakes her head, but her wide eyes and wry smile colour her as being amused. It's funny I can tell these things, isn't it?

This was the first time I showed off what I'd been thinking about with Aeris. It seems like a nice attack. It combines all of Aeris's good points!

"Hoooh... that was super, Elijah-sama!" Rishya claps.

"Like the Storm Rukh of Salt Lake." Kali nods, waggling her finger.

"A noble strike indeed. Hides its lethality until the last minute." Aria smiles.

"Wonderful, yes." Kaede agrees.

At least the peanut gallery was impressed. The two masters less so, but even that tough crowd was forced to begrudgingly acknowledge it.

"Um... Yes... I think Elijah should focus on things like that. You are right... we simply don't have enough time to make you a competent swordsman in less than three years, never mind a week." Kiku gives a harsh judgement, sighing, and giving a defeated, if happy smile.

"There is another thing as well." I smile.

I hoist one of new batches of vials I made this week. Given the availability of the Sage's supplies, I'm confident these are somewhat more potent. Moreover, these are putty, detonated by a shock from Aeris.

And there’s the other thing...

"That dummy in the tower for archery practice... I choose you!"

I point dramatically at it... and then throw in a completely different direction.

The girls look really confused as it sails off towards the field.

But of course, I intercept it, and place it suddenly up high, and spark it.

The tower erupts in blinding white fire.

That’s how you use portals!