Since that day, Astolfo’s life had descended to hell.

He would have never been able to finish the first day of Vincent’s training if not for all the anguish he felt in his dreams. In other words, Vincent’s training was as harsh as the nightmares Astolfo saw every night, which also meant that on top of the nightmares he saw while sleeping, he would now be waking up to a nightmare as well.

For the first week or so, Astolfo felt himself going back into the deepest pits of despair. But a great shock awaited him in a particularly painful dream. He had been exposed to the pain multiple times over the last three years, so he could feel it vividly.

As his body got stronger, the pain he felt in the dreams lessened.

Like a dying bee receiving a shot of sugar water, Astolfo’s motivation and drive returned with newfound vigor. Vincent was pleased with the fire in the boy’s eyes and did his best to give him a taste of hell.

Two months of strength training was followed by basic swordsmanship in Vincent’s own style. And with the swordsmanship training, a new form of entertainment commenced for the dozens of pixies in the Dalwich forest. This entertainment was none other than watching the child that almost got them killed by a crazed a witch a few years ago get beat to a pulp by the child’s father himself.

“Haap!” Astolfo shouted as Vincent’s thin tree branch made contact with his head, causing him to quite literally fly away. Before he had even made contact with the ground, he tried to roll over to his left, but Vincent’s foot stomped his chest before he could make the turn. The boy coughed out a mouthful of spit as his legs and head bounced up from the impact.

“Still too slow.” The thin branch hit him once again as he flew to the other side, this time landing on his feet. As if he was teleporting, Vincent had already reached Astolfo. He swung his branch towards Astolfo’s face when a burst of raw mana shot out from the boy’s arm. The short yet intense release of energy pushed Astolfo back, helping him narrowly avoid the stick before eventually falling gloriously on his bum.

“Hah!” Vincent erupted! As per the self-proclaimed smartest man on earth’s calculations, it should have taken the boy well over three months to perform the first dodge. So why in the world did he use a crude trick he was never taught and dodge in just one and a half months? ”You brat! That’s not a part of the Vincent-style swordsmanship. How did you dodge? Huh? You think my style is not good enough?!“ Regardless, he blew up on the strangest matter.

“So I just get beat up again and again?” Astolfo asked.

“Yes? Of course!” Vincent replied with raised eyebrows. “Whatever, you still dodged. Congratulations, brat. Now I will have to remake my plans for your education.”

“Leave me alone instead!”

“Let’s go back.”

Like he had been doing for the past four months, Vincent placed his son on his shoulder and dragged him home. He just found it easier to sneak in with the luggage in his hands instead of its feet. As for why he was keeping Astolfo’s training a secret, the boy didn’t know, but he was sure that his mother would kill Vincent if she knew what state that man left him in every day.

While Vincent found his growth in this world peculiar and strange, a different growth poked Astolfo in his mind. In his dreams, he could feel more of Astolfo’s movements and actions. As Astolfo bettered his skills, Astolfo’s skills bettered themselves for him. He could comprehend the value of different steps, the flow of his movements, the perfection in his technique, and his mind would internalize them for him.

It didn’t stop at swordsmanship. Martial arts, magic, even his ideologies were more comprehensible as he matured. Alongside the absolute monster that was Vincent, Astolfo had found another teacher in the Astolfo that fought monsters with his life on the line.

The broken soul had started its fight against fate.

**

Atop a lofty chair in the resplendent halls of the Essen estate, Viscount Essen listened to the words of his most trusted aides. His messy blonde beard and disheveled hair, alongside his deranged red eyes, added a layer of madness to the cavalier nobleman’s appearance. If not for his attire, Viscount Essen would have been marked off as a street thug by everyone who saw him.

“Are all preparations complete?” he asked.

At his words, the black-robed aides bowed and responded. “Yes, my lord. The festival will proceed with smoothly.”

“And,” Viscount Essen whispered. “What about the festival’s end?”

All his aides cackled in unison. “Kakaka, of course! My lord! It will end with a bang!”

**

Loud thuds filled the air as all hundred students shifted their attention to the door. The mechanical gates slid open to reveal a person exuding grace in his every step. His neatly trimmed brown hair fluttered lightly and his serene golden eyes enraptured everyone, luring them into a void of unreachable strength and knowledge.

As the person walked to the center of the room and stepped behind the podium to look at them, all hundred students gulped involuntarily. The hundred greatest talents of humanity whose potential knew no bounds all looked at the man in front of them as if he was an unattainable star. This very person had reached the apex of strength and knowledge that humans could ever even imagine reaching. No, Astolfo, their professor, to them, had already reached the realm of gods. That was how far apart they were in terms of ability.

“Today…” Astolfo’s voice boomed through the lecture room. “The last base of the world union fallen to the ground.”

Loud gasps spread over the room. It was as if a bolt of lightning had rammed into them. Yet, their professor mercilessly continued with his words.

“Humanity is now an ungoverned race. With last base down, all connectivity and order have been lost. The facilities and establishments under the control of the world union have been sent into emergency measures and, if their occupants are unable to stop it, will self-destruct in the next forty-eight to seventy-two hours. Including the ‘Last Line’ nurturing facility, that is this place.”

This time, no sound could be heard in the lecture room. The shock was just so great that the students were unable to react.

“So, this is going to be our last lesson.” Astolfo met his eyes with those of the flabbergasted students. As would be expected from the last hundred greatest talents, they quickly understood the severity of the current situation and straightened themselves. With a satisfied smile, Astolfo nodded and began with his lecture.

“What I will be teaching you today is a tier four magic spell that I have invented and tested myself. A spell that you can either use on yourself or someone else…”

Astolfo woke up with the rising suns and sat in silence with his eyes closed. His breathing was deep and consistent, but his furrowed brows refused to loosen up. The dream today was just that strange.

Over the years, he had figured that the dreams were very disordered and non-linear. He didn’t have information to make any conclusive statements about the life his dreams followed but knew enough to form a general timeline. And today he was not only the oldest but also the strongest and wisest he had ever imagined and knew that he wasn’t able to comprehend even an infinitesimal amount of what was truly present. Even worse than the feelings, though, were the contents of the dream.

Astolfo forcibly swallowed down whatever rose within him and ignored his dream. He freshened up on the first floor before changing out of his nightclothes. He performed some quick stretches to loosen his muscles before heading down the stairs.

“Morning!”

“Good morning.”

“Good morning, Astolfo!”

Luka and Ophelia, who were seated on the sofa in the living room, greeted Astolfo with a smile.

“Did you wake up, brat?” Vincent called out to him.

“Uh hn. Good morning.” Astolfo walked into the kitchen and greeted Vincent too, before gulping down a glass of water.

“Go sit in the living room, I’ll come out with breakfast soon.” Vincent rustled the kid’s hair before turning back to his cooking.

Astolfo nodded and stepped out of the kitchen. Charlotte was not exactly a morning person, so it was common for her to miss out on these morning interactions. Just as Astolfo crossed by the door, a very loud thud sounded on it. The boy tilted his head and unlocked the door. Behind the door, in broad daylight, was just darkness.

“H-huh?” The boy stepped back in confusion when the sound of the air whistling reached his ears. The darkness outside the door moved with a loud rustle and was soon replaced by a gigantic face. The eye of the giant face moved around before stopping at Astolfo.

“Oh, my!” an earth-shattering voice boomed in Kirsche household. “Is this little boy Astolfo?”

“AHHH!” Astolfo screamed in horror and ran back into the kitchen. Vincent, who was standing right behind the kitchen door, chuckled and picked up the horrified Astolfo before moving towards the gate.

“O-oh! Vincent, it’s me! Me!”

Vincent smiled widely and waved at the face with one arm. “Long time, Vigsius!”

**

Outside the two-story-tall Kirsche household sat a fifteen-feet tall towering giant. With long hair and tied into a ponytail and neatly trimmed beard, the enormous creature didn’t look much different from humans. His build was neither bulky nor thin and his face was surprisingly friendly. In Luka’s words, Vigsius the giant looked like a friendly muscle-head who got a bit too tall. With not much choice in the matter, Vincent took a few chairs outside his home and lined them up to converse with his old friend while the giant took to sitting on the ground.

“Wow, little Luka and Astolfo have grown up so well!” The giant smiled amicably and rubbed Astolfo’s head with two fingers. “I was last here when this kid was just born. How long has it been?”

“Twelve years!” The shivering Astolfo answered in the blink of an eye. While he had heard and read of the friendliness of giants in books and stories, his personal experience with gigantic creatures that appeared in his dreams made him fear them.

“Stop scaring my kid.” An unbearably cold voice froze Vigsius in his tracks. The giant turned its head to the side. With a three feet tall pitcher flying next to her, Ophelia smiled at the giant who could only shudder in fear.

“L-la-lady Ophelia! How nice it is to see you after all these years.”

“I am aware.”

Vincent chuckled at the nostalgic conversation in front of him. With a bright smile, he asked. “So, Vigsius, what brings you to Frucht all the way from the empire?”

“I was asked to meet with some paladins from the theocracy. They have found the traces of some dangerous evils in Rileth and asked for the empire’s assistance.“ The giant explained with a tinge of melancholy in his eyes.

”I have to meet with them in Essen city the day after tomorrow. When I reached Essen yesterday though, I heard there’s going to be a big festival today and thought of inviting you!“ Near the end, the giant’s eyes shone once again and he smiled widely.

Vincent was not oblivious to the subtle changes in his old friend’s face, and he couldn’t say he was without them either. It had been more than twelve years since he last met Vigsius! “Today… can we go?” Vincent turned towards his wife.

“Of course! We should all go.” Ophelia said. “But how will we reach Essen today itself?”

“Oh!” the giant exclaimed. “Don’t worry about reaching Essen! I came here with a transport mage from the empire. He stayed up all night to set a portal from Essen to Frucht!”

Ophelia and Vincent laughed at the childishly excited giant and began preparing for their departure. The Kirsches were going to enjoy a festival today.