After a day of going around and healing most of his injured teammates, Kyrion had begun to start on his own secret training. In a place hidden in the forest to the southwest. A clearing surrounded by plant sentries he had created. This was where his insane plan had been concocted.

He was going to beat himself up. But, more precisely, he would learn how to fight two people with more melee experience and vastly different skill sets.

Where were those people? They were currently sleeping in his core and taking up residence.

“Oi! Kyrie! Psycho! Wake up!” Kyrion woke up everyone with that stunt. An angry bird appeared out of his core.

“Kyrion. What are you doing?” Issac asked.

“Training.” Kyrion pointed to inanimate bodies that seemed to resemble Kyrion.

“Training this, training that, you need to relax. Looking through your memories I know there’s a hotspring you should visit.”

“Maybe later.”

“You should invite the girls as well. They also deserve the break. I’ll go with that Bastion kid and keep him safe. You don’t have to worry about him.”

“Where would Bastion be?”

“The girls’ side of course. He’s a little kid. I’m going to milk that for all it’s worth.”

“That doesn’t explain why he’ll be on the other side.”

“Bastion is little and you aren’t trustworthy with kids. I’m sure I can coach him.” Issac took off into the air towards the town near the tower.

“Oi you can’t just! Huh. He’s gone but I can still use water. That’s new.” Kyrion flexed his fingers and conjured a small water ball in his hands.

Jala popped out next. “I too intend to enjoy my vacation. I wanna go talk to Sammy.”

“Cecil’s cat?”

“Yeah. He’s quite knowledgeable. Apparently we’re similar.”

“How so?”

“We’re attached to people lacking a degree of common sense.” Jala lied as she ran off. Fading in the autumn leaves.

“Karl?”

“Yes master Kyrion?”

“Are you going to run off two?”

“No. I’d rather watch the show.”

“So you know what I’m planning?”

“It only makes sense. You plan to push yourself to near death.”

“Huh how…”

“You called for two people who would love to beat the snot out of you now if it keeps you all alive in the future.”

“Figured as much.” Psycho said from the core.

“That’s great and all but how are you going to….”

Kyrion placed a hand on each plant clone on the ground, imparting a third of his mana pool to each one. After filling the clones up, he sent the consciousness of both Psycho and Kyrie into the puppets.

The one containing Kyrie sat straight up as it looked around in a mix of joy and confusion.

“I’m alive! How?”

“Not quite alive, your mind has just been transferred into a new vessel temporarily. When it breaks you will return to me.” Kyrion cracked his knuckles.

Psycho looked around as his hair went from red to black.

“What do you plan to accomplish by fighting us?” Kyrie flexed his hand.

“I need to find my limit. Fighting against those more experienced should do that. Plus you have a lot to teach me about killing.”

“You shouldn’t need to kill in the tournament.” Kyrie said, hesitating.

“He’s referring to after. We will die if he isn’t prepared for what’s to come.”

“I’m decent enough at incapacitation. However, I don’t have that instinct and will probably hesitate if I’m to fight another person. This training is antithetical to my desire to save people, but I will kill if it will kill to keep my friends safe. I will kill to keep those I wish to protect safe. However, I will not find joy in it, nor desire to do it.” Kyrion said with a serious glint in his eye.

“I see. Anything else?” Psycho crossed his arms.

“Don’t hold back, but don’t kill me. If I mess up, you have my permission to pierce my organs or sever my limbs. Punish me so that I may learn. Anything save my heart and brain can easily be regenerated.”

Kyrie looked to Psycho. “And he named you crazy.”

“Psycho. And yeah. Even I wouldn’t put myself through something like that. But it does sound effects, and given his level of regeneration, this will be the most effective method in our time. So get ready, Kyrion, because we’ll make you wish you were dead.” Psycho plunged a hand through Kyrion’s gut, causing him to bend forward as he looked at his insides.

“Oi! He didn’t say start.” Kyrie yelled

Psycho brought his hand back, the appendage covered in blood and viscera as he looked Kyrion in his eye.

Kyrion glared as he coughed, the wounds visibly healing and fading in seconds.

“In a real fight the first strike to connect can be the last so be ready at all times.” Psycho informed him.

“That. Was. Cheap,” Kyrion said in between bursts of active healing.

“How are you not passed out?” Kyrie took a step back.

“Oh it hurts, I just have a very high tolerance for pain.” Kyrion got back to his feet, prepared for the next attack.

Kyrie winced. “Should we continue?”

Kyrion nodded before spinning to the side as a slice from a chop empowered by wind mana sent out a blade of wind that would have taken his left arm. Instead, it bisected a few trees before leaving a cut in a boulder as it faded.

“Should I join in?”

“Quit hesitating and fight! For a soldier you’re pretty passive.” Psycho said as he attempted to cut off Kyrion’s left foot with another wind blade.

Kyrion hopped over the attack and placed his right foot down on Psycho’s head before pushing off into the air pushing the latter into the ground as Kyrion flew towards Kyrie.

Kyrie conjured a halberd and swung in an attempt to disembowel his foe.

Kyrion flipped forward and grabbed the blade, using it as a handhold as he brought his foot down on Kyrie’s head.

A sharp blade of wind severed both of Kyrion’s arms from his elbows along with some hair, the velocity he had built up sent him careening into a tree. The kick missed his foe, and he hit the ground like a sack of potatoes.

Kyrion muttered a few swears as he looked at his new stumps.

A kick to the head knocked him for a loop, and a hand tapped his throat, signifying his defeat.

Kyrion willed his blood to flow so that he didn’t bleed out before getting to his knees. “I surrender. Can I get some help? I kinda need someone to bring me my arms.”

Kyrie scowled. “That seemed to be a bit too brutal. It’s like you were trying to kill him.”

“It’s why he went to take you out first. I have more experience killing. I know how to prolong a battle. Little mana is wasted and most attacks were made using his abilities at his disposal. Wind is a useful tool for killing. One could turn their hands into deadly instruments with a minor exertion of force on top of control. He didn’t use any offensive magic. So get your hits in now so you don’t have any regrets when he finds his rhythm.” Psycho placed the right arm where it belonged.

“Maybe he should get used to fighting me first. You enjoyed cutting him up a bit too much.”

“That’s tomorrow. After a break I’ll be ready to continue.” Kyrion adjusted his left arm before healing it. Kyrie hadn’t lined up the nerves properly.

In moments both arms were functioning as intended. Not well by any means, but they did, in fact, do what associates did.

Kyrion conjured Anesthesia and sighed. “Read…”

Kyrion didn’t get to finish as Psycho was at his throat in a matter of a blink.

Kyrion saw the feint for what it was and moved into the inside of his opponent’s range slamming his club full force into his opponent’s stomach. This resulted in Psycho flying up, up, and away out of sight.

“That is also why he’s trying to take me out immediately. It only takes one solid hit for me to do damage. If he survives, then he should be unconscious for five minutes.

Kyrie no longer hesitated as he attempted to sweep Kyrion’s legs.

Kyrion jumped up to dodge only to get hit by the heft of the polearm as it passed by a second time, the attack cutting into him partially as it sent him back.

The wound healed quickly, and Kyrion reengaged with Kyrie. Most of his attacks were glancing blows, while Kyrie landed more concise strikes that only strained his regeneration. However, it looked like the fight was going to last all day when a blade of wind stealthy took his foot and caused him to take a hit to his body that knocked him prone.

“Just because I went down doesn’t mean I was out.”

And so the training continued until Kyrion’s regeneration slowed to dangerous levels. His spirits returned to him after the drain got to them as well. Kyrion slept in the clearing, covered in his blood better than he had slept since finding out Gamodren had vanished.

Minah had felt refreshed. Not even a minor sprain had remained. Today she was going to test out the new golden suit Cecil had made. It was different, a lot more form-fitting, despite being more flexible and durable. The wheels on the soles were designed to work with her ability amplifying her speed. Her new gloves contained pistons designed to cause explosions of force when amplified to a degree. Instead of daggers, she had a crossbow that shot metal ball bearings with various enchantment spells etched into them. Suffice it to say she was potentially a lot more dangerous now than in her previous bout.

“I wonder where that loon is. I can’t wait to prove that I’m the better warrior. He’ll gladly hand over the team captain position if I can. Amadeus went to the location on her map. The southwest summer forest. An area that stayed summer all year round.

Here she would face a middle practitioner ranked Sand Bull. A creature capable of creating small sandstorms where it ran and charged often. She needs to work on slowing down her targets while enhancing her abilities.

This would be the second time she faced a monster without supervision or assistance. A dangerous endeavor, as even the weakest of foes, can get lucky. Still, she needed that experience, and she would not let herself fall behind because of it.

Arriving at what appeared to be a desert in the middle of a forest, Minah looked for her quarry.

Tracking hoof prints and listing closely, she found the creature near the edge eating some grass that strangely existed in a place it shouldn’t be growing.

When the bull moved on, Minah noticed that the bull drained moisture and life, leaving nothing but a sandy patch of earth behind.

“Is it draining all the life from the plants it consumes? If so, I may have my work cut out for me.” Minah muttered as she crept closer to get a clean toss of one of her knives. The blade vibrated in her hands as it flew toward the bull.

The bull didn’t dodge as the knife failed to penetrate and fell to the ground ineffectually. Only a clinging sound reverberated.

The bull charged towards Minah in rage as the ground shook as it pounded against the earth.

With a minor burst of speed, Minah rolled behind the creature as it passed, retrieving her dagger from the ground and examining it. Then, with a minor exertion of mana, the blade began to hum more as it gained power.

When the bull turned around for a second charge, Minah threw the dagger again.

This time, the blade struck true, penetrated the outer armor, and made it into the flesh, where mussels were immediately turned into mush.

The bull let out a roar as it blindly changed forward, the sandstorm picking up power.

Minah attempted to move out of the way with her wheels but found that they had gotten jammed, and she was too close to evade it entirely.

Sticking out both of her hands, the bulls’ changes slowed to a screeching halt as her mana acted defensively for the first time in a while. It was highly draining, and she hadn’t fully understood what had happened.

Still, Minah charged up a punch and laid into the bull. The bracers on her right gauntlet shot forward, passed through the bull’s thick skull and pulverized its brain.

“Yeah. With this power Kyrion doesn’t stand a chance.”

“I’ll! Get you for that, you conniving! Sneaky! Sucker-punching jerk!” Yelled a figure that looked just like Kyrion save for the pitch-black hair.

Amadeus recalled that it did that sometimes. “So you come here and insult me? Do you have no honor?”

“Huh? Who? No. Just a training incident. Slipped on an air platform and got sent flying. Bye!.” Psycho lied as he dashed back to his location.

“What was that. You know what. Maybe he’s just weird. Need to report my success to Cecil.” Minah made her way back to the town.

From a tree, a figure in a blue suit, loud enough to be seen from a distance, lowered a long wooden stick with a scope attached. “Good. Didn’t have to step in. She had me worried towards the end there. She’d have survived at least four full-on charges. Her skill is nothing to scoff at. It’s the application that needs work.”

The blue figure floated upwards into the sky and shot off at a speed that would have made Ander jealous.

A black cat sat on a perch looking over a creature that had piqued its interest. "Why is something like that here?"

"Kyrion has a talent for making interesting decisions about friends."

"I can see that. It's rare that my kind take an interest in mortals. But still. Something is missing."

"What do you mean?" Jala asked.

Bastion was currently playing hopscotch with Eden. The two kids were apparently on a break from learning under Lok, the headmaster, and Cecil.

"He feels human but more. Like he has something else in him. Or maybe he's something with human qualities."

"Too soon to discern that."

"Correct, keep an eye on him for me. Since you work for his savior, he shouldn't care. I, on the other hand, may be seen as suspicious."

"So. Can you guess why the incursion is happening so early?"

"It isn't happening early. I suspect the goddess is planning to use someone with a powerful time based power to freeze the world and trade time for training. But who could do that?"

"I assume a certain blue haired butler may be able to accomplish that."

"Butler?"

"Yeah. There is a man my master knows who seems to be much more dangerous than he lets on. It hasn't been confirmed, but I saw him turn back time on a crack a long time ago. Space recognizes time and time recognizes space when either is in use near the other. "

"What?"

"You aren't the only one here who knows things. Little Sammy." Jala's form flickered.

"Looks like you need to head back."

"Six hours. What's he doing running out of mana in six hours?"

"Sounds like your spoiled." Sammy smirked.

"Very funny. You can sense that capacity. He's like a heatwave to your kind."

"He has too much heat on him for me to put my paw in the ring. There is a game being played by beings well past my station."

"I see." Jala faded into a mote of mana and shot off towards her home.

"If only you understood my nature." Sammy curled up and took a nap.

Issac spent his eight hours spying on Brion. And by Brion, he meant Brion’s teacher. The swan casually floated on a lake with a smug expression.

“Did you really have to handle me like that? I won’t be able to walk straight for days.” Brion stumbled to his feet before falling back down.

“Yeah. I did swing you around a bit too much. Looks like you’re getting the form right. Now you need to find how the cores you absorbed work with it.”

“Wouldn’t it be better if I learned something useful?”

“This is useful.”

“In a fight. I won’t be able to fight on my own. Not the way you’re teaching me.”

“You don’t need to fight on your own.”

“Ughh.”

“Now. Get dressed. Your transformation is still quite faulty.”

Brion looked down and noticed a large amount of bare skin exposed. He didn’t blush. “I’m out of clothes now.”

“Told you to strip. And now you see why. You packed light and now you’re stuck in your skivvies.”

“You were right….” Brion looked down.

“It’s almost as though I have experience with this sort of thing. Maybe someone you know packed extra.”

“Ah. Right. I’ll ask around.”

“No no no. One more round.”

“Ugh. But I’m all tapped out.” Brion scowled.

“Then at worst you’ll fail and at best you get it right for once.”

Brion grunted.

Issac sighed as his time had begun to run out. Flying back towards where Kyion had last been.