"Hng…"
A moment later, Eta let out a soft groan.
Her eyelids slowly opened, still heavy with the drowsiness that hadn't fully left. It took a few seconds for her consciousness to fully return.
She lifted her head slightly.
The movement caused her long, messy brown hair to fall to the side.
Then she turned.
Her gaze immediately met Gabriel Michaelis' eyes.
Silence filled the workshop.
No sound except their breathing and the faint hum of runes still active on a few devices.
Seconds passed.
Eta simply stared at Gabriel with her usual blank, indifferent expression.
Without saying a word, she lowered her head again.
Her eyes closed once more.
Her body curled back into Gabriel's arm as before.
"Sleepy…" she murmured softly, almost like someone who had just checked the clock and decided it was too early to get up.
Gabriel's eyebrows twitched slightly.
"…."
He stared at the ceiling for a moment, then glanced back at the elf girl in his arm.
"Eta," he said calmly.
"When you're awake, move out of the way."
He paused for a moment.
"If you're still sleepy, then just sleep in your own room. Use your legs to walk."
A few seconds passed.
No response.
Eta didn't even open her eyes.
Instead, she adjusted the position of her head slightly—seeking a more comfortable angle on Gabriel's arm.
As if the arm were her own pillow.
Then she murmured again in a lazy voice.
"…Soft."
Gabriel remained silent.
For several seconds, he simply stared at the workshop ceiling.
Then he let out a quiet sigh.
Without saying anything further, his gaze went blank again.
Yet behind that expression, his mind was at work.
Without needing to touch Eta directly or open her eyes, he had already grasped fragments of her previous memories.
Enough.
More than enough to understand the situation.
It hadn't been fifteen days—but a full two months without proper sleep. The Zeppelin construction project she'd been working on had drained nearly all of her time and focus.
Design runes.
Mana structures.
All of it executed almost without pause.
Gabriel looked up again.
Then he tilted his head slightly.
In his arms, Eta had fallen completely asleep once more.
Her breathing was soft.
Calm.
As if the world around her didn't exist.
Gabriel finally stopped thinking about it.
"…Alright then."
He closed his eyes for a moment.
If it was just a few more minutes, letting her sleep wouldn't harm anything.
After all, even a genius elf needed rest after two months like that.
***
Several hours had passed.
The midday sun now hung high above the foggy city, casting light on the white buildings of Alexandria that stood proudly beneath a thin veil of pale mist.
In one corner of the city lay a spacious training ground—its white stone floor marked with sword scratches and fine cracks, evidence of the hundreds of duels that had taken place there.
A gentle afternoon breeze swept across the area.
In the middle of the expansive training ground, Gabriel Michaelis stood calmly.
Mugen rested in its sheath in his hands.
His posture was relaxed—shoulders loose, breathing steady—yet his balance was flawless, as if every minor movement had already been calculated.
About ten meters in front of him stood a girl with an aura far from ordinary.
Olivier.
She wore a black training outfit designed like a simplified qipao—practical, flexible, made specifically to avoid hindering movement in combat.
Her blonde hair fell straight down her back, swaying slightly in the afternoon breeze.
At first glance, her face bore a striking resemblance to Alpha.
But the resemblance ended there.
The aura Olivier emitted was different.
Sharper.
Colder.
As if her very presence was a blade, poised and waiting to be drawn.
In her hands, she held a sword.
The tip of the blade pointed toward the ground, but her grip was steady—neither stiff nor relaxed.
Simply ready.
They faced each other.
Ten meters apart.
A distance that, to a true swordsman, meant almost nothing.
For them, it was just a single step.
A few seconds of silence filled the training ground.
Gabriel shifted his shoulders slightly, feeling the muscles that had stiffened after serving as a pillow for Eta and enduring days of labor in the workshop.
Fifteen days forging artifacts alongside Eta were clearly not gentle on the body.
He exhaled softly.
Then he lifted his sword slightly.
"Who's going to make the first move?" Gabriel asked casually.
His gaze remained calm.
"Me?"
He tilted his head slightly.
"Or you?"
Finally, he drew his katana, the tip of the blade lifting a few centimeters toward Olivier.
"Or…"
The corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
"…why don't we start at the same time?"
The wind swept across the training ground once more.
A few strands of Olivier's hair moved gently.
She didn't answer immediately.
Instead, Olivier slowly raised her sword until it was aligned with her body.
Her stance shifted.
Lower.
Sharper.
Her blue eyes fixed steadily on Gabriel, without a trace of hesitation.
She took a small step forward.
"This is just sparring," she said calmly. "No need for unnecessary courtesy."
Her sword lifted a little higher.
"Come whenever you like."
Olivier tilted the tip of her sword toward Gabriel Michaelis.
"As long as you don't mind me not holding back."
The next moment, Gabriel vanished.
Not just a quick step.
Not even a body strengthened with mana.
He completely disappeared from where he had been standing.
Olivier's eyes widened slightly.
A flicker of surprise crossed her face.
Her combat instincts immediately sensed something unusual.
This wasn't a physical movement.
Suddenly—Gabriel appeared on her right side.
The katana in his grip was halfway drawn, and in one smooth motion, the blade swung vertically, slightly angled, aiming directly at Olivier's body.
Reflexively, Olivier moved.
CLANG!
Her sword rose to block the strike.
The resounding clash shook the training ground.
The ground beneath their feet cracked, spiderweb-like fissures spreading across almost the entire surface of the field.
A gust of wind exploded outward from the point of impact.
Dust and fragments of earth rose into the air, enveloping the training field in a thin brown haze.
Their blades pressed against each other.
Metal scraped sharply, producing a high-pitched screech and tiny sparks.
"Want to know something?" Gabriel said calmly. "'Ash' once fought against a version of you in the Goddess's Trial."
Olivier's eyebrows twitched slightly.
Amid the pressure of their locked swords, she asked briefly,
"And what do you think?"
Gabriel answered without hesitation,
"The original is stronger."
A few seconds later, the dust began to settle.
In an instant, Olivier stepped back two meters with a single, light stride.
Distance restored.
But Gabriel immediately advanced.
His steps were smooth yet swift.
He thrust his katana straight forward.
At the same time, Olivier's body twisted.
Her sword movement was clean, precise, without hesitation.
SLASH...!!!
Gabriel's body was split in two.
Blood sprayed into the air.
But—Olivier's eyes narrowed immediately.
Something was wrong.
Gabriel didn't dodge.
He didn't even try to block.
It was as if he had deliberately accepted the strike.
"Nice move."
Gabriel's voice suddenly echoed from the edge of the field.
"If that had been you during the Goddess's Trial… you wouldn't have done that."
Olivier turned.
Gabriel stood at the edge of the training ground.
Whole.
As if he had never been struck at all.
Her gaze shifted back to the body of Gabriel she had just sliced.
That body slowly began to fade.
The blood turned into a pale mist that vanished, carried away by the wind.
Olivier continued to watch the remaining pale mist dissipate into the air.
Her eyes were sharp.
Her mind was clearly analyzing what had just happened.
Several seconds passed before she finally turned her gaze back to Gabriel Michaelis.
"You…"
She tilted her head slightly.
"…what was that just now?"
Her tone didn't convey confusion—more like the curiosity of a swordswoman who had just witnessed a technique she had never seen before.
"A clone?"
She shook her head slowly.
"No."
"An illusion doesn't feel like that either."
Her sword rose again, the tip pointing directly at Gabriel.
"What is it?"
Gabriel didn't answer immediately.
He simply stood there, relaxed, one hand still holding the scabbard of his katana.
A gentle breeze swept across the training ground, lifting the tips of his dark hair.
"That…"
He paused for a moment, then spoke in a calm, flat tone.
"It's called Yūmei no Enshō."
The name of the technique sounded calm, yet unfamiliar.
Olivier furrowed her brows slightly.
"Yūmei… no Enshō?"
Gabriel gave a small nod, lifting the katana in his hand just a little.
"This technique projects the possibilities I see into temporary reality."
He gestured vaguely toward the spot where the illusionary body had stood.
"What you just struck was a reflection of a possible movement of mine."
Gabriel met Olivier's gaze calmly.
"Not an illusion."
"Not a clone."
"More precisely… perception forced into fact for a brief moment."
____
Author's Note:
My Dear Reader🗿
T-that's what i mean...
Anyway, don't forget to give us all your power stones, leave your comments, and give us your best review! 😎
(•_<) tehe~