The ground exploded.
Sam's punch collided with Dan's forearm, but the sheer force behind it carved a crater three meters deep. Sofia attacked from the flank, her kick slicing through the air like a blade. Dan evaded it with a simple, fluid motion; her foot passed inches from his head and shattered a massive boulder behind him.
"Together!" Sofia shouted.
The six of them moved as a single unit. Sam from the front, Sofia and Amy from the sides, while Leon, Hoshi, and Nina surrounded him from the rear. It was a solid tactic, provided their opponent was anyone else.
Dan did not move.
Punches and kicks rained down upon him from every direction. At the final microsecond, he vanished. His speed rendered him invisible even to their highly trained eyes. He reappeared in the air above them, descending like a thunderbolt into the center of the group once again.
His foot touched the earth.
A shockwave hurled them all backward. Sam dug his heels into the soil to stop himself, leaving a long trail of disturbed dirt behind him. The others were sent flying dozens of meters before they managed to regain their balance.
The surrounding area had become a disaster zone. There were craters ten meters deep, shattered rocks, and trees uprooted from their foundations. It looked as though a battle between primeval monsters had taken place here.
"Again!" Leon wiped the blood from his lip.
But Dan raised his hand. "Enough."
They all stopped, their bodies tense and ready for combat. Then, realizing the training had concluded, their shoulders slumped, and they breathed heavily. Even with their immense physical strength, fighting their father was exhausting.
Dan looked at them as they panted. "Your strength has improved greatly, and your teamwork as well. Well done."
Those simple words lit up their faces more than any victory in battle ever could. Dan rarely offered praise, and when he did, it was profoundly sincere.
"Thank you, dad!" Sofia, Amy, Hoshi, and Nina said in unison, their voices filled with joy.
Even Sam and Leon, despite trying to hide their happiness, smiled. Their father was a man of few words, cold in his demeanor, but when he said something, he meant it.
This combat training had begun a while ago. The embarrassing truth that Dan knew about himself was that he lacked real combat experience. He had never fought anyone in his long life. All his power—the Herculean body, the nearly limitless chakra, the supernatural speed—was entirely acquired through solitary training.
In a fight against those weaker than him, like his children, this was sufficient. Brute force compensated for the lack of experience. But he knew this was not a permanent solution. If he faced an opponent at his own power level, someone with true battle experience? He would be in trouble.
Hence, this training. He was gaining experience, learning how to read movements, how to anticipate attacks, and how to seize opportunities. His children benefited as well, learning how to fight an opponent far stronger than themselves.
It was a mutual benefit.
Everyone stood up, some stretching, others checking their bruises. Dan looked at them. It was a strange thing to stand beside your children and look younger than them.
Sam and Sofia had recently turned thirty. Because they had not yet applied the Vitality Seal—Dan had set the age at thirty-five—signs of age were beginning to appear slightly. They weren't old, but they were mature adults.
And Dan? He looked twenty. A young man in the prime of his youth.
The situation was awkward at times. Especially with his daughters.
"Dad!" Sofia ran toward him, her eyes gleaming. "Did you see my last kick? It was fast, right?"
Before he could answer, Amy nudged her with her shoulder. "Your kick? My punch was stronger!"
"Both of you are slow," Hoshi lifted her chin. "I was the one who almost touched him."
Dan opened his mouth to say something, but Nina clung to his arm. "Don't listen to them, dad. I am the best, right?"
Four daughters surrounded him, each demanding his attention. Sam and Leon stood further away, watching the scene with slight smiles.
Dan's attempt to respond was drowned out by their overlapping voices.
Despite being thirty, and despite appearing older than him, they still acted like children whenever they found the opportunity. They sought his affection, competed for his attention, and tried to make him laugh.
Dan was cold by nature. A man of few words. He did not know how to handle this childish side of his daughters. It wasn't that he didn't love it—they were his children no matter how old they grew—but he simply didn't know how to interact with the situation.
It left him helpless.
"Alright, alright," he tried to disentangle himself from their grip. "You were all... good."
"Just good?!" Sofia protested. "We were amazing!"
"Amazing," Dan repeated, trying to hide a small smile. He failed.
They saw it. They burst out laughing.
"See? See? He smiled!" Amy jumped. "I told you he loves me more!"
"No, me!" Hoshi argued.
And the chaos began anew.
Sam approached his father, rescuing him from the girls. "Enough. Let our father rest."
They stepped back, but their smiles did not fade. Dan nodded to Sam in silent gratitude.
The sun began to set. Another day of training had ended. Tomorrow, he would do the same. And the day after. And so on.
The path to absolute power is long, but he no longer walks it alone—at least not at this stage.
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