The goal of the training was for Devan to use Mega Fire to hit the demon fire a thousand times in three days. It was not that difficult, but he had to continuously chant spells. However, the summoned beast was not a stationary target to attack either.
Mega Fire was the highest level spell that Devan could use. Alkaiser knew that Devan's limit was about five to six times before his magical power was exhausted, so he prepared several thousand bottles of Devan's Magic Restoration Potion.
The potion made Devan able to cast more spells, but it did not heal his exhaustion. The more he forced the spell on him, the more it felt like his body would shatter into pieces.
"What, it's not even half a day yet. Are you already exhausted?" Alkaiser smirked, almost causing Devan to lose his composure.
"Prepare more medicine. We're not done yet." Devan gasped until he threw up. He was exhausted, but the fire in his eyes still burned with determination.
With an extraordinary speed of development, Devan became more accustomed to using Mega Fire. He went from being able to use it five to six times before exhaustion to almost ten times with increased accuracy and speed in preparation before firing. He did not even realize the intensity of his magic had increased.
"Five hundred," Devan gasped, collapsing to the ground with a nosebleed. His body and mind were in shambles. Saying that phrase so many times had taken its toll, but he had finally reached the halfway point to success. With only one day left, he could not let time slip away, but his body could not handle any more strain. He was now unconscious, unable to resist.
**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**
As Devan lay unconscious, he dreamed of many stories. Childhood memories revisited him, with his mother's words reminding him of his bloodline as a Martial God, and the duty he had to bring fame to his family. The pressure was heavy for a small child like him.
In his dream, Devan met Tina, someone he had always admired. Tina thanked him for seeing her as an important person and for the sacrifices he made for the country.
"I'm sorry, because I'm weak, I can't save you," were Devan's last words before Tina faded away. Tina tried to say something, but Devan could not hear it.
Upon waking, Devan found himself being treated by a priest. The pain from forcing the magic had subsided, and his damaged body had improved.
"There's less than a day left, will it be in time?" Alkaiser expressed concern for him.
"I'll have to give it a try," Devan forced a smile.
They went out to the training ground, where Alkaiser watched Devan's movements with excitement. Alkaiser had previously been half-believing, half-doubting the rumors that Devan's Alexis family were descendants of the god Devanos. Though, witnessing Devan's leap in development, he now had doubts that the rumors might be true.
Not only had Devan made spectacular advancements in magic, but his movements had also changed as if he were a different person. Devan learned to touch the fire beast with precision, ensuring that each magic shot was not wasted. He could get close to the opponent and shoot magic in a way that left no chance for escape.
"Giga Fire" shocked Alkaiser again, as Devan had now surpassed Mega Fire in his magic.
"Even if you can use Giga Fire, the number of shots that have to be completed hasn't changed," Alkaiser laughed.
"I know, but if I don't push myself, I won't get better, right? From now on, I'll use Giga Fire instead," Devan replied confidently.
"Arrogant boy," Alkaiser laughed. "Then push it to the limit. There are still a lot of mana potions."
**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**
Time passed quickly, and the time given by Alkaiser was almost up. Devan had only a few dozen shots left to complete, and Alkaiser was sure that he would not be able to make it in time. But he was not disappointed, because Devan was now stronger than he had intended.
"Multi-Giga Fire," Devan recast the spell, a magic that he had studied but had never had enough magic power and expertise to use. But this time, it was not beyond his level.
The flame in his hand spewed and split into ten strings, surrounding the fire beast from all sides before rushing towards it. If the other party did not have a flaming body, it would be the most terrifying live roast.
"Can this count as ten times?" Devan asked with a dry smile, knowing that time was up. This was his last gamble.
"Sure," Alkaiser laughed. "You've already done it a thousand times. You'll have to give some rewards."
"Reward?"
"Remember, I'll only show you once," Alkaiser replied, as a flame formed in his hands, different from any fire Devan had ever seen before, because it was a black light.
**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**
Devan prepares to set off again after fully recovering. The Alkaiser was not there to wait, but had already left without giving him a chance to thank and apologize for his previous bad manners. Before leaving, in addition to the last course, the Alkaiser also left another gift for the soldiers.
"Here is the armor left by Alkaiser," the soldier led Devan to Alkaiser's old tent. Inside, there was armor that resembled the one he used when he was a Three Holy Paladin, except it had been changed from the original white with gold stripes to black and red.
...Isn't it ironic that I'm not a paladin anymore?…
"I have a message for you," the soldier cleared his throat before continuing. "This armor is a gift from the Queen. She hopes that you will use it to your advantage in suppressing the wicked and protecting the weak."
Once again, Devan bowed to the soldier for his errands. He glanced at the black armor and thought of Alkaiser's words before leaving. The old man in the young man's body reminded him that the loss of the Paladin's power was not the reason for his weakness. It was because he did not accept himself right now.
...Yes, regretting what was lost is useless. You have to believe in new opportunities that arise...
**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**
As he arrived at the border area between Etezia and Revarent, Waldo was surprised to see a completely different Devan.
"Good, I kept moving but you found me. your eyes?" Waldo said with a smirk.
"Cut the annoying bullshit," Devan replied in a stiff and curt tone. His eyes stared at Waldo as if trying to kill him.
"It's been a while since I've seen you. Your manners are still bad. I doubt this teacher can help you develop good habits." Waldo waved his hand in a circle, and then nine swords flashed from behind him.
The first sword was the Holy Lightning Flenirus Sword, which once belonged to Tina. The second and third swords were the Frakarian Sword with the Glacius Sword. These three swords were terrifying, but Devan was not bothered. The one he had to watch out for was the Shadow Age, which could hit him from the shadows.
However, the sword that attacked him was not one of the five swords of Waldo. Waldo also used a regular sword to become a decoy. He had hidden the Shadow Age and planned to use it when he least expected it.
Devan was able to dodge Flenirus' lightning speed and charged towards the Glacius Sword, which had turned into a giant block of ice. The fire he sent melted the ice instantly, giving him the opportunity to knock down the Glacius Sword. Then, Devan cast Giga Fire on the remaining swords.
The six swords besides the Frakarian Sword sublimated and disappeared from the extraordinary heat. Waldo, with that rhythm, controlled Frakarian's thrusting thrust. But Devan hurriedly used the Fragion Sword to keep it up.
The huge impact caused Devan to be pushed away, with only the imitation sword given by Doc separating his chest and the Frakarian Sword.
Devan tried to resist the push back, but the sword controlled by his opponent was far stronger. He heard a crack in his own sword and knew it would not last long.
Waldo could easily repeat the process with the remaining sword. However, he found amusement in the idea of a former fire paladin meeting his end through the magic he was once proud of. Waldo unleashed a white flame from the sword, which engulfed Devan completely. The flame was originally intended to be effective against anything with evil intent. Since Waldo sensed darkness in Devan's mind, he was confident that the flame would work.
"It's over," he muttered with a smile, but his expression quickly turned sour.
The white fire began to turn black, and the black flames started moving faster and closer towards Waldo. He could see Devan's shadow within the flames, indicating that he had not perished but was still able to move.
Waldo recalled his two swords and summoned a hidden sword from the ground. With the power of the Shadow Age, he had concealed many swords, which now swarmed towards Devan from all directions.
Unfortunately, the swords were unable to penetrate the wall of black flames. If they had not completely melted from the intense heat, they had been shattered by Devan, who was hiding within the black flames.
Waldo realized that he could no longer pretend to play and that the next attack would be the end of Devan. He summoned more swords and arranged them in a straight line, charging forward once again.
Devan realized that it was not just an ordinary row of swords. Each sword was imbued with the power of Holy Ice, making them potent against the black flames. He knew that this time, the flames could not stop the swords.
When seven swords managed to pass through the black flames, Waldo realized that Devan was no longer within them. He was certain that Devan had tricked him into attacking.
Suddenly, Waldo raised his head and saw Devan floating down, holding a two-handed sword over his head. It looked like he was going to slash down with great force. Waldo smirked, feeling a surge of heat from behind instead of in front. He thought that what he had seen in front of him was just an illusion. Shadow Edge appeared from his shadow, and Waldo turned around to ensure that he would be able to counter Devan's real ambush with his secret weapon. The black curved sword was precisely inserted into Devan's chest.