I didn't want Onaki to be too many steps ahead of me in magic. So I walked up to Brahm and grabbed him on the shoulder. ''Can you teach me how to use the Hell Blade in a more controlled and efficient way?'' I asked our teacher, humbled, twitching my eyes nervously. Brahm laughed as he usually did and nodded in affirmation.
He asked us to leave the hut and do the training outside. ''As Onaki told you, you need to focus on one point when using your Hell Blade. Imagine a stream of water, which flow power you must dampen. While you were sleeping, Onaki was practicing all the time. Try it, too,'' Brahm replied to me lecturing and in a proud voice. He was happy that he could be my teacher.
I recited the sacred magic spell and concentrated on my fingertips. ''Hell's Blade!" I shouted, and a slight heat arose, much weaker than before against the Ursus. The blade was far too weak and flimsy. It went out due to the little magic inputs. Hours passed, and I was exhausted from all the trying.
However, I could keep the blade up longer in a strengthened form without immediately keeling over from exhaustion.
The first spell was mastered by Onaki and me. Now came protection spells and ranged attack spells. Anyway, that was our next lesson, which we would do together with Brahm after taking a break. After a half-hour break, we continued. To continue our training, we went deeper into the forest again. We had to be in dangerous situations to master them, Brahm explained to us. If something went wrong, Brahm was there to save our lives. The environment was full of thickets and living plants that moved away from us as soon as we even contacted them.
Everywhere were these massive Inazuma tree trunks that restricted the view quite a bit due to their density. Suddenly, out of nowhere, several rustles of leaves on the ground came to my ears.
It was 4 Ursus beasts that surrounded us without us noticing.
''This is a good opportunity for you to check your progress,'' Brahm said in a harsh voice, staying out of it. He would only interfere if we were both incapacitated. Onaki and I split up, so we had enough room for the spells. 2 of the Ursus followed Onaki, and 2 followed me. Onaki and I trusted each other very well, and we were confident that we would come out victorious. We must not slow each other down in training and hence this division.
I cast the Hell Demon spell and summoned the Hell Blade in my hand. It was much easier to summon than a few hours ago. After all, the training was strict and thorough. Brahm didn't do anything halfway with us. ''Hell Blade, stabilize!" I shouted, ensuring that the Hell Blade would not immediately release all my power at once. Thus, I still had plenty of energy to maintain the Hell Blade for much longer.
Since my body had gained strength from the fusion, I was able to charge at one of the Ursus Beasts with lightning speed without it being able to react to my pace. With a clean-cut, I cut off the head of the Ursus Beast. It didn't have to suffer or endure the pain that way. ''You won't be able to deal with me so quickly, intruder,'' the beast shouted. It turned out to be an alpha Ursus. A king of the Ursus if you wanted to look at it more closely. This one was many times stronger than ordinary Ursus and superior in all power categories. I also tried to cut off the head of the Alpha Ursus without it being able to react, but before I could blink, the Alpha Ursus disappeared from my field of vision and out of my reach.
I suddenly heard a hiss and turned around. Its mouth was wide open, and a jet of fire was fired in my direction. It was time to cast the protection spell. ''Equilibrium!" I shouted and created a strong barrier. Upon contact with the barrier and the fireball, there was a massive explosion. Black smoke covered the entire area, and I could no longer see anything. I dissolved the barrier and coughed. I had to rely on my ears and heard rapid footsteps from the side. Reflexively, I moved my body forward to dodge and counterattack. The claw of Alpha Ursus narrowly missed me and grazed my skin, but that way, I was close enough to it to hit my Hellblade safely. I pierced the Alpha-Ursus' heart with one mighty thrust, and it fell to its knees spitting blood.
''I may have fallen, but there is another being in Inazuma Forest more powerful than me. You won't be able to stand against him, you brat,'' the Alpha-Ursus told me in its last words before it died. I unsheathed my hellblade and made my way back to Brahm. I guess Onaki wasn't done yet, because Brahm was standing alone at the back of the forest. I wasn't worried about Onaki, though. She was a strong woman and started training much earlier than I did. She should be able to handle these two Ursus, even if the Alpha Ursus was really something, I thought.
From a distance, I cheered Onaki on. She had already killed one of the Ursus. It looked like she was winning. But I was too hasty because the second Ursus turned out to be an Alpha Hibiscus. The normal Hibiscus alone was superior to the Ursus. I worried and thought to myself that maybe I should help. ''Don't interfere. It would hurt her pride. Watch and learn Aramoto. She has come much further than you.'' Brahm said in a strained tone of voice, trying to reassure me. If she lost, Brahm would finish that creature off, I thought to myself inwardly, hoping for her victory.