It was sunset and the six Students, Fleur included sat in the Farms on their section of land.
"It's been fun hanging out with you guys but I'll soon have to leave to continue caring for Yggdrasil" Fleur said.
"Our training is almost complete as well" Estelle informed Fleur.
"Good luck taking care of Yggdrasil Fleur. I hope our paths cross again" Buern said.
"We'll never really be far from each other. We're all connected by the Book Of Jo-lan. I can see you guys anytime" Fleur said with a smile.
"You're right" Josec said with a laugh.
"We were all very glad to see you again. Farming the Desert Of Confusion also helped us better understand the role of Dryads, yours and Jason's role. It is an unfamiliar class of Jo-lan after all" Harry said.
"Learning more about flora, fauna and Psychorages as well as Farming the Desert Of Confusion has also equipped me to better serve as Yggdrasil's sentinel" Fleur said.
"Do you miss home sometimes Jason?" Josec suddenly asked.
"I miss Carol and Ivy and my village as well but I also know that if Souryu isn't stopped, there wouldn't be any place safe enough for them" Jason admitted.
"It's the same for me. The best way to protect my kingdom is to stop Souryu. But I will also admit that I accepted this quest so that I could remain close to Harry" Estelle admitted.
Harry smiled.
"For Buern, Harry and I, we can't return until we become strong enough to stop Souryu. Innovain runs our continent and we'd be hunted down as long as we remained there" Josec admitted.
That night, the five Students, that is, Josec, Harry, Buern, Jason and Estelle sat in the company of Master Andrea and the three elders of the Phoenix Clan. Fleur had returned to her home, the Port Town in the physical world to continue caring for Yggdrasil.
"Your basic training is now finally complete. You should be preparing to return to the physical world now" Lucas Bane said.
"We were informed by Master Andrea" Harry admitted.
"But we're still concerned about one thing" Buern said.
"The Light's Wound technique huh?" William Fenix asked.
Buern nodded.
"Yes, ever since you told us about the technique, it has been our goal for staying here to train" Buern admitted.
William Fenix smiled.
"You don't need to worry about the Light's Wound technique, you have already mastered it" William Fenix said with a smile.
"We have?" Buern asked.
"Do you recall the concept behind the technique?" William Fenix asked.
"Yes, it leaves a mark on the one upon whom the technique is inflicted preventing them from ever completely being overwhelmed by negativity. By flowing positive feelings into the mark or wound one can slowly widen it until negativity itself is torn apart" Josec explained.
"Yes, you crossed the greatest hurdle to mastering the Light's Wound Limit Break when you realized that joki is in essence a manifestation of will and that it is possible to transmit one's feelings through one's joki" William Fenix explained.
"Were you watching our training Master William?" Buern asked.
"Yes, and aside from the Psychorage Fusion, you obtained another power though you haven't realized it yet. You have inadvertently awakened the greatest offensive power of the Phoenix, the Talons Of The Phoenix" William Fenix said.
Buern and the others were surprised. Even Master Andrea was surprised.
"The Talons Of The Phoenix?!" she exclaimed in shock.
"What sort of technique is it?" Estelle asked.
"It is a technique that deals massive damage to evil entities by bonding with the joki of an adversary though of course it could be used to damage a normal opponent in battle as well. The reason I say it predominantly damages evil entities by bonding with their joki is because in essence, the technique is quite similar to the Light's Wound technique" William Fenix said.
"But to bond with an opponent's joki means to adjust one's wavelength to that of an opponent. If elemental neutralization works around the principle that if one's temperature were the same as that of a flame, the flame couldn't burn you, wouldn't the opponent rather be resistant to the attack?" Buern asked.
"You are very perceptive Buern which is why I said the technique primarily damages evil entities. Yes, by adjusting one's elemental wavelength to that of an opponent, both parties would become resistant to each other's attacks but here is the difference, once one reaches the realization that one's joki is in essence a manifestation of will and that it is possible to transmit one's emotions through one's joki, one's joki no longer deals solely elemental damage but can also damage or heal through the transmission of emotion with every attack so though on an elemental level, your wavelengths are the same, the emotional differences between you and your adversary creates a disparity with the ability to inflict damage. That means with every hit you inflict upon Souryu, you channel a bit of positive feelings into Innovain but the reverse is also true so the battle transforms from one solely of fists to a battle of wills. When battling Souryu, Josec, seek out the one spot in his entire mass that appears to radiate positivity. That spot is the place upon which the Light's Wound was inflicted. Focus your attacks into that spot and you will gradually widen the wound" William Fenix said.
"Are you certain we are ready to confront Souryu?" Harry asked.
"Well, you certainly are not lacking in terms of technique. You've successfully acquired all the techniques that would help you breach his impenetrable scales but you are lacking in terms of scale" William Fenix said.
"Scale?" Jason asked.
"Yes, Souryu's power is currently diminished because it has been delegated to his generals but with the defeat of each general, Souryu regains a bit of his strength. Souryu has gradually been increasing in strength and his power will be complete after the defeat of the last general. When that happens, Souryu will have devoured the power of his entire army thus transforming him into the proverbial insurmountable obstacle. The Crimson Phoenix on the other hand is the collective righteous will of mankind. It doesn't matter how prepared the five of you are, if the rest of humanity is unprepared, battling Souryu will definitely be a frightful experience and any chance of victory will be drastically reduced. To counter Souryu…" William Fenix was saying when Josec began to think back to their time in Master Andrea's Cave.
"H-How do we defeat something like that?" Josec recalled Buern's question.
"You build up the body of the Phoenix till it becomes a force rivaling Souryu. The power of many to counter a single insurmountable force. You could call it the power of ultimate augmented ones clashing but you need to remember what you just learnt; no one life will be trivial in this battle. One life could be the difference between victory…and defeat. Don't worry, we will be with you to guide you and you have your lessons as well" Josec recalled Fencer's words.
"…you build up the body of the Phoenix till it becomes a force rivaling Souryu" William Fenix said.
"I see…our battle against Souryu is inevitable after all. Between now and then…we need to make all the necessary preparations" Josec thought silently.
The Students and Master Andrea exchanged final farewells with the elders and with Ken. The following day they prepared to depart. They opened their Books Of Jo-lan and found their location aboard the ship in the middle of the ocean. In an instant, they found themselves back aboard the ship. Master Andrea headed off to inform the Captain to head for the Continent Of Thunderstorms. It was as though they had never left once they returned from the realm within the Book Of Jo-lan however, the sailors could sense a greater sense of maturity emanating from the Students. The Captain informed them that they would have to return to port in the Continent Of Deserts to make the needed preparations for the journey.
A MONTH LATER…
Master Andrea and the Students arrived on the Continent Of Thunderstorms. They soon found the village Fencer and the other Masters were currently in. For days, they flew over the Continent Of Thunderstorms in their improvs, exploring the landscape and noticed that the rods the engineers had begun to erect decorated the surface of the continent in ripple like patterns.
When they returned to the other Masters, Fencer showed them Harry's diagram, the one resembling the Rainbow, then he showed them the engineer's plan of the diagram which converted the Rainbow into a ripple. Finally, he showed them the diagram that factored in Josec's role.
"That's the Dragon Zone from Ryu's homeworld!" Josec, Harry and Buern exclaimed in shock.
"I believe we are all finally beginning to see how the Seven Elemental Seals really work" Master Fencer said seriously.
Master Andrea nodded.
"…you build up the body of the Phoenix till it becomes a force rivaling Souryu" the Masters' words and the words of the elders echoed within the minds of the Students.