The days passed by faster than I had expected, I got used to my aura now that I could just switch it on and off immediately like how I could back then.
Today is the last day that I could spar with my brothers before the exam. The Knight's Exam is next week.
I exhaled and aura enveloped my body. I've done what I could, now its to try my best to achieve the result that I've been working so hard for.
"Go!" Noel shouted.
I readied my stance and, as always, Noah was the first to attack due to his speed.
Thankfully, due to our weekly sparring, I got used to how fast he is and my body is able to react accordingly through instinct.
I dodged his first lighting strike that was headed for my shoulder and the second headed to my right arm. The third one hit my leg and I felt the electricity on my skin.
Tch. It hurts.
I fell down on my feet and implanted a shadow around my body as fast as I could. Soon enough, I threw my aura on his eyes to turn invisible for a few seconds and ran to him.
I trained my body to be as quiet as possible but Noah still had the superior senses. He turned his body to right where I was and I slightly backed away when I saw him do so. At this opening, I kicked his torso.
It hit! I attempted to hit his arm again, and I felt an impact.
The shadow that blocked his eyesight faded and he countered an attack as he surrounded his hands with lightning and then punched my arm.
I focused my aura on the area he was going to hit and it didn't hurt when his fist touched my arm. With this, an opportunity came. I pulled his outstretched arm and crashed him to the ground. Noah shouted and waved his hand.
"Nera wins!" Noel announced and immediately gave Noah a healing patch.
I breathed out in relief. I won...
Wait, I won.
I won!
I won against Noah!
I jumped up and down and felt Noel's hand on my head.
"You finally did it!"
"I gotta admit, that throw was really painful. Your physical strength is your forte, remember that." Noah spoke as he stayed lying on the ground with a healing patch on his arm.
Him saying my physical strength is my forte would seem like an insult to an outsider but for me, I was proud of it.
The exercises I've been doing, albeit only for a year, really improved how my body worked. Since my body here is different from those in the previous world, the simple exercises in just one year made my body stronger, more flexible, and more balanced than it ever had. In addition, the help of aura amplifies the already existing natural and trained strength of my body.
Amazing!
I knew this would work!
I laughed loudly and received a light hit in the head from Noah.
"Congratulations, you dumbass. Now go and defeat the bigger dumbass." Noah pointed to Noel with his thumb, who was stretching his body on the side of the training grounds.
I breathed out.
Noel mi Ponterise.
My oldest brother whom became a knight when he was just a 16-year-old teenager. After he turned 18, he was immediately sent to the lower section of the Second Division and quickly made his way up as the Captain at the age of 24 years old.
What a monster. Even my father admitted that he has a hard time defeating Noel when they spar.
Noel's affinity is water. He trained to achieve ice abilities, and at the age of 16, he mastered it. Which made my father recommend him for the exam, despite not being 18 years old.
"Ready!" Noah shouted. "Go!"
Noel shot me with an ice spike which almost hit me, right on my leg. I jumped and continued to dodge the instantaneous ice spikes sent my way. He was making and throwing them at an unbelievable speed that I have never seen before in our spar. He must've noticed that I got faster in my fight with Noah.
I couldn't get the chance to close my distance towards him so I made a shadow rope on the ground and it slithered its way to Noel's shadow and pulled it down.
Noel's too strong! I couldn't even make his shadow budge. If only I could materialize shadow and make an actual rope to pull his physical body, I'll probably have a chance, but that's impossible to do, for now.
I have to find another way!
He paused in throwing the ice spikes and then he pounced towards me.
Shit! He's fast!
Even though Noah trained to get lighting and in connection, he needed to train his speed, Noel is still miles faster than him just because he's that strong.
He punched my arm with his fist covered with ice. I immediately covered the part where it hit with aura to lessen the pain it caused.
He was close so I attempted to block his eyesight with a shadow in desperation. I know he can't be stopped by just blocking his eyesight since the rest of his senses will just be heightened.
After throwing the shadow on his face, I turned invisible after kicking his torso as hard as I could.
It hit him and he was pushed back by a few meters.
A few meters?! Noel?
I laughed in my head, and kicked the ground which made it shake and break. Noel staggered for a bit and I ran to him as fast as I could then kicked him from behind.
I hit him again and he fell flat on his face. But right after, he pushed himself up and made the ground icy.
It made me slip, cutting off my focus, and my invisibility turned off. He made the ice turn into water. The water went around my wrist and ankles, then pulled me down to the ground turned to ice, locked up in ice shackles.
"Ah! I give up!" I shouted.
"Noel wins, as always," Noah said, unenthusiastically, and ran up to me.
Noel removed all the ice and water around us.
"You're still too much, hah..." I breathed out as I put the healing patches Noah gave me all around my body.
"...You actually scared me," Noel replied, his voice shaking.
Noah and I stared at each other then both of our gazes turned to him.
"Are you being sarcastic right now?" Noah darkly chuckled.
"You know I don't have the capability to do that." Noel sighed and sat down on the ground with me.
"Then explain why Nera was scary?"
"You evolved too fast." Noel stared at me.
"Too fast?" I asked.
"I actually agree," Noah replied instead. "This week's version of you is way out of the league of last week's. Does that make sense?"
Noel nodded in agreement and I tilted my head.
"Isn't that a good thing then?"
"Yeah, but it's frightening how you can do that." Noel chuckled. "I'm still very proud, don't get me wrong."
"Yeah, yeah. Me too, time to show those geezers!" Noah added.
I smiled at my brothers.
"I wouldn't be evolving this fast if it weren't for my scarier targets."
"Haha, that's right. Just because you defeated me once, doesn't mean you can defeat me twice." Noah patted my head.
"But I have defeated you twice."
"That one doesn't count." He flicked my forehead.
"And of course, Noel gets the scariest target award."
"Thanks." Noel smiled.
"I could probably only hit you because you adjusted your strength against me," I spoke.
"...Was it that obvious?"
"I've seen you spar with Noah and father, I'm not that much of an idiot."
"Sorry." Noel slightly bowed his head.
"Why are you saying sorry?" I chuckled at my pouting brother. "I would be broken all over if you used your real strength against me. You're the scariest target because you know how much adjustment you need for your opponent."
"You're growing up well, aren't you?" Noel stood up and ruffled my hair. "Go to the side now, I'll kick Noah's ass next."
I laughed and Noah groaned in exhaustion.
"Can we skip? I already lost you know."
"No. Come on, get ready."
Noah dragged his body as I walked to the side of the training grounds.
"Go!" I shouted and they started to attack each other.
I evolve too fast, huh?
It's probably because I'm getting used to using my real body strength instead of relying on aura alone. But the problem now is that I don't even know how to utilize my aura properly... Jessica's memories are making me confused now.
The grounds shook as the two continued to spar. Watching them from the sidelines reminds me of how strong they really are. When they're up against each other, they go all out most of the time.
Once again, I'm reminded of why they're called the best of their generation.
And I have the privilege to have them as my sparring partners.