Despite facing an enemy of a higher class than him…
Despite staring at an enemy with so much power that it took out several magic beasts along with B class mages on its own….
Despite his already injured body, Dae couldn't understand how Dom could face the Reflezard with such an unwavering glow in his eyes.
As Dom suddenly dashes towards the beast, Dae's eyes widen as he remembers an old conversation.
< In a green, beautiful garden at the back of a large expensive looking mansion….
An 8-year-old Dae dressed in a long white robe stumble to a knee, heavy pants escaping his mouth while he barely holds on to his two short wooden swords.
The sound of sandals crushing the grass immediately fills the air and Dae looks up to find an old man walking towards him with a long wooden sword in his withered hand. He stops in front of Dae and gives him a friendly smile.
"You've gotten better. I'm impressed." He said.
Dae grunts as he gets back on his feet. "I still haven't hit you yet." He mumbled as he compares his dirtied attire to the old man's spotless robe.
The man laughs. "It will take a couple more years before you do that."
Dae glares at him. "One more time." He raises his swords, but the man suddenly smacks his sword down on Dae's head.
Dae drops his swords and rubs his already aching head.
"A smart warrior always knows when to retreat. I believe I've told you that many times." The man commented with a suddenly strict look on his face which makes Dae frown.
The old man then places a hand on Dae's head, his expression softened again. "Besides, your mother made Yugwa." He added.
The sadness on Dae's face instantly vanishes at the mention of his favorite dessert. He immediately runs to the house while the old man laughs as he slowly follows.
10 minutes later…
Dae and the old man are seated on the table where a young woman with a noticeable resemblance to Dae arrives with different colored snacks on plates.
"Thank you, mother." Dae said as he happily takes the food.
She smiles at him. "You're very welcome, my dear." She then gives the other plate to the old man before noticing the wooden sword on the table. "Father. I thought we spoke about bringing the swords to the dining hall." She has an annoyed expression on her face.
The man laughs. "Sorry, Nari. But you know people my age tends to forget a lot."
The woman hums suspiciously at him before taking the sword and leaving the room.
After a quick prayer, the man picks up his chopsticks before noticing Dae organize his snacks based on colors.
"Does it really make a difference? You'll still eat them in the end." He asked.
"I just like it more this way." Dae said as he finishes his organization before eating one with a happy sigh.
The man shakes his head as he eats from his plate with a similarly happy sigh.
A few minutes later, the man is half-way through with his plate when he reaches for his cup of hot coffee.
"Grandfather?" Dae asked and the man hums as he sips from his cup. "How can I become strong like you?"
"By years of dedicated training and experience."
Dae frowns. "But I've been doing this for 2 years already."
The Grandfather eats another snack with a smirk on his face. "It'll take a couple more years than that."
"How long?" Dae asked before taking another bite.
The old man hums as he chews. "Who knows." He said before swallowing. "It takes an average 30 years for every user so far." He pauses to drink from his cup. "Since I added a couple more forms, it took me almost 50 years. Even your father hasn't perfectly grasped the new forms yet."
Dae frowns as he bites into his meal. "That's a long time." He grumbled; his words muffled by his partially chewed food.
"It is… but after seeing you get a good grip of it at such a young age especially while modifying it into your own style…" The man gives Dae a warm smile "… it's very possible that you'll master it faster than any of us."
Dae's eyes widen in excitement. "Even you?"
The man's smile widens. "Are you in that of a hurry to surpass me?"
"I'm going to become the greatest swordsman and finally beat you." Dae said with a determined look on his face which is betrayed by the colorful smear on his cheek. The sight makes the old man laugh. "Are you mocking me?"
"Of course not, young warrior." The man chuckled. "I look forward to that day."
He innocently bites into the meal, suppressing his smile as Dae glares at him while drinking his warm milk.
A few more minutes later…
Dae's mother arrives to pick up their empty plates when another question pops in Dae's mind.
"Grandfather?" Dae asked, grabbing both of their attention.
"What if after mastering it, I'm still not stronger than you?"
The old man raises a brow but doesn't interrupt.
"You said great grandfather and even great-great-grandfather mastered it faster than you… but you're still stronger than all of them? Is it because you added more forms?"
Nari glances at her father-in-law as she leaves the room while he hums in thought with a hand rubbing his long gray beard.
"It might be part of it…" The man said, his brows furrowed in thought. "… but I think the bigger reason is because I followed Ethan."
Dae's eyes widen. "You mean the Mage Emperor?" An excited smile now on his face.
The man nods as he finishes his cup of coffee. "He was a great and powerful mage worthy of his title. But…" He lays his cup down as a reminiscent smile forms on his face. "… what made him stood out… what drew me to him wasn't his strength or title… it was his… savior complex."
Dae furrows his brows, his expression clearly confused. "Saviour complex?"
The man gives Dae an attentive look as he explains; "It's when a person is determined to save anyone… even at the risk of his own life."
Dae frowns. "Isn't that dangerous?"
The man nods. "That's why I respected him." He leans back into his chair, his old eyes fixed on the beautiful chandelier hanging over the table.
"Most people… especially among the knights boast about fighting to protect others… but… when a dangerous threat appears… they're usually the first to run."
He smirks again. "Despite my many years of battle, I've only known few people who could confidently stand up to threats like that… Ethan was by far the best definition of such a person."
Dae nods, his young mind still advanced enough to understand until he tilts his head, his expression confused again.
"But… didn't you say that a smart warrior knows when to retreat?"
The grandfather folds his arms with a conflicted look on his face. "Yes. That's what I was taught but it's more complicated than that. There are just some fights that you just can't run away from, no matter how outmatched you are."
Dae's brows furrow, his expression even more confused.
The man sighs. "You will understand one day. For now… let's just say that being around Ethan made me stronger."
"But he's… dead, right?" Dae asked, cautiously.
The man nods sadly before smiling at Dae. "But it doesn't have to be Ethan. It might take a while… but if you're genuinely trying to follow my path then you'll eventually meet someone like him."
Dae's eyes widen. "Really?"
The man's smile broadens. "So, when you meet someone like that. Someone who can genuinely and confidently lay down his life to protect others… follow him too."
He raises a hand and stares at his palm. "I still can't explain why… but just being around him, challenging him, walking and laughing with him after many hard battles together…" He tightens his hand into a fist. "… it'll make you stronger."
Dae grins at the thought of it before furrowing his brows again. "But how will I know he has this… savior complex?"
The man chuckles. "Believe me, grandson. There are many people that fake theirs but when you see the person I'm telling you, you'll just know it."
With that, the man gets up from the table and walks away, leaving Dae even more confused… >
Back to the present…
Dae's eyes widen once he finally realizes it.
"It's you." He mumbled as he watches Dom barely evade an attack from the now furious Reflezard.
Dom rolls to a stop and looks around to find the beast zooming haphazardly around him.
"Why's this thing so damn fast?" Dom asked as he narrowly evades another claw strike that slashes through a nearby tree like it was made of paper.
With a grunt, Dom punches its side, destroying the armor there easily while the beast shrieks in pain. As Dom aims another punch against its now exposed flesh, the Reflezard suddenly swings its bleeding tail into Dom.
Dom manages to block with his arms this time, but the impact still sends him sliding across the clearing several feet away.
"Damn it." Dom grumbled as he dashes forward again, another punch thrown but the Reflezard vanishes from Dom's path, reappears at his side and sends another attack that sends flying in the opposite direction.
Dae's train of thought is cut off as Dom is smacked away.
He closely watches the fight, his mind searching for a solution before catching the sight of the shards of beast's damaged armor scattering in the wind as it rapidly moves around.
Dae grits his teeth as he plants a hand down and begins to push himself off the floor. Despite his aching body which visibly trembled with effort, the sight of Dom struggling against this powerful beast gives Dae's mind the boost it needs to push past the pain.
Meanwhile…
Dom clicks his tongue he takes another hit from the beast. He manages to hold his ground this time and grabs its extended limb.
With a grunt, he turns, the ground crumbling under his feet as he briefly lifts the Reflezard off its feet and slams it down on its back with enough force to destroy the ground with a loud crash.
As the beast shrieks in pain, Dom jumps and aims both feet down, but it zooms out of his way, leaving Dom's feet to crash into the ground with an even bigger explosion of debris and dust.
"Damn it." Dom grumbled as he stands inside the small crater he'd created formed before turning to find the beast's glowing eyes piercing through the dust cloud behind him.
Dom gets ready to move but with his new injuries, he stumbles, giving the beast the chance to attack first with another tail strike.
But before the attack connects, a streak of purple lightning zips through the dust cloud and snatches Dom away.
With his body still weakened along with Dom's weight, Dae stumbles and the two mages rapidly roll across the ground before skidding to a harsh stop.
Dom gets to a knee while rubbing his head before looking at Dae who coughs up some blood on the ground.
"You okay?" Dom asked.
"Worry about yourself." Dae aid as he wipes the blood from his lips.
They both suddenly jump apart to avoid the beast's next attack.
Dom goes in for another punch, but the beast dashes out of the way again.
Dom clicks his tongue just as Dae surges towards the beast now staring at them from several feet away.
"I'll slow it down!" Dae shouted out.
Dom stares briefly in confusion before grinning as he sprints towards the beast too.
The beast shrieks as it stares at its two opponents. But judging by the blue shroud's brighter glow, it bursts forward… rapidly brushing past Dae and targeting Dom instead.
"I'm not even a threat to you, right?" Dae said as his feet slide against the ground while he turns around. "You'll regret that."
With a grunt, Dae surges after the beast with his sword held tightly in both hands.
"Single sword style. Form 2…" Dae suddenly spins rapidly, with his blade crackling with bright purple electricity. "Orbit!"
His body instantly resembles a rapidly spinning top that slashes across the broken armor on the beast's left hind leg.
It shrieks loudly as blood spews out of the deep cut. It crashes to the floor, its momentum sending it sliding across the floor… right in Dom's path.
Dom grunts, his right arm muscles bulging with visibly distended veins as he throws his next punch.
The beast quickly raises its right forelimb to guard, but Dom's mana infused punch completely obliterates the beast's armor along with the limb itself.
It shrieks, the sound louder than ever but Dom doesn't stop as he plants his foot, crushing the ground while drawing his left fist back.
This time, he aims for the beast's head, but it suddenly jumps, creating a burst of wind that forces Dom away.
The Reflezard lands several feet away, its body stumbling as it tries to withstand its weight with just three limbs.
Dom turns to it, the blue glow trailing after his eyes which locks on the beast. The sight of a predator seeing its wounded prey.
Sensing its imminent defeat, the beast immediately turns and dashes for the trees.
"You're not going anywhere." Dae said as he slides across the ground beside the beast. The beast's eyes turn to find Dae now pointing his electrically charged blade at it.
It quickly coils its bleeding tail, forming a shield to reflect the spell using what was left of the tail's armor…
But instead of firing, Dae leaps forward, instantly bypassing its guard and stabbing his sword through the exposed part of the armor on its side, driving the blade directly into its body.
"Viper's bolt!" Dae shouted as he fires the spell directly into the beast.
It shrieks loudly as the powerful electricity rips through every part of its body with some purple light even radiating through the cracks in its armor.
It then swings its working fore-limb into Dae's side, knocking him away with his sword now falling out of his grip as he soars through the air.
Dae grits his teeth as he stares at the beast from above. "Even a direct hit couldn't take it down." He whispered… but then smirks.
As he crashes into a pile of corpses some distance away, the beast stumbles, steam rising out of the gaps in its armor before sensing Dom sprinting towards it.
It swings its tail forward but with its movements now much slower, Dom easily leaps over it. Before the beast could do anything else, Dom swings his right foot into the beast's armored face, the armor there instantly crumbling.
With a loud shout, Dom focuses his mana into this kick, causing the right pants cloth and even his right boot to rip apart from the raw mana output.
The end result is equivalent to a tomato being smacked with a bat.
As Dom's foot obliterates the beast's head, it was as if time slowed down for Dae spectating from a distance.
As he watches the beast's body slowly falls to the ground, the bits and pieces of its head spilling out in every direction while Dom spins uncontrollably due to his momentum… a smile forms on his face.