It seems that it is beyond the capabilities of people to use God-level holy magic. The most they can reach is Emperor-level; which can completely revive and restore a body that is on the verge of death. No matter if he lost all his limbs or his heart stopped, as long as it is implemented before the spirit fades away and leaves the body, it might be possible.
But there are also limits, not everything can be solved with magic.
Even with all this, death is always inevitable...
Now, my hectic training days seemed to reach their peak... but that was not all.
Things changed again.
Zaphyris officially became my magic tutor. One day she appeared unannounced and said the following.
"Now that you know the concepts of the magic of the four elements, I will be in charge of being your tutor of ice magic from today onwards. This is my domain and you must be an ice magic user just like me, since I will be your guide. I hope you will not disappoint me."
The roles were divided...
They seemed to compete over who would make me the strongest pupil in their dominant skills.
Wolf focused exclusively on making me a Beast Style Swordsman and Zaphyris an Ice Mage.
***
And with that I am back in the present.
It's been almost a month since then and this is my current situation.
Now I find myself walking straight to the training ground where Wolf is waiting for me. Just like every morning.
Once I reached that place, I was puzzled by the confusing scene...
Wolf was waiting as usual, but this time he didn't have the two wooden swords he usually carries in his hands. Instead, at his side was Zaphyris.
Huh? I don't frequently see her in the mornings, but in the afternoon when she trains me.
"Oh? Good morning, Zaphyris-sama." I casually took the lead. "It's rare to see you around here at this hour."
"Is that so?" She answers while thinking to herself. "Well, that's true… but I have something important to say."
Without answering anything, she continued: "Today we will let you rest from your training."
"What is that due to?"
"It's nothing special," was her reply. "We know that you try hard and you don't complain at all about our routines. That no matter how painful they are, you always seem to have the energy to not give up."
That's a farce, Zaphyris-sama.
I don't even know the reason he's still sane.
Those words sound too considerate. I could believe her, but I've been watching this woman's face for a month now and I'm slowly starting to read her expressions.
It's almost impossible in his case, as he always has a perfect poker face and his tone of voice is always decent and he never has any fluctuations in his accent. But I understood one thing for sure...
He has something on his mind.
Zaphyris is cold and always plots something that suits her or that she wants to do on a whim.
She is a capricious woman.
As I didn't respond, she continued speaking. "I want you to accompany me to the other extensions of the Quaramis Palace territories."
Is that all?
It is true that I have not left my routine. But it seems that the territory of the Northern Quaramis Palace, from what I could see when I was training in the mountains, extends a little further towards the back.
I thought I saw more buildings and other strangely shaped places. Or at least they seemed that way to me since I was in a high, distant place.
Not to mention that I couldn't let my guard down for even a second without being attacked by Wolf and instantly knocked out, or encountering a strange wild monster and being devoured before being killed by Wolf...
But well, I'll take advantage of the moment to rest. I can't complain anyway. They are the ones who are kindly training me at their own whims and without gaining anything at all; and even though they know that their techniques are practically being stolen by me...
"As you say, Zaphyris-sama, I am just a humble guest. Do as you wish." Those were my words and she nodded with a small smile.
***
... Fascinating
After having used a small but luxurious carriage on an elegant road that circled the exterior of the palace, it had taken us a few minutes to reach the other extensions of the palace.
This place is just as big but not as much compared to the Quaramis Palace. But still this place is interesting...
There was a place covered with a large cone-shaped awning, very similar to a circus... I mean, this must be a circus. There were also multi-story buildings and spectacular structures in certain well-located places. The paths leading to each building were customized in very different ways for each one. Even some have nothing to do with what seems to be the Aquatic environment of this palace.
Some paths leading to those buildings had different decorations and colors with symbols that are not those of the Aquatic Continent... thanks to the books in the library, I am now able to recognize these symbols that are in front of the entrance of each building: Dragon God Realm—Dragon Continent
Metal Kingdom—Mining Continent
Sacred Forest Kingdom—Animal Continent
Kingdom of the Armored Hydra—Mountainous Continent
Divine Empire Realm—Imperial Continent
Abyss Realm—Demon Continent
These places must be the embassies of the kingdoms of each continent. It is strange that they are located in this city at the northern end of the Kingdom of Atlas, but I suppose that each country has completely different rules and cultures...
I've been researching this kingdom and found some interesting things.
The Aquatic Continent is considered a World Power, not only because of its vast horizons, or its mineral wealth and endless vegetation, but also because of its military power.
The inhabitants of Atlas are also known as Sirens or People of the Sacred Ocean; whose hybrid power allowed them to rise above the strongest. Since then, very few have surpassed them.
The Kingdom of Atlas has Five Main Families, which they claim are the purest descendants of the Sacred Ocean God : The Quaramis Family; The Tristan Family; The Esmeralda Family; The Perseum Family; The Corinthians Family.
After three decades of reign for any of the five families, the Sacred Ocean Tournament is held where four of the families compete against each other, and the victorious family has the right to challenge the reigning family to take the throne of Atlas. Thus, the victor proves to have enough power from the God of the Sacred Ocean to reign for the next three decades.
Those who have reigned for the last three decades are the Quaramis Family, who will have to hold the Sacred Ocean Tournament in about two years to defend their throne.
But that's not a story that relates to me.
The Ice Empress Zaphyris Quaramis is known as a true genius in this era. She developed new spells in ice magic when she was eight years old and created one in particular that caused fear throughout the entire world: she called it Spiritual Deprivation and it is capable of freezing the enemy's spiritual circuits for an extended period of time, forcing them to lose their power and ability to fight completely.
Those who have challenged him to death have not returned alive.
Zaphyris is considered the most powerful mage of the Imperial Hero God era. But she is capricious, she has the power and right to rule over the Aquatic Continent, but she left the entire kingdom in charge of her husband the King of the Atlas Kingdom Estaroph Quaramis , while she lives in the Northern Quaramis Palace.
Zaphyris is even as strong as the current king, but she publicly said that she would do whatever she wanted and live in peace in her palace.
I think that's why all the embassies are here... the kingdoms of the world are surely still licking Zaphyris' feet, since she continues to pull the strings of the Kingdom of Atlas outside public opinion.
Whether or not this is the case, Zaphyris remains an enigma.
The King of the Atlas Kingdom Estaroph Quaramis is a Water Style Sword Emperor and is also a Waterbending Style Martial Emperor. He tends to emphasize his position as a man descended from the ocean, which is why his domains are exclusive to the water type in all of his Spiritual Styles. In conclusion: he is a strong warrior when it comes to close combat, but he is not the best when it comes to distance.