Once inside the coliseum, Camellya released Aurora's hands with a mix of timidity and embarrassment, as if the gesture had been a reflex beyond her control.
"I-I'm sorry… It was an instinctive move," she stammered, struggling to regain her composure in the imposing presence of Aurora.
Aurora, her smile brimming with energy and enthusiasm, replied without hesitation, "No need to apologize! For some reason, it felt… warm."
The smile Camellya returned was faint, almost hesitant, but sincere. Aurora's eyes glinted with a sly sparkle as her gaze briefly flicked to the ring on Camellya's finger. In the same instant, she noticed a matching ring on Grey's hand. A mischievous gleam crossed her face, and with a playful grin, she ran her tongue across her lips.
"So, you wish to grow stronger, don't you, Your Majesty Grey?" Aurora asked, her voice brimming with a dangerous cheerfulness. "This will be… painful."
Grey raised an eyebrow, slightly perplexed. "Why do you say that?"
Aurora tilted her head, her expression lit by a spark of knowing amusement. "I've heard that those blessed by the gods are immortal, and when gravely wounded, their strength increases as they recover."
Grey nodded slowly. "That's true, but—"
Before he could finish, Aurora moved with blinding speed. A burst of lightning crackled along the ground as her fist connected with Grey's face, sending him hurtling into the coliseum's unyielding walls.
Camellya barely had time to process what had just happened. Aurora's gaze turned to her, her smile widening as though reveling in her opponent's bewilderment.
"From what I see, those rings symbolize something important. Let me guess—you're married. And not just that…" Aurora gestured toward the engravings on the rings. "From the figure of Nurukaido, I deduce that you joined your souls here, in this very place. That means you're immortal too, Camellya."
Camellya opened her mouth to respond, but no words came. In the same moment, Aurora surged toward her like a living storm, striking her with devastating force in the face and sending her crashing into the walls, just as she had done to Grey.
As Grey staggered to his feet, blood dripping from his mouth and ears, his regeneration was already stitching his wounds closed. Ignoring the pain, he lunged at Aurora, aiming a powerful strike at her side. But Aurora moved with supernatural agility, dodging effortlessly and catching Grey's leg mid-air.
With brutal precision, she spun him like a whirlwind, dragging him across the ground before hurling him once more against the coliseum's walls.
From the rubble, Camellya emerged unsteadily, her face bloodied, though the wounds were already beginning to heal. "That really hurts…" she murmured with a faint attempt at humor.
Aurora didn't give her a moment to recover. She launched herself at Camellya with another attack, her fist charged with intent and power, the air around her crackling with electricity.
---
A hundred years had passed in the kingdom of Nurukaido. Grey and Camellya continued their relentless training, leaving trails of blood, sweat, and wounds at every step, all in pursuit of the overwhelming power wielded by Robert, Eleanor, and Raynold. The timeframe Grey had once estimated as necessary to match his companions had proven to be little more than a wistful notion cast into the wind. While he had optimistically claimed it might take two centuries, the truth was far bleaker—his goal seemed a distant mirage, reachable only after three millennia. The power of the Blessed Children was an unfathomable abyss, beyond the reach of Grey's comprehension.
But how could he know? Among the many graces bestowed upon the Blessed Children was the ability to gauge the strength of their enemy with a single strike. This skill had granted them a crucial advantage when they faced the Demon King Astaroth, enabling them to devise an almost flawless plan to defeat him.
"Ah… ah…" Grey panted, bending slightly as he caught his breath. His hand gripped the whip-sword tightly, while his immortality worked silently, weaving torn flesh and sealing the wounds that marked his body.
In the center of the coliseum, Camellya and Aurora continued their fierce combat, making use of every corner of the vast arena. This coliseum, a symbol of Nurukaido, was no place for vulgar wagers or purposeless spectacles like those Grey had witnessed in his youth. Here, the atmosphere was one of solemnity; it was a temple dedicated to the perfection of body and mind, with Aurora as its undisputed guardian.
Aurora's disciples stood before Grey, their faces hardened by exhaustion, yet their swords remained firm in their hands. Their strength matched Grey's own, a realization that left him profoundly unsettled.
The Nurukaido were a peculiar race, often regarded as an aberration teetering on the edge of perfection. Hybrids of extinct and extant bloodlines, they possessed power comparable to the Blessed Children in their youth, and the most gifted among them were capable of surpassing even the current generation of the Blessed. Among these titans, Aurora stood as one of the strongest. She was the daughter of a Nurukaido warrior who had fallen victim to a devastating plague, a calamity that had wiped out much of their race four centuries after their exodus. Following her father's death, Aurora had dedicated her life to training, eventually attaining the second rank among the most powerful of the Nurukaido, and perhaps, the world itself.
Grey, however, was unaware of this history and the weight of the circumstances that had forged Aurora's unparalleled strength.
Suddenly, Aurora's disciples charged at Grey. Their swords sliced through the air with precision, aimed at his ribs. Grey reacted swiftly, leaping backward and conjuring a sphere of pure mana in his hands, which struck his opponents squarely. Focusing mana into his left leg, Grey propelled himself forward with an explosive burst of air, streaking across the coliseum like lightning. A decisive blow sent one of the disciples hurtling toward the coliseum wall.
Grey stood still for a moment, his energy surging like a storm barely contained. With an explosion of blue fire, he unleashed a wave of bursts that sent the remaining disciples flying. Extending his whip-sword, he ensnared one of them and pulled him toward himself. In a fluid motion, he delivered a spinning kick that sent the disciple hurtling in Aurora's direction.
Aurora reacted with poise and precision, deflecting the incoming disciple with a calculated strike. A playful yet warm smile crossed her face.
"Lord Grey, hurling my students at me is, frankly, poor etiquette. I suggest you exercise more care next time."
Grey returned her smile with a slight bow.
"My apologies—it was an instinctive move."
From a distance, Camellya panted softly as she caught her breath.
"Honey, be careful next time; you might accidentally throw one at me," she said, her tone a blend of softness and humor.
Grey cast her an affectionate glance before returning his focus to the fight. The battle raged on, their determination unwavering, until finally, both Grey and Camellya collapsed to the ground, exhausted and drenched in sweat. For the past century, their training had been relentless. Aurora, ever merciless, allowed no respite; even a moment of rest, by her cruel logic, meant extending the training by another hundred years.
From the shadows, Aurora observed them. Her expression remained as inscrutable as ever, yet an unexpected blush crossed her face as she watched Grey conjure water with his mana to drink.
Grey approached Camellya, who lay on the ground, her breathing still labored.
"It seems you pushed yourself harder than I did," Grey said, leaning toward her. "You shouldn't strain yourself so much; you might tear your muscles. Immortality can heal those wounds, but it drains your mana. In a real battle, you'll need to use it wisely."
Camellya met his gaze with cold yet resolute eyes.
"Don't worry, I know that well. I just want to grow stronger as quickly as possible so I can help you fight the Outer Kings."
Grey smiled, tracing soft circles on her cheek with his finger.
"I appreciate that."
Suddenly, Aurora approached with light, eager steps, her enthusiasm unmistakable.
"Lord Grey!" she exclaimed, her eyes glinting with mischief. "I believe you've rested long enough, which means… another hundred years of continuous training! Or better yet… nineteen hundred years!"
Her voice took on a malicious edge, sending shivers down Grey and Camellya's spines as they quickly adopted combat stances.
But Aurora was gone.
A dense curtain of smoke filled the coliseum, smothering sight, sound, and even scent. Grey swallowed hard, his senses heightened as he awaited the attack. That technique—one of Aurora's trademarks—reduced her opponents' senses to nothing, leaving them vulnerable in a void of uncertainty.
The sharp sound of a sword slicing through the air echoed behind Grey. Camellya had vanished in a flash, leaving behind sparks from a recent clash of blades. The metallic echoes of the battle rang out—first distant, then near—as if time itself toyed with his senses. Then, suddenly, silence reclaimed the arena.
Aurora appeared behind Grey, her sword gleaming with lethal intent, aimed at his neck. Instinctively, Grey straightened his whip-sword, straining to block the attack. Aurora's overwhelming strength forced him backward, the two spinning in an endless dance across the coliseum.
"You should consider attacking, Lord Grey!" Aurora exclaimed, a dangerous smile curling her lips. Her eyes gleamed with the intent to kill, recreating a battle as real as the ones Grey might one day face against the Nurukaidos. This wasn't a simple test—it was a lethal simulation.
The advantage was entirely Aurora's, even as she restrained much of her power. Grey attempted to halt his backward slide by digging his heels into the ground, but to no avail. Behind him lay three of Aurora's disciples, unconscious and battered.
From the dense smoke cloaking the coliseum, Camellya emerged, staggering, her body bloodied and heaving. Grey's gaze betrayed a moment of concern as it flicked toward her, but Aurora allowed no reprieve, forcing him to refocus.
"Then I'll have to create an opening," Grey declared, pivoting and unleashing a gust of wind that pushed Aurora back.
Without wasting a moment, Grey surged toward her, his strike aimed with precision at her spine. Aurora hurtled toward the coliseum walls, but Grey didn't falter, remaining on guard as he approached, alert for any counterattack.
"Over here!" Aurora's voice rang out from behind him as she caught him in an unyielding grip. Before he could react, Aurora cast a spell to disrupt the mana flow in his body, paralyzing him.
"Urgh!" Grey grunted, struggling in vain. Aurora ascended swiftly with him, the air roaring around them as they broke the sound barrier. The pressure was unbearable, and Grey could scarcely attempt to free himself. At a critical moment, Aurora climbed higher still before diving in a steep descent. Just before impact, she released him. Grey crashed with devastating force, raising a cloud of dust that dispelled Aurora's magical haze.
Meanwhile, Camellya fought desperately for her life against Aurora's remaining disciples. Attacks came from every direction—her flank, her back, even above. The disciples' movements were too fast for her to track more than one at a time. Fatigue forced her breaths into ragged gasps, her chest rising and falling as she struggled to steady her racing heart.
One disciple lunged with a shout, aiming a strike directly at her face.
"Ah!" Camellya evaded deftly, grabbing his arm and slamming her knee into his stomach before hurling him to the ground. The impact was so brutal that the disciple coughed up blood. Without hesitating, she hoisted him up and used him as a shield against the next attack. The second disciple fell into her trap, inadvertently striking his comrade. Camellya capitalized on the confusion, delivering a punch to his face that left him tumbling to the ground.
The third disciple observed from a distance, his posture tense and alert. His eyes darted around, trying to anticipate Camellya's next move. But it wasn't enough. She appeared behind him with disorienting speed, and before he could react, she felled him with a kick. Grabbing his leg, she dragged him across the coliseum, finally leaving him unconscious on the ground.
Exhausted, Camellya fell to her knees, her chest rising and falling as she exhaled deeply, the fatigue slowly receding. Her once-pristine attire was now in tatters. With a faint smile, she turned her gaze to where Aurora continued to overwhelm Grey.
"It seems they're both enjoying themselves," she murmured to herself, though her eyes held more than amusement. She recalled her mother's words: "Never let another woman take your man without your permission." Yet, strangely, those teachings didn't seem to apply when she watched Aurora and Grey together.
Thirty years ago, in this very kingdom, she had tried confronting him, driven by the jealousy she felt witnessing their closeness. But when she spoke, her voice faltered.
"G-Grey…" she whispered, her cheeks aflame and hidden beneath her rebellious hair.
Grey turned toward her, his gaze filled with concern.
"What's wrong?"
"Um… I… can you come with me for a moment?"
With Aurora's permission, Grey followed her to the coliseum's exit. They stopped, and Grey gently took Camellya's hand.
"What's the matter? You seem… troubled," he asked, genuine concern lacing his voice.
"I…" Camellya lowered her gaze, her thoughts swirling with doubt.
Should I say it? she wondered, her cheeks burning even brighter. Grey tilted his head, patiently waiting for her response.
"I… I feel tired. We've been training for seventy years straight… My body feels heavy, and I feel like I'm running out of energy."
The words that escaped her lips were not the ones she truly wanted to say. A strange sensation overcame her, as though something invisible and unfathomable held her back from expressing her true feelings. Was it fear? Insecurity? No, it was something deeper—a mysterious force whispering that her feelings were right, that everything would be fine.
Grey nodded slowly, his eyes reflecting an understanding beyond words.
"I see," he said softly, wrapping her in a warm embrace.
Instantly, a golden light began to radiate from both of them, enveloping them in a brilliance that banished all shadows. Their dragon horns manifested simultaneously, gleaming like ancient jewels carved by the hands of gods themselves.
Camellya felt the flow of Grey's mana filling her, coursing through every fiber of her being like a crystalline river restoring life to a barren forest. The decades of fatigue weighing her down vanished, replaced by a comforting yet overwhelming warmth. Her arms tightened around him instinctively, as if seeking more of that essence she so desperately needed.
"That should suffice," Grey murmured, his voice resonating deeply within the radiant aura surrounding them. Gradually, their horns faded, dissolving in one final luminous shimmer.
"Thank you… truly," Camellya whispered, still slightly embarrassed but profoundly comforted by the connection they had just shared. A soft blush colored her cheeks, and an unexpected surge of emotion coursed through her, leaving her breathless.
There was something extraordinary about Grey's mana—the way it filled her, the way it surrounded her—that awakened a latent desire within her. The closeness of their bodies, the warmth of his hands, his essence… all of it ignited a fire that had long lain dormant. Yet she knew this wasn't the time. Under Aurora's relentless training regime, there was no room for distractions—not even for the most intimate and exhilarating of desires.
That simmering tension, the longing to be alone with Grey, transformed into a fire Camellya carefully suppressed. With an almost otherworldly patience, she awaited the perfect moment to share a private, intimate space with him, letting time work in her favor.
Meanwhile, on the training grounds, Aurora moved with the grace and precision of a seasoned warrior, engaging Grey with tireless energy. Her movements were fluid, her attacks relentless, and her expression—a mix of playfulness and intensity—seemed to charge the air around them.
"Lord Grey, answer me this," Aurora said as she deftly dodged one of his strikes, her tone lighthearted but underpinned by a serious undertone.
"Eh?" Grey, caught up in the combat, responded with curiosity. "Sure, what is it?"
Aurora paused briefly, her eyes shining with determination and something more profound. "Would you ever consider marrying someone else?"
The question blindsided him, distracting him enough to leave an opening in his defense. Aurora seized the moment, landing a direct blow to his face and sending him crashing to the ground with considerable force.
Grey lay there for a moment, massaging the spot where the impact had left its mark. "That… that really hurt. What kind of question is that?" he asked, clearly flustered as he tried to regain his composure.
Before he could recover fully, Aurora leaned down, her body pressing against his chest, enveloping him in an unexpected warmth that deepened the crimson spreading across his cheeks.
"What I mean," she continued softly, her voice a near-whisper, "is… would you accept me as your wife too?"
Grey swallowed hard, struggling to process the sudden turn of events. What had started as a training session had spiraled into an awkward, romantic, and utterly bewildering moment.
"Why are we talking about this now?" he asked, desperate to regain control of the situation.
Aurora, undeterred, pouted playfully, though her eyes burned with sincerity. "Well? Would you or wouldn't you?"
Grey exhaled deeply, trying to steady himself in the face of her unrelenting gaze. "I… I don't know much about relationships, or what it truly means to be a husband and wife, but—"
"But?" Aurora echoed, her enthusiasm nearly infectious.
"I think, to marry someone, there has to be love. A real connection. So, if I ever feel that connection with you… then yes, we could marry."
"Deal!" Aurora exclaimed, her smile spreading from ear to ear. Her eyes sparkled with renewed determination as she straightened. "Then I'll work hard to make you fall in love with me. But what about Miss Camellya?"
Grey blinked, the mention of Camellya pulling him back into a far more complicated reality. "Oh… right. Camellya…"
Questions began to pile up in his mind like an avalanche. Could he have two wives? Would it be right to marry someone else when he already shared a bond with Camellya? Would she accept it, or would she feel betrayed? His thoughts, innocent and earnest as always, led him to a simple solution: ask her directly.
"I suppose I'll have to talk to Camellya first. If she agrees, then… maybe you and I could marry. But tell me, why did you bring this up so suddenly?"
Aurora's smile shifted slightly, becoming softer, more contemplative. "Because," she said quietly, "I don't want to let someone else claim what my heart already desires."
Aurora looked directly at him, her face transformed into a mixture of adoration and determination.
"Because you have everything I like. Your determination excites me, your cold gaze during battle makes my heart race, and the mere thought of spending nights together makes my..."
"Alright, I get it!" Grey interrupted hastily, his face completely flushed as he raised his hands in a defensive gesture. "You don't have to be so... graphic."
Aurora simply laughed as Grey struggled to regain control of his emotions, aware that the conversation had opened a door that would not easily close. Or rather, a door that would never close.
With a sudden leap backward, Aurora assumed her combat stance, her smile wider than usual.
"I'll make you fall at my feet, we'll get married, and have lots of children!" she declared, her eyes shining like stars and her hair dancing in the air, driven by the mana that surrounded her.
Grey, visibly uncomfortable at her bold proclamation, managed to find words, though they felt strange even to him.
"Who knows? Perhaps the stars have already woven a destiny for us."
Aurora blinked, momentarily confused by his cryptic tone, and before she could fully process it, Grey was already in front of her. In a swift movement, he struck, sending her flying backward.