After announcing the start of the combat training session, Medea led us out of the grand classroom and into the academy's sprawling training grounds. The grounds were a vast expanse of open space bordered by high stone walls, marked with glowing mana-inscribed barriers to ensure safety—or at least as much safety as could be expected in a place where powerful summons would be battling.
The sky above was a pale blue, streaked with wisps of clouds that seemed to drift lazily, a stark contrast to the tense atmosphere below. Students shuffled nervously as Medea began assigning partners, her violet gaze cool and clinical as she paired us off.
And, of course, my partner was Mary Greenward.
It made sense. I was the sole Diamond-grade summoner in the kingdom, and the three Gold-grade summoners were the only ones considered even remotely close to my level. Naturally, that left Kael Veylin sparring against Prince Valkas von Thane, a match that drew quiet murmurs from the other students.
For this session, Medea had also summoned her own beast—a towering presence that seemed to exude malice with every slow, deliberate movement.
Prime Luminara Miasma Beast: Amethyst Basilisk.
In terms of biological grade, it matched Kael's Royal Dragon—both were Prime Luminara beings. But the basilisk radiated a deeper, more oppressive aura. The difference, I realized, came down to cores. Medea's basilisk had matured far beyond Kael's summon, making it a force that even my brother couldn't yet hope to match.
But my attention snapped back to the auburn-haired girl now standing across from me.
Mary Greenward. The daughter of Duke Greenward, a fellow high noble. We had crossed paths before, but the encounters had been brief and formal. Polite exchanges at best.
We weren't friends.
Well, I didn't have any friends.
Mary's bright verdant eyes shone like polished emeralds as her Gold grimoire unfurled, its gilded pages shimmering in the sunlight. A deep, guttural roar echoed across the training grounds as her Beta Luminara Divine Beast: Golden Lion emerged.
The lion was a magnificent creature, its golden mane practically glowing with divine light. Despite being of a lower grade than Prince Valkas's summon, it radiated an aura of raw power. It seemed likely that, like Aria, it had already formed two cores from the moment of its summoning.
As the Golden Lion stepped forward, I felt the weight of expectation settle over me. My grimoire in hand, I took a breath and let its Diamond surface shimmer into view. The pages began to flutter on their own as Aria emerged, her feet touching the ground with a lightness that seemed to defy her overwhelming presence.
She blinked once, looking around with the detached curiosity of someone who didn't find the world particularly interesting. Compared to the Golden Lion's rippling muscles and predatory energy, Aria looked… delicate.
Like a doll.
The contrast was almost absurd, and yet, as I looked at her, I couldn't ignore the reality written plainly in my grimoire. Prime Eterna.
Medea's voice rang out, cutting through the murmurs that had begun to spread. "Begin!"
The Golden Lion roared, its claws digging into the earth as its aura surged. A lance of pure golden light materialized before it, crackling with divine energy. Without hesitation, the lion sent it hurtling toward us with a ferocity that made my heart skip a beat.
"Aria, break it!" I called out, panic lacing my voice.
Aria tilted her head, her expression calm, almost curious. Then, as the golden lance closed the distance, she raised her hand and simply… punched.
The lance shattered on impact, fragments of divine light scattering like shards of glass before dissolving into nothing.
I blinked, stunned. There wasn't a single scratch on her, not even a scuff on her black dress. Aria lowered her hand, tilting her head as if to say, 'What's next?'
I glanced at my grimoire, its pages glowing faintly, and there it was: the first of her four traits, written in elegant, luminous script.
Primary Trait: Unbreakable Vajra Body.
It was more than just resilience. Aria's body was an unyielding fortress, a force of nature impervious to nearly anything the world could throw at her. Even against an attack from a Beta Luminara beast, she remained utterly unharmed.
The training ground was silent for a moment, the sheer absurdity of what had just happened sinking in. My heart raced as I glanced at Mary, whose eyes had narrowed, her lips pressing into a tight line.
The Golden Lion let out another roar, preparing to charge, but Aria remained still, her dark eyes fixed on her opponent with an eerie calm. She was waiting—for my command, for the next move, for the battle to truly begin.
And I realized something then. It wasn't just that Aria was powerful. It was that she made everything else—everything we had once thought strong—seem fragile in comparison.
"Aria," I called out, my voice steady despite the pounding of my heart. "Show me what you can do. Neutralize the target—without harming it."
It was the best command I could think of. Right now, I had no real grasp of her power, her abilities, or the full scope of her Traits. Beyond the glowing words in my grimoire, Aria was an enigma. I couldn't hope to command her properly until I understood how she fought, how she moved, what made her a being at the apex of all living creatures.
Her dark eyes met mine for a fleeting moment, calm and unreadable. Then she moved.
In a blur.
BOOM.
The ground shuddered as a thunderous impact echoed across the training grounds. The Golden Lion, Mary's summon, was hurled through the air like a child's discarded toy, its golden mane rippling as it twisted mid-flight. My breath hitched as I tried to process what had happened.
Through the connection with my grimoire, I understood her movements. Every action, every step, every subtle shift of her weight was etched into my mind as if I'd been there, moving with her.
It was pure, unadulterated physical strength. No miasma. No divine energy. Just raw, primal power.
My fingers tightened around my grimoire. 'This is only her primary Trait.'
The Golden Lion roared as it scrambled to its feet, its brilliant emerald eyes blazing. Mary shouted something—a command that cut through the tension like a blade. The lion glowed with radiant energy as it launched itself forward, its claws streaking toward Aria with a blinding brilliance.
Aria didn't flinch. Her fist met the lion mid-charge, the clash of their strength creating a shockwave that rippled through the air. The Lion was pushed back, its claws skidding against the ground to regain its footing.
'She's stronger,' I realized, my throat dry. But it wasn't an overwhelming difference. Aria's physical strength could beat the Golden Lion, yes, but not without effort.
The Lion roared again, its entire body now bathed in divine energy. The light around it grew brighter and brighter, making it appear less like a creature of flesh and blood and more like the living incarnation of radiance itself.
Mary's commands rang out, sharp and precise, but I couldn't hear them over the roaring energy that surrounded the lion. Its divine power swirled like a maelstrom, coiling and uncoiling in preparation for a devastating strike.
And then Aria stepped forward.
Her black hair shimmered, the strands shifting like liquid until they glowed with resplendent gold. Her fathomless dark eyes transformed into luminous orbs of divine brilliance, as though the sun itself had taken residence within her. Her flowing black dress rippled and changed, the dark fabric bleeding into platinum so bright it seemed to illuminate the training grounds.
Secondary Trait: Duality.
The air seemed to still, as if even nature itself hesitated to interfere. Aria raised her hand, the faintest ripple of divine energy emanating from her. It wasn't the wild, chaotic energy of the Golden Lion—it was something far more refined, more controlled.
Then she released it.
A tidal wave of divine energy surged forward, swallowing the Golden Lion's radiance whole. The Lion's brilliant aura flickered, faltered, and then dissipated, like a candle snuffed out by an overwhelming gust.
Silence followed, broken only by the sound of the Lion stumbling backward, its golden mane dimmed and its strength visibly diminished.
Mary's face was pale, her knuckles white as she gripped her grimoire. She called to her summon, her voice urgent, but the Golden Lion could do little more than stand there, its breaths labored.
Aria turned to look at me, her golden eyes still glowing faintly. There was no arrogance in her gaze, no pride in what she had done. She was waiting. For my command. For the next move.
And all I could do was stare, overwhelmed by the enormity of what I had just witnessed.
'This is my summon,' I thought.
Prime Eterna Divine and Miasma Beast: Heavenly Demon.