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When the instructor tells you to do something, you do it.

Besides, I was the one who interrupted his personal time, so I had no room to argue.

Chuck—

As I grasped the dagger, Ares frowned and asked,

“Have you learned Fighting Spirit?”

“Well, it\'s a bit ambiguous.”

“Ambiguous?”

Ares furrowed his brow at my cryptic response.

But I had nothing else to say.

It was the most accurate way to describe my current situation.

So,

“Shall we begin?”

I pointed Fang of Darkness at him and spoke.

Rub, rub—

Ares rubbed his forehead before finally raising his sword.

And then—

Rumble—

An astonishing energy began to emanate from Ares\'s blade.

Red Mana enveloped the blade, and an aura that seemed to distort space itself infused the sword.

He had manifested both Sword Lacquer and Fighting Spirit simultaneously.

I couldn\'t afford to lose either.

Hum—

I channeled Sword Aura, which had now become one of my inherent traits, into Fang of Darkness.

Rumble—

And then, I infused the dagger with Killing Intent.

A sharp, all-consuming cutting power surrounded the dagger.

Thud—

Without another word, both Ares and I leaped into action.

And then—

Clang! Clang! Clang!—

My dagger clashed against Ares\'s sword.

As expected.

As we locked blades in a brief struggle for dominance, I couldn\'t help but bite my lower lip.

I couldn\'t overcome Ares\'s strength.

Furthermore, unlike my Killing Intent, which only enhanced cutting power, Ares had imbued his sword with true Fighting Spirit.

It was only natural that I would be outmatched in terms of raw force.

However, that didn\'t mean I was going to lose.

When I first arrived in Sytan, Ares had seemed like an insurmountable mountain.

Now, the thought that I could surpass him had taken root within me.

I partially revealed one of my red eyes and spoke,

“Wouldn\'t you say this is enough to pass?”

My Killing Intent was fiercely slicing through Ares\'s Fighting Spirit.

It began to cut through the very fabric of space that Ares\'s Fighting Spirit had warped.

While I couldn\'t deny that it was inferior to Fighting Spirit in terms of sheer power, it was more than enough to counter it.

The power to disrupt and dismantle the force behind Fighting Spirit.

That was ‘Killing Intent’.

However,

“…….”

Ares didn\'t respond to my words and simply stared at the dagger clashing against his own blade.

Or more accurately, he was fixated on the Killing Intent that cloaked the dagger.

He didn\'t tear his gaze away until both Fighting Spirit and Killing Intent had completely dissipated.

And the moment I withdrew my dagger—

“……Have you succeeded in controlling the Bloodlust?”

Ares asked in a trembling voice.

What was he talking about all of a sudden?

But it was true that I had used Mana manipulation to control the Bloodlust.

So, I nodded.

“Yes, I have succeeded in controlling the Bloodlust. As you can see, I haven\'t caused any trouble lately……”

“That\'s not what I am asking.”

Ares shook his head.

I couldn\'t help but frown.

Then what was he asking?

As I met his gaze with a look that demanded an explanation, Ares continued,

“The energy surrounding your dagger isn\'t Fighting Spirit, is it?”

“That’s right.”

“That means you’ve succeeded in controlling the Bloodlust.”

“….?”

I couldn’t easily understand Ares’ words.

What connection was there between controlling the Bloodlust and Killing Intent?

Soon, Ares continued his explanation.

“What’s surrounding your dagger, that’s Bloodlust.”

“….!”

Then, did succeeding in controlling the Bloodlust mean that I had literally imbued my dagger with it?

No way.

Was he going to demand I return the bracelet he gave me because of this?

I couldn’t help but be afraid.

It was a situation where he could misunderstand, thinking I had used Bloodlust despite having the bracelet to suppress it.

As I flinched,

Swoosh…

Ares, with a look of reminiscence, began to observe my surroundings.

Seeing this, I panicked for a moment.

“Thank you…”

At the sight of Ares, a side of him I had never seen before, I was speechless and frozen in place.

Ares, who had always shown us a stern and unyielding demeanor, was now, at this very moment, weeping.

What could have moved him to tears?

… I couldn’t offer any words of comfort and simply waited for Ares to speak.

The moonlight, having completely chased away the sun, now bathed the training ground in its gentle glow.

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