"They seem stronger than I thought. So, I will face them head-on, and you stay in the back for now," Sophia said to Nina, who stood quietly beside her, before dashing toward the still oblivious group a short distance away.
Nina didn't give her a reply, but silently took out the submachine gun she had brought with her and began firing without hesitation.
Sophia, who had already switched the technique she was training with, was now far stronger than she had been before. Her improvement was noticeable. And with the surprise on their side, they should have been able to end the battle quickly. But somehow, it still dragged on.
The sounds of screams echoed across the empty land, mixing with the muffled bursts of gunfire and the chaotic roar of unleashed essence techniques. Blasts of lightning tore through the air. Ice glimmered under the distant sun before shattering into crystalline shards, while fire bloomed like a growing storm.
It was a chaotic display, with fire being the most used elemental attribute. And the once snow-covered landscape was now steadily being transformed into a scorched and blackened battlefield.
Christian, from a distance, watched it all unfold. He stood silently, focused, ready to intervene at any moment.
This group was incomparably stronger than the one he had faced alone just a few months ago. But he couldn't always be the one to fight. So, this time, he had asked Sophia and Nina to handle it.
It was a kind of test, as he wanted to see how far they had come, and more importantly, to understand their current capabilities.
Nina, he noticed, still needed time. She was still relying on her assassin skills, using firearms and speed, rather than showing him how a mage would fight.
On the other hand, Sophia was surprising him. She was stronger than he had expected.
He kept his gaze on her, watching as she moved through the crowd of enemies, her sword flashing as she weaved between them. And he felt that maybe, she could be trusted to handle these sorts of things, going forward.
'But she still needs a different weapon,' Christian thought, as he watched her wield the prized sword.
The flames that now engulfed the blade, beautiful as they were, were also slowly chipping away at it. Christian could already see how it wouldn't be able to endure much longer, and would become unusable after a few more battles .
It was supposed to be among the best ones available in the world. But he knew that that was not the case.
It was among the best, just when it came to ordinary swords. If he wanted a sword that those who trained in essence used, then he needed to buy it from those ancient families… and that's why Zero's mission of making connections was important.
The ancient families were monopolizing many things. And with just an ordinary relationship, many of those things couldn't be bought, even if one had the money to pay for them.
So, while looking at the battle that was drawing near, Christian couldn't help but think that the next goal on his agenda should be securing weapons that were able to bring out the best of her ability… actually, not just for her, but for everyone around him, including himself.
'Maybe I really should put blacksmithing in one idle slot?'
Christian didn't mind buying things from others if that was possible. But at the end of the day, he liked to be self-sufficient.
He liked it when he was in control of the situation.
And him needing to rely on others to secure something, was not in line with his thoughts.
Arriving at this point, Christian firmly made the decision to make his weapon himself.
But… which idle slot should he replace?
He didn't need to wonder much, as he already knew which skill had been trained enough. His Hand-to-Hand Combat skill had already reached the Expert tier, after all.
With his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu skill deleted, and Hand-to-Hand Combat having become Expert tier, Christian had gained and understood many things.
He had always wondered, if normal martial arts were trained to the extreme, would they allow ordinary people to fight those who were trained in essence?
He had finally gotten the answer to that.
And that answer was yes, they would. Just… not in the way he had originally thought.
He had believed that once he developed the skill far enough, it would naturally touch upon essence itself. That through refinement, it would eventually evolve into a form capable of contending with those trained in essence.
But that wasn't what happened.
Instead, what he developed, was fist intent. The kind often spoken of in martial arts novels.
He had only barely scratched the surface of it, and still needed to work hard to develop it further… but he had indeed stepped into it.
He still remembered how surprised he was when it first awakened. His strength had noticeably increased, with the presence of that intent, after all.
And so, while he would have liked to continue developing that intent further, for now… even that surface level was enough.
Enough, for the technique he planned to make for his sister later.
While Christian's thoughts wandered in that direction, his eyes never left the battlefield.
And so, when he saw one of the enemies break away from the group and attempt to flee, Christian was already preparing to intercept and finish him off.
But Nina, who until now hadn't stood out much in the fight, despite already having constructed her first circle around the heart, seemed to have something else in mind.
She suddenly took out a dagger from her waist.
In one hand, she made the swift motion of preparing to throw the weapon. With the other, she began to construct a magic circle in midair.
As soon as the magic circle completed, a faint glow spread across its surface. And without hesitation, Nina threw the dagger straight through it.