Freya Academy, Rooftop.
"I knew I would be able to find you here…"
Liam walked on the rooftop and smiled as he found Rio standing there, staring at the setting sun with the same expressionless face as usual.
Rio glanced at Liam and asked,
"Hmm, how odd of you to be the one looking for me…"
Liam has never gone out of his way to purposely look for Rio to have a chat; today was a special day, it seems.
Rio leaned his back against the guard rail of the rooftop and asked,
"So, what do I owe this visit to, 'Dragon Master'?"
Liam sighed in response to that question.
"Ugh, don't call me with that nickname; it kind of feels weird if you keep hearing it over and over…"
Rio shrugged his shoulders and said,
"Well, I thought you might have liked it…"
Liam shook his head and said,
"What's there to like… I don't want to be a dragon master; in fact, I don't think I am a 'Master' of my summoned beasts… Rather than servants, they are more like friends and family…"
Hearing those words, Rio replied,
"Hmm… well, the other summoned beasts aside, what about Ellie? What would you consider her?"
Liam panicked a bit at Rio's question and said,
"W-well, she's a close friend, I would say…"
Rio shook his head and said,
"Heh, you kind of act like how Lia used to act before… I didn't expect you to have your own Tsundere moments too…"
Liam scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment and said,
"Ugh, so you have already figured it out? For a guy who seems so devoid of emotions, you are quite fast to notice these things…"
Rio simply gestured with his hand,
"Nah, I am just good at observation skills… I also have two years' worth of experience in relationships now… Consider me a veteran in this matter now…"
Liam sighed at those words and said,
"Well, I guess that's to be expected of the 'champion'; you are good at everything… You don't waver when it comes to confronting your inner thoughts; you don't waver in any dangerous situation…"
"Even when you had to fight Lia, you still had the determination to move… I would have never been able to do that if I had to fight Ellie… I am too weakk-hearted unlike you…"
"I kind of understand now… Why were you able to overpower Link and everyone else in the tournament…"
Before Liam could do any more self-loathing, Rio gave him a light punch on the shoulder and said,
"What are you talking about… I don't think you are that bad yourself; I myself am unable to make plans and strategies as good as you; moreover, group battles are your fort…"
Rio glanced at the sky and said in a calm tone,
"One thing that I have learned and applied in my life is that, 'No matter how useless or worthless you become in life, you should never give up on yourself'…"
"The only thing that can make you lose faith and motivation in your dreams is you and you yourself; no one else has the power to do it…"
A rare smirk appeared on Rio's face at the moment as he said,
"There used to be a guy who used to blame himself for being pathetic, weak, and useless; he had no talents, and he was not good at anything at all…"
"There was no one to support or love him, but see, that pathetic guy is standing here as the 'Champion of the Supreme Tournament'…"
"My very existence here is proof that changing your destiny is always in your own hands…"
Liam was quite surprised by Rio's words. He smiled and said,
"Heh, this is the first time I have heard you talk so much to me… You are really an interesting guy. Rio… I kind of understand now why Lia fell for you…"
Rio shrugged his shoulders at those words and replied,
"I didn't purposely plot anything; our love was mutual; it's not like I was chasing her or anything; I guess I used all my life's luck just to get someone like her…"
"And of course I dare not ask anything more; Lia is the only one for me…"
Rio patted Liam's shoulder and said,
"You should do the same… Consider meeting Ellie a great opportunity; don't waste time; you need to take action before it's too late…"
"Don't forget that spirit beings are like fleeting manifestations of dreams and mana; if you waste too much time, that dream will fade away into nothingness…"
"And all you will be left with is regret and self-blame… Prove your determination, Liam Aldif; don't waste the blessing that you already have…"
…
Back to the current time.
Floating in the pillar of golden light, Liam opened his eyes and thought to himself.
'Yes, you are right. Rio, I must not waste the blessing that I already have…'
The dark clouds in the sky started to clear up, and the golden pillar of light also faded away into nothingness.
Liam slowly landed on the place where he was originally standing.
'I nearly forgot that conversation I had with Rio… I was too stressed by the fact that I had lost to him in battle, and I wanted to find some method to counter him…'
'But in my blind chase to catch up to Rio, I nearly forgot my own blessings… How pathetic of me…'
'Sigh, I must correct my mistakes… Forgive me, Ellie. I was lost for a moment, but I am back now…'
Liam brought out his floating orb weapon, 'Azazel's Dream Heart', and a smile appeared on his face.
'I understand it now… There is no distinction between primary summons and others… It's all the same; you just need a power that can support it all.'
And that power is:
[Mana Field!]
'Mana Field' is a power that all mages and summoners want to awaken.
It's primary ability is to help you control and regulate your mana to the point that you won't waste a single drop of mana when using your skills or your magic.
It increases your'mana control' ability to the extreme, and it can also help you create a 'Field' around you.
In that 'Field', all the mana can be freely manipulated and absorbed in the body. In other words, Liam's mana capacity will increase tremendously as he can just absorb the mana in that field to replenish his own.
With insanely high mana control, not only the effects of his skills and magic will improve a hundredfold, even his mana capacity will improve tremendously.
Moreover, you can sense any and every fluctuation in the mana in that field; thus, nothing can escape your detection, and your reaction speed and defenses will improve tremendously.
This legendary skill is the perfect counter for Link's 'Dao Rhythm' and Rio's 'Sword Intent'. As long as Liam can master it to a higher degree, he can contend with Link and Rio on equal terms.
Once Liam awakened 'Mana Field', his mana detection became insanely strong; as a matter of fact, he can even sense 'Themes' presence in the sky now, which was originally impossible for him.
'Ah, so this is how it feels to have a 'legendary skill' in your grasp… This really is a very unique feeling…"
'Now I understand why Rio is so obsessed with training his 'Sword Intent' and why Link is working so hard to improve his mastery over 'Dao Rhythm'…'
'This power is magnificent; it's like you have become one with the world and can bend the world according to your will…'
Liam smiled a bit and used his mana to cast skills.
[Spatial Surge: Space Drift!]
Liam directly ignored the constraints of not being able to use the power of his summons without summoning them and used Kazto's power without even needing to summon him.
Although the power he can conjure with his own abilities is still weaker than what Kazto does himself, this much is already enough.
Just by being able to use the powers of his summon, Liam has opened a door to a new world; he has gained an insane boost in strength.
Now if he fights Rio, he won't need to hide and run to dodge his attacks; now he can finally fight Rio and Link head-on.
[Mammoth Rage: Unstoppable Rush!]
Liam not only used Kazto's space drift skill, which helped him ignore the terrain and float in the air like he was standing on the ground.
He even used Markom's rushing skill to charge forward at an insane speed. (Markom is the name of his mammoth…)
[Bat Echo: Sonic Burst!]
[Wyvern wing: extreme flight!]
Liam directly used several skills together to buff his speed so much that he broke the sound barrier in an instant and created a sonic boom as he flew up in the air.
Liam disregarded the obstacles posed by the mountain's terrain and the numerous monsters trying to stop him.
He flew in the sky like a cannonball, and with a speed faster than a fighter jet, he crossed a distance of several kilometers in a mere few seconds.
In just those few seconds, Liam reached the upper area of the mountain.
Originally, Themes thought that it would take at least five days for the students to reach this area.
But Liam did it all in just a few hours. This development of the event was so unexpected that Themes was left totally speechless.
Only one thought came into Themes's mind at that moment.
'This kid is a monstrous talent—a genius indeed!'
…
…
Author's Notes.
Yo! It's your beloved author here!
Question of the day:.
Which legendary skill would you like to have now that you have seen quite a few?
(Tell me your thoughts in the comments.)
By the way, don't forget to use those power stones and also leave a review if you like the story. Comment your opinion about the chapter. Your support is my motivation.