Kordri Pov:
I have been training this brat for years if one counts the time inside the aether core. He has shattered my view that I had on lessers. He is growing at an extreme rate. I honestly don't know how such a monster can exist. He has only been using hand-to-hand combat when I told it to him. Then he learned the techniques at his first try. I then went out of the aether orb with him and brought several young Thyestes members to see how he will deal with several opponents. He again did not use any mana as I instructed but swiped the floor with them like it was nothing but an easy warm up. I was told not to underestimate him but this is just ludicrous. How could I have thought of this he is already equal to some elders of the Thyestes clan. When I asked him how he got so adept in fighting he told me about his past live. He told me that in his world power dominated everything and since he wanted revenge he trained and trained until he got stronger. He also told me that he did not want anyone he holds dear get harmed or killed. When I asked him he got to where he got in this live he told me that he was born with a mana core and learned how to absorb mana by moving from lady Sylvia. The rest was just training and understanding everything. His knowledge of his old world also helped a lot. Since he understood the phenomenon of the magic from an other point of view.
Because he is so talented I decided to take his training further. I asked the clan leader if I am allowed to teach him some more fighting capabilities and he agreed under the condition that he tells us knowledge that can help us improve our fighting. Arthur agreed to that and I got a lengthy explanation of how the human body is build. He told me that he did not know if our bodies are like human bodies since we look similar to humans. But he told me that if it does not work as intended then there will always be an other way. He told me about muscles and bone structure and much more. Most of I already knew somehow but the better understanding that he possessed was very helpful for me. Alone the idea of information going only half the way before giving a reaction is fascinating. If I could integrate it in our fighting then I could act twice as fast.
Now I am fighting him for the last time. This is the last challenge that I can give him. One year has gone by in the real world and he has grown physically stronger. We are each giving our all of course without mana at the time. But even without it he could defeat some remarkable mages for the lesser's standard. It is a shame that he is not a born Asura he could have achieved so much. This thought came several time to mind over the last year. That monster matches me in technique and if he grows more like he does he will reach the integration stage before returning.
When I throw a jab at his rips he grabs my arm and tries to use it to his advantage. When I fling him away he does not lose balance but stands there like he was waiting for me to attack. When I Hit him in the chest he recoils but gets back up just as fast. When I kick him in the legs he draws back just to lunge at me while I am in a venerable situation. I haven't left the aether orb often. Some times he messes up and get him but manly I just go to talk to other instructors and get advices of how to deal with him. At first they acted cold and dismissive but after I shown them how fast he improves they agreed to help me train him. They even proposed for us to take turns in training this monster of a hybrid was what they called him. He has been told how to mask his presence, how to change the waves of ones core to mask it as an other and many more useful skills that are not connected to our high valued mana arts. In conclusion he has also been trained in swordsmanship, and other fighting stiles. He created weapons and used them while we used staffs and other weapons to deal with him. But now I will go back to the moment.
I Kick him in the chest and fling him away. Then I rush next to him and intend to give the final strike but I was mistaken. He twirled around in the air. He grabbed onto it and twisted his body. When he was in the right position he grabbed onto me trying to get me of balance. It did of course not work. He then tried to bend my arm back. This had some effect but he had a severe disadvantage he was light. I let myself get pushed towards the ground just to grab him and fling him headfirst into it. I got up expecting him to attack me right after but he just laid there.
"Damn I thought it would word. But I guess I am still too small."
"You are but that is of no concern to me. You are able to go tough to tough with me and also with other elders. If I am concerned for somebody then it would be the Scythes. You will be their worst nightmare."
"So you are telling me that there is nothing that can stop me from wining this war?"
"Don't get full of yourself. The Vritra are known for their damn mana arts. It is not that they are especially powerful but tricky and hard to deal with. If you get cocky you will die on the battlefield but who am I saying this to."
"You are right about that. But there is still a gigantic gap between living for fifty years and being a king for some time of it and living for however long you are alive. I can't amount to that much."
"That is true but never forget you have also some advantages."
"You know for a combat instructor you have a lot of good live advice."
"Shut up brat and get up we are not finished with the spar."
He got up and we continued. Then the time has come we both started to use mana and started to bombard us with spells, augmented our bodies and much more. The landscape was nothing more but craters in the earth. To be honest I am liking this fight even more. He did not only use magic to keep me at bay but used his gravity to draw myself closer to him so that he can land a blow. Afterwards he tries to mimic a spell of our clan. He uses gravity magic on his fists and pushes the gravity in the other way. This resulted in a strong shockwave to rush towards me. But he is just scraping the very surface of our arts. With one swing of my arm the shockwave was cleaved in half. He rushes toward me and I hit him in the head splattering it in bits and pieces. But as expected it was an illusion. His mirage walk might be impressive but not perfect in any means. He appeared behind me and got my fist lunged straight into his abdomen. But that cockroach just won't stand down. Even though he was broken and bloodied beyond recognition he is still fighting. Using mana to augment his body so that it moves just like he wants to. Instead of moving his limbs with his body control he uses mana to orders them to move. This was one of his own mana arts. He calls it mana system. But it is still in the baby shoes. In this state I started to move and beat him until he gives up. Which he does after he is ejected from the aether orb.
"Brat you have become far more powerful. Even though you are not using your favourite weapon you are still a dangerous opponent. If I or any other elder wouldn't take you serious then we would lose."
"Thank you master Kordri. And I also have to thank the other elders to guide me in learning other techniques."
"Just beat those Vritra into submission with the techniques that you learned from us. And do not tell anyone that we have taught you."
"I won't. But it is still regrettable that I was not able to defeat you or absolve my last challenge successfully."
"Ah about that. Defeating me is something you can only wish to do. After all I am your teacher and I won't get done in by my very own student. And as for the last test. Don't worry you have passed."
"I did?"
"Yeah boy. The time was over when I began using mana arts to fight you."
"Hey wait so you just fought me for the fun of it?"
"That about sums it up."
"Is the young Arthur ready to depart?" came the question from the blond haired militaristic styled man.
"Yes we are finished with our training session. You can take him wherever you need him to go."
"Mhm. In that case we will have to hurry up and make it to your next instructor."