Here they are again at the top of the training tower, but this time with Globox and without the Fairy.
The Hero faced these three people, he analyzed the emotions they were expressing: the queen didn't look particularly angry, but for once she seemed to be the calmest of the group, not hiding any animosity, she even seemed worried about something. The Globox guard maintains the same posture: jovial and je-m'en-foutiste. It is Sawyer who looks different, he is much more serious and less "clumsy" than usual, usually he did not know how to address the Hero and try many things, although it was said that he was the son and successor of the hero of his homeland, he saw him more undergo the decisions of the queen than make his own choices - well, that's what he was able to observe in his company -, but today he looked different.
The Hero wanted to check on the queen, whom he had not seen since she was bedridden, but Sawyer stopped him immediately.
- You can argue with her another time. Today, you and I will fight.
- What do you mean?" asked the Hero, "like another training.
- No. Selia, shoot him.
- I really don't think that...
- Selia, there are few things I ask of you, except to trust me when I tell you to do something.
The queen huffed in annoyance.
- As you wish...
- What? But why?
- Never mind!" said Sawyer in Franca.
And Audisélia shot a lightning bolt at the Hero, which went through his body, the Hero fell on the ground, one knee on the ground, holding the part touched by the attack of the queen.
- But I've only just regenerated... what's happened to you?" he said, struggling to get up.
- Continue Sélia.
She fired another bolt of lightning at him, which sent the Hero to the ground. This situation was beginning to enrage the Hero, he didn't understand why they were picking on him in this way. Were they too disappointed with the way he had been ridiculed in less time than it takes to say it?
- Shoot!" ordered Sawyer.
Audisélia started shooting again but this time the Hero dodged and ran to the end of the field.
- Don't stop, Selia.
- But I really don't see what you want to do Sawyer.
- I told you to trust me, it's between me and him.
Then it resumed with a salvo of lightning shots of which a part touched the Hero, the human began to lose patience, he was not going to play cat and mouse for an hour.
- Now throw it all away, Audiselia!" shouted Sawyer.
With one hand she continued to shoot the Hero and with the other she prepared the spell she had used in their first meeting.
- By the six majestic skies, You who are above us, come to me and lend me your strength so that, by your power, I can make my lightning anger fall on the enemies who face me: Liberation of the seventh seal of the lightning: Lightning of Eclina!
The attack was faster than the first time, he barely felt the lightning before the lightning pylon fell on him, nevertheless, he managed to dodge it in time unlike the last time. It was too much! He was already pissed off about everything that had happened before but their game had really pissed him off, if they wanted to fight with him for a while, so be it! He charged at them ready to fight.
- Eventually, he got angry, Globox says.
- That's all I expected," Sawyer replied, "Queen Audiselia, please take the shoulder of the Globox guard.
She did so and with a simple touch Globox and the queen disappeared, leaving only the master and his student.
Audiselia and Globox landed in the throne room barely above the ground. Sawyer's power was still imprecise and with the other Seb'is fool gone, the teleportations were far too brutal, only the possessor of the power could withstand such violence in travel.
- 'Tain, Sawyer never makes any effort when he teleports people,' commented Globox.
- Morvian and I have already told him, but you know him, he's as stubborn as a mule's head.
Globox helped her up and as the queen was about to leave to rest in her room while pandering, the holy knight called her.
- Queen Audiselia, may I say a few words to you?
- Uh... yeah. But you know, there's no one Globox, you don't have to be so formal with me.
- I know, but better be careful, if someone catches us being too familiar, we might get in trouble.
- Let them talk!" she brushed it aside, as if they were not aware that the four of us had been friends since childhood. Well, there's Elena, but you and Morvian were absent.
- It is precisely about her that I would like to talk to you.
- The queen was astonished, and said: "What is it about her?
- I find you, Queen Audisélia, much too close to this human child.
- Nothing more normal if I want him to be my son.
- Yes, but, already this project seems shaky and absurd, how will you tell the people? Whether you are... you are queen or not, you remain subject to the laws of the kingdom that were established before you.
- I am the queen so I can change the laws, even if someone else changes them after me.
- That's a tip, right. I'm just pointing out that it can play tricks on you to be so lenient with him. Well, I'll leave you to it, I have to talk to my future wife.
- Do you have a wife now?
- It's in the works. Come on, I'll leave you. Well, I'll just... err, fuck you. See you later, Sélia.
She gave him a little wave and went back to her room.
Why this vigilance towards the Hero on his part? He doesn't carry the humans in his body and didn't know Elena but still, after so many months, he could trust this young boy a little more, although he had come home angry when they left. She hoped Sawyer wouldn't bully him too much.
The Hero jumped up and tried to elbow Sawyer in the top of the head. The leader of the Queen's Saints stopped the Hero's blow by drawing his two swords and countering with the flat of his two blades.
- So the weakling? You call yourself a hero of the legend and you can't even beat a common fairy?
- Take off this magic shackle and we'll see who's the weak one in this story.
They pushed each other away before both gave the assault, Sawyer's blows were more vivid than usual, which surprised the Hero who was used to these trainings with the knight, he was even fighting with a completely different style of combat since before, he had never seen him swing two swords at the same time. But this did not prevent him from putting himself on the same pace as his opponent, he dodged his double blade attacks, however, unlike their training, the fairy knight used his wings to increase his speed allowing him to always be close to touch the Hero and preventing him from retaliating.
- Is that how you thought you could defeat that thing in the arena? How pathetic!" Sawyer challenged him, "that's probably why Jacob ended up protecting you, you weak hero!
- The fact that you are my mother's friend does not give you the right to insult me!
The Hero stopped retreating and tried to punch the knight in the abdomen, but Sawyer stopped him by thrusting his swords into each side of his arm before pulling them out so he wouldn't take advantage of them to run away with them. The Hero forced his regeneration and went on the attack, he couldn't see what loophole he could exploit by being barehanded to fight the knight. If he had his full powers, he could do something, but now it was impossible, the only solution left to him was to steal his weapon and fight on equal terms with him. But how could he do that? It was not a simple brigand or bandit that he was facing but the leader of the most prestigious squad of the kingdom of Sylvania, composed of fairy-fighters, it was not an opponent he could play with lightly.
- I have no idea what it means to be a "hero of legend" and I have even less idea what it means to be the "fairy of legend", but what I do know is that your unquenchable quest for power has still not made you stronger. I saw it in front of the queen, I saw it again when you were fighting in the arena and I see it again today. Although your blows are powerful, they have no will, boy. I thought about it after I left the hospital and I concluded one thing: despite all the teachings I could give you and all the techniques I could teach you, you will never reach the ultimate power because, like Audiselia, you carry death inside you. And it is not your beautiful false smiles and the power that the arm of the Titan Ymir gives you, the power of the hero of the legend or all the curses of the world that will change that.
- What are you saying to me?" the Hero raged, "If I have all these insulting nicknames, it's because I'm much stronger than what you're pretending, Sawyer!
- If the opinion of twenty-five million ants could indeed change something in the balance of the world, it would be known. But no, one shot with a flamethrower or a simple fire spell and they are reduced to ashes.
- I've heard a lot of bullshit...
- You know it's true!" Sawyer shouted at him before resuming his assault on the Hero, "otherwise you wouldn't have sided with the people of the Nether. If the words of these people who don't count were worth anything then they would have already revolted from their situation instead of relying on a twenty-six year old girl who shakes every time she fights! Only the powerful decide the future of their people or their own destiny, and you are not one of them. You may be powerful but you have no will. In your current state, yes, you are no better than your dead mother in the face of the Nemesis.
- Raaaaahhhh!" shouted the Hero.
The Hero threw another punch that Sawyer countered by putting his swords in the sign of the cross, but the pressure exerted by the Hero's fist pushed him back and the boy pursued him, he had to fly away to dodge it before swooping down on him and trying to slash at him. The Hero opened his hand wide and let the sword sink into his arm, grabbed his quillon and snatched the weapon out of the fairy knight's hands before going on guard.
- And you think having a gun is going to make you a match for me? You're decades behind me, kid!
The exchanges of blows between the two were more than violent, both were trying to put deadly blows to the other. In the confrontation, Sawyer had the advantage over the Hero because he was not only a great swordsman but he knew that with the magical restriction, the Hero could not fight with this way as disorderly as he was used to, so he had to apply all the techniques that he had taught him, and therefore, he knew very well how to counter it.
And the Hero knew it.
If he was to have any chance of shutting down his fencing master, he was going to have to force the seal on his body to release more power like he did against the queen. And given the rage he was in, this was going to be more than doable. He contracted all of his rage within him and tried to break the seal with only his mind and physical strength.
- Seriously? You want to sink that low, so you leave me no choice.
Sawyer extended his left arm in the direction of the Hero and as if he was going to throw a javelin, he prepared his sword in his right hand.
- Sonic Blade School Technique: Last Arcana of the Whirring Blade: Final Impact!
A jet of force was about to strike the Hero's body but was stopped by the purple lightning from the Hero's broken seal, he had managed to recover some of his original strength, in exchange for some wounds all over his body. He broke the ground and sent jets of stones at Sawyer, who cut them off by twirling his sword and dodging those that passed through his blade.
- And you think you're stronger now?
- That's enough for me to avenge Jacob! I won't lose! I'll never lose so miserably again!
- Imbecile!
Sawyer flew towards the Hero, the Hero pointed his blade in his direction, but it was a feint from the knight who kicked him and made the Hero drop the stolen sword, which he recovered before being close to decapitating the Hero, but the Hero kept his rage of victory and stopped the two blades with the strength of his hands, which did not prevent them from bleeding.
- You think you are strong because now you can throw rocks at my face, son of Elena?
- People rely on me and I can't afford to let them get hurt because of my helplessness. Every time I try to help others, all they get is blame and bitterness towards me. Have I become so weak that a local kid is defending me? What kind of hero can afford that? Give me my true strength!
- This vulgar strength has nothing to do with true strength. If your mother had the strength to protect you and your sister from Nemesis Prime and its army, it is not because of her strength alone but because she had the will to protect you! To protect you! You, her only son! Not just to defeat the Nemesis.
The Hero was a little confused by this, which allowed Sawyer to take advantage and lay the Hero on the ground before sticking his sword next to both of his ears inside his hood.
- But I can't deny that you've improved..., Sawyer admitted.
Then he collapsed on the ground to catch his breath. The two men were lying on the ground facing the blue sky that they were quietly observing.
- Why did you want to make me angry?" asked the Hero.
- Do you see me again because you are embarrassed?
The Hero did not answer. He just looked away.
- Well... It's nothing. If I hadn't done it, you would have kept thinking that it's because of your weakness that you're weak, so by letting you break the seal and gain more strength, I made you realize that it's not the quest for power that will make you stronger, but just what you want to do with it. And I got you out of your shell so that you can, a little bit, get it out.
- So if I do good, I'll be stronger and I'll kick the ass of...
- Stop giving such silly answers, he said, slapping his forehead, even "bad" people can become strong just because of their will. You just have to have a reason to keep fighting or live.
- And you are Madame Sélia.
- In a way, but also the kingdom of Sylvania that my father entrusted to me and that I must protect, even if I have not always been up to the task in the past. I, the weak Sawyer who fought and trained so many times until I reached my current strength to protect you all.
This reminded the Hero of the discussion Sawyer had had with the deer, although he had just a few snippets left.
- Did you hate my mother because she was loved by the queen?
- At one time, yes. I was even jealous. I, who had always been with my little Selia, was now being spoiled by a human who appeared out of nowhere. I prayed that Father Wara-gra'teni would take her and her legend to the underworld. But in the end, I came to like her and to get used to the idea that she might like him. However, many events happened that made me question what I thought about Audiselia and Elena.
- For example?
- For example, um, I'll say the fact that your mother attacked us and made an indelible scar on the queen's body that goes from her collarbone to her chest.
- WHAT?" he cried, trying to get up, but the swords were still holding him down, it's impossible! Why is it impossible ?
- No idea, but from the little information we had from him and that we had from you, we understood very quickly and concluded thanks to you that it is the original hero who reacted badly to the presence of Audisélia.
- Why?
- I do not know. I just remember that day, Audiselia wanted to stop Elena from leaving and Elena's eyes began to glow and in one blow with her sword, Stelenincia ironically, she made a big wound on both our bodies. The strike had managed to get behind me while I was in front of Selena. And before she left, she told us in a strange voice: "Nothing will hinder the Hero's Fate!".
That was the kind of thing the house was like. But this was the first time he learned that the original hero's Will could take possession of its host to move and attack other people, especially people with no connection to the Nemesis.
- And for the queen?
- That she was different from the rest of us. Really different...
- Because she too "carries death" within her?
- Not only and that was before. What I'm talking about is her way of loving someone. I understood that she loved other people, she hated them without any measure or being totally indifferent. You must be the only person with maybe Lelelitio and Avelilinélia that she loves differently.
- You mean she loves you as much as she loved my mother.
- Yes. At first it really scared me, the day she appeared in my room after your mother left, she... How old are you again?
- Oh! Don't worry! When I go back to Vicenti, I work in a bar and run errands in a strip bar, so I've learned some... things.
- But what kind of child did your mother leave behind... But yes, you see the picture. I, although I really love him, refused. Globox would laugh at me if he found out, but I couldn't. It was really weird. Fairies aren't normally polygamous, and I'm still exogamous... Yet Audiselia is. And all I can do is accept it and live with it and protect it from others, as I have done since we were children. Especially since it wasn't just mentally that she was different, Sawyer reflected, despite all the injuries she had, only the one caused by your mother remained, and before she learned magic properly, she already mastered lightning, which is rather unusual. There are all sorts of quirks that you could see in her.
Both of them were silent and started to observe the artificial sky without clouds and without sun. Learning more about Queen Audiselia, intrigued the Hero a lot and he began to understand a lot of things about her and made her a little more accessible, and understood a little more, this impression of "broken machine" and "wounded beast" that he had when he was with her. Maybe he was not so different the two and that's why his mother had to entrust him to her rather than to another person.
- If I follow you Sawyer, Audiselia ended up being strong.
- More or less," he replied hesitantly, "she's no longer in danger of self-destructing because of her own power. That's a good thing, right?
- You talk about it as if I could have witnessed it...
Sawyer sat down and removed the swords that were stuck in the ground to let the Hero sit next to him.
- Most importantly, it is who she is now. She has become strong in wanting to protect the people of this kingdom that she has come to love over the years, feel remorse for her inaction, and fight for them to have a better way of life and for none of them to have to live miserably. I think that with her actions, she will be the instigator of a great change in this kingdom.
- I won't be as optimistic as you are," interrupted the Hero, "if we omit the Adepts of the Feline who have a completely different ideal than mother Selia...
- Well, it's funny, she told me about that nickname you gave her, laughs the knight.
- Give me a break," rebuked the Hero, "I was saying that if we forget about the fanatics, the other fairies find the queen zealous in what she does, they clearly don't have the same ambitions as you.
Sawyer laughs out loud.
- Don't worry," Sawyer reassured him, stroking his head, "there's already a fairy that has that ambition, it already does the trick.
- Malalalivia ?
- That's right!
The Hero shook his head with a small smile.
- Her champion would have to beat me first for her to have a chance to beat my fairy.
- His champion?
- Well, yes. Lelelitio, but he didn't really look like he could fight in the arena.
Sawyer looked at him out of the corner of his eye, amused, then returned his gaze to the front.
- Although he doesn't look like much, don't underestimate him, warned the knight, he was my apprentice before you. Even if this information will not be very useful to you that day.
- No doubt.
As he thought about his last fight and his future fight, if he wins against the Treeman, doubts began to form in his mind. Did they come from the fact that he would have to face her or did they predate this revelation?
- I'll tell you the truth, my boy. In terms of willpower and rage to win, Malalalivia, as you call her, is completely beyond you. Nevertheless, willpower is not everything, it acts together with the physical strength that we already have. True strength just allows us to surpass ourselves, and I think this girl clearly has the potential despite her absent wings. She even impressed, to the point that she said she was a genius.
- You talk about it as a great fighter. Is she that impressive?
The Hero found her quite admirable, but from there to go as far as to say that she could be a worthy opponent for him... He had to be sympathetic because she was much more handicapped than he was.
- If you're in doubt, you should have an exhibition match against her, but if you're worried about her seeing through your game, just ask her if she thinks she can beat your next opponent. Speaking of which, do you think you can beat him?
- I really don't know how to compete with him," said the Hero, "his shots are as fast as a turret and he seems to be armed against any possible 360 degree attack. And I really don't know much about him... although I have the impression that he is a Treeman. If it had been a simple turret or a drone, I could have deactivated it easily.
- Have you ever come across any? Because I haven't.
- No, but I've read stories and history and biology books about them.
- It doesn't show, but you're a real nerd," complimented the knight.
- If you want. The only thing I can think of is to be faster than him but since you don't want to remove the seal from my body or give me back Ymir...
Sawyer hit him in the back of the head, touching one of his wounds and causing the Hero to cry out in pain.
- I'm not going to apologize, Sawyer said, what did I just tell you? Being stronger won't be enough because sheer strength isn't enough, nor is willpower, use your fucking head. You just showed you're smart, so be smart, especially by studying the rules of the tournament.
- Well, I know the rules of the tournament.
- Some were only declared to the people involved to prompt the strategy so there's bound to be one you don't know about.
- Which one?" the boy asked.
- The one on living weapons.
- But how do you know that...
The Hero's voice trailed off as he pondered his mentor's last sentence, squinted, and then realized that Sawyer had been aware of his opponent's true nature all along.
- So you...
- Didn't the queen tell you that we shouldn't show too much favoritism even if we have our favorites?
- Yes, it is.
- So be glad I'm giving you a hint.
Sawyer checked the time on his pocket watch, which he pulled from his breastplate, and then stood up.
- I think we've rested enough, it's time to get back to your training.
- I will have to practice gymnastics again?
- You have become agile enough for me to teach you the "Two-bladed Sword Dance", but today I will teach you force projection.
- What's this now? I don't have magic for your delusions of...
- But you have a genetic attribute and normally that should allow you to awaken it completely and maybe it will eventually stop interfering with your body.
- Let's try it then. Are you going to tell the queen that you love her after all?
- When you tell the winged fairy that you love her.
- BUT I DON'T LIKE IT! And the queen might hear us.
- I've given her some direction about some of my conversations, so don't worry about your secrets.
- It's no secret...
And during their training, the Hero thought of a way to beat the wooden creature with all these constraints. Notably that there he could break the seal to fight Sawyer, but if he did so to mess with his opponent, he would be immediately disqualified. Hard, hard to be the hero of the legend. But as his master had said to him, he would have to redouble his ingenuity to beat his new opponent because brute force would not be enough.
Then started the great research of the Hero to defeat this vegetable weapon.
Nevertheless, another question remained: will this search for willpower be enough to undo his other will to annihilate the hero of the legend at the cost of his life?