“Did you miss me, Jaji-boy?” Epagogia was smiling toward a man she had now shared not one, but two lives.

Jacob smiled with bright eyes, nodding slightly. He knew certain questions couldn’t be dodged forever

“Just because I didn’t decide to pick up where we left off, it doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy your company, Eppy,” Jacob smiled.

Her usual teasing made it easier to brush off the big question about his personal love life. Epagogia had been her last partner, and Jacob had now left her hanging in the cold. If she hadn’t been more understanding, he could have fully expected to be hanged from a cliff.

“I expected more monsters, but the region suddenly went quiet,” Epagogia said, looking at Jacob intently.

“And you obviously believe that it wasn’t by chance,” Jacob read her mind.

“You would have freaked out much more than me.”

“Most certainly,” Jacob nodded. Among the two, he was the paranoid one. “We don’t really have the means to go check what’s happening around L’Aquila without risking meeting a Hound realm. And you can’t jump two realms.”

“So, what are we going to do?” Epagogia asked.

“Wait,” Jacob said and then added, “and pray maybe.”

…

Jacob had asked Epagogia if they could spar, since he needed to test his new advance in cultivation. The Alchemic Pasta al Pesto had been a once-off, but it had made his talent jump from a 1st to a 2nd level. It was enough to make reaching the Mantis realm much easier. Once there, though, he would start slowing up crazily again. Such was the destiny of people with weak talents such as his.

“You need to go out and fetch more Alchemical resources soon, don’t you?” Epagogia asked while they moved to a secluded space in the Black Forest.

“I arranged some new seeds in the Alchemical Garden and studied the Formations there a bit more, but yes. I could start consuming Spiritual Herbs like crazy thanks to the Time Domination Technique, but it would be a massive waste with my current talent. And in any case, my Sword Aura is going to be my main weapon in the foreseeable future.”

“No Time shenanigans,” Epagogia mused, “well, that’s so not you, Jaji-boy. They are so funny!”

“I’m not a party clown, Eppy,” Jacob groaned.

“Well, you could be a great one,” she winked, “but I do agree with you. If you feed the other pink humans, you might get a better overall result. Even though I’d rather get one slightly stronger Jaji-boy than a thousand useless humans jumping realms.”

Epagogia did not like humans so much. Most of her experiences with his race had been war-related, especially during the Vermillion Tyrant wars. However, she still put up with them because of Jacob, even though he was under no impression she would ever really love them as much as Devils.

Fair is fair, I can’t really ask her that.

She was helping, and the sway she commanded with her position as the Queen of Devils was more than Jacob could have hoped for.

“Are you ready?” Epagogia asked with a smirk.

Jacob put the sword in front of him and pressed on his forearm with the left hand.

Aura Synchronization, 0.000001%

A thick red aura spread around him, the same he had used against the Mantis realm Charybdis.

“Uh, nice party trick,” Epagogia mocked him.

Purple Qi Claws

She got back to her Devil form and coated her claws with Purple Qi, ready to strike.

Jacob and Epagogia started slowly circling each other, so focused on the other person’s body that the air between them got charged with wild energy.

Acceleration

Jacob sprinted forward, and Epagogia simply swiped with her claws, knowing she had the strength advantage on him. His swordsmanship was strong, but the difference in their cultivation was too great.

Or that was what Epagogia had thought because she didn’t know about Kevin being a Soul Weapon.

SHOW THIS COMMON WENCH WHAT THIS GREAT KEVIN CAN DO, YOU LITTLE HUMAN!

And Jacob obliged.

As she was meeting her claws, Jacob used his Martial Style.

Blade Tyrant Martial Style, 1st stance – Cut

Epagogia's expression rapidly changed, seeing the red aura seep into the sword, a beacon for Jacob’s great ability with blades.

The sword had now become red veins on its blade, and Jacob’s potential had just skyrocketed.

Epagogia clenched her teeth and went through with her blow, meeting Jacob’s sword. She felt the blade bite into her Qi and cut.

They locked into that position for a few seconds, and Jacob turned the mockery back to her.

“You are not going to back off, Eppy?”

Kevin bit deeper into the Purple Qi coating around her claws.

“Well, Jaji-boy, sneaky as always. But this is a game two can play.”

Jacob saw Epagogias’ pupils constrict and instantly jumped back.

A shockwave of power erupted from her body, together with a deep purple aura.

Devilish Purple Qi Aura

She used her own aura and exploded forward with incredible power.

I’ll break an arm if I match her blows.

Jacob had instantly felt that Epagogia’s synchronization with her own aura was much greater than his own. She could currently fight a Demonic Beast at the Intermediate Stage of the Oriole Realm easily.

Kevin! Can you help me synchronize with more aura without burning my goddamn Meridians?

THIS GREAT KEVIN IS ALL MIGHTY, HE CAN DO ANYTHING! POUR YOUR WEAK AURA THROUGH THIS MIGHTY KEVIN, YOU PUNY HUMAN!

Blade Tyrant Martial Style, 3rd stance – Deflect

Blade Tyrant Martial Style, 3rd stance – Deflect

Jacob dodged and then parried two strikes, giving himself some breathing room. He could feel Kevin activate something inside the sword, a weird ability that felt like the sword had its own Meridians.

“What’s up, Jaji-boy? You really thought you could best me with more than a realm separating us?”

“Beating no, but maybe I can give you a nice fight,” Jacob smiled thinly and put his left hand back on the forearm wielding the sword. “Come on, Kevin, let’s not blow me up.”

Aura Synchronization, 0.000005%

All the grass around Jacob instantly got shredded to bits by invisible cuts.

ROUND TWO, STUPID DEVIL!

Kevin’s voice reached both of them.

Jacob stuck his hand out and gestured for Epagogia to come and face him.