I didn’t know how long I stayed like that, and I didn’t care. But I was dragged back to reality by another loud bang as the door hit the wall again. My mind was alert of my surroundings, but my head was still buried on my knees. The sound of footsteps became louder as it went nearer. One was metallic, while the other was barely audible.

“Kaito?! Are you injured?” asked Bria, somewhat alerted.

I remained silent, letting her continue.

The familiar wave of warm energy washed over me. It was soothing, but it did nothing to defeat the monster inside my head. The footsteps quickened, then came to a full stop.

“Kaito, what happened to you?!” she added.

I bobbed my head slightly, signalling Rihoku to remove his head. When he did, I fully propped my head. Bria’s face distorted into confusion. I guessed my face wasn’t at its best.

“W-what happened to you?” she repeated, less alert.

I mustered my strength and wiped my face. I must’ve looked bad, since my hand was drenched from a single swipe. “I… Nothing…”

My gaze shifted from Bria to Shiki, then from Shiki to Bria. Whatever I hoped to find, I didn’t.

A few moments of silence followed, and it was Shiki who broke it. Stepping forward, he said, “My liege, if I may.”

I looked at him in silence, letting him continue.

“Failure is part of a warrior’s journey, my liege. Let it not hinder your growth as a warrior. Harrowing it may be, shoulder it and resume threading your path. Lift your head, hold your chest high, and ensure that the same mistake is not to happen.”

I wasn’t expecting anything, but a pep talk from Shiki caught me by surprise. Still, I knew he’s right. Of course he was. I nodded, wanting to get it over with. “Yes, let’s--”

“No, not in that state, my liege,” he cut me off. Again, catching me by surprise. My brows unconsciously furrowed as I stared at him in confusion. He then looked at Bria. Bria nodded, then started to chant.

A few more seconds and a portal appeared behind them. Shiki motioned for me to come closer.

“Follow us, my liege,” he said, then stepped into the portal.

My head was buzzing, and I was in no state to refute. With a blank mind, I followed them. The other side of the portal was barren land. The sun was quietly setting on the horizon. Looking behind me, there was a stiff cliff and marks of blood and battle. I knew this place. It was where we rescued Bria.

“What are we doing here?” I asked half heartedly.

“Spar with me, my liege.” Shiki walked a few paces from, then turned sharply. On his hand, Kiriwan was already drawn. Without another word, he started to charge..

My mind was still not clear enough to process what was going on, but fortunately, my reflexes hadn’t shut down along with my brain. My hand instinctively hovered towards Gale and drew it just in time to deflect Shiki’s cut. It was a plain cut with no mana or skill embedded with it. Sparks flew as metal hit metal. Plain as his attack was, I still received the brunt of his attack. But that wasn’t the end of it. Shiki followed up with another cut, then another one. He wasn’t holding back. My hands were starting to numb from the vibrations from consecutively blocking and deflecting Shiki’s attacks.

What the-- Kiriwan suddenly appeared a few inches from my face, literally cutting my thoughts off. I switched to autopilot and let my reflexes kick in. I ducked, then rolled forward. However, Shiki had anticipated that. His shin hit my side. A thick, hard greave met my flesh and bones. It felt like I was struck by a hammer, and my skin was being torn.

I spewed a mouthful of saliva. My hands immediately clutched my side, wanting to twist and turn.

“Ahhhh!” I screamed in pain, while twisting on the ground.

“Such performance won’t even qualify as a warm-up, my liege,” Shiki said, monotonous as ever, but I could sense him mocking looking down on me.

A flicker of rage ignited within me. Just in time, Bria walked over and handed me a potion. I snatched the vial from her hand, then downed it within a single gulp. The pain immediately faded, and I was back on my feet, ready to fight.

I gripped Gale tightly, observing Shiki’s movements and trying to anticipate his next attack. He stood there holding Kiriwan in front of him. But the next moment, his figure flickered into nothingness. My eyes shot wide open, and my instincts screamed danger. Fueled by adrenaline and piloted by my reflexes, I ducked. At the same moment, Kiriwa cut the area where my head was. Damn it, Shiki! Are you trying to kill me for real?

This time, I didn’t just wait for his next attack to come. I rolled forward, then kicked towards him hoping to sweep his leg. When my foot hit his shin, a hollow, metallic sound rang, but that was all there was to it. Shiki was standing as still as a statue, while my foot had numbed from the impact. When I looked up, Shiki was already swinging Kiriwan downwards.

He’s more serious than during my training! I channeled mana into my feet and kicked with my left foot. The solidified air from Wind Walk thrusted me backwards, evading Kiriwan’s blade at the nick of time. I stood up and held Gale in front of me. Shiki had just put Kiriwan up, giving me a moment to breathe. Seeing the opportunity, I grasped it. Activating Wind Walk, I leapt forward then used Crescent Slash. The black slash quickly flew towards Shiki, but he simply stood there, undeterred. When my slash hit Shiki’s armor, a cloud of dust covered his entirety.

Shiki?! I mentally screamed, ready to run. Why didn’t you block or dodge?!

But before I could run to his rescue, Kiriwan was already pointed under my neck. It’s tip slightly pricking the skin beside my throat. On its other end was Shiki, his armor unscathed and gleaming.

“Not bad, my liege. You did very well facing me. I believe it’s time for you to face them.”

Shiki slashed the air and Kiriwan returned to nothing. Behind him, another portal appeared. But this time, the other end wasn’t our home. Instead, there was a mob of Goblins, Nighthowls, Kobolds, and War Orcs. But two huge figures sprawled on the ground caught my eyes. I glinted, hoping to catch a better view, but Shiki and Bria’s backs blocked it as they entered the portal. Hurriedly, I followed them.

The moment I stepped out of it, everybody bowed their heads as if revering a king. A warm feeling welled up inside me. What’s this?

Before I knew it, a smile had crept to my face. I swept my gaze across the crowd, looking, studying their monstrous face. I wanted to etch this moment to my memory. I wanted to remember each and every face of this army into my heart.

“Kaito,” Bria tapped my shoulders and pointed to the creatures on the ground, breaking me out of my dramatic sentimentalism, “these are Shiki and my gift. They are Skizmos, a stronger species of War Orcs.”

My eyes shot wide open. “What?! Gift for what? And, where did you get these? They weren’t on the list in Castel.”

“What happened to the Spiked Firebears--” Hearing that word made my heart skip a beat. I hadn’t completely gotten over it yet. “--was unfortunate, and we can use more force. We scouted the area for possible recruits, and we found them. Also, there are a lot of other creatures in these parts than what that short list enumerated.”

My jaw dropped. Above the two green skinned giants’ heads were their race and levels.

[Skizmo]

[Level 35] [Level 33]

“Go on. Subjugate them,” Bria promptly egged after seeing my not-so-pretty shocked expression.

My heart raced, and the image of exploding firebears popped into my head. Sweat covered my forehead, and my palms were drenched. S- subjugate…

[Subjugate Skizmo Level 35?

(yes) (no)]

[Subjugate Skizmo Level 33?

(yes) (no)]

My mind hesitated for a moment but eventually chose yes.

[Subjugating Skizmo…

Subjugation successful.]

[Congratulations on leveling up! You are now level 33.]