The atmosphere fell into a brief silence, carries a hint of subtle awkwardness.
Seeing his mentor from his past life staring at him with a searching gaze, Dio could only brace himself and try to brush it off with a common excuse.
“I am sorry, Lady Laura… You… You look exactly like a teacher I once knew and deeply respected… I acted in haste and mistook you for her.”
Laura’s deep gaze lingered on him for a moment. Doubt remained in her eyes, but she did not press further.
She simply nodded slightly and evaluated him in a calm tone.
“It is fine. The Aura in your body is condensed and heavy, and your foundation is solid. It is clear you have undergone extremely rigorous and orthodox guidance.”
“The teacher who taught you sword techniques must be an extraordinary person.”
Hearing Laura praise his teacher from his “past life,” Dio’s expression instantly became incredibly excited.
Over the past six years, his hard work had not been in vain.
He had not been given the chance to earn Laura’s recognition last time, but in this life, he had.
Suppressing the urge to let hot tears flow, he nodded with heartfelt reverence. “Yes! She… She really is a very, very wonderful teacher!”
In his eyes right now, the Laura before him possessed even more of an unstoppable edge and the absolute confidence of a peak powerhouse than the memory of the teacher who had struggled in the apocalypse, losing an arm yet still standing tall.
While this made his blood boil with excitement, a question he had ignored for two lifetimes suddenly surfaced in his mind.
How exactly did Laura, in her prime, lose her right arm?
Was it caused by a battle with the Blood Race?
The thought made him shiver, and he did not dare to think about it any further.
Sara revealed a rare, playful smile.
She stepped in to break the somewhat heavy atmosphere, suggesting, “Teacher, words are useless. Why don’t you see Senior Dio’s swordsmanship with your own eyes?”
“I think you will be even more interested in him once you see it yourself.”
The first time Dio had shown his strength, she had sensed that his swordsmanship style bore some divine resemblance to Laura’s.
Curiosity and expectation had taken root in her heart as well.
Standing at the edge of the crowd, Yize also pricked up his ears. He was also curious.
He wondered how Laura would react when she saw the swordsmanship she was only supposed to teach in the “future” being displayed early by a “stranger.”
Hearing this, Laura’s gaze fell on Dio again, and she nodded. “Very well.”
The group then moved to the practice field that had been temporarily cleared within the Betty Territory.
The field was empty, with some traces of battle still remaining on the ground.
Dio took a deep breath and walked to the center of the field. He was more nervous than he had ever been before.
He was facing the mentor who had given him everything in his past life, the guide on his path of the sword.
Displaying the swordsmanship she would only teach him in the future right in front of her felt both familiar and incredibly strange, carrying an indescribable sense of trepidation.
He closed his eyes, striving to eliminate all distracting thoughts as he recalled every moment spent under Laura’s guidance in his past life.
When he opened his eyes again, his gaze had become sharp and focused.
His opening stance was as steady as a mountain, and immediately following it, a flash of sword light erupted!
His movements were fluid and precise. The swordsmanship was fierce and overbearing, yet it contained startling flexibility and variation in the finer details.
‘Does this sword technique match mine…?’
Standing at the edge of the field, the moment that sword light flared up, the pupils of Laura’s originally calm face contracted slightly, almost imperceptibly.
A flash of extreme shock and disbelief flickered in her eyes, vanishing so quickly it was nearly impossible to catch, only to be replaced by a deeper scrutiny and investigation.
She saw it clearly. What Dio was performing was not just a similar form!
The essence, the rhythm, and even the unique way he channeled his Aura…
Everything matched her own lineage of the sword with an incredibly high degree of compatibility!
This was absolutely not something that could be mastered by observing or stealing techniques; it looked more like it had undergone long-term, systematic training…
But the problem was, she was absolutely certain that she had never taken this disciple, nor had she ever taught this set of swordsmanship so completely to anyone!
Once the set of sword techniques was finished, Dio sheathed his sword and stood still. He looked at Laura nervously, waiting for his “teacher’s” evaluation.
The practice field was silent.
Sara, Yize, and the others could feel that the atmosphere around Laura seemed to have become even more condensed.
After a long time, Laura spoke slowly. Her voice was still steady, but it carried an indescribable tone that hadn’t been there before. “Your swordsmanship… is very interesting.”
She took a step forward, her gaze like a torch as she locked onto Dio.
“Can you tell me… just who that ‘teacher’ of yours is?”
……
Facing Laura’s sharp gaze that seemed capable of piercing through a person’s heart and her unavoidable questioning, Dio’s heart tightened.
He knew he could not expose the fact of his rebirth, but facing Laura, he was unwilling to brush her off entirely with lies.
He took a deep breath and lowered his gaze as if falling into some heavy memory, introducing the Laura of his previous life in another way.
“She… was a respectable lady.”
“When I met her, she… she seemed to carry the weight of too many years and the scars of battle.”
“Her right arm… it was empty. But even so, her posture while holding a sword was still as immovable as a mountain range.”
“The time she taught me wasn’t long, but she is definitely the best teacher I have ever met.”
“She didn’t like to talk about her past, and I never dared to ask for her name. She was like… like a gust of wind. She appeared at the darkest moment of my life, taught me the meaning of survival and combat, and then quietly departed…”
Dio’s description deliberately blurred the time and location, but words like “scarred,” “missing an arm,” and the sincerity in his voice that almost overflowed with emotion faintly sketched that outline in Laura’s mind.
Specifically, the detail about the “missing arm” caused Laura’s brow to furrow almost imperceptibly, and a swift ripple of emotion flashed deep within her eyes.
She did not continue to ask for a name, only giving Dio a deep look.
After a moment of silence, she changed the subject. “Your foundation in swordsmanship is good, but your power delivery techniques still have flaws, and your use of Aura is slightly naive.”
“We do not know when the Blood Race’s next attack will come. Before that, if you have free time, I can give you a pointer or two.”
Hearing this, Dio’s heart was instantly filled with immense joy and a hint of bitterness. Stifling his excitement, he bowed solemnly. “Thank you, Lady Laura!”
Thus, during the brief preparation period that followed, whenever military duties paused, Laura would take the time to guide Dio in his swordsmanship.
However, the more they interacted, the stronger the sense of strangeness in Laura’s heart became.
She discovered that Dio seemed to have an extraordinary understanding of some of her habits.
When the first day of guidance ended, Dio would “coincidentally” hand her a cup of Pure Heart Flower Tea at the perfect temperature, just the way she preferred it.
On the morning of the second day, when she prepared to practice alone according to her unbreakable habit, she found that Dio was already waiting at the practice field and had finished his warm-up in advance.
These small details might have been coincidences once or twice, but when they happened repeatedly, there was a problem.
Dio seemed very familiar with her…
Laura looked at Dio, who was sweating under the sun and working hard to correct every tiny mistake she pointed out. An absurd thought gradually surfaced in her mind.
The scarred, one-armed teacher who didn’t want to mention the past that Dio spoke of…
The “stranger” whose swordsmanship style shared the same source as hers and who even knew her undisclosed sword paths and personal habits…
“Could it be…?”
A startling guess circled in her mind.
Could that teacher he spoke of…
Be her?
The idea was too inconceivable; even she felt it was ridiculous.
She immediately suppressed it, but the seed of doubt had been planted. When she looked at Dio, she couldn’t help but carry a deeper sense of investigation and a strange feeling of connection that she hadn’t even noticed herself.
……
Meanwhile, on the other side of the residence, the situation appeared… quite “lively.”
Ever since Iguneel unexpectedly gained control over the body, Swan felt as if he had become a “prisoner.”
He was trapped inside his own body, forced to watch this stupid dragon soul use his shell to do all sorts of ridiculous things.
‘Iguneel! I’m begging you! Can you give me back my body?’
‘You’ve been in control for a whole day already!’
Swan let out a silent scream from the depths of his consciousness, watching “himself” face a mirror and make various strange faces, sometimes puffing out his cheeks and sometimes pulling at the corners of his eyes.
‘What’s the rush?’
Iguneel’s voice carried a long-lost joy and novelty.
‘I have slept for far too long. What’s wrong with letting me play for a little longer?’
She controlled Swan’s body, hopping and skipping around the room.
Swan wailed internally, ‘You don’t care about your reputation, but I care about mine!’
‘And doing these things with my body… it’s too embarrassing! What if Luke or Senior Ize see…!’
‘What are you afraid of?’
Iguneel didn’t care at all.
‘That red-haired brat’s head hasn’t even cleared yet. As for that kid Yize… he doesn’t look like the type to gossip.’
‘Besides, I feel like he’s… well, pretty friendly toward us.’
She thought of that delicious Walnut Milk, and her tone softened a few degrees.
Swan agreed for once.
‘Senior Ize is quite nice.’
Iguneel said, ‘Furthermore, once I adapt to your body, my use of my own power will definitely be more proficient than yours.’
‘When the time comes, I’ll help you give those vampires a thorough thrashing.’
……
Near the Betty Territory, inside the grim temporary base of the Blood Race.
The defeated Vampire Army had just retreated. The leaders, Bart and Chise, hadn’t even had time to catch their breath before bone-chilling mockery drifted from the shadows.
“Spending the entire night and yet failing to take down a single human noble’s territory?”
No. 2’s silhouette was like melting darkness, his voice low and full of sarcasm.
“Master Kasmir will surely be very satisfied with your performance.”
No. 3, standing to the side, let out a contemptuous sneer. His crimson eyes swept over Bart, and his tone became even harsher.
“It seems the grace bestowed by ‘that person’ is ultimately wasted on certain fools.”
He deliberately blurred the reference to “that person,” his words carrying obvious provocation.
“Bullshit!”
Bart was like a lit powder keg. He roared, “I haven’t even used Blood Awakening yet! I just wanted to play with those ants a little longer!”
His thick finger suddenly pointed at No. 2 and No. 3, his voice filled with anger and disdain.
“And you two, don’t forget who gave you eternal life!”
“It was Master Kasmir! You ungrateful things, constantly mentioning ‘that person’!”
“It seems you still haven’t recognized your place.”
Before the words finished echoing, No. 3’s figure suddenly blurred. In the next instant, he appeared in front of Bart.
A palm swirling with dense blood energy seized Bart’s throat at a speed he couldn’t react to, lifting his massive frame right off the ground.
A terrifying pressure instantly enveloped Bart. He discovered to his horror that his surrounding blood energy was being completely suppressed; he couldn’t even trigger his Blood Awakening!
“Aside from us, the top three seats, the rest of you behind us… are nothing more than ‘imperfect defects.'”
No. 3’s voice was icy, carrying an absolute sense of superiority.
“Do you truly think that mastering Blood Awakening gives you the right to speak so loudly in front of us?”
The true chasm between the Ten Pillars of the Blood Race was not a simple division between the top five and bottom five.
It was the insurmountable threshold of strength between the top three seats standing at the peak and the seven people below them.
Bart’s face turned red. He struggled with all his might to no avail, only able to squeeze words through his teeth.
“Bastard… What kind of skill is an ambush! If you have the guts, let me go and face me head-on!”
No. 3 looked as if he had heard a joke, the corners of his mouth curling into an arc.
“Even if I let you use Blood Awakening, do you think it would change the result? Naive.”
“No. 3! Stop!”
Chise shouted sharply. Blood energy surged around her, but she did not dare to actually step forward.
“Master Kasmir strictly prohibited infighting! Do you wish to defy orders?”
No. 2, who had been watching coldly from the side, finally spoke slowly. His voice was devoid of emotion.
“Enough, No. 3. Now is not the time for internal friction. Don’t forget our ‘true plan.'”
No. 3 snorted coldly and released his grip as if discarding a piece of trash.
Bart crashed heavily to the ground, coughing violently. His eyes were filled with humiliation and rage. He wanted to erupt again, but Chise held him down firmly.
“Calm down!”
Chise warned in a low voice. She assumed the “plan” No. 2 referred to was Kasmir’s grand vision of establishing a Blood Empire.
“Don’t provoke them at a time like this… Master Kasmir is still waiting for our report.”
Bart suppressed his explosive rage, only able to glare at No. 3 with a murderous look.
No. 2 ignored Bart’s glare and turned toward the slightly calmer Chise.
“Tell me, what exactly did you encounter? To think the two of you would return with the Vampire Army in such a pathetic state.”
Chise took a deep breath, pushing down her displeasure.
She provided a detailed account of the battle, focusing on Yize’s terrifying, logic-defying Mana capacity and casting speed, Dio’s exquisite and fierce sword techniques, Sara’s massive-scale light magic that heavily suppressed low-level vampires, and finally, the strange and unpredictable “collective mutation” of the human garrison.
After listening to Chise’s narration, a ripple seemed to appear on No. 2’s face, which was shrouded in shadow. For the first time, his low voice carried a hint of interest.
“Endless Mana? Heh… interesting. Tomorrow night, I shall go with No. 3 to see for ourselves.”
His crimson gaze seemed to pierce through the tent, looking toward the Betty Territory.
“I want to see with my own eyes just how ‘exaggerated’ this human… can truly be.”
“As for you two, it will be a chance to witness the ‘gap’ for yourselves.”