Armin's legs trembled as he barely dodged another devastating strike from the Spirit Warrior on the fifth floor.
This opponent was unlike the one on the third floor. The Spirit Warrior here was fully armored, wielding a massive glaive filled with spiritual energy.
Its eyes, two glowing blue fires, also felt intimidating… It seed to be releasing Spiritual Pressure as well.
In any case, each of its attacks was terrifyingly powerful.
Armin's breaths grew ragged. His Dark Energy was running dangerously low…
It seed that he should've rested for a few hours on that pond.
Still, he continued to fight…
He had unleashed his strongest spells. They were the Shadow Chains, Darkness Spear, and even his newly learned Blood Bind, but nothing seed to faze the warrior.
He attempted to form a Corpse Explosion using his summons again, but the spiritual pressure was too strong and the Spell actually failed!.
"Dammit…" he muttered, retreating as the Spirit Warrior advanced, completely unfazed.
He should've equipped himself with his best Arcanist Robe, Dark Staff, and other Talismans.
However, there was no point in regretting now…
Thud!
Armin's back hit one of the walls of the floor…
There was nowhere left to run.
The Spirit Warrior pounced, bringing the glaive down in a sweeping arc that could cleave through his entire body.
Armin raised both hands and roared, channeling every drop of Dark Energy left into a Shadow Barrier. He even layered it with Soul Shield.
Bang!
The impact shattered both defenses, sending Armin crashing to the floor…
Cough!
Blood spilled from his lips.
His vision blurred…
"This… Do I have to use that?" Armin frowned as he didn't want to use his master's Immortal Blood at all.
At this ti, the Spirit Warrior lifted its glaive for the final blow.
Then, before he could use the Immortal's Blood, sothing unexpected happened.
CLANG!
A blinding light tore through the room as it intercepted the Spirit Warrior's blade.
Boom!
The force behind it made the floor tremble. The Spirit Warrior recoiled and retreated half a step.
A tall figure descended from the upper staircase… His aura was calm yet overwhelming…
"Instructor Chad…" Armin coughed, barely able to lift his head.
Chad Bulmung… He was one of the Instructors of the Academy and also a Half-Dragon.
He had actually blocked the attack so easily…
Chad didn't speak. He simply raised a single hand.
A Spirit Crest etched itself into the air… From it, a series of Ethereal Chains shot forward, wrapping around the Spirit Warrior and pinning it down.
After that, it burned away the warrior's spiritual resistance until the guardian turned into mist and vanished.
Chad turned to Armin and walked over. "You held out longer than expected."
Armin groaned and sat up. "I… almost had it."
"No, you didn't…" Chad said bluntly, though not unkindly. "Your courage is admirable. Your control over your spells has improved, and you're showing tactical growth… but you're not ready for a fight of this level. At the very least, not against Spirit Warriors. Maybe, you're suited to fight Evil Spirits or other Arcanists."
Armin clenched his fists as he understood what Chad was implying.
"Do you really want to pursue Spirit Arts?" Chad asked after a few monts.
"I do."
"Then don't throw your life away trying to skip steps. Even the Spirit Tower rewards patience, not recklessness."
As they descended the staircase together, Chad continued, "The reason you lost wasn't lack of talent. It's because you haven't optimized your foundation yet. You have great spells, but there's no synergy. What you need now isn't just more practice — it's Spell Fusion."
Armin's ears perked up. His master, Vale, had also suggested this to him. However, Spell Fusion wasn't easy. It was not sothing that others could help him do… He could get so advice about the Spell Fusion, but ultimately, he had to be the one fusing the Spell Models within his body. It was not an easy task.
"You have too many spells that are acting independently. If you want to grow as a Spirit Practitioner — or any kind of Arcanist — you need to fuse those basic techniques into sothing greater."
Chad's tone grew more serious.
He was here for a reason.
Before Vale left the realm, he had been instructed to take care of Armin… He was doing this because of Vale's favor!
"Spell Fusion, huh… Can I really do it?" He muttered.
"Of course… Imagine combining your Shadow Chains with Blood Bind, or layering Soul Shield with Spirit Armor. You'll get enhanced effects, stronger durability, and more adaptive abilities. Once you've fused your foundation spells into advanced forms, you can attempt the tower again. I don't know all of your Spells, but if you need suggestions, you can ask … No, wait… Maybe asked the other instructors for that."
As they exited the Spirit Tower, dusk had begun to fall.
Armin turned back to look at the tower.
"I understand," he said softly. "I won't co back until I'm ready."
Chad gave a faint smile. "Good. Then I expect to see you again… stronger next ti."
"Good… I'll put in a request for you to have access to the Fusion Chambers. A place where you can get assistance with spell combinations without risk. But after that? You're on your own again."
Armin bowed…
"Thank you, Instructor Chad… I won't waste this chance."
Chad then gave him a nod. "Rest up. Then get to work. Right. Next ti you enter that Tower… don't expect to save you."
With that, Chad walked away…
"Spell Fusions… I'll master them. Next ti, I'll conquer that floor on my own."
***
In the anti, Denise White, one of Vale's close friends, had actually been observing Armin throughout the whole ordeal from another tower.
"Reckless boy," she muttered…
"Enjoying the view?"
Denise didn't turn. She already felt him arrive. It was Chad Bulmung whom she instructed to save Armin.
"Did I do a good job?" he asked, watching Armin from above.
Denise finally turned.
"You did what you were supposed to do," she said flatly. She knew that they had both been asked by Vale to take care of his disciple.
Chad chuckled. "I saved the boy's life."
Denise crossed her arms. "Only because you were ordered to."
"Still counts." Chad smiled faintly.
Denise said eventually. "Now that the Chaos Immortals are stirring again, it's dangerous to let him walk freely around the Academy. He should go into seclusion or sothing soon."
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