The griffon screeched in rage as its storm was consud.
Aldric clicked his tongue.
"Impressive control... but let’s see how you handle close range!"
He dashed forward at blinding speed, closing the thirty-foot gap in an instant. His fist glowed with compressed wind mana.
"Gale Breaker Fist!"
A devastating punch infused with sharp wind exploded toward Julian’s chest.
Julian t him head-on.
He sidestepped at the last mont and countered with a palm strike.
"Crimson Palm!"
His palm connected with Aldric’s side. Crimson flas erupted on impact, blasting the commander backward several ters. Aldric skidded across the ground, leaving deep grooves in the stone before he stabilized himself.
He looked down at the burn mark on his uniform and let out a low laugh.
"Hah... that actually hurt."
Julian stood calmly, the phoenix circling above him protectively.
"You’re holding back, Commander," he said. "I told you to use everything."
Aldric straightened up, cracking his neck.
"Very well, young lord. No more playing around."
He raised both arms high.
"Stormcall Griffin. Final Form: Thunder Sovereign!"
The griffon roared and dove toward Aldric, rging with his body in a flash of lightning. Aldric’s eyes turned electric blue as storm energy crackled across his entire fra. His power surged dramatically, the wind and thunder swirling violently around him.
Julian watched the transformation take place with raised eyebrows.
His mana tripled... no, more than that, he noted internally.
Shaping his own mana into the form of the phoenix had been relatively easy, it only required concentration and precise control. But what Aldric was doing right now was on another level. The commander wasn’t just transforming his mana into a beast; he was rging with it completely, becoming one with the storm itself.
Julian closed his eyes for a brief mont, sensing the mana core inside Kraven’s body.
The reservoir was declining significantly. This would definitely be the last major move he could safely perform in this body without risking serious backlash. He had already pushed it hard today.
At the sa ti, elsewhere in the castle...
Liam and Louisa had received urgent reports about the duel taking place in the training ground. Without hesitation, they had sent Cathy to observe and report back every detail.
Cathy moved swiftly through the corridors, her short combat skirt fluttering as she ran. Even from a distance she had felt the overwhelming auras of two Arch Mages clashing. The sheer pressure in the air made her heart race.
She finally reached the outer wall of the training ground just in ti to witness the phoenix hovering behind Julian.
Her eyes widened in pure shock.
The massive, majestic bird of golden-red flas hovered behind the young lord, its wings spreading with terrifying grace. The heat radiating from it was so intense that even from outside the barrier, Cathy could feel her skin prickling.
"He... he really is an Arch Mage..." she whispered, stunned beyond belief.
Her gaze then snapped to Commander Aldric.
The veteran warrior had just completed his fusion with the griffon. His presence had grown monstrous, clearly at the peak of the Arch Mage realm.
Cathy’s eyes narrowed sharply.
This could be dangerous for my lord and lady, she thought.
If the commander was already at Peak Arch Mage and the young lord was truly capable of matching him... then the balance of power inside the Astran family was shifting far more dramatically than anyone had anticipated. Liam and Louisa needed to know about this imdiately.
Back inside the training ground, the two empowered figures faced each other.
"What will you do now, young lord Kraven?"
Aldric’s voice bood across the training ground, amplified by the raging storm energy swirling around him.
"You are still at early Arch Mage, and you must have sensed it. I am a Peak Arch Mage. Do you accept your defeat?"
Julian slowly opened his eyes.
"Commander," he replied evenly, "this is not done yet."
Although he did not know the perfect technique the commander had used to rge with the griffon, Julian could still guess the core principle behind it.
In an instant, the phoenix above him froze mid-air.
Julian raised both hands and began to pull.
With a powerful ntal command, he started absorbing all the mana he had poured into the phoenix back into his own body. The magnificent fiery bird let out a piercing cry of protest as its form began to collapse inward, shrinking rapidly. Golden-red flas stread toward Julian like river, pouring into his chest, arms, and legs.
The mont the mana returned, Julian felt his veins overflowing with power.
The amount of mana that rushed back into him was nearly twice what he had originally used to form the phoenix. The sensation was intoxicating. Every ridian, every mana channel inside Kraven’s body swelled with raw, purified energy.
The logic behind it was quite fascinating.
The commander had intentionally released a large portion of his mana and given it the shape of a griffon. Although it was technically still part of Aldric’s mana, the griffon had gained a degree of freedom. It could think, feel rage, and act on its own instincts.
The sa was true for Julian’s phoenix.
Both summons, once given form, were sowhat independent. They were capable of absorbing mana on their own, strengthening themselves without constant interference from their creators.
That was why, when Julian had absorbed the phoenix back into his body, his mana had nearly doubled.
The sa principle applied to Aldric. His mana had more than tripled after rging with the griffon.
This technique was incredibly powerful... but also extrely risky.
Julian had realized this truth the mont he tried to absorb the phoenix back into his body.
The phoenix had tried to show dissatisfaction.
It resisted for a split second as if it wanted to remain free and continue fighting on its own. Julian had to exert stronger control to force it back inside him.
He looked at the commander and could see the smile on Aldric’s face.
"So you copied my technique, young lord," Aldric said, his electric-blue eyes gleaming. "But how will you manage with what cos next?"
spurt!
At the next mont, Julian suddenly vomited blood.
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