The hum of the Vanguard battleship's engines reverberated through the hull as Arthur stood near a viewport, while Solace Pri gradually shrank behind him.
He had spent the morning tying up loose ends, another brief eting with Professor Eamon Carstairs, who insisted on discussing dinsional anomalies with him one last ti before he left, though he still didn’t find anything noteworthy even after several tests conducted on Arthur. The man was brilliant but relentless, always hungry for knowledge. Arthur had to admit, he respected that.
Afterward, he bid farewell to Kael and Lira. Kael had, of course, made so remark about Arthur finally getting off his “vacation” and back to real work. Lira, on the other hand, simply nodded at him. “Stay alive out there, Arthur,” she had said.
Admiral Kane had been the last stop. “The battlefield is where you belong now,” Kane had told him. “We’ll see each other again, I’m sure.” There had been a weight to his words, a silent acknowledgnt that whatever awaited Arthur in the coming days wasn’t going to be easy.
Now, as the battleship closed in on Dreadnought Mk XI, Arthur exhaled. The ti for farewells was over.
…
The mont he stepped off the ship, the familiar atmosphere of the battle station greeted him. It was strange how quickly this place had started feeling like ho.
A few officers saluted as he walked through the corridors. He didn’t linger. His first stop was his quarters.
As the doors slid open, he was imdiately t with a loud voice.
“Finally decided to show up, huh?”
Arthur smirked as he stepped inside, finding Leo reclining against the couch, arms crossed.
Elena stood near the door of her room, hands in her pockets. “You’ve been gone for what? More than a week?”
Samir, seated at the table, let out a low chuckle. “We were starting to think you were never going to co back.”
Arthur rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. I missed you guys too.”
Arthur shook his head as he set his bag down. “Anything new while I was gone?”
Elena’s gaze flickered toward him, her expression shifting slightly. “Orders ca in. We’re being deployed to the frontlines soon.”
Arthur’s brows furrowed. “How soon?”
Samir exhaled. “Three days.”
The room fell silent for a mont. Three days wasn’t much ti.
Arthur finally nodded. “Alright. Then we better be ready.”
…
They moved to the ss hall together, settling into their usual spot. Soldiers and officers bustled around, but Arthur kept his focus on his team.
“So, what’s the mission?” he asked, cutting into his al.
Leo leaned forward. “Reinforcent duty. So of our forces are holding a key choke point in Sector 14, but the Chirians have been testing their defenses. Command thinks a full-scale push is coming.”
Elena nodded. “They’re sending multiple ECHO units, not just us. But considering how brutal these engagents have been… casualties are expected.”
Arthur absorbed the information. A full-scale assault ant they wouldn’t just be dealing with foot soldiers, they’d be facing Chirian war machines, elite units, and possibly even commanders.
…
After finishing lunch, Arthur wasted no ti heading toward the lab. The doors hissed open, holographic screens flickered to life as he stepped inside.
Arthur thought about what to do in these three days and decided to upgrade his armor first, this will also act as a reference for the UFE if they wanted to see a tangible prototype.
He then contacted the guardian through their neural link, “Hey Guardian,” Arthur called out.
A smooth, synthetic voice responded. [How may I assist you? Commander.]
Arthur replied, “Could you start to modify my ECHO armor to integrate Alloy SA-I, according to the new blueprint.”
[Processing request,] the AI responded. [Estimated ti for completion: one hour.]
Arthur nodded. “Good. Also, I need a new sword forged from Alloy-X.”
[Acknowledged. Estimated ti for completion: 10 minutes.]
After that he started to study the atomic disintegrator gun from the Spear of Heaven.
…
For the next three days, Arthur maintained a busy routine, splitting his ti between his combat training in Thyrandel, research on advanced technology, and honing his physical conditioning. While only three days passed in this universe, nearly three weeks passed in Thyrandel, allowing Arthur to make substantial progress.
…
Each night after completing all his work in Dreadnought Mk XI, Arthur stepped through the portal into Thyrandel, when morning arrived he with the other students reached the academy training field where Instructor Garrick was always waiting for him.
The grizzled veteran never went easy on him, pushing Arthur to refine his technique, maximize his mana efficiency, and incorporate fluidity into his movents.
One particular afternoon, after an intense round of combat drills, Garrick paced around Arthur, arms crossed.
"You’re improving," Garrick admitted, nodding slightly. "Your swordsmanship has always been sharp, but your mana control is becoming much better. That’s good."
Arthur rolled his shoulders, "Still feel like I’m wasting too much mana when I am channeling it into my sword," he said.
Garrick nodded hearing that. "That’s because you’re overcompensating. You don’t need brute force, precision is what matters. Again!"
Arthur exhaled, resetting his stance before launching forward. His sword cut through the air, and this ti, Garrick blocked the blow but felt much more force behind the slash, a sign of progress.
Between training sessions, Arthur also made ti for his studies, particularly focusing on mana theory, and magical formations. Over the weeks, he began grasping deeper nuances of spellcasting efficiency, even though he was more of a hybrid fighter than a pure mage. The academy is going to provide them with spell books soon.
After nearly one and a half months in Thyrandel, the first-year students had made significant progress. Most of them had reached the Apprentice Mage realm, and a few exceptional ones, such as Eva, Natalya, Leon, Finn, and so others, had even advanced to the 1st Circle Mage realm. Their improvent didn’t go unnoticed, and Instructor Garrick eventually decided it was ti for Arthur to spar with them.
The training ground was packed with students, the air filled with excited murmurs. Arthur stood in the center, facing his first opponent Leon, a tall, dark-haired lad with a confident smirk.
"Don’t go easy on ," Leon said, gripping his sword.
Arthur just gave him a half-smile without saying anything. Well he can't go full strength on the students otherwise they will go splat.
The duel began. Leon moved first, his sword slashing in a controlled arc. Arthur sidestepped effortlessly, deflecting the strike with minimal movent. Leon pressed forward, his mana-enhanced footwork allowing him to shift directions mid-attack. It was an impressive display for a 1st Circle Mage, but Arthur could see the gaps in his form.
Leon thrust forward. Arthur twisted, catching the blade with the flat of his sword before kicking Leon’s leg out from under him. With a dull thud, Leon landed on his back, blinking up at Arthur.
"Not bad," Arthur said, stepping back. "Your form is solid, but you telegraph your moves too much."
Leon grinned despite his loss. "I’ll keep that in mind."
The next spar was against Eva, the blonde haired noble girl known for her exceptional mana control. Unlike Leon, she didn’t rely on brute force. The mont the match started, she conjured three floating blades of mana around her.
Arthur raised an eyebrow.
Eva waited for a second before sending the blades toward him at high speed. Arthur deflected one, dodged the second, and let the third graze past him as he closed the distance. Eva anticipated this, forming a protective mana barrier just before he could strike.
"Good reaction," Arthur admitted as he stepped back.
Eva didn’t say anything, but her eyes glead with determination.
The fight continued for a few more exchanges before Arthur decided to break through her defenses, ending the match. As he helped her up, she nodded in appreciation.
"That was the hardest fight I’ve had in a while," Eva admitted.
"You did well," Arthur said. "Your mana control is impressive, even I am not confident to compete with you in mana control."
Then he went on to spar with the others.
These spars weren’t just for the students, Arthur himself learned a lot. Though they weren’t as strong as he was, but the noble-born students had been trained from their childhood, and their techniques were polished. Each fight gave Arthur new insights into different styles, strategies, and ways to counteract various forms of attacks.
Alongside his combat experience, Arthur continued refining his mana cultivation. Over the past few weeks, he had steadily absorbed and refined mana, strengthening his core. He could feel the breakthrough coming, within a few more days, he would reach the 2nd Circle Mage realm.
Within these one and half months Arthur didn’t go out of the Academy again, he focused on always trying to improve his strength either through training or cultivating mana .
…
Whenever Arthur wasn’t in Thyrandel, he was deep in research, studying the atomic disintegrator gun from the Spear of Heaven and many other such technologies. He also spent ti in the gravity chamber he built, pushing his body to its limits in increased gravitational fields, reinforcing his strength and endurance.
By the ti the three days were up. His armor was upgraded, his training had progressed significantly, and his understanding of both magic and technology had deepened. It was nearing the ti they had to leave for the frontline.
He also received his award, his new position as a Lieutenant and beca the team leader of their team. From now on Lt. Nakamura will not be their supervisor. His teammates were happy for him as they had seen first hand how powerful Arthur was and had no problem with him leading the team. For these three days he also sparred with the three of them to improve their coordination, and got ready for the upcoming mission.
***
Free patreon mbers gets to read 2 chapters ahead!!
You can join my discord channel to discuss my novel and find artwork of this novel!!
.gg/PmkQsrAdMY
User Comments
0 comments from readers