Somewhere inside the castle, two kids could be seen fighting. One was fighting with grace and elegance, while the other was going the "fuck it, we ball" route.
Lucius would gracefully dodge their attacks—and sometimes not even budge.
He watched as the boy opened his mouth, firing off a massive beam of primal energy-enhanced Cero.
Yet...
He wasn't moving.
He didn't need to.
A translucent veil shimmered around him—Infinity, his perfect defensive field. Everything slowed to a crawl near him. Particles, light, time.
He blinked.
Then stepped forward.
Aurelón charged like a dragon set ablaze—his body cloaked in azure water that hissed and boiled into white-hot mist. He was on fire, yet at the same time covered in water. He was using this state to boost himself like no other.
Using the steam to raise all of his stats, the water also healed his wounds.
"RAAAAAAAGH!!" he bellowed, launching a punch that carried enough force to turn a Gillian into mist.
The moment it touched the edge of Lucius's Infinity—it froze mid-air.
"Too slow," Lucius said, stepping to the side, letting the attack detonate harmlessly behind him.
Aurelón gritted his teeth, rushing in once more. He cocked his fist back, fueling it with primal energy.
As his fist made contact with the Infinity, Lucius's gaze widened... thousands—and I do mean thousands—of cracks began forming.
Aurelón's eyes were a deep shade of red. He was destroying the Infinity around Lucius—erasing it from reality. Erasing it as a concept.
Goddamn, was he busted.
Lucius didn't flinch.
"A decent attempt, but you're still not thinking. Rage dulls your control," he said coolly.
He then kicked the boy away. Aurelón flipped in the air, demonic wings unfurling behind his back. He summoned several boiling sharks and hurled them toward the man.
Lucius actually had to dodge each and every single one of them—his Infinity hadn't recovered yet. It would be up in a couple of seconds.
"Abyssal Slash," Lucius muttered, using his ability to slice through space and time.
CLANG
Aurelón had a demonic smile on his face.
He caught the attack.
An attack that was supposed to ignore durability... he caught it.
Yet, before he could flex with it, Lucius was behind him—and with a powerful kick:
KABOOM
Aurelón was sent crashing into the nearby dunes.
Serafina floated downward, light wings of kaleidoscope particles spiraling around her frame. Her Resurrección state shimmered with elegance—less like a warrior, more like a divine lawgiver made manifest.
She whispered a phrase.
"Domain: Bound Mandate."
With a flick of her fingers, a circular sigil engraved itself into the air around them—soul-script etched in glowing crimson.
And then—
Lucius blinked.
His Infinity flickered.
His eyes widened a fraction. "...Interesting."
Serafina's voice echoed, elegant and firm. "Within this space, absolute defenses are reduced to probabilistic barriers. 12% chance of functioning. 88% chance of failure."
"You won't get rid of me this easily!" the boy screamed, his Reiatsu leaking from his body in such dense amounts it utterly reduced the sand around him to nothing more than dust.
Aurelón's eyes lit up. "YES!"
He launched forward again—this time, Lucius actually had to dodge.
Serafina swept one arm, and gravity shifted, pulling Lucius down just as Aurelón's water-flame hammer slammed into his ribs.
Lucius skidded across the marble, cloak torn at the hem.
The ground boiled.
The arena sizzled.
He stood up slowly.
His Infinity returned the moment he left her zone.
The two kids rushed at him. He blocked her blow, then used her fist to strike her brother.
Her gaze sharpened as he did so. She shifted her weight so her hand was right in front of his chest.
"Cero."
Shit.
He had to use Hierro, as the Cero sent him skidding across the battlefield.
And to think—those monsters were below 10 years old.
The boy was 9. The girl was 8.
Yet their power seemed so...
Aurelón opened his mouth, firing off a beam of pure destruction energy.
"Cero."
His Cero clashed against the boy's. Lucius Sonido'd behind them, and before they could react, he chopped the backs of their heads—knocking them out.
Hm.
They forced me to use 30%, he thought to himself. He had used more power against those kids than he had used to defeat Ginrei. Damn.
"Well done," he said genuinely. "That's a tactical synergy. Serafina's control over the metaphysical allows for battlefield reshaping. Aurelón's brute power? Devastating in the right conditions."
Aurelón grinned, panting. "Hell yeah—how was that?! We actually hit you this time!"
Serafina, floating gently beside her brother, smiled softly. "Indeed. But had he been serious... we would've both been struck down."
Lucius nodded. "Correct. Which brings us to the point of this session."
They both knelt instinctively as Lucius stepped toward them.
He looked to Serafina first.
"Serafina del Dolor," he said, voice even. "Your control is exceptional. You do not allow emotion to cloud your judgment. You prioritize terrain and leverage. Your flaw is minor—you hesitate when the odds are uncertain. That will need refinement. In war, doubt is the first death."
Serafina bowed her head. "Understood, Sir Lucius."
Then he turned to Aurelón.
His expression didn't shift, but his words hit like knives.
"Aurelón Infierno."
The boy straightened, sweating.
"You are a powerhouse. Your flames are unlike anything I've studied—even Gabriel's are more refined. Yours devour and restore, burn and heal. You could be unstoppable."
A pause.
"But your control is poor."
The grin on Aurelón's face faltered.
"You rush. You let emotion guide your strikes. You ignore positioning, waste spiritual energy, and constantly overextend. You rely on brute force when tactical application would suffice."
"But—!"
Lucius raised a hand.
"No excuses. You are the eldest. But in that match, your younger sister outperformed you by every metric—precision, restraint, execution."
Aurelón froze.
The heat around him flared—then dipped sharply.
He looked down.
His fists clenched. Shoulders trembling.
For fuck's sake—his Reiryoku pool was nearly endless. What the hell did he need control for?
He was strong. Wasn't that what mattered most?
Plus, he was a Hollow. Wasn't he supposed to be like this? Strength meant everything, didn't it?
Serafina reached out, gently touching his arm. "Brother..."
But he pulled away.
"I'm fine," he muttered.
Lucius said nothing. He only turned and began walking off the field.