Ren swung his Atomic Reaper at Renji with full force.
But Renji calmly caught the blade with his bare hand.
Ren's eyes widened. "His physical strength… it's on a whole other level!"
Renji spoke casually, "You should work on your physical strength too. Relying only on magic can be dangerous. If you'd trained your body, this attack might've had real force."
Ren smirked. "Thanks for the tip. But magic is my specialty."
He focused his atoms to increase the force in his blade.
Renji responded, "Celestial magics are powerful. It's a shame I can't absorb or control them."
Suddenly, he grabbed the Atomic Reaper's chain and pulled Ren toward him. Ren released his grip, but Renji appeared in front of him in a flash—
—delivering a brutal punch to Ren's stomach.
Ren was flung back, crashing to the ground. Gritting his teeth, he stood back up.
"Are you mad at me or something? That punch could've seriously injured me!"
But Renji seemed surprised. Ren asked, "Hey, why do you look shocked?"
Renji thought to himself, That punch should've knocked him out. Something blocked it… some kind of unknown power. Is he unaware of it? Or hiding it? Either way, I'm only here to train him.
Renji said, "Your training isn't over. You'll fight me until I'm satisfied. No magic—just physical combat."
Ren cracked his knuckles. "Alright. I'm gonna beat the hell out of you."
Meanwhile, inside the house in an unknown place,
Airi looked uneasy. "Sister… the war has already started. If the enemy attacks, they might kill our lord."
Misaki replied calmly, "Yes. Our time for preparation is over. They can strike at any moment. But this isn't the right time to reveal everything to him. He's still learning. Challenges will help him grow."
She added, "Remember, we'll all fight. That was the will of the Celestial Beings. And if it comes to a critical situation, he'll protect our lord—even at the cost of his life."
Airi hesitated. "Can one person really handle that?"
Misaki smiled. "You haven't seen him at his best. I have. That's why we trust him. After all, he was the personal butler of our previous lord."
Back at the training ground—
Ren lay on the ground, exhausted. Renji stood nearby—completely unscathed.
That power didn't appear again, Renji thought. What was it? Still… Ren's magic potential is insanely high—even more than mine. That's not normal. He must come from a very strong bloodline .
Ren sat up and said, "Thanks for the training. I appreciate it. I'll start working on my physical strength too."
Renji nodded. "Make it your priority if you want to grow stronger."
As Renji walked away, Ren asked, "Hey… what happened to your clan? And what's with the bandage on your hand?"
Renji looked down at the bandage. "It's… a gift."
Ren said"And what about the Kagami clan? I know they were wiped out—"
Renji turned and walked away without answering.
"…Guess I shouldn't have asked."
At the village—
Hayato, Morvon, Ryota, and Akari were gathered around. Akari was cooking, and Ryota was helping her.
Hayato grinned. "Back from hell, huh?"
Ren chuckled. "Yeah. But I learned a lot."
Akari added, "We all need to train hard if we want to kill the king."
Ren glanced at Morvon. "What's he been up to?"
Akari smiled. "Still scared of everything… but he's warming up to us. He's a good kid."
Morvon blushed, and everyone laughed.
Outside, Renji stood silently.
Father once said—our power makes us targets. The world is built on natural selection. Magic potential is selected by fate. If someone exceeds their limit, their body breaks. A weak person may never grow, no matter how hard they try. But a chosen one… with just a little effort, becomes stronger than seasoned warriors.With the help of my Televore I can check the type and the potential of magic power.
Our clan is one of the five chosen bloodlines. Then how… how could his potential be greater than mine? He must belong to one of those five bloodlines. I need to stay with this team to find out.
The next morning—
Everyone gathered for a team meeting.
Akari announced, "We're moving out. But first, we'll head to a cave in Danen Mountain—just off our main route."
Renji asked, "Why? That has nothing to do with our goal."
Akari replied, "The villagers told me about a cave filled with rare magical stones. We can use them to craft powerful weapons. But dangerous magical beasts have been appearing there, and they're getting closer to the village. We need to protect the village and collect those stones."
Hayato grinned. "Fighting beasts sounds like a good way to get stronger."
Akari asked, "Everyone agrees?"
Ren raised a hand. "But what about Morvon? It's too dangerous."
Before Akari could answer, Morvon spoke up, a little nervous. "I'll go too."
Renji added, "We need him. He has to grow as well."
Akari hesitated. "But he can't fight."
Renji thought, You haven't seen his real power. I checked his magic. It's Celestial… and incredibly strong.But what kind of power it will be it's just so fascinating.
"Alright,We can't leave Morvon here so I guess,"Akari said. "Okay then,Let's go to Danen Mountain."
From next chapter Danen Cave arc will be started.