"Heh… huh…hah.."
Clorinde sat on the ground, gasping for breath, as the sword in her hand slipped and clattered onto the floor.
Master… he's ridiculously powerful!
Even though Clorinde had studied under Fu Ning for four years and possessed extraordinary talent, she had still been defeated in an instant.
Even when Master used a longsword—which he wasn't even familiar with—it was impossible to touch him!
Fu Ning turned around, put away the sword he had taken from the training ground, and extended his hand toward Clorinde, motioning for her to stand:
"Get up. The ground's cold."
Clorinde nodded, grabbed Fu Ning's hand, used his strength to pull herself up, and retrieved the sword from the ground.
"Master, I'm already the strongest human in Fontaine. On top of that, I have a Vision—I won't catch a cold."
"Indeed," Fu Ning nodded seriously. "Besides, I honestly have nothing more to teach you. After all, I don't really know anything myself."
"That makes sense." Clorinde nodded in agreement.
In her four years of studying under him… she had come to understand one thing clearly:
Master really didn't know any conventional combat techniques—he basically just smashed things apart with his black hole staff.
However, his flexibility, agility, reflexes, strength control, and combat awareness were all on a level beyond comprehension. Even when Fu Ning suppressed his own physical strength, speed, and power, he could still defeat her with ease.
She couldn't last even ten moves against him.
His combat awareness was simply terrifying. She couldn't understand how he always seemed to know her next move in advance—as if he could predict the future.
As he'd said before, his fighting style might not be suited to her.
He wasn't exaggerating.
His combat ability had clearly been forged in countless life-and-death battles.
While she occasionally fought monsters to train, it was nothing like what her master had experienced.
"Take a break, Clorinde," Fu Ning said. "Once you can last ten moves against me, your fighting skills will be unmatched in the world."
The reason Fu Ning's melee combat was so terrifying was that he had been using his most powerful close-quarters talent—Sequence Three—during their fight.
Sequence Three granted him unparalleled combat ability and a powerful precognitive sense.
Even so, he was still surprised that Clorinde could last more than a few moves against him.
After all, even Fu Ning himself—when not using Sequence Three—could barely survive ten exchanges with his own Sequence Three-activated self.
He truly acknowledged Clorinde's potential.
Clorinde dusted herself off and asked, "Master, do you remember what you said when you first accepted me as your disciple?"
Fu Ning looked puzzled. "What did I say?"
"Ahem." Clorinde cleared her throat, tilted her chin slightly, and mimicked Fu Ning's voice:
'Are you sure? I'm the Dark Devil—the Demon who represents darkness. I may not be as friendly as I appear, you know?'
Fu Ning's expression darkened. "So, what are you trying to say? Do you want to see my true form as the Dark Devil?"
Clorinde smiled gently. "I just wanted to say… Master, you're much kinder than I expected."
"Thank you for everything over these four years."
"And also… what do you mean by your 'true form,' Master? Supreme gentleness?"
Fu Ning waved her off. "Go on, go on. Say something less embarrassing to elevate your moral cultivation."
Clorinde sighed. "But Master, aren't you tired?"
"You serve as Lady Furina's personal guard by day, teach me combat at night, and patrol Fontaine in the middle of the night."
"I remember—you've been in Fontaine for fifteen years now. How much rest do you actually get?"
Fu Ning shook his head. "You don't understand. As a Demon God, my energy is limitless. It would be a waste not to put it to use."
He paused, glancing up at the sky, his tone suddenly somber.
"Besides… I get nightmares when I sleep."
That was the end of it.
Clorinde fell silent, deep in thought.
Everyone knew Master was a demon—but why would he have nightmares?
Had his past been that painful?
Suddenly, a deafening explosion echoed in the distance.
"Boom!!!"
Fu Ning's eyes narrowed as he turned to face the direction of the sound.
"What was that noise?"
"That's—" His pupils shrank. "The Fontaine Academy of Sciences…?"
As a descendant of the Blue Planet, he naturally understood the importance of scientists.
Although the Academy of Sciences in Fontaine was always a bit chaotic… it wasn't his concern.
That was something only Neuvillette needed to worry about.
But today was different.
Damn. The Academy just exploded.
Now, he had to worry about it.
Fu Ning turned to Clorinde. "Ah, Clorinde, look. The Fontaine Academy of Sciences appears to be flying."
Clorinde was speechless. "…Yes, Master. I see it."
Fu Ning nodded. "Go find Neuvillette. I'll head to the Academy and maintain order first."
The moment he finished speaking, Fu Ning's figure vanished. In the blink of an eye, he appeared in the air near the Academy of Sciences.
He had been capable of flight ever since he achieved the sixth level.
"Science Academy…"
"As expected—scientists are all mad."
"Domain Talent: Sequence Six!"
A vast field spread across the entire Academy. The facility, which had been exploding and lifting into the sky, suddenly stopped—as if time itself had frozen.
Fu Ning entered the Academy and saw the scientists in a panic.
But under the effects of his talent, they froze in place—completely motionless.
They would remain that way until he expelled them from the Academy.
"This bastard…"
Fu Ning looked at one of the scientists with a sigh.
It seemed to be a man named Edwin.
He had some notoriety—Fu Ning had heard of him before.
Apparently, this entire disaster had been caused by him.
Looked like Edwin would be spending the rest of his life in Merope Prison.
Fu Ning didn't bother with him further. He sent Edwin out of the affected area and ignored him.
"Defensive Talent: Sequence Seven!"
Transparent support pillars materialized beneath the airborne Fontaine Academy of Sciences, stabilizing the floating structure.
"These things inside the Academy are important, but I don't know how to preserve them all…"
"I'll just protect the main building and leave the rest for others to deal with."
Fu Ning had not expected that his actions today would create a new iconic landmark in Fontaine.
Even more unexpectedly, this airborne institution would eventually reopen under a new name:
The Fontaine Flying Academy of Sciences.
***
"Neuvillette! I formally demand to resign from the position of Duel Agent!" Fu Ning burst into Neuvillette's office with a dark expression, dragging Clorinde behind him.
…
After resolving the incident at the Fontaine Academy of Sciences involving flying machines, Clorinde had turned to Fu Ning with a request—she wanted to become a Duel Agent.
Fu Ning was puzzled. "You don't seem like the kind of person who uses backdoor methods. If you want to be a Duel Agent, just go claim the position yourself. Why are you telling me this?"
Clorinde hesitated for a moment. "Ah… well… it's like this, Master."
"Master, you're also a Duel Agent, aren't you? Because of your presence, no one has chosen to invoke a duel to defend their reputation in the past fourteen years."
"The Duel Agent profession has lost its original purpose. It's starting to resemble an extension of Fontaine's law enforcement."
"So… I want you to step down from the position of Duel Agent."
Fu Ning: "…"
That… might actually be true.
After all, he'd been Fontaine's top fighter long before now.
No one could match him in combat—except Neuvillette.
Today, he was publicly recognized as the nation's foremost force of battle.
Fu Ning rubbed his chin in thought. "Yeah, that makes sense. Then tomorrow… no, today. I'll go to Neuvillette and resign from the Duel Agent position."
"Anything else?"
"Hm…" Clorinde paused again. "I'm sorry to bring this up, but… according to Fontaine's legal code, the Duel Agent technically answers to Lord Neuvillette, the Chief Justice."
Fu Ning: "???"
Fu Ning pointed at himself in disbelief. "You're telling me I've been Neuvillette's subordinate for fourteen years?!"
He had never been interested in Fontaine's legal system, so he'd never taken the time to study its finer points.
If Clorinde hadn't mentioned it, he would never have realized he'd been under Neuvillette's jurisdiction this whole time.
Clorinde added, "…Legally, yes. But no one really thinks of it that way."
"Except me."
Fu Ning frowned. "I'm loyal to Lady Furina. That's the only allegiance I care about."
"But Neuvillette… how dare he?! Hmph!"
"I'm going to the Palais Mermonia right now! Follow me, Clorinde!"
Clorinde covered her mouth, stifling a laugh.
Her master truly was a man of unshakable conviction.
…
Clorinde possessed exceptional strength. Under Fu Ning's tutelage, she had become one of the strongest fighters in Fontaine—second only to Fu Ning and Neuvillette.
Moreover, she was Fu Ning's personal apprentice, held high status, and had his direct endorsement.
So naturally, it was easy for her to assume the role of Duel Agent.
As for Fu Ning, Neuvillette formally accepted his resignation from the Duel Agent position and created a new title exclusively for him—Supreme Guard.
The Supreme Guard was, in name, directly subordinate to the nation of Fontaine, and his official duty was to protect the entire country.
But in practice, Fu Ning was still wholly devoted to safeguarding Lady Furina.
…
Later, Furina and Fu Ning found Clorinde and greeted her.
"Hey, Clorinde! Congratulations on becoming a glorious Duel Agent," Furina said, waving cheerfully. "From now on, you'll be showcasing your skills at the Opera Epiclese!"
"Thank you, Lady Furina." Clorinde smiled and gave her a respectful bow.
"Congratulations, Clorinde." Fu Ning nodded and then produced a golden pistol from within his coat.
"As your master, I don't think I've ever given you a proper gift. That's a bit remiss of me."
"This pistol is something I personally modified. It contains an energy core. You can channel your Electro Vision into it and fire Electro-charged rounds."
"In critical moments, you can overcharge the energy and shatter the core. I've embedded a Hydro-element shot inside—it's extremely powerful."
"You mainly use a one-handed sword, and your off-hand goes unused."
"So I made this pistol to increase your combat effectiveness."
Clorinde's eyes lit up, the corners of her lips curving into a small smile. She looked composed, but in truth, she was overjoyed. She accepted the pistol with both hands and admired it with growing fondness.
"Thank you, Master. Also… I didn't know you could forge weapons."
Even Furina tilted her head, intrigued.
Fu Ning raised an eyebrow. In his previous life on Blue Star, he had been a master weapon-smith. Extraordinary individuals there had considered it an honor to wield one of his creations. His proudest masterpiece was the Black Hole Staff.
"My Black Hole Staff? I forged it myself. Just because I've never shown you my work doesn't mean I don't know how to craft weapons."
Fu Ning gestured toward the pistol. "Try firing it at me. I want to see how well it performs."
Clorinde didn't hesitate—she raised the pistol and aimed directly at Fu Ning.
Even Furina looked on with surprise and admiration.
What a scene—such perfect harmony between master and disciple!
Clorinde took a moment to feel out the weapon, and her Electro Vision sparked. With a sharp "pop," an Electro-charged round burst from the barrel toward Fu Ning.
Furina flinched at the sound and instinctively took a half-step back, even though she had been prepared.
"Sequence Ten of Energy Talent," Fu Ning muttered.
The bullet flew toward his face, hovered for a split second in front of him, and then dissipated into shimmering particles.
Fu Ning nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad. As expected of something I made."
For some reason, Furina suddenly pouted and gave a teasing scoff. "Well, well, Fu Ning. You had time to prepare a gift for your apprentice? Yet you've never given me anything good!"
Fu Ning's mouth twitched. "That's not true, Lady Furina. I've prepared plenty of surprises for you."
"Really? I don't buy it," Furina said, narrowing her eyes with theatrical suspicion.
"Lady Furina is right," Clorinde chimed in cheerfully. "After all, Master couldn't even get that limited-edition cake. I can't imagine him getting a proper gift for you."
Then Clorinde took out a blue crystal pendant from her pocket.
"Lady Furina, I bought this jewelry for you."
Fu Ning's expression darkened. Great. All that effort raising her, and this is what I get.
Furina accepted the pendant and gave Fu Ning a long, pointed look—her expression now even less friendly.
But Clorinde wasn't finished.
"Of course, Master, I also prepared a gift for you."
Fu Ning's mood improved slightly. At least she remembers who raised her.
"It seems you're determined to take the Duel Agent position today," he said.
Clorinde nodded. "Of course. As the disciple of Fontaine's strongest fighter, I'd be embarrassed if I couldn't handle something this simple."
Then Clorinde pulled out a finely crafted dagger from her pocket.
The dagger was a deep oceanic blue, perfectly suited to Fu Ning's aesthetic tastes.
The blade shimmered like colored crystal, slightly curved and elegant.
Its hilt bore the Hydro symbol, signifying it could harness elemental power, and it featured a dark blue C-shaped guard.
Though it wasn't designed for battle, it was a beautiful piece—an artistic weapon.
And Fu Ning liked it instantly.
"Thank you, Clorinde." Fu Ning gave the blade a practice swing, sheathed it, and hung it at his waist with pride.
"As long as Master likes it," Clorinde said softly.