The combat began, and Kael activated his magic cloak.

  Training under this stance had gone from barely five minutes to a full thirty minutes, enduring constant strikes.

  If he applied offensive magic, that defensive and agile magical setup would be reduced to fifteen minutes.

  All of that was already calculated.

  Kael had a clear strategy to try to damage Freya.

  He started his attack by executing basic staff movements.

  What little he had managed to master alongside Enta proved more effective than expected.

  His coordination and movement were precise. Kael attacked and moved around her, not out of fear, but because Freya was one of the most powerful mages in the kingdom, and he had already felt the power of her fire magic firsthand.

  Freya began to move with greater agility and speed.

  She was not only demonstrating her ability as a mage, but also showing that she was an exceptional physical combatant.

  (Pensamiento de Kael):

  Damn it… she doesn’t want to use magic!

  // -- it’s obvious, idiot, she’s not going to use her full arsenal; she’s wearing you down, forcing you to burn through all your strategies -- //

  (Pensamiento de Kael):

  I won’t do it. I’ll force her to use magic before I use my techniques.

  Motivated, Kael decided to raise the stakes. He intensified the stimulation magic in his body and began executing faster and more aggressive attacks.

  Despite being just a child, his strikes were still heavy, and Freya was already beginning to feel them.

  —“So you increased your magic to attack with greater speed…” —Freya commented while dodging—. “Without a doubt, if you had a more developed body, you could deal me considerable damage…”

  Freya also increased the power flowing through her body to match his agility.

  Now her offense was greater, and she no longer gave Kael enough time to properly recover between attacks.

  (Pensamiento de Kael):

  Good… it’s time to land a critical hit…

  Freya launched herself at Kael with all her strength, while he remained completely still.

  Just as she entered his range, Kael took his stance with the staff and, from the ground, using his magic, launched a large amount of dirt directly into Freya’s face.

  It lasted only an instant.

  Freya instinctively closed her eyes.

  Combined with the speed of her advance and the precision of Kael’s strategy, the strike was perfect: the tip of the staff hit her directly in the stomach.

  Freya immediately stepped back to regain her balance, recover from the blow, and clear her vision.

  Parents and guardians were left completely stunned by that strategic maneuver.

  —“He attacked her by throwing dirt in her eyes?” —Isadora asked, incredulous—. “Is that allowed?”

  —“This is not a sporting match or a competition,” —Liora replied seriously—. “It’s a real combat simulation.”

  —“Strategies like the one Kael just used are essential to survive in war…”

  —“It’s impressive that he managed to push Freya back.”

  (Pensamiento de Kael):

  Are you kidding me…? This is only just beginning now…

  Freya raised her head and smiled.

  —“Alright, kid… you asked for it. I’ll give it to you.”

  Caria felt the change in the air around Freya.

  She was getting serious.

  —“Hey…” —Caria said with concern—. “Is it really okay to go this far? Kael has already shown progress comparable to a common soldier…”

  —“Yes,” —Laret replied—, “but Freya doesn’t consider it enough…”

  —“From her gaze, she wants to see how much more he can give.”

  —“It’s necessary,” —Garbard intervened—.

  —“If Kael is not normal, then he must be treated according to his level.”

  Freya intensified her magical aura.

  At last, it ignited.

  —“Come on, kid!” —she shouted—. “Show me what you’ve got!”

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  Freya began launching several fireballs that struck every place where Kael had been seconds before.

  Each one was harder to dodge, but Kael endured.

  Some he avoided by a hair.

  Others hit him directly.

  Even so, he remained standing, his magic kept in balance.

  —“It’s time!” —Kael shouted—. “PREPARE YOURSELF, MASTER!”

  He opened his waist pouch and pulled out a handful of small, solid resin spheres.

  Little by little, he began making them float around his body.

  —“Prepare yourself, master,” —he continued—, “because you are about to witness the power of my…”

  —“SLIME CANNON!!!”

  Ken and the soldiers began to shout and cheer for the now serious and powerful young master.

  —“COME ON, BOSS MONKEY, YOU CAN DO IT!!!”

  Everyone was stunned by the number of small sap spheres from the Nabu tree floating in the air.

  One of them moved toward Kael’s index finger.

  He aimed directly at his master.

  The sphere began to tremble.

  Behind it, right in the space formed between Kael’s thumb and index finger, the air began to visibly compress.

  It was like watching a glass bubble deform under internal pressure, vibrating with a sharp hum.

  The air bubble reached its critical point.

  A microscopic flash appeared inside the compressed microspace.

  TCH-PAM!

  There were no flames.

  No smoke.

  No fire.

  Only an invisible shockwave that launched the resin sphere like a rubber bullet.

  Freya didn’t even have time to blink.

  The sphere struck her shoulder with a PONK, tearing part of her dress, then bounced off one of the columns behind her.

  Freya took half a step back.

  On her face were surprise, indignation… and a smile she tried to hide.

  The attack had landed cleanly and, despite her reinforcement magic, it had still caused damage.

  All the spectators were left stunned by that display of power and intelligence.

  —“Oxygen… nitrogen… stable…” —Kael muttered—.

  —“Reduce volume… increase pressure…”

  —“Align kinetic energy…”

  TCH-PAM!

  Another rubber sphere shot forward and struck her left thigh, bouncing away with a heavy impact.

  —“Those rubber spheres deal quite a bit of damage…” —Freya commented—.

  —“I don’t even want to imagine what would happen if they were arrowheads…”

  A wide smile spread across her face, and she began to laugh loudly.

  Everyone remained frozen, unable to believe what they were witnessing in the clash.

  —“THAT’S IT, KAEL!” —Freya exclaimed—.

  —“THAT IS THE ATTITUDE OF SOMEONE PREPARED FOR LIFE!”

  (Pensamiento de Kael):

  Ha… I may have come from a world far more technologically advanced,

  but I come from Latin America…

  and more than once, my life was almost taken.

  Things became serious.

  It was the decisive moment.

  Kael began running around the training field, circling Freya while firing the rubber spheres one by one.

  Freya increased her defensive power and began launching more fireballs.

  Kael accelerated even further and then demonstrated another capability of his skill: he started releasing several rubber spheres around himself, which fired automatically without needing to be aimed.

  Freya tried to dodge the succession of projectiles, unable to determine which ones would be fired and at what moment.

  Kael continued moving to avoid the fireballs that tried to reach him.

  Up to that point, their abilities were balanced.

  But physical development, age, and experience began to make the difference.

  Kael was starting to tire.

  // -- we’re already at the limit… don’t you think it’s time for the final attack? -- //

  Exhausted and unable to keep running, Kael understood that he had reached the end.

  —“It’s time!” —he shouted—.

  —“THIS IS IT, MASTER!!!”

  —“I STILL HAVE POWER FOR THE ENTIRE DAY!!!”

  —“I WANT TO SEE THE POWER OF THE MAGE OF ETERNAL LIGHT!!!”

  Everyone was stunned by his words.

  But the most shocked was Freya.

  She saw the determination in the boy’s eyes…

  and answered with the same intensity.

  —“FINE!” —she exclaimed—.

  —“If you think you can continue, then prove it!”

  Freya raised her reinforcement magic to such a high level that her body seemed to be wrapped in flames.

  Caria and Laret tensed immediately.

  This was already escalating far beyond what a simple training session should be.

  Both stepped forward, but Garbard stopped them with a firm gesture.

  —“Calm down,” —he said—. “Trust Kael.”

  The two parents, their hearts in their throats, could do nothing but watch and trust in their son’s determination.

  Freya began charging a fireball three times larger than the previous ones.

  The heat distorted the air around it.

  Without hesitation, she threw it.

  Kael waited for that instant.

  With his last strength, he shouted:

  —“NOW THAT IS A FIREBALL!!!”

  —“BUT EVEN WITH THAT POWER, YOU’LL STILL NEED MORE HANDS TO DEFEAT ME!!!”

  When the fireball was about to hit him, Kael summoned his dimensional cube.

  The blazing sphere vanished instantly, trapped inside his inventory.

  Everyone, including his teacher, was left completely speechless.

  With one final effort, Kael drew the dimensional cube again.

  From it emerged the same fireball, now redirected toward Freya.

  As the magic traveled back, Kael collapsed to the ground.

  The fight was over.

  Freya watched her own magic come back at her and, with a single hand, struck it like a ball, sending it straight into the sky.

  Only two silhouettes moved at the same time, running toward the young master.

  —“My child!” —Caria shouted—. “Are you alright?!”

  —“Kael, look at me!” —Laret said, kneeling in front of him—. “Let me see if you’re hurt!”

  Kael was barely conscious.

  As he regained some clarity, he understood how everything had ended.

  Freya quickly approached to assess the condition of her student.

  —“AAAAAH!” —Kael complained—. “I didn’t manage to make you use more than one technique!”

  —“What are you talking about?” —Caria replied—. “Not just anyone can make Freya use magic like that during training!”

  Freya nodded with a proud smile.

  —“That’s right, kid…” —she said—. “Today you showed enormous progress, and surprisingly effective.”

  —“The two abilities you used were worthy of a professional mage.”

  —“A mage begins developing their own techniques after years of training,” —Laret added—.

  —“Your potential, so far, seems to have no limits.”

  Kael managed to sit up with difficulty and looked at everyone present.

  Soldiers, guardians, and members of the house began to applaud, celebrating his defeat as if it were a victory.

  —“GREAT FIGHT, BOSS MONKEY!!!” —one of the soldiers shouted—.

  —“YOU ARE THE BEST!!!”

  Lord Garbard approached his grandson.

  —“How do you feel, boy?”

  —“A bit beaten up,” —Kael replied.

  He lifted his gaze and met his grandfather’s eyes.

  —“Grandfather… I have proven that my abilities are enough to defend myself in dangerous situations.”

  —“I hope I never have to go that far, but…”

  —“if I used them to kill… they would be extremely dangerous.”

  Freya stepped forward.

  —“Without a doubt,” —she said—.

  —“Even using rubber projectiles, the impact power was considerable.”

  —“A normal person would have been killed.”

  —“I don’t even want to imagine what would happen if you used something more solid and sharp…”

  —“There is one month left before my teacher leaves,” —Kael continued—.

  —“My project is almost ready, so I’ll let you know soon when I finish it…”

  Then he sighed, completely exhausted.

  —“Now, if you’ll excuse me…” —he murmured—.

  —“I’m going to take a small nap here on the ground…”

  Kael collapsed, drained by exhaustion.

  Before he touched the ground, strong arms caught him.

  Freya held him carefully, completely satisfied.

  The incredible performance of her student had surpassed all her expectations.