Doggone Academy

Chapter 116 Circulatory System (18)

As Sion increased her speed, pushing forward, Damian, who was defending from his position, inevitably found himself overpowered.

The artifact on his ankle shone brightly again as he swung his sword relentlessly at the masked man.

Damian raised his sword above his head to block and struggled to fend off the continuous attacks.

After a few exchanges, it became clear. The feeling Damian had vaguely sensed during the entrance examination was now starkly apparent.

He lacked a proper sword technique.

However, he wasnt entirely defenseless. With a rawness reminiscent of a wild beast, there were sporadic glimpses of a proficiency honed by real combat.

The two clashed swords and exchanged pushes, forcing each other back.

At a ten-step interval, they resumed their standoff, Sion frowning in irritation.

Damian alternated his grip on the sword and opened and closed his palm to ease the pain.

The demonsword Silveryn flickered, as if craving a more violent struggle. But Sion could not fully unleash her power; without parity in conditions, victory held no meaning. She had postponed pursuing Damian for a day after seeing the monster carcass in the valley, aiming to preserve her strength.

How long do I have to hold back?

Damian held his sword with one hand, adopting a relaxed defensive stance. Was he feigning composure?

During the standoff, a scent of high-class perfume, usually worn by noble ladies, carried faintly on the wind, clashing with the current environment.

Where have you hidden the other one?

Whenever tracking the trail, there had been evidence of at least two people. That meant a woman was likely waiting somewhere nearby.

Frustrated, Sion charged at Damian once again. This time unleashing a triple strike, which Damian once again deflected with rough movements.

Fighting him was frustrating.

She clearly overwhelmed him in strength and skill, yet she couldnt pin him down completely.

It felt like slicing through a formless liquid.

At the end of the three strikes, as Sion was locked in a struggle of strength with the man, she declared,

The time for going easy is over

Just as she was about to draw out the full power of Silveryn, Sion sensed something amiss and swiftly backed away like a skipping water strider.

She inspected her sword.

Without having exerted full strength, it had lost its magic and the light had dimmed.

What did you do? asked Sion, puzzled.

The masked man was also staring at his own wooden sword as if he found something unusual.

Seeing that the man wasnt taking her seriously, Sions eyes widened as she poured mana into Silveryn and warned in a cold tone,

Last warning. Fight properly. Otherwise, youre going to get seriously hurt.

Realizing that words were of no use, she changed her strategy.

Ill need to deal with your friend first.

She focused for a moment, sensing the flow of the air, then watched movements that were invisible within the mist.

Someone was observing their duel from a distance.

Sion activated her artifact and charged, not at Damian, but towards the figure lurking at the left diagonal direction.

She swung her sword into thin air to clear her vision, drawing out the swords power.

A gust of wind swept away the fog temporarily.

In the cleared space, at the edge of the mist, sat Luna, the top student of the magic division, perched neatly on a rock.

They locked eyes briefly.

Startled by the unexpected figure, Sion hesitated for a moment.

!

Suddenly, Sion felt a killing intent on the side of her head and hastily backstepped to retreat.

A dazzling streak of sword energy swept through the midpoint between Sion and Luna.

Koo-goo-goo-gooboom!

The sword energy ripped through the fog, exploded against something in the distance, and emitted a deafening blast, leaving the ground fissured as if struck by an earthquake.

Had it been met head-on, it would have been a fatal blow. Even the tough-nerved Sion couldnt help but momentarily hold her breath.

Sion looked towards the source of the sword energy.

Through the haze, a white sword shone in the void.

A pair of eyes, gleaming like a predators, watched her. It was the same gaze she had encountered at the summit of Mount Grace.

From within the fog, the man spoke.

Going any further would be troublesome.

What?

Then, Luna echoed the mans words nearby.

Rightit would be troublesome.

Following her words, Luna swung her arm through the air, summoning a whirlwind as if commanding the wind itself.

Sion activated her artifact in an attempt to move, but the winds direction altered, and a strong backlash impeded her.

!

The strong winds began to swirl around Sion, wrapping everything around her like a spout.

Dirt, pebbles, fog, and leaves were all swept up, entrapping Sion at the center. The wind was fierce, making it hard to even open her eyes. She covered one eye with her arm and swung her sword, but to no avail.

Her sword could not cut through magic.

What is this!

She was unable to move. Sight, smell, even her sense of direction were all wiped away.

It was an oversight to have not anticipated that Luna, the magic division top student, was in cahoots with the masked man, and to have underestimated her power.

Sion had miscalculated.

When the winds finally calmed, both the masked man and Luna had vanished without a trace.

Alone in the devastated clearing, Sion stamped her foot in frustration.

..

Pride wounded, her cheeks slightly puffed in anger.

***

I held Lunas hand and ran for a while.

After shaking Sion off, we went further.

In doing so, we left the danger zone and entered the heart of the Circulatory Systems primordial forest.

Avoiding a fight was the best immediate course of action. Sion seemed keen to battle regardlessof circumstances, but wielding a magic sword consumes too much stamina, and the scope of the fight would have become unmanageable.

Our real objective in this exercise was to retrieve the horn of the Familiar, not to brawl for the title of the strongest swordsman. Stamina had to be conserved for more important tasks.

Now that Lunas spirit kept watch over Sion, we had some respite from pursuit.

Showing our strength might have dampened her aggressiveness a bit. Even for Sion, taking on both Luna and me was a stretch.

We took a brief rest under the shadow of a moss-covered, massive tree.

Sitting on a tree root, I gripped and released my right hand repeatedly. My sword-grasping hand still had a numb sensation.

After engaging her in a test fight, I clearly felt the disparity.

When it came to swordsmanship, I was far behind Sion.

After all, shes a Swordmasters apprentice, and my unrefined technique was no match.

I checked Lunas condition briefly.

She looked at her hand curiously, moving her fingers as if it were an unfamiliar objectthe hand that had touched mine.

Oops. In the rush, I had grabbed her hand and ran without considering that I was not yet accustomed to a mans body.

Are you okay?

Luna relaxed her expression for a moment and answered.

Ah, yes.

She might be alright for now, but I was worried about what would come after the exercise was over. With Sion aware of Lunas connection to me, she might go after her for a showdown.

I was pondering whether I had to face Sion alone to keep Luna out of it when she cautiously asked me a question.

Did we run away because of me?

No, we had agreed to shake off Sion from the start. It worked out just as we wanted.

Okay

Perhaps she felt running away without confronting Sion was due to her being spotted. Our plan had gone slightly awry due to Sions keen senses, but that wasnt Lunas fault.

After a moment of thought, Luna spoke up again.

The next time we face Sion

Yes?

Ill fight too.

No, theres no need for that.

I let my guard down for a moment. Next time Ill make sure were not underestimated and face her properly.

She didnt show it much, but Luna seemed slightly vexed for having been caught off guard by Sion.

Is that why? During our escape, she did more than just disrupt Sions sensesshe completely overpowered her. With that kind of might, even I wouldve been helpless like Sion.

It occurred to me that Luna might be a greater adversary for Sion.

Alright. Just dont expose yourself to unnecessary danger. Stay behind me.

Luna nodded affirmatively.

Okay!

I dusted myself off and unfolded the map for our next destination.

We had succeeded in optimizing our bodies for the Circulatory System by consuming local food, but there were still challenges to overcome.

We had to delve into the heart of the Circulatory System. It would have been ideal to follow the map, but it wasnt straightforward.

No path existed within the primal forest, and no landmarks were visible to determine location. The trees were too dense to discern the position of the sun. Lunas spirits were struggling to navigate due to the strong magical forces of the earth here.

Moreover, our ultimate destination area, the domain of the Familiar, wasnt even marked on the map.

The map depicted the Circulatory System as a vaguely egg-shaped region. We had to enter the yolk and rely on scant hints to find the domain of the Familiar.

The clues we had were: the presence of a Spirit Master would be beneficial, and Blue Spirit Grass could help. That was all.

Since Blue Spirit Grass had to be gathered from within the Circulatory System, I had come from Rigved empty-handed when everyone was collecting it.

I wasnt sure what a Spirit Master would be beneficial entailed. Although I was currently benefiting from Lunas abilities

Maybe we should start by searching for Blue Spirit Grass first.

While I was absorbed with the map, Luna called me with a trace of panic.

Damianover there

I turned to look at Luna.

An unidentified figure, resembling a white stuffed toy, was standing in front of her.

Small as a cucumber, with a translucent body and eyes as tiny as green peas.

It stared softly up at Luna.

?

?

And it wasnt just one.

Numerous unidentified beings began to gather around Luna, revealing themselves.

They seemed to feel a sense of familiarity with her, climbing onto her shoulder, draping across her, laying on her head, and casually finding spots on her knees like sparrows on a branch.

Before long, their numbers grew to about a dozen, filling the area around Luna.

As I approached Luna, the creatures started and some scurried away; others disappeared completely.

What were they doing? Could they possibly be spirits?

They dont seem bad

I took a few steps back from Luna slowly.

Soon, the mysterious beings reappeared around her.

Butthey seem very afraid of you.