Chapter 20

(Listen, I am very grateful to 'Ice·Moon Shadow', 'Long Tiani', '2D Our Dream', 'You·', 'I Only Me', 'Crying Hymn', 'Rabbit of 703', 'Yun Qi Qing Gu', '·Solo Illumination', 'Little Otaku', 'Yakumo Seiya', 'Wandering in a World Without You', 'Shao Fengye', 'Panda!', and 'Future Domain' for your support!)

(Lots of requests for favorites! Recommendations! Clicks! Tomorrow is Friday! Friends! Please give this book a helping hand!)

Magnolia, by the forest river...

The sound of flowing water echoed clearly in the uninhabited forest.

The sounds of birds, beasts, and insects continued to linger around.

A gentle breeze blew, stirring up green leaves and dust.

Everything seemed so natural.

Standing by the riverbank, Noah closed his eyes leisurely, with beads floating in the air around his body, rising and falling continuously.

If one observed closely, one could see that a faint, mysterious light covered the contours of the beads floating around Noah. As the beads rose and fell, the light flickered, bright and dim, in a very mystical way.

This scene continued for an unknown amount of time, and Noah remained in this state for an unknown duration, making the surroundings silent.

Until a moment came when a figure arrived, finally breaking the silence.

Following the path she had walked for three months and had become thoroughly familiar with, Erza arrived at the riverbank. She saw Noah standing ahead, eyes tightly closed, with beads floating around him, and couldn't help but smile.

"Still the same as before, much earlier than me..."

Noah, with his eyes still closed, also smiled slightly. With a thought, the beads floating around him began to descend as if being held by invisible hands.

When all the beads had gently landed on the ground, Noah opened his eyes and turned around.

"Can't help it, after all, you have to start learning sword techniques as soon as you arrive. If I don't come earlier, I won't have time to train my magic control, right?"

Although Noah had been training his sword techniques with Erza in this secret base, unknown to anyone, for the past three months, he was well aware of his true advantage.

Magic!

The immense magic power in his body, which no one else could match, was Noah's true strength!

Naturally, Noah would not abandon his true strength just to learn some sword techniques. Even though he had to train sword techniques with Erza every day, he would still allocate a large amount of time to continue training his magic control.

Learning sword techniques would give Noah a certain degree of combat ability.

Learning magic, with Noah's terrifyingly strong magic power, would make him a powerful mage, even surpassing Makarov eventually!

Moreover, magic was the mainstream in this world. Various factors told Noah that he should not put the cart before the horse.

Therefore, Noah was very good at reasonably arranging his time for various types of training.

As a result, over the past three months, Noah's magic control had improved significantly, and his sword techniques had also made considerable progress.

"Diligence is a good thing. You truly live up to your reputation. Unlike Gray, who only knows how to challenge me every day, it would be better to use that time for training!"

Over the past three months, Noah and Erza had spent at least twelve hours together every day, training and improving together. They had become the most understanding of each other in Fairy Tail, and they were very clear about each other's progress.

Thus, Erza didn't waste any more words. She extended her hand, and a magical light blossomed in her palm, forming a knight's sword that she grasped.

"Then, let's start our training for today!"

Noah nodded, crouched down, and picked up the sheathed knight's sword on the ground, smiling at Erza.

"It seems that over the past three months, you've not only improved in sword techniques but also in your transformation magic. Your transformation speed is nearly twice as fast as before!"

"Using it every day for three months, of course, I would improve!" Erza pointed her knight's sword at Noah, her stern eyes filled with fighting spirit.

"Don't think that only you have improved in areas other than sword techniques!"

Hearing Erza's competitive words, Noah knew she was already excited. He slowly composed his expression, becoming calm, and placed his hand on the hilt of the sword.

With a clear sound of the sword being drawn from its sheath, Noah's right hand, bearing the Fairy Tail guild mark, pulled out a long, ice-like, brilliantly shining knight's sword, its sharp tip pointing at Erza.

"Come on!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the two small figures standing face to face disappeared from their original positions at the same time.

"Clang——!"

Almost simultaneously, a loud sound of metal clashing echoed in the center of the field, and a fierce shockwave erupted, scattering stones, dust, and leaves within a few meters, clearing a circular area.

Gripping the knight's sword tightly, Noah looked up and saw the other knight's sword, like a venomous snake, stabbing at him. He took a deep breath and swung his sword.

"Clank——!"

The tip of the incoming knight's sword hit the body of Noah's sword precisely, but under the force of Noah's swing, it was pushed back, forming a dangerous arc, almost reaching Erza's hand holding the hilt.

"Not bad for a boy, you have quite a bit of strength!"

Although she was at a slight disadvantage at the first contact, Erza didn't panic but laughed, tightening her grip on the sword. The knight's sword in her hand suddenly turned, sparking against Noah's sword, and then thrust forward fiercely.

"Ha——!" As the sword moved, Erza let out a low cry, and a surge of magic power enveloped the sword, forming snake-like arcs that flashed and crackled.

Seeing Erza directly use magic power, Noah was surprised.

Everyone in the world knew that magic power was the fuel for casting spells, and only those with magic power could use magic in battle.

However, in reality, magic power had many uses beyond just fueling spells. Pure magic power could be converted into energy, making tools and equipment work using magic power, a common sight in this world.

Moreover, those who could use magic power could also enhance their physical abilities to a certain extent with pure magic power.

Erza was doing just that.

Although using magic power this way was definitely weaker than using the same amount of magic power to cast a spell with a similar effect, it was still better than nothing.

At least, this way, the inherent disadvantage of men being stronger than women in terms of physical strength was completely eliminated, and Erza even surpassed Noah in strength.

"Cheating! You know I can't use magic power freely!"

Noah, somewhat embarrassed, took a step back, raised his knight's sword, and swung it with a sharp wind, fiercely chopping at the incoming sword.

"Clang——!"

The two knight's swords collided suddenly, and the powerful force acted on both of them. As a result, Noah took another step back.

"It's not over yet!"

Seeing Noah, who was holding the knight's sword and had taken a step back involuntarily, Erza called out, not holding back at all. She thrust her sword forward again, striking heavily against Noah's sword, which he had just raised to block.

"Clank——!"

After a clear sound, Noah felt a powerful force surge through his sword, turning into a direct impact that made his palm hurt, and he involuntarily let go of the sword.

"Whoosh——!"

The sharp knight's sword was directly shaken out of Noah's hand, spinning in the air like a windmill.

"Crack!"

Finally, with a cracking sound, Noah's sword was embedded in the ground a short distance away.

...

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