Chapter 89

Chapter 31. Phoenix, Tese

Any magician of 6th Rank or above can form a contract with a single phoenix.

And every magician naturally wished to be the owner of a 'special' phoenix.

Even if it wasn't on the level of 'Belrot,' who was contracted with Kelliac Zip, or 'Manner,' the phoenix of the former Grand Magician O Henserk.

They all wanted to be the owner of a phoenix that would make every magician envious when mentioned by name.

However, magicians have no choice.

When they reach 6th Rank and open the dimensional gate leading to the world of fire, no one can predict which phoenix will approach them.

Kasimir looked up at Jin's phoenix with a bewildered expression.

Every time the phoenix, covered in mysterious blue flames, flapped its wings, the scent of incense spread even to the distant Kasimir.

While over 10,000 phoenixes have been registered in the Magic Guild, only one boasts 'blue flames.'

"Tese...! How can this be, Young Master Jin!"

The name of the phoenix summoned by Jin was Tese, known as the 'Noblest Phoenix.'

And every magician who has summoned Tese so far.

Without exception, they all became the greatest magicians of their time.

—Even far into the future, I hope you remember me as a good sparring partner, even when you reach the pinnacle of the world.

Kasimir understood why Alisa had said that the moment she saw Tese.

Alisa could no longer be Jin's match.

Swoosh...

Jin slowly drew Bradamante and spoke.

"Shall we begin? Lady Alisa."

Jin, who stood still and pointed his sword at Alisa, had been the challenger until recently, but now the roles had reversed.

"I'm coming, Young Master Jin."

Today, Alisa was the one standing in the challenger's position.

The moment her white aura dyed her fists, Alisa rushed forward, closing the distance in an instant.

With his current dynamic vision, Jin couldn't fully keep up with her maximum speed. Normally, he would predict and counter to some extent, but today, that wasn't necessary.

Tese was spewing fierce flames, blocking Alisa's approach.

Whoosh! Whoosh-!

Even the smallest flame from a phoenix has the power of a 5th Rank fire magic spell. Even a 7th Rank martial artist, with a well-trained body, would suffer severe injuries without an aura shield.

Moreover, Tese's flames had a special force called 'pressure.'

'If this sticks, it will drain my stamina too much. I need to end this quickly!'

Pressure, as the name suggests, is a force that presses down.

Tese's flames had weight, a spiritual weight that defied natural laws. Even if it stuck to an aura shield, it couldn't be ignored or easily extinguished like a normal flame.

It made the body feel as heavy as if submerged in water.

As Alisa dodged the flames, moving her body skillfully, the initiative quickly shifted to Jin.

'Tese can only be maintained for about 3 minutes. I need to inflict a significant injury on Lady Alisa within that time to finish this smoothly.'

Even though it was just a sparring match.

Jin had always felt the threat of death in the past 109 sparring sessions. Today, it was his turn to make Alisa feel that emotion.

It would be the greatest reward he could give to the person who had diligently helped him grow every single day for the past three months.

Swoosh!

A sharp horizontal slash flew toward Alisa's back as she dodged the flames and momentarily hung in the air.

"Kee!"

She quickly rotated her body, but the sword tip grazed her back. It left only a minor burn, but it was enough to heighten her tension.

Before she could regain her footing, a ball of round magic power gathered in Jin's left hand.

'Wind Blade! I'll use this to make Lady Alisa retreat again and...'

A wind blade shot toward Alisa's ankle, and as expected, she had to step back again.

'By making Lady Alisa impatient to regain the initiative... I'll end this!'

The patterns of Alisa's 109 sparring sessions were diverse. It was impossible for the current Jin to predict and block her unconventional moves.

But there was one common 'order' in Alisa's many patterns.

She always tried to seize the initiative in any situation.

'When her swordsmanship, magic, and spirit energy start to blend, even Lady Alisa will feel fatigue, so she always focused on maintaining the initiative. But today, that will be her downfall.'

Alisa took a step to the left to dodge the wind blade. When she shifted her gaze back to Jin's position.

All she saw was Tese, who had finished preparing to breathe fire.

'Phew. You're a swordsman, Young Master Jin!'

Alisa turned her head sharply.

Jin was already spraying sword light from Alisa's side, and Tese had also breathed fire. She was under simultaneous pressure from both sides.

It wasn't impossible to dodge both attacks at once, but doing so would mean giving the initiative back to Jin again.

'Rather, I'll endure the breath with an aura shield and grab Young Master Jin's blade!'

Then, after landing a direct hit on Jin's abdomen to break his rhythm. She planned to endure until the phoenix summoning was canceled and decide the match.

Even if it meant taking some damage.

She judged that regaining the initiative was more important. If she continued to be on the defensive without breaking the flow, she would never get a chance to turn the tide.

Whoosh!

Tese's breath enveloped Alisa. The blue flames, spreading like a cone, seemed to completely cover her.

But the flames couldn't penetrate Alisa's aura shield. The power of a phoenix is determined by the summoner's magic power, so even Tese couldn't produce more power at the moment.

'I've got it!'

Alisa grabbed Jin's blade as planned. Blood splattered even with her palm protected by aura, but her fingers weren't severed.

Crack!

As Alisa pulled back her foot to throw a punch, Jin was pulled toward her.

Whoa!

With a battle cry, a straight punch was thrown. Although she couldn't put full power into it due to maintaining the shield, it was more than enough to make Jin retreat.

Just as the satisfying sound of impact should have echoed, Alisa's eyes widened in surprise.

'What? I clearly pulled Young Master Jin and extended my punch...'

Her fist hit empty air.

Reflexively checking the Bradamante she was holding, she saw no sign of Jin, who should have been gripping the hilt.

'Then what did I pull...!'

The weight of 'pressure.'

A ball of blue flame was burning fiercely on the hilt of Bradamante.

Jin had already abandoned Bradamante and changed positions the moment his blade was grabbed. Instead, he had wrapped the hilt in a flame of pressure, making it seem like his own weight.

Alisa couldn't realize this due to Tese's breath covering her aura shield.

She immediately understood everything.

But it was too late to reverse the situation.

"Haha... I lost, Young Master Jin. I've fought many opponents, but I never imagined such a trick."

As Tese retracted its breath.

Alisa's aura shield collapsed, revealing Jin with a dagger pointed at her back.

"Despite the effort to maintain the shield and take a gamble, it backfired. Wow, to lose by being grabbed from behind. It's quite a shock. Where did you start calculating this?"

"From the day I first sparred with Lady Alisa, would that sound too arrogant?"

Alisa waved her hand as if conceding defeat.

"No, I think it's quite possible. It even gives me goosebumps."

"Thank you for everything, Lady Alisa."

"I had a great time, Young Master Jin. You probably don't understand how proud I am right now."

As Alisa turned around, Jin put away his dagger.

For a moment, they looked at each other, then extended their hands to shake without hesitation.

"How does it feel to defeat a Viment Special Task Force member before turning sixteen?"

"To be honest, it feels great, very great, but... I also want to fight Lady Alisa at full strength next year."

Alisa smiled softly.

"I don't wear armor unless I have to kill someone. So, Young Master Jin, you shouldn't have to fight me in armor."

In 110 sparring sessions, Alisa never used gauntlets or armor. An armored Alisa would be an opponent even Kasimir couldn't confidently face, making her unsuitable for Jin's growth.

"Well... If this momentum continues, the day you surpass me in armor won't be far off. Anyway, congratulations, Young Master Jin. We should have a party tonight."

Kasimir, who had been watching the sparring, had a dazed look on his face.

'Actually, I thought it would take more than six months... He's insane, insane. Sir Thiron, this letter is a scoop!'

Kasimir honestly thought it would take Jin at least a year to surpass Alisa.

But just 110 days. Even after seeing it with his own eyes, his mind was in turmoil.

"Get a grip and go prepare for the party."

"Ah, yeah. Got it."

* * *

The party, of course, included all the comrades in Tikan.

During the banquet, Jin told the other comrades about defeating Alisa and summoning the phoenix Tese.

"Tese, the phoenix with blue flames? Young Master, I've heard of it a few times. It's said to be a very rare phoenix..."

"Gillie! It's more than that. Magicians who summon Tese always become the greatest. Young Master Jin! Sign here, quickly! On the back of my shirt."

Enya ran over to Jin, her eyes shining.

While others were surprised to learn this, Murakkan and Quikantel, the two dragons, were momentarily speechless.

Clank.

They even dropped their forks simultaneously, looking extremely shocked.

"Kid, did you just say Tese...?"

"Jin, did that one really contract with you? And you had your first meeting in that shabby underground training room and made it fight right after summoning it?"

Jin was taken aback.

These prideful dragons were trembling and using the utmost respect when referring to Tese.

"Murakkan, Quikantel, is there a problem...?"

"Hey, summon it again!"

"It's too exhausting to summon it."

As Jin tilted his head and summoned Tese.

"Lord of Fire, I greet you!"

Quikantel prostrated himself and shouted.

"Y-You... Lord of Fire... It's been a while... A... Why, why can't I... Can't I use informal speech? I also have a rank... I'm sorry. I understand, I understand, stop cursing me."

Murakkan looked like he had met a difficult teacher, fidgeting nervously.

The sudden and surreal scene made people feel like they would choke on their food.

For a moment, it seemed Tese and Murakkan were having a conversation, but the humans couldn't hear Tese's voice at all.

"Um... Yes, yes. I understand. I'll pass that on to Jin, ah, that's really... Stop cursing! This isn't the realm of fire, and if you keep doing this, I'll get angry too?"

Hee hee hee hee!

Tese pecked Murakkan's head at an incredible speed, but surprisingly, the temperamental black dragon didn't retaliate and only stepped back.

After Tese finished pecking and said something, Murakkan nodded.

"Phew... I understand. I'll pass that on to Jin, so please calm down. Really, to embarrass me like this as soon as you arrive. Ah, you're going to hit me again. Anyway, your temper... I can't, kid! Send this one back to the realm of fire."

As Jin canceled the summon, Tese writhed and was sucked into the dimensional gate. Quikantel finally stood up and sighed.

"You and Quikantel seem to find Tese very difficult... It's not just refreshing, it's shocking. What did you talk about?"

When Jin asked, Murakkan shuddered as if he had a bad omen.