"Well, I warned you. I'm not responsible for the consequences of your decision." Wain shrugged, stood up, and headed for the exit.

Gisle took a deep breath and whispered looking at Wain's retreating back, "Don't worry, I'll reach the Absolute Stage soon enough. I may never get your level, but I just want to be able to influence the Great War."

...

In Last Light, there were many places where Wain and Gisle could fight since each city had several arenas equipped for duels or training. However, none of this was designed for fighters of their level, so they headed to the forest a few kilometers away from Merge Island.

"Agh... The simple fresh air... There are many pleasant feelings in this world, but this is one of the best..." Wain muttered, enjoying the taste of the forest.historical

"I thought Lands of the Gods was much better, wasn't it?" Gisle asked with a slight smile on his face.

"Well, there's too much energy in Lands of the Gods... In fact, the air is more saturated there, but there's no lightness. I mean, here I just want to rest, while in Lands of the Gods, I'd like to absorb all the energy." Wain said quietly before turning to Gisle, "Do you need to get ready before we start?"

Gisle shook his head, "No, all I need is my weapons and an opponent who won't feel sorry for me. I can rely on you, right?"

"Hah, sure." Wain crossed his arms across his chest, "You can stop our fight at any time, but until you do, I'll be serious. I won't kill you, but be prepared for a few broken bones and losing a few liters of blood."

Gisle answered nothing, he just smiled and waved his hand as the silver ring on his finger shone brightly.

Whoooooooooooosh.

At the same moment, a powerful current of wind blew toward him as with a white flash in Gisle's hand appeared a long katana with an indescribably sharp blade that seemed capable of cutting through the fabric of the world in a single swing.

"Not bad, I've always liked your style. Katana plus wind, it's definitely one of the best combinations." Wain nodded in confirmation.

"Well, why don't you try that too in that case?" Gisle smirked.

"No, that's out of the question." Wain shook his head as a large amount of dark energy erupted from the seal on his palm, then a long black sword capable of striking even a god appeared in his hand.

Wain looked at the sword and muttered with a slight smile, "I already have the best weapon. Many things may change in this world, but I will always fight alongside Gladius."

"Hah, you refer to your sword by name... I wish my weapon had a consciousness too..." Gisle said with a complicated expression as his gaze fell on his katana.

"Well, that is quite possible. It's up to you." Wain said calmly as if it were something insignificant.

"Hmm? Hey, I don't mean to say that I'm not happy with my weapon, but it's strange to hear from someone whose sword is impossible to break. If I had the chance to make my katana into a weapon like Gladius I'd do anything for it. Also, how did you even get such a sword?" Gisle's face became serious as his eyes grew icy while a piercing aura emanated from him.

Wain sighed and looking at Gladius spoke, "If you can show a decent fight then I'll tell you my history with Gladius, but before we start I'll tell you something. Gladius wasn't always like this. That's all."

Whooooooooooooooosh.

Gisle wanted to say something, but before he could say a word, Wain attacked. He moved sharply, but slowly enough for Gisle to react to this sudden attack.

'Fine, even though you are the legendary Nameless King and are one Chronicle above me, I can still show you how strong I am!' Gisle internally exclaimed before stepping forward.

The katana blade flashed as a deadly wind blade flew out of it causing ripples in the air.

'Good, now he will have to jump to the side... Considering he's holding the sword to his right he'll most likely choose the left side to do so unexpectedly. Well, in that case, I'll be ready.' Gisle wondered as he was prepared to attack, but suddenly a shiver ran through his body as he realized that Wain was not going to dodge.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

Wain just kept walking forward, swinging his sword from top to bottom like a black lightning bolt. It was enough to shatter the wind blade with ease and tear toward Gisle at breakneck speed.

'Fuck! I'm too used to fighting someone of my level! Against him, my strategies and previous fighting style are useless! I must change it if I don't want to lose in a minute!' Gisle internally exclaimed with his eyes wide open as he swung his arm, creating a wind barrier in front of him.

The barrier was voluminous since a powerful flow of wind was constantly moving inside, so when Wain's sword reached the barrier all that force rushed out with a significant repulsive effect. However, Wain didn't budge, as the ground beneath him just cracked.

"Hah, not bad. You knew it wouldn't be enough to throw me out, but the speed of my attack sure slowed down." Wain said with a smirk on his face while the dark sword rushed toward Gisle's chest.

"That's not all!" Gisle exclaimed in response, swinging his katana.

Several streams of energy erupted from the weapon, quickly forming three additional wind blades that collided with Gladius.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

Space trembled as several types of energy caused a powerful explosion. Its energy threw Gisle aside, into the thick of the forest as Wain did not move a single step.

'Gisle... Looks like you're stronger than I thought,' Wain said to himself, brushing away the streaming drop of blood from the scratch on his face with his finger.