Catching Up

The other kids weren't far behind. Once the spells from earlier had been taken care of, the others leaped off the stairs and rushed to meet Rokas. 

"Joan? It has been too long!" Rokas smiled as he hugged another of his sisters. 

"Welcome back, big brother Rokas." The girl named Joan smiled. 

Rokas then moved on to his other siblings. He could see that during the time that he was gone, there had been an increase in the members of the family. 

The newer kids shrunk at the back, not particularly excited to meet Rokas. Nevertheless, he still went forward to greet them personally.

Once everyone had finally seen the shield-man's face for themselves, everyone moved to the dining room, where Victor led everyone into their respective seats. 

The dining room was large. Just from one side to the other, you'd be able to fit two of the Academy's Private Training Halls together, side by side. And that wasn't even taking into account the width. 

A long, wooden table stretched across the entire dining room. Chairs of the same material were neatly arranged next to each other. 

By the time everyone had sat down, the once quiet dining room had turned into the source of all the sound in the apartment. Everyone was talking, glasses were being clinked together, and cheers were being made all around. 

All in all, it was a merry time. Just a few minutes or so later, some of the kids had brought in entire piles of food, until the whole table was lined with a selection of various delicacies. Rokas could even make out some elven specialties a bit to his left. 

While they were having lunch, the others didn't hesitate to bombard Rokas with questions. What was he doing now? Was he eating well? How strong was he?

To all of those questions, he simply smiled and nodded, before replying with a vague answer. He didn't plan on divulging the fact that he had gone to Fihndreik to complete a mission. 

"But that's enough about me. I want to hear from you all too." 

It seemed like what Jesse had said was true. Most of the siblings had decided to become mercenaries and earn their pay through contracts.

But even out in the field, they never left each other's side. They formed their own mercenary party: the Hassan Pack, and were able to rise through the ranks and obtain citizenship. That was how they were able to purchase their current home.

"Say, you haven't gotten soft, right Rokas? How about a spar to prove you haven't?" Victor suddenly proposed. 

Whispers immediately began to circulate the entire family. Seeing Rokas in battle? That wasn't a sight they would get to see a lot, since he rarely ever took part in fights, unless to save his siblings. 

"Oh, I'm not falling for that one, brother Victor. The last time we fought, you were sent flying." Rokas laughed.

"That was a long time ago! I've changed a lot in these past few months! Come on, I'll show it to you."

"Very well then. I will show you what I have learned at the Hero Academy." Rokas relented, agreeing to the spar. 

"Tight! Alright, let's all go to the courtyard. Come on, guys!" 

With Victor beckoning to the family, the ones who hadn't finished their food yet began wolfing down the rest of it, before hurrying to join. 

Once everyone had settled in the courtyard, Rokas and Victor approached the middle. Jesse followed soon after.

"If it's okay with you two, I will be the referee of this match. Remember, no lethal blows. Take it lightly, it's just a friendly spar. Are we ready?" He turned to both of the fighters. 

Rokas and Victor both nodded at the same time. 

"Good. Three, two, one, fight!"

Neither of them moved right away. Rokas took his time, making sure his weapons were ready. Victor slowly unsheathed the katana on his waist and began imbuing his mana onto the blade. 

Electric sparks soon began forming all over the katana's blade, creating a sword of lightning. 

"That's indeed a new trick. You have learned a lot, Victor." Rokas complimented him. 

"Hah! I wasn't just doing nothing while you were out there getting stronger. I'm planning to catch up to you."

Raising his sword to head level, Rokas muttered something, before replying, "We shall see."

No more words were said. Victor was the first to charge in. Unlike John's or Dignitas' charges that were often made in order to gain a tactical advantage early, this one felt like it was simply to allow Victor to enter the fray quicker. There was no planning behind it. 

But Rokas knew the swordsman in front of him always had a few tricks up his sleeve. After all, his real talent didn't shine in his planning, but rather, his impulsive instincts. 

"Hyah!" Once Victor was at swinging distance, he sent his katana flying towards Rokas. 

This was then blocked by the latter's shield, and countered by a swing from his own sword. 

Victor was fast enough to respond to it, though. With his reflexes, he was able to move his body sideways in order to dodge Rokas' attack.

"Swift movements. You've gotten even faster." He commented. 

Victor didn't respond, though. Now that he had dodged the attack, he was free to unleash his very first move. 

"Hassan Family Style: Thunder Slash!"

In the split second before Victor's blade made contact with Rokas' armor, the sparks of electricity suddenly surged in voltage. It was like a live wire that mysteriously began outputting more power than it should be able to. 

Rokas, having always been the slower one, was left to take the hit. The katana made contact with his armor, which was followed by it sending small shockwaves throughout his entire body.

But this was nowhere near enough to take someone like him down. It'd be bad for his reputation as a tank if he was taken out by a few shocks. 

Powering through the paralysis, Rokas drove his sword into the ground. Seconds later, sharp rock structures spread out all around him, forcing Victor to retreat. 

Now that he had him on the run, Rokas was free to execute a brutal charge. Slamming his shield onto the ground, he rushed towards Victor like an angry bull. 

"Oh no, you don't!"

Victor was now on the defensive. He supplemented his speed with his lightning mana, allowing him to move in short bursts of speed. Rokas was unable to keenly follow him due to his unpredictability. 

"I should start getting serious, now. Ready, Rokas? This is my new trick!"

In an instant, two different mana energies began converging on Victor's body. Sparks of electricity ran down his arms and legs, while also being covered in a windy coat. 

This was Victor's unique ability. He was a dual-affinity wielder, one who possessed both the Lightning and Wind affinities!

Both of these were already well-known for their useful applications in the field of agility and speed, but when combined, they allowed users to feel as if they were faster than everything around them!

Rokas agreed that he was completely beat in the speed aspect. In fact, he probably was too on the attack side. Not only did fusing Lightning (which was also known for its destructiveness alongside speed) with Wind make Victor faster, it undoubtedly made him twice as strong too. 

But there was something else Rokas excelled in. He might not be as powerful as Alter with his attacks, nor was he as fast as Dignitas when it came to speed, but he had something unique to him. 

Rokas had an unwavering will, and the tenacity to match it. 

Closing his eyes for a brief moment, Rokas' lips moved to form a smile. Victor really had gotten stronger. 

As such, it was only right that he reciprocate that kind gesture with his own show of power. 

Raising his shield, Rokas chanted, "Wrathful Shout!"

At that very same moment, screams of anger could be heard resonating from the shield. It echoed throughout the entire courtyard, but was focused mostly on Victor. 

Just then, Rokas could feel his defenses increase. This was the effect of Wrathful Shout, the skill card he bought.

Now that both sides were ready to tango, the siblings who were watching eagerly placed bets and cheered for the one they wanted to win. 

At least this time, it looked like Victor actually had a chance. He might really be able to defeat Rokas.