VOLUME 2: ARTHUR AND DEAN'S PATH; THE GREAT WAR. CHAPTER 214: MASTER AND STUDENT

A magnificent castle whose outer walls were painted in gold stood at the very heart of the city. This castle was well known as the home of the Goldsborn Royalty.

A tall golden-haired woman whose face was covered by a light veil walked to one of the fields located at the back of the castle with light footsteps. The golden dress wrapped around her body accentuated her mouth-watering curves and slender waist. Yet, despite how attractive she looked, one couldn't help but want to keep their distance from her, as she exuded a natural aura and bearing only a great ruler could ever possess.

The woman came to a stop after reaching her destination. A short distance away from her, sat a silver-haired youth who looked to to be about seventeen years of age. The boy sat cross legged with his eyes closed. On his lap was a golden spear about 3m long, its shaft adorned with a dragon-shaped pattern.

'Sigh!' The veiled golden-haired woman couldn't help but let out a sigh when she noticed the subtle changes in the teen before her.

The boy was usually unruly, stubborn, and acted impulsively without a care for the world. But after the incident five years ago, he started restraining himself. Now, he looked like a completely different person. He appeared more calm, collected and mature. However, the woman didn't know if that was a good thing. After all, it was very hard for a person to change their innate nature.

Shaking her head, she threw the miscellaneous thoughts to the back of her mind and addressed what she had come to do.

"I see you made another breakthrough." Her voice sounded soft and very pleasant to the ears.

The shoulder-length silver-haired teen slowly opened his eyes. His once mischievous eyes now appeared sharp, with a calculating glint flashing within them ever briefly.

"Master!" The boy spoke as he stood.

"You still refuse to call me mother, huh?" chortled the woman as she flashed him a small smile.

The serious look on the face of the boy was immediately broken, a light blush flushing his cheeks.

Seeing this, the woman couldn't help but chuckle lightly.

She raised her hand and rubbed his head, ruffling his silver hair, "You are impressive. You are even more talented than me."

Despite being almost 1.8 m tall, and at the peak of his growth, the silver-haired boy was still half a head shorter than the woman.

"Surely, master jests," he remarked with a rueful smile.

The woman shook her head at his statement, "While I dare say that I am unrivaled in terms of talent, the truth is that in some areas, you have already surpassed me. Anyway, you will understand what I mean later. Now that you have experienced another breakthrough, would you like to spar?"

The silver-haired boy couldn't help but flinch when he heard the end of her sentence. He who enjoyed fighting more than anything, couldn't help but shiver to the prospect of sparring with his master. After having his ass given to him countless times, a seed that he would never defeat the golden-haired woman before him was already planted in his heart.

As if sensing his upcoming refusal, the golden-haired woman quickly interjected, "Rita experienced a breakthrough in her cultivation yesterday. She is now a fifth-level Red-core mage. Yet, you are still at the peak of the master realm. If you don't show me that it is truly worthwhile to delay your cultivation to deepen your understanding of space laws, then I won't have a choice but to interfere in your cultivation path."

Seeing that his master seemed serious about what she had just said, the silver-haired boy had no choice but to relent. Gritting his teeth, he agreed to spar with her.

"Master, disciple asks for a spar."

He had thought that after comprehending his new technique, he would become unrivaled and wouldn't need to fear anybody, atleast among his equals. Yet before he could relish in his newfound strength, his master appeared to break his sky-high confidence.

Not caring about his dignity, the boy immediately launched his first attack, hoping to catch the woman off guard.

But when he saw the golden eyes behind that light veil, he realized that all his thoughts were already laid bare and all his movement had been read.

'Shit.'

Even till now, he didn't know the true depth of his master's strength. He didn't even know what her true power was.

Since he couldn't pull back the launched arrow, he had no choice but to continue with his attack. The only thing he could do was erupt with his full strength.

"Spatial Collapse!"

.....

Ten breaths later, Arthur lay on the grassy ground as he looked at the clear sky with a dumbfounded look on his face.

He couldn't help but question himself, 'Did I become stronger?'

As the turmoil in his heart grew uncontrollably, a beautiful voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Incredible. You are a monster."

Raising his head slightly, he gazed at his master Sylvia, with an unbelieving expression.

"You only say that to console me."

"No. It has been a long time since someone lasted longer than three breaths against me."

Seeing that his master was serious and wasn't making fun of him, Arthur smiled ruefully as he rested his head back on the ground. Gazing at the clear blue sky, he clenched his hands into fists and spoke with unwavering confidence:

"Don't worry! I will defeat you...soon. Very soon."

Hearing her student's words, a beautiful smile filled with contentment lit up on Sylvia's face. Unfortunately, there was nobody to appreciate the mesmerizing sight.

"That is right!" Sylvia smacked her head lightly as she remembered what she had come for.

"There have been sightings of demons in a mid-sized city. We have already dispatched our troops to the city, and Rita and Martins also followed suit. I came to see if you would also be interested in going."

Immediately when Arthur heard the word, demons, he sat up straight.

Seeing the series of complicated emotions flashing on his still youthful face, Sylvia sighed and spoke once again, this time her voice sounding softer:

"So? Do you want to go?"

Five years ago, the first demons appeared within the Goldsborn world. And it just so happened that Arthur and her daughter were adventuring within that city at that time. After their encounter with the demons, their newfound friend died before them, and that too in the hands of a boy their age; a boy that they couldn't be familiar with. After that, they still had to experience the only family member of their new friend, her grandma, passing away in tears.

Ever since then, not only did Arthur change, but even her daughter experienced a drastic change. She became more cold and shut herself away from the public for many years.

Ever since then, sightings of demons started appearing frequently but Arthur and her daughter never left the castle again. Whether it was because of fear or another reason was unknown. Now hearing that her daughter had escaped her shell, Arthur couldn't help but feel conflicted.

After some time, he took a deep breath as the emotions flashing within his eyes disappeared and his silver eyes became a calm lake.

"I will go."