This is my cousin twice removed

It's been a month since Joon's been training. So far, his magic level has increased, and his physique has improved dramatically. He was sitting in the middle of the forest in a meditating position. He raised his eyebrow as he heard something. A gigantic bolder was thrown at him and he immediately sprung into action. With lightning-fast reflexes, Joon swiftly dodged the massive boulder, his body moving with an agility that surpassed his previous limits.

As the boulder continued flying, Joon raised his arm. "Hunter's crush!" He waved his hand and the boulder was destroyed into a million pieces. Dali, who had been observing from a distance, couldn't help but let out a low whistle. "Impressive," he said, walking over to Joon. "Your control over your magic has improved significantly. You're not just pulling things towards you anymore, but you're also able to manipulate their state."

Joon, panting heavily, managed a small smile. "Thanks," he said, wiping the sweat off his brow. "I've been working on it." Dali nodded, his gaze serious. "You're ready," he said, his voice firm. "The king won't know what hit him."

Joon's eyes widened in surprise. "You really think so?" he asked, his voice filled with a mix of excitement and nervousness.

Dali nodded. "I do," he said. "But remember, this isn't a game. The king is dangerous, and his apprentice even more so. You need to be prepared for anything." He then remembered something. "Oh yeah I almost forgot, our magic has a ranking. It's from the lightest color White to the darkest color Black. The order is White, yellow, cyan, green, pink, red, blue, to black." He explained as Joon began chugging the green drink.

"So how are we supposed to know what rank you're in?" Joon asked while wiping his mouth. "I'm glad you asked." He put his hand out and a small orb of energy formed. "Core Promotion." He said, causing the ball to turn vantablack and grew a little bit. "Whoa, that's awesome! How are you so strong!?" Joon asked as he observed the ball. He then raised his hand and said the same words. "Core Promotion." The same orb began forming on his palm. The orb was mostly yellow but had a few tints of cyan. "What?! I've been busting my back for a month trying to get strong and I'm only stuck at yellow?!"

Dali covered his mouth as he snickered. "O-oh it's not bad. It just means, you're in yellow, and you're almost in cyan." He tried to hold back his laugh. "Shut up!" Joon shouted and retracted the core promotion. "It's your fault! You have to fight me with your magical powers then I'll be in the black by now!" The stress of the training and the anticipation of the upcoming battle were starting to get to Joon. Dali could see the frustration in his eyes and decided to take a more serious tone.

"Joon, calm down!" Dali said nervously and stepped back. "I've been calm for a month! Now you tell me about the ranking and I'm in the lowest bracket!" He yelled and raised his hand and a ball of mana began forming in his hand. "Hunter's supremacy!" When he said this the ball of mana in Joon's hand began to grow rapidly, using some of the magic from Dali, its vibrant colors shifting from yellow to cyan and then to a deep shade of green then to a dark black. The energy crackled with immense power, causing the leaves on nearby trees to rustle and the ground beneath them to tremble.

Dali's eyes widened in astonishment as he watched the transformation unfold before him. He had never seen Joon's magic surge with such intensity. "Joon, what... what are you doing?" he stammered, taking a step back as a surge of energy radiated from Joon's outstretched hand. Dali's eyes widened and he fell to his knees as he felt his mana be pulled out of him.

Joon blasted the ball at Dali. "Dammit!" Dali muttered to himself as he clutched his chest. The ball got closer and closer, Dali flexed his leg and slung it at the ball. "Heavenly split!" He kicked the ball and it split into two smaller orbs, each containing a fraction of the immense power that Joon had unleashed. The orbs whizzed past Dali, narrowly missing him by mere inches, and collided with a nearby tree, causing a deafening explosion of energy.

The force of the blast sent shockwaves rippling through the forest, shaking the ground and causing birds to take flight in a frenzy. Joon stood frozen in place, his eyes wide with disbelief at the raw power he had just unleashed. Dali, on the other hand, looked at Joon with a mixture of awe and concern.

Joon fell, passed out and Dali stood back up as he felt all his power come back to his body. "Jeez, Lucien, he's really like you." Dali smiled as he reminisced on the old days.

In the kingdom of Dethross

In the Dethross castle, Sege sat on the throne with a menacing aura around him and a snarl on his face. Around him was a couple of Dethross knights kneeling before him. "Y-your majesty! The Reax trio has killed a member of the dragon race." A knight said as he appeared next to Sege out of thin air.

Sege growled as he stood up. "I don't give a damn about that!" He said as he kicked the huge stone throne into a wall causing the knights to flinch in fear. "I keep feeling Dali Ballo's aura!" Sege growled and paced back and forth. "Sir, it's alright, even if it's possible that he's still alive, he can't remember what happened all those years ago. We made sure of that. And even if he does remember, you can just kill him again."

The knight reassured him and Sege stopped pacing. "Wait, you're right. I just need to get back into my prime. So you're saying I need to fight all of you everyday for a while huh?" Sege removed his cloak and threw it on the floor. His dark skin glistened under the dim light of the throne room, revealing a muscular physique that was a testament to his years of rigorous training and battles. His eyes, a deep shade of red, glowed with a fierce determination.

"Indeed, your majesty," the knight replied, a hint of fear in his voice. "We are at your disposal. We will do everything in our power to help you regain your strength."

Sege smirked, cracking his knuckles. "Good," he said, his voice echoing through the vast room. "Let's get started then."

Back at the Forest: The Chubby Hut

Joon woke up and noticed he was in the Chubby Hut and he was leaning on Dali's shoulder. He rubbed his eyes to adjust to the light. He then remembered the events that happened before and he immediately apologized. "Dali-!" Before he was able to do so Dali shook his head and smiled. "Don't do it. I know, you're tired, you're scared and anxious. I'm having some thoughts too. I barely even remember the king and his apprentice. What are we even doing here? None of this makes sense." He explained and rested his face in his hands.

Joon began having the same thoughts. "What if this is all for nothing." And, "What if I did all this training just to die upon entry." He thought to himself as he saw Dali. Joon looked at Dali, his eyes filled with uncertainty. "Dali," he began, his voice barely above a whisper. "What if... what if we can't do this? What if we're not strong enough?"

Dali looked at Joon, his eyes filled with a mixture of understanding and determination. "Joon," he said, his voice firm. "We've come this far. We can't afford to doubt ourselves now. We have to believe in our abilities, in our training. We have to believe that we can do this."

Joon nodded, taking a deep breath. "You're right," he said, his voice filled with newfound determination. "We can do this. We will do this."

Dali smiled, clapping Joon on the shoulder. "That's the spirit," he said. "Now, let's get some rest. We have a big day ahead of us."

As they settled down for the night, the forest around them was quiet, the only sound being the gentle rustling of leaves in the wind. But despite the peaceful surroundings, both Joon and Dali knew that a storm was brewing, a storm that would test their strength, their courage, and their resolve.

But for now, they will rest. They would gather their strength, prepare their minds, and when the time came, they would face whatever challenges lay ahead. Because they were not just any ordinary individuals.

And as they drifted off to sleep, they both knew one thing for certain. They were ready. Ready to face the king, ready to face his apprentice, ready to face whatever the future held for them. Because they were not just any ordinary individuals.

The morning

The sun rose and the birds were chirping, Joon woke up to Dali in his face. "Wake up Joon!" Dali yelled as he shooked Joon. "I…am…up!" Joon said between shakes and eventually stopped Dali. "Are you ready?!" Dali said excitedly as he picked Joon up and dashed outside.

Joon yelped as he was dragged outside and thrown on the ground. "What the hell?!" Joon yelled and rubbed his back. "It's the big day, we have to walk a couple of hours and you have to behead the king. We gotta train for right now." Dali explained and stretched. Joon groaned and tried to adjust his eyes to the light, then began stretching. "It's 3am, why am I awake this early!?" He complained in a yawn.

"Because it'll be better if we get going right now and then we'll just get there earlier." Bali explained as he pulled his hair tie down and let his hair cover his face. "Of course, I can't let people know that Dali Ballo still exists." He then went to Joon and went in his pocket to pull out a huge cloak.

Joon checked his pockets. "How did you know about my pocket dimension?" He asked as he looked at the huge cloak. Bali chuckled while putting the cloak on. "All the Dodugs have it." He explained as he put the hood of the cloak on. "Oh." Joon replied nervously.

Dali punched him on the head. "Don't 'oh' me, I know you've been stealing stuff from the cave!" He scolded and Joon winced as he rubbed his head. "Sorry, sorry!" Joon apologized.

"Anyways. I'll also have to disable my magical powers. But I'm sure my physical abilities would be enough." He said with a cocky laugh and inhaled and exhaled, disabling his magical powers. "Alright let's go."

The two walked out of the forest and went on with their journey. They walked for 5 hours now and Joon suddenly got tired. "Oh god, not again. Dali, Dali! Carry me." He groaned, almost tripping over his own feet. Dali groaned and picked him up on his back. "Thanks!" Joon said with a smile. "This is gonna be a long walk." Dali said with a sigh.

In the dethross kingdom

Sege was still fighting the knights. His fighting style was brutal, he attacked the knights vital points to knock them out but some of them actually died. "My king, even though he isn't the official king of Dethross, he's certainly surpassed his father, the king of Daldoria." The knight that stands by Sege's throne said to himself as he clutched his chest and drool dropped from his mouth. "No, my king has far surpassed Dali Ballo in his prime!" As he was lost in his thoughts he was called by Sege.

"Knight Gamby, I've been fighting for 20 hours, would you mind throwing another healing spell at the dead knights?" Sege said with a smile and wiped the blood from his hands to his chest. "Oh, yes sir." Gamby said as he raised his hand and a green light was beamed to the knight, bringing them back to life. Sege was about to start fighting again but a knight from Daldoria walked in. "Prince Sege, The king asked for you!"

Sege looked at him and asked. "What does he need?" The knight tried to catch his breath. "Two people…on the outskirts…one of them is cloaked…while the other is that Dodug the Reax trio were talking about, but he seems different!" As the knight explained, Sege snapped as a signal to Gamby to follow him. "Gamby, you wouldn't mind teleporting me, would you?" Gamby walked up to Sege and they teleported to the outskirts of Daldoria, directly in front of the two.

Dali flinched as he saw the two. "Ahh!" As he said he dropped Joon, who stumbled to the ground as Dali dropped him, groaning in protest. He quickly scrambled to his feet and brushed himself off, trying to regain some semblance of dignity. Dali, on the other hand, stood frozen, his eyes locked on the figure that had appeared before them. It was none other than Sege, the renowned prince of Daldoria.

Sege's piercing gaze swept over Dali and Joon, his expression unreadable. Dali could feel the intensity radiating from him, a mix of curiosity and suspicion. He exchanged a nervous glance with Joon, silently urging him to take the lead.

Joon cleared his throat, trying to hide the surprise in his voice. "Prince Sege, what a pleasure to meet you," he said, attempting to maintain a calm facade. Sege wasn't paying attention to Joon, instead his gaze stood on Dali, whose face was hidden by the cloak. "Who's this?" He asked and reached for Dali's hood. Joon grabbed Sege's wrist, stopping him from reaching. "What is the meaning of this, Dodug?" Sege snarled as he looked at Joon's arm.

Joon kept a tight grip on Sege's arm while staring at him. "This is my cousin twice removed. He's very sensitive to the sun and he wants to visit Daldoria." He explained nervously and then noticed that Sege was not even in his grip anymore and Sege wasn't in front of him. There was no maneuver, no struggle, no pain. It was as if he was never holding him in the first place. Joon then felt an immense amount of evil pressure behind him, the kind of pressure that would make you wanna kill yourself on the spot. "You filthy Dodug, you dare lay a finger on me? Who the hell do you think you are?" Sege said with darkness oozing from his voice.

Joon's forehead was drenched in sweat and blood began to form in his eyes as he felt the pressure getting harder. Sege raised his hand in a casting like manner but then he felt an insane amount of magical energy behind him. His hand instantly dropped down and then he thought. "Who could be behind me?!" As he pondered he realized and as he turned around, Dali, or Joon's 'Distant cousin', was right in front of him, the two had a face off.

Dali, as he was known to Joon, stood tall, his cloak billowing around him. His face was still hidden, but his posture radiated an aura of calm and power that was impossible to ignore. Sege's eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly regained his composure. As they faced off, Dali's face was covered but he activated his magical power for a moment to get Sege's attention off Joon. "You-!" Sege yelled but there was a huge bang in the middle of Daldoria. "Gamby, would you mind taking me to the middle of Daldoria?" Sege asked as his whole demeanor changed to a smile with closed eyes. Joon snapped out of the trance and rubbed his eyes. "You wouldn't mind taking us, would you?" Joon asked nervously.

Sege looked at the two with dead eyes. "The king would want to see you anyway." Sege's words hung in the air, a chilling promise of what was to come. He turned to Gamby, who had been watching the exchange with wide eyes. "Gamby, prepare the teleportation spell," he ordered, his voice devoid of any emotion.

Gamby nodded, his hands beginning to glow with a soft green light. He moved closer to Sege, Joon, and Dali, the light from his hands casting eerie shadows on their faces. "Hold on," he warned, just as the world around them began to blur.

Daldoria: mid city

As the teleportation finished, the 4 of them all flashed out of the way as a giant half-dragon half-human monster was about to stomp on them. "What the hell?!" Joon yelled as he and Dali stood on a building watching the monster. "It's a member of the dragon race?" Dali asked in confusion as they watched the dragon. "Watch out!" He yelled as the monster swung its large arm at the two.

Joon and Dali barely managed to dodge the monstrous swing, leaping off the building just in time to avoid being crushed. They landed on the ground with a thud, their hearts racing. The dragon-like creature roared in frustration, its eyes fixed on them. The two crouched down beside each other to think of a plan. "I don't remember if Sege or anyone in Daldoria knows that my legs are strong, and I can't activate my magical powers or everyone is bound to know who I am." He told Joon who put his hand to his chin. "You're just gonna have to defeat the monster without magical powers." Joon explained as Dali stood up. "Easier said than done, Joon I'm gonna need you to use that hunter's supremacy, to take its energy." Dali said as he threw a rock at the monster's head to get its attention. "But that tired me out last time!" Joon whined. "That was because you took too much, your body can't handle all that energy." Dali explained eagerly as he dodged the monster's arm again.

The monster swung its arm but this time it was faster and it had metal scales on it. Dali raised his leg and it connected with the monster's arm causing a loud bang. "Ahh!" Joon, Sege and Gamby all yelled as they covered their ears. Bali was now in the air, as he was falling he yelled, "Joon! Any time now!" Joon immediately put out his hand and yelled. "Hunter's supremacy!" Nothing happened.

As Bali was still falling he noticed that the monster wasn't losing energy. "Shit! What happened?!" He then saw Joon fall to his knees and blood spat out of his mouth. "This is," in an instant Dali kicked the monster on the head, using a bit of force and it yelled incredibly loudly and fell unconscious.