Neptune

"Wake up, Liam." Liam slowly opened and blinked his eyes several times. He felt someone shaking his body gently before he turned his head and meet Aniya's eyes.

"Morning..." He rubbed his eyes and sat up. "What time is it?"

"It's late in the morning. I don't know when or where do they meet you, but let's get ready. I got you clothes and food." Aniya set his clothes on the bed and his food on the nightstand. Liam blinked his eyes several times and saw Aniya feeding the dog.

"Good point." Aniya turned her head away as soon as Liam slid off the bed.

She closed her eyes and her thoughts due to her embarrassing moment from yesterday. She can hear him going through the bags and changing clothes. She peaked a little bit, so she can watch the dog eating its food. Aniya blushed and turned her head a little to get a peak of him.

However, she only got a glimpse of his lower back before he finished putting his clothes on. Liam quickly grabbed the food from the bag and smiled upon gazing at his meal before sitting down at the dinner table and began eating.

"What?" He asked, noticing her pouting at the corner of his eyes.

"Nothing." Aniya looked away and stare at the border collie. "What should we call her?" Liam looked at the border collie carefully. Looking for any special characteristic trait. The border collie has very shiny fur with some silver highlights on her back.

"Shae."

"Shae?"

"Yep, for admirable because she's a beautiful dog." Aniya gaze at the border collie and smiled before giggling to herself. She felt like they were a family and imagine their life in the future.

"I don't know what kind of training they will give me, but can you stay here with the dog? I'm going to go look for them"

"Yeah, I can do that. I would love to get to know Shae." Liam smiled as Aniya tried to get her attention before Shae shyly look away. Liam was about to walk out of the door when Aniya spoke up. "Liam, don't talk to any other people who wore luxury items. Take my word."

"Got it."

As Liam stepped out of the inn, he met up with a familiar group of people walking towards the inn around the corner.

"See. I told you they would be in one of these inns." The dragon girl stated, smiling. Liam looked over to his left and saw Abi, Malinda, Bianca, and Kiana walking up to him.

"Hey girls. I'm not late, am I?"

"No, you're not because we did not tell you when and where, but we need to get going. We're burning daylight." Abi remarked sternly.

Liam shut his mouth and Malinda began casting a teleportation spell.

"Dimension Door." A portal appeared right in front of her and the group stepped into the portal to an open field outside of the kingdom. Liam turned his attention to the dangerous boundary where some of the Terrors resided.

It's mind-boggling that there are only six Terrors beyond that border in a vast land that could terrorize other beings from heaven and hell. He wonders how adventurers survived in that land, searching for items to make money in ruins or helping other people who refused to come to the surface.

"Alright, let's get this started." Liam looked at Abi as the water appeared around her right arm and formed a bastard sword with a loop guard.

"You're the Neptune Champion!" Liam exclaimed. Abi have no words and concentrated her sight on Liam before rushing towards him.

"Wait, Abi! What are you doing?!" Malinda shouted as Kiana began running towards Abi to stop her.

Then, Liam lost consciousness and entered Guardian Mode. Abi lunged her sword towards his body, and Liam slipped in before hitting her sword with the bottom of his sword and throwing a shovel hook to her liver.

Abi grunted in pain and jumped back from Liam's right overarching slice. She gazed at him carefully.

His sword. A knuckleduster short sword with a leaf-designed blade that is a little bit longer than every short sword by an inch. His sword is designed for lightning-close combat capable of stabbing and cutting opponents. However, that weird-looking guard protecting his fingers is what caught her attention.

She moved her eyes to his fighting stance. An odd-looking sword stance. His sword is under his lead hand which is somewhat trying to protect his body while his sword is ready for thrusting. Almost as if he was holding a shield while bouncing a little bit on his toes.

However, if the shield was his potential weapon along with the short sword. He would be using it right now, but that's not the case.

Abi squinted her eyes and began to inch forward. She quickly got into Ox Guard when Liam rushed towards her at blazing speed. Abi threw a Bolo cut, but Liam slipped on the outside and rolled underneath.

He went to her left and did a Superman Stab. Catching Abi off guard. She had to back-roll to her feet and avoid his attack.

"What kind of attack is that? It came from such a weird angle." she thought. The Superman stab is such a risky move, but effective to throw a powerful attack. Abi changed to a long point guard with a bladed stance.

Liam cut the angle to his right and did another Superman stab. Abi sidestep while remaining her guard before Liam went for a downward slash. She static block his attack and went for a counter. He threw a right hook with the knuckleduster guard to the back of her head and a shovel punch to her left side.

Abi grunted and jumped back again from Liam's right overarching slice.

"I should've known what he was doing. He's somewhat similar to a grappling swordsman, except he only throws punches instead of grabbing my shoulders. In that case..."

Abi charged and lunged her sword. Liam slipped to the outside to his right, but Abi baited him. She switched to her left horizontal slash and he ducked her attack before she switched again to a downward slash.

Liam rolled to the side and hand plant spinning back kick with his right onto her stomach before attacking her with a left horizontal slash.

Abi ducked down and thrust her sword into his stomach quickly. Liam riposted her right shoulder and quickly went for a right horizontal slash.

"Hydro Sheathing." Liam's attack bounced off her as Abi smiled with the water surrounding her body before disintegrating. "I guess it's time to get serious-"

She widened her eyes when she saw bright yellow flying slash coming her way. She deployed Hydro Sheathing again. Bouncing the Cosmic Gash towards him and Liam absorbs it with his left hand out.

"Tsunami!" Abi slashed her sword upward, sending a huge water wave towards Liam as the wave started rising. Liam ran to the side as he was trying to get to the side of her attack as fast as possible before it hits him.

He zipped around her attack and lunged toward his opponent. Abi got into her Ox Guard again. Waiting to land a counterattack until she smiled as Liam closed the distance quickly.

"Inland Sea." The area quickly filled with water in a three-hundred feet radius. Liam tripped and fell onto the water, and Abi took the opportunity to win the fight quickly until four clones appeared from Liam's body.

Abi halted and fought his clones as she began to realize what was going on. Blinking Soul Replicate.

She jumped back and send a Tsunami Wave that is faster and more powerful. Liam jumped up a hundred feet in the air and send his sword flying to Abi.

Abi sweep his sword away and noticed that Liam disappeared. She turned around and jump back. Seeing that Liam was behind her with his sword and charging at her.

He slid and lunge his sword to her face. Abi parries and went for a left horizontal slash. Liam rolled under her attack and slash her belly at the same time.

She quickly regenerate her wound and jumped back from Liam's unusual attack angles. Abi had to create distance from Liam after realizing Liam's potential. He is just not a normal fighter or an elite fighter. It's something new...

Abi sighed and War Paint started appearing on her body. Liam is not someone anybody should engage in close combat with his weird fighting patterns and style.

"Formless Blade!" Her blade began to turn into a water whip sword and start attacking Liam from long range.

Liam started bobbing and weaving her attacks while closing the distance. Abi jumps back again and continues slashing and stabbing him from the distance. Liam was getting closer and closer to her while dodging her punishments effortlessly.

Abi gritted her teeth and stare at Liam's sword and his offhand. She quickly slices his hand while locking his sword with hers until he front-kicked her solar plexus and throw a lead roundhouse kick to her head.

Abi have to summon a water wall and ran back to create a big separation from him. Liam destroyed her defense and rushed to her.

"Liberation" Liam and Abi screamed.

"Woah, hold right there." Then, two champions appeared right between them. The female purple-haired champion stopped Abi and the male blonde-haired champion stopped Liam from using Liberation.

"Are they going to use Liberation?" Malinda asked in shock.

"Yeah, which is supposed to be an upgrade of your physical characteristics to match their power's natural state," Bianca stated.

"Uhhh, hey...Liam," the champion started waving his hand slightly and showing that he is no threat to him. "That's a pretty cool fighting stance, but we're not enemies."

Liam slowly dropped both of his hands from his fighting stance and his Guardian Mode deactivated before passing out due to his body not adapting to the power.

"Oh thank you Rhett and Moira" Malinda sighed in relief.

"No problem. Were you guys hard sparring or fighting?" Rhett, the male champion asked.

"Hard sparring. Sorry, I got carried away because of the rumors about him" Abi apologized, bowing down to them.

"Oh, gotcha. Just make sure you don't tire him out when the Hell Beings are here." Moira stated.

"Yes ma'am!" Moira and Rhett started checking on Liam to make sure it doesn't take a toll on his body while Abi stared at the ground with her sisters in arms near her.

Abi sighed and had her hand against her face. Although the rumors of a New-Born Champion are still occurring, she still can't forget the gossip around the army about him in his Guardian Mode from the spell and before he becomes a champion.

Based on the word on the street, the memory was heavily analyzed to the point where the king changes his mind and wants him to serve in his army. But there's one more they didn't know about except Abi.

"Did you guys see anything bizarre in our fight?" Abi asked.

"No, it was a little bit too fast for us" Malinda replied with Bianca agreeing with her.

"Yeah..." Kiana, the quiet girl spoke. She hadn't said any word to Liam yet none other than her teammates. "His potential and what his Guardian Mode is showing is what strikes the Valerie Kingdom army's interest. Liam is not a one-handed swordsman. He's introducing the new ways of combat."

"I wish you guys could feel the same way as I do in that fight."

"What do you mean?"

"Liam's combat is not just weird. I felt violence in his attacks..." Abi stared at the unconscious boy with her body tensed up. "Something's going to happen in the future with him."