Intensifying the Training

With so little time to prepare for the bullshit coming our way, along with the insidious nature of Ainz and Yuuki, I decided that the entire military needed to focus on combat potential now. Speaking with Benimaru about such a task was hard due to his minor stubbornness but when I told him of the potential for danger soon he agreed quickly.

Hakuro, my teacher/master, began to drill the entire army on everything martial. from spears to swords, to how to move quickly in armour, the act of quickly putting on armour. All of it was focussed on. I even added incentives with rewards for the people who get the quickest times. With the same spirit Hakuro also trained me in his sword technique, my mind easily replicating every move he showed and communicating it to every fibre of my being. To be honest, I was pretty much perfect at all of the movements he showed... Copying his level of skill in it completely. Only difference was that he was still 20 years older than me and had experienced combat since he was like 12. 

I may have been the best mercenary in my previous world, using guns and modern weaponry, but knives, swords and other such medieval techniques were foreign to me for the most part... The most I had learned was the uses of knives in the wild, the quickest way to disembowel someone with a sharp instrument, oh and how to torture using small slashes around the body. Vinegar and salt were potent for that. 

"Wrong, you move with too much rigidity, you need to meld my techniques into a flowing style. You have mastered the base movements but are not combining them..." I rolled my eyes and easily began to use my senses and knowledge to combine them into my moves. With the speed of a lightning bolt I moved from low slashes to high, pivoting and shifting on my legs as I began to kata, my moves looking equivalent to a dance. Through my movements I added my Solar Strike and watched as each slicing arc of my sword seared the very air it passed by, a haze of fire and light shifting within my eyes through time. Before me were numerous dummies, each one of them fading behind me as flame and light consumed them in utter conflagration. 

Coming to a stop at the other end, my body being spun and flung a few meters before I landed on my feet perfectly, I could now see the results of my attack. Fire had turned the targets to ash as the blade strikes themselves were charring the atmosphere with their strokes. Smoke from the flame eventually picked the ashy blade strikes that hung in mid-air upwards, dragging them higher into the atmosphere.

"Is that enough? Sensei?" Hakuro looked at me with mock awe as his eyes gained a sudden sharp glint, one I knew all too well from my last life. Katana sliced through air as it was spatially projected to be right next to me. Unfortunately for Hakuro, his eyes were inferior to mine. I saw the projection of actions that he could take in ten seconds, each one being a rather embarrassing or potentially lethal blow if he did not hold back. There was one path however that he could not see and ultimately he could not adapt as it was an intrinsic flaw in his skill. 

Stepping forwards and Simply jumped and watched as every katana strike he had unleashed slashed out behind me, my body perfectly fine and in fact, my magic boiling within my hands as I was prepared to cast Hold person on him, a spell that wasn't on my spell list currently due to its merged status. His eyes widened and his sword returned to his hand as in the next second his entire body was beholden to my magic, my body landing on the ground softly and without noise. Walking forwards I had my blade out and carefully placed it on the old man's shoulders, his eyes beady and amazed. My demonstration before had not been sufficient for him but now that I had shown him my true power he was utterly convinced.

"I concede, I cannot currently defeat you." The entire training square went silent as even Benimaru was looking at me as if I had grown three heads and could turn people to stone. Hakuro had never admitted defeat even in situations where his life was at the mercy of the opponent, his honour to heavy for such a disgrace. But now? He just told his second disciple, me, that I had won and conceded. This had many meanings one could comprehend but the most basic one was the extension of the sword skills into future generations, he was entrusting the continuation of the sword art to me and my bloodline.

I knelt on my knees, my head lowered in complete respect as my Katana was now sheathed on my thighs. This was the ultimate sign of respect in Japan when I went there, the cultures were similar but different, I wished that this conveyed what I was feeling with this level of respect from the man.

"Oh, get up, this old man is tired with etiquette and manners, makes my neck sore looking at you like that. Just make sure your little whippersnappers learn my sword art, I still wish to see them try and defeat me..." His expression was solemn but also excited, as if he has truly just started his retirement. At his words everyone else continued training further, reminded of the old man's mean streak. 

"Fine. I was trying to be respectful..." He just smiled as off to the side were two women calling out to him in excitement. Shaking my head in defeat I just waved him off, watching him walking over to the two ladies in full-blown embarrassment. From this point on I moved away from the training field, wishing to go back home and access my demi-plane where I could merge more spells. Shuna had spent most of the day working on Rimuru's outfit, the rest spent managing the increased amount of employees within the linen industry. Tempest was receiving a lot of immigration from around the forest, many tribes of monsters and demi-humans wishing to shelter under us. So far we had accepted dispirit clusters of Dark Elves that had been persecuted by humans and elves alike. Kobolds that were mostly human except their ears which were like a dogs'. Lamias from a more swampy region that lay on the other side of the river to the east, many tribes of them wishing to escape the human intrusions on their land. The Empire had been very active on the other side of the river apparently. 

Whilst Rimuru, Shion or anyone else may not understand what that meant, I did. The Angels were going to come within a few years and the humans of that Empire were clearing the path for them. I was weary of the Empire, but still needed to focus on the closest threats, Falmuth, The Western Church and Hinata. Speeding through the city I saw very little that interested me at this time, my mind purely focused on getting stronger. Reaching my home in under a minute I quickly checked the house for the presence of Milim and Shuna, finding neither. With that out of the way I ventured into my demi-plane and began to experiment with my new Ultimate Skill.

It was OP, certainly, but it also had some double edges. The MP it cost was still massive and any combat spells used through it were more expensive than if you just used that spell. On the other hand it had very good power over my surroundings and if used properly could provide a terrain advantage... Still, the use of it was limited within combat. 

The one thing I knew about it though was that it was truly broken when one had time to prepare. Imagine burning 2,000,000 MP a day for a week and a half straight just on creating magical items or spells even. Thus, my edge, my advantage, was in preparation. DND wizards were notorious for this line of thinking and I would now have to incubate myself within said philosophy for a time. Floating up into the air I entered a meditative state, my body becoming a painting before my mind's eye. My cultivation had been stagnant for a while, the continuous cycle of nigh time meditations and churning of QI for MP total boring me to no end. My Ultimate Skill could possibly enhance the process but the dangers of such a thing were potentially disastrous. Admittedly I thought on the idea for longer than I should have, my mind struggling to find meaningful ways to use the Ultimate Skill without expending multiple millions worth of MP in an instant.

Using it on apparating modern weaponry would cause the Angels to act up... If I created spells with the skill it would do little more than I could already do with my Magical potential Unique Skill. Creating magical items was a way of gaining power but it would only work so long as they did not break or become a weakness.

'Perhaps a one ring of my own?' The ring I currently owned was one of shadow and darkness, powered by the spirit of the balrog-like entity. I knew little about the creature itself except that it was born of pure Shadow and looked vaguely like a balrog would. To balance out this very powerful artefact I would need one that is of fire or of radiance. To be completely honest the fire was attracting me more, the ring on my right hand seemingly growling in contentment at my idea of creating a ring embodying fire. With my first creation and power up now chosen, the very concept of it making me smile as I remembered what was said for the Lord of The Rings One Ring.

"One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them." (I do not own LOTR, or anything to do with the books)

"Regina Spatii Temporisque" 10,000,000 MP gone in an instant, my whole entire body shuddering at this exact moment as my hourglass eyes projected the symbol outwards again. Fire, in stead of light, poured from my hands and body within my demi-plane. Shadow extended from my ring and my unique skill, merging with the tempest of fire that surrounded me entirely. Hissing sounds and guttural grunts emerged as the balrog, or whatever it was seemingly slammed its whip into the fire, as if taming the very fire itself. Hisses of burning flame and nigh-volcanic lava plops emerged as an entity small in stature but powerful in presence made itself known. The creature, or entity, itself was almost like an elemental from DND but seemed to be much more intelligent, as if it was more but waiting to gestate properly. Flame and shadow competed, fought and screamed out as the two tried to assert dominance over one another, like predators defending their domains. Then, in one massive flash of power the Shadow Star ring on my right hand swallowed the fire with shadow, the flames becoming small and spread thin, the domination seemingly over for now. From fire the ring emerged on my left hand, a circle appearing before me as pentagram-like summoning symbols started to sprout from cobbled pathway beneath my very feet.

The new ring was of an orange magma colour, black splotches pocking the exterior as every now and then fire harmlessly landed onto my skin, creating a golden layer of magical energy that seeped into my skin. Confusing though it was I felt an affinity with the small ring, as if it was a pet or a companion that would come to aid me in times of need or at any call. It was unlike the Shadow Star ring that was cold and distant, as if it were the shadows itself and preferred to be left alone, this one was cordial and happy, willing to help, care and aid. One would usually think flame to be the enemy or bane to many humans, a violent and untameable force, this showed me otherwise.

|Unnamed ring requires a name to gain power, please ensure that you have 10,000,000 MP when naming, otherwise you will enter into coma-sleep.|

'Thanks, i guess...?'

Nothing was mentioned by rip-off so I simply looked at the ring and envisioned a name for the little sucker. I would not name it now as my MP pool was too low, but, come five hours from now I would definitely give the item of which i forged with 10,000,000 MP a glorious name.

Still having 500,000 MP left over I began to flick through many memories that contained hints of magic. From DND, Pathfinder, Harry Potter, Magician Series, Wheel of Time, Dagger Hearts, Lord of the Rings, Anime and any other facet of knowledge I had acquired in my last life. There was naturally alot and by the time that I had decided on which spells to gain next Shuna and Milim were back home. Dinner would be cooked by Shuna tonight, Milim wishing to stay to what she was good at, beating people up. Which was fair.

"Silvi! Are you in the Demi-plane again?"

"N-no... I'm in the bedroom..."

"So you just came out of it, huh?"

I looked at the ground a little, hearing the almost tired tone of Shuna downstairs.

'I'm not that crazy...'

|Keep telling yourself that.|

'H-hey!'

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