The young boy flashed a faint smile before narrowly dodging the sphere. It grazed his right shoulder, tearing his shirt slightly, and he bled a little.
Fuck! It still got me. These clothes are really slowing me down!
The sphere shot straight ahead and exploded against several trees, producing a small blast that gashed trees within a three-meter radius. Vars whipped around, eyes wide.
If that sphere had hit me, I'd have been seriously hurt. Grandpa isn't pulling any punches.
Itoî stood there, jaw hanging open. He trembled with excitement.
What the hell is this?
He clenched his fist and shouted:
"Come on, Vars, damn it! I want to fight too!"
Vars turned his head toward his brother and smiled.
"Don't worry, I'll get my—"
Erwin launched himself at Vars. His body was wrapped in wind, which seemed to accelerate him. He delivered a blow so violent that Vars was sent flying several meters, in the same direction as the sphere.
The hit knocked Vars out for a moment. He came to while still airborne. His nose was broken and bleeding profusely. He lifted his head forward and spread his arms wide.
No problem, Grandpa. Alright, let's play it this way.
A front flip. He slammed his hand hard against the ground, sliding about twenty centimeters from the force of the impact. Immediately, he clasped his hands together and hammered the ground with all his might.
"Thorns of the Briar Queen, Velena!"
Like a deluge, four thorny vines with crimson spikes erupted from the earth, charging straight at Erwin.
"That's what I want to see, kid!" Erwin bellowed.
Hands clasped in a solemn prayer posture, he invoked:
"O God of Air, Cazhaer! You who restore hope to despairing souls and grant wings to those bound to the earth... Come to me!"
Suddenly, a pair of ethereal wings unfurled from his back. A pure aura—a magical fusion of air and blinding light—radiated from his body.
He launched himself violently, shattering the slab and splitting it in two. He was airborne, gliding.
Alright, I need to wrap this up quickly. Little Vars is much further along than he was four years ago.
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"Hahahaha! Grandpa, it's still too early for you to become an angel!" Vars roared with laughter. He couldn't hold still, his heart pounding. He was so pumped that he slammed his hand against the ground again.
"Titan's Green Grasp!"
A giant hand burst from the ground right below the boy, lifting Vars into the air. He and his grandfather were separated by about twenty meters, but at the same height.
Cough, cough.
Vars pressed his hand against his mouth.
Fuck, it's starting again... I need to finish this fast.
He pointed his right index finger forward, aiming at his grandfather, then raised it to forty-five degrees, before finishing the gesture straight up, directly above his head.
"The Three Verdant Arcs!"
With a swift motion, he cast a spell to cleanly sever the giant arm of roots. Then, after a beat of silence, his gaze unflinching, he thrust his hands forward as if ordering a halt. He briefly pulled them back to his chest before shoving them out violently.
"The Hostile Wind Wall!"
A wall of wind surged forward, clearing the entire path and sending the vines flying.
The severed green arm began to fall. It had a bud that slowly sprouted before shooting out a small vine toward Erwin, but he dodged it easily.
Erwin laughed:
"Hahaha! Where are you aiming, Vars?"
Vars dropped from the hand and began plummeting toward the ground.
"It's over. Well done, Vars," Erwin said.
"Over? Oh, really? Look up. The third vine that just went straight toward the sun," Vars said as he let himself fall before casting a spell. The trunk had landed right next to him, by the way.
"Bouncing Blossom!"
A trampoline flower materialized on the ground to break Vars's fall. He spun during his jump toward the sky and mimed a pistol with his hand.
"Seed Ball Gun!"
He fired three seed bullets at Erwin, who had turned his gaze toward the vine—but it was cut by the wind wall that had finished its run. Erwin dodged easily, but at that exact moment...
Vars smiled before casting one last spell:
"Bloom, little seed!"
The seed-flower bloomed into a small pink flower that released a faint sleep-inducing gas.
"Damn it!" Grandpa said.
He clamped his hands over his mouth, but the peculiarity of this seed is that it seeps directly through the pores of the skin. It's hardly a powerful paralytic or sedative. Nevertheless, it briefly dazes anyone who comes into contact with it.
What's happening to me? I feel slightly drowsy, but it's very faint. Why did he—
"Vine, grow now!"
Indeed, a small amount of mana still remained in the vine. It quadrupled in volume, became as thick as a large tree trunk, and crashed down toward Erwin, after having been severed by the wind wall.
Erwin's eyelids drooped for a moment, but that moment was enough for the vine to come within a hair of crushing him.
"The 4 Wind Cuts!"
Erwin hastily screamed, slicing the vine into several pieces that rained down on him. He barely dodged—except for one chunk that grazed his shoulder.
Shit!
Erwin applauded.
"Well done, you beat me!"
Vars laughed.
"Grandpa! I barely grazed you, you don't even have a scratch."
"True, but you still touched me. If you hadn't been out of mana, I would've lost on that, right? After all, you can activate your spells from very far away."
Vars smiled while bouncing on his trampoline.
"Heh! Maybe!"
Itoî, who had been spectating the entire scene, stood with his mouth hanging open. He was sweating with excitement but also anxiety.
"They're... They're monsters," he said in a small voice.
Erwin landed peacefully after the fight. Vars jumped off his trampoline flower and landed next to his grandfather. Erwin pulled him in with one arm and violently ruffled his hair.
"You little rascal! You've improved so much!" Grandpa said before bursting into laughter.
Vars blushed. He was proud of his performance, but his gaze was fierce: he wanted to become even stronger.
"Alright, go sit down, Vars. By the way, go drink some water, there's a pitcher and glasses on the table next to Itoî."
The boy nodded and hurried over to the table.
"Alright, your turn, Itoî!"
Vars and Itoî looked at each other. The blonde boy raised his hand and his brother high-fived him.
"Here we gooo!" Itoî exclaimed, leaping from his chair and sprinting toward the slab that served as an arena.