"Come."
For the entire week, Brandon had been sparring with Androxus. Despite his increase in strength, not once had he ever even scratched the wyvern.
Androxus was simply too strong.
Probably the strongest he had ever faced, with Jin as the exception.
Brandon gritted his teeth in frustration.
He lunged forward, pouring mana into his legs for extra speed.
But Androxus sidestepped effortlessly, almost lazy.
"You're relying too much on your strength."
Androxus said, blocking another strike with his forearm.
Clank! Clank—!
Brandon jumped back as his chest heaved. His sword glowed faintly with mana, but it wasn't enough.
"H-haaa...."
Brandon knew he had to change his approach. He couldn't keep fighting like this.
"Haa...."
But as the days went by, finally, Brandon had made a breakthrough with his [Permafrost] affinity.
He had finally unlocked the first skill.
[Eternal Glaciate]
Taking a deep breath, Brandon activated [Eternal Glaciate].
The air around him shifted, growing colder as the wave of glacial energy expanded outward.
The ground beneath his feet froze, and a biting chill filled the air.
Frost spread across the ground, turning the once dry earth into a frozen wasteland.
Androxus's gaze flickered to the ice forming at his feet, but he didn't move.
"Good."
Androxus said, his voice still calm.
"Now, use it."
While Androxus wasn't surprised by the skill, he had to admit the magic was beautiful.
Brandon focused, feeling the [Permafrost] affinity wrap around him like a second skin.
He surged forward again, his sword trailing icy mist.
Swoosh—!
The blade came down, aiming for Androxus's chest, but just as before, Androxus stepped aside, avoiding the attack.
However, this time, the ice followed. The ground beneath Androxus's feet froze instantly, slowing his movements.
For a moment, Brandon thought he had him.
But in one fluid motion, Androxus shattered the ice beneath him, breaking free as if it were nothing.
Androxus stared at him blankly, clearing underwhelmed by the skill.
But Brandon couldn't do a thing.
Androxus was simply just way beyond his current strength.
The air around Brandon grew colder still, the [Eternal Glaciate] spreading further, encasing the entire area in frost.
The very air seemed to shimmer with the frost.
But Androxus remained unaffected, his movements still fluid, still precise.
"Your swordsmanship has grown faster."
"What's the point if I can't even damage you?"
"That's the thing. There is no point. You can never wound me no matter how much you try."
Brandon gritted his teeth, forcing more mana into his sword.
The blade glowed brighter, crackling with frost. He lunged forward again, faster this time.
Clang—!
The sword met Androxus's arm, but instead of a solid hit, the wyvern twisted, redirecting the force and sending Brandon stumbling back.
"Much stronger now, but the mana is still unrefined. Try again."
Brandon gritted his teeth, stepping back once more.
"You're wasting your energy."
Brandon froze, his frustration now boiling over.
He had thought he had significantly improved compared to a month ago.
However, the pressure of time ticking, the fact he had to face another Archbishop so soon, weighed in his mind heavily.
Thinking back during his fight with Greed, while it didn't prove to be too difficult, he knew that wouldn't be the case once they met again.
In the first place, he could tell Greed wasn't at his full strength.
Yet despite that, Brandon had to exert effort in defeating him.
"I don't have time to waste."
He finally said, his voice low.
Androxus tilted his head.
"Why do you think rushing will help you? You can't master this if you don't understand it."
Brandon clenched his jaw, looking at the ground for a moment.
"I'm trying."
"Trying doesn't mean rushing."
"Haaa...."
Brandon exhaled, the frosty air around him slowly dissipating.
"That's enough for today. I need to go now."
Brandon nodded his head, slumped down on the ground, a metal sound ringing as he let go of his sword.
It had always been like this.
For some reason, Androxus would only train with him for two hours a day before leaving.
While Brandon asked, Androxus wouldn't tell him anything.
But it wasn't his problem in the first place.
And so, Brandon didn't pry on his matters.
Seeing that Androxus had already left, Brandon continued practicing, swinging his sword.
He continued like that for another hour, remembering Evelyn's teachings.
Then in the next hour, he focused on his affinity once more.
Sitting down on the ground, Brandon drew a sharp breath in and began to meditate.
"Huuu...."
——————————
∟ [Permafrost]
∟ [Eternal Glaciate] Complete Mastery
∟ [Glacial Bloom] 2%
∟ [Winter's Aegis] Locked
∟ [Aurora's Embrace] Locked
∟ [Veil of Eternal Frost] Locked
——————————
It had been a week since he unlocked the first skill.
And he had never slacked off in the affinity department. Yet despite that, he had only managed to progress by two percent.
Unlike the first skill, the intervals of the notification for the second skill seemed longer.
Additionally, it was much harder to redirect the circuits as well.
It hurt his head too.
But Brandon was persistent.
He had about two months left before the start of the second semester.
Additionally, there was a Summit that would be hailed in six months.
It was a chance for him to meet people around his skill level—maybe even greater.
But in any case, that wasn't in Brandon's mind at the moment.
He had to become strong enough.
Strong enough so a scenario similar to Evelyn would never happen again.