Chapter 666: Chapter 666

The whole book had been written with that premise in mind.

If they succeeded, Arkite would gain a nearly impenetrable bulwark. And that was something Bruce mentioned aloud.

“Oh… I didn’t realize it went that far.”

Mira had casually asked for it, and just as casually received it. She just thought it was a basic primer on the art of war. Something she could use to get her new army rolling.

But now, she realized it was something that went much, much deeper than just that, thanks to Bruce’s reaction to it.

With a newfound sense of gratitude to Solomon, she rejoined the seven sisters, who were still discussing who would be in charge of what troops. Behind them, Bruce and Helcune’s sisters also began to study strategy, realizing they could make some use of it too.

The next morning, everyone began training again.

The changes were already in place, but their effect would only be felt in the latter half of their training. The beginning remained the same as before. Follow current novᴇls on novel⟡fire.net

Mira’s intervention had been successful, decreasing the number of repetitive training Christina and the rest had to endure. But Helcune and her sisters were still struggling, as their skills were not yet as polished as the rest.

He had been unsuccessful at taking down an Ashen Knight by relying purely on partial summoning, but the experience from his attempts had visibly helped him improve. Especially his shield usage was much cleaner and swiftly timed, showing just how desperate he had been to survive.

“Good good, I’d even say you’re combat ready in that aspect.”

Mira commented after seeing Bruce perfectly block an attack from a Dark Knight. But he was still a bit lacking when it came to partially summoning swords, he had improved his speed a bit, but it was not the best yet.

So Mira told him they would focus on that more, and summoned an Ashen Knight.

Bruce was initially delighted to receive praise for his shields, only to remember his ordeal from yesterday and all color drained from his face as he staggered backwards. Mira did not give him any time to recompose himself, mercilessly giving the signal to start and making Bruce train until he could barely move.

Past noon and lunch, they transitioned into studying strategy. Bruce, together with Helcune and her sisters, also joined that, as that knowledge could come in handy during the tournament, and it would help Bruce command his summons better in the long run too.

First, they began training with small groups.

The Valkyries would take command of the Dark Knights. Helcune and her sisters too, but as they did not have experience leading yet, they struggled a bit but did their best to keep up.

There were new types of troops too, with those with bows being led by Eletina, those with pikes by Shalwina, and those with battleaxes by Celestina.

That also meant that those three Valkyries would need to study more compared to the rest. On the other hand, more studying meant less time spent on Alfina’s harsh training. Since they were already among the more studious of the sisters, they were more than happy with the arrangement. And more importantly, they were delighted to do it for Mira.

Their days continued in a similar fashion, and soon a week had passed in the blink of an eye, so it was time for Mira and Bruce to leave.

Because of all the changes, it had also become common for everyone to gather in Mira’s room after dinner to ask for her opinion on various things they were studying.

Bruce’s training had also progressed decently, and he had reached the goal of taking down an Ashen Knight relying only on partial summons. Just like Mira had assured him, she had pushed him to a higher level in just a week.

Helcune and her sisters were still getting worn down every day, but they were slowly adapting to Alfina’s training. Physically, and more noticeably, mentally.

They also improved their strategy together with Bruce. Leading an army was still far too difficult, but they were good enough to move as a cohesive unit.

On the other hand, Alfina and her sisters were quickly adapting and incorporating the new forces into their training.

They already had experience fighting as an army, so it did not take them long. In particular, the barrages of arrows unleashed by Eletina’s archers were a sight to behold.

“Wanting to train hard is commendable, but remember to not overdo it.”

The Valkyries accompanied Mira and Bruce to the lowest island before they left in the morning, and Mira reminded them of that.

“Ahh…Master…we hardly deserve your kindness…”

The week Mira had spent there felt like a dream come true for Alfina, who was now overcome with emotion as Mira’s stay came to an end.

“Feel free to come visit again whenever you can, Master.”

Then, Christina said that with a cheerful voice. She was still grateful that Mira had helped make training more bearable, making her smile brightly. The rest of the sisters followed suit, having their own words to send Mira off.

Eletina fervently talked about researching more elemental magic to enhance the power of her archers, and to please summon her whenever it was appropriate to test it out.

She was always overly enthusiastic when it came to magic, but when she suggested that, everyone else wanted in as well, so in the end, Mira told them she would summon them once a week to train, after which they finally calmed down.

Then, Frodina brought up how she had started working on the seeds Mira gave her, with some already starting to sprout, and that she would keep updating Mira about it.

Shalwina had already read through all the comic books Mira had given her, so she was almost pleading with Mira to find new books for her whenever possible. She had also read through the entirety of the book from Solomon, memorizing its contents, so in the future, she would be directing their strategy and tactics training.

Elivina had also made progress with creating the improved armor. She had already woven some fabric with the materials Mira had given her, which turned out to be very pliable, while being far more heat, shock, and cut resistant than anticipated. It was the perfect material to use as padding below plate armor.

Celestina also mentioned how she was making good progress developing her special move, and was confident that she would be able to use it the next time they fought a strong foe together.

While Mira talked about those things with the seven sisters, Bruce was also talking with Helcune and her sisters.

They had already formed a strong bond, being able to live under the same roof and train together for some time. All of them were determined to continue working to get stronger together.

“Alright then, we’ll see each other again in a week.”

“Thank you so much for everything.”

With those parting words, Mira and Bruce crossed the gate to leave Valhalla, descending back to their world.

It was possible to exit to a different place when leaving Valhalla, so Mira and Bruce chose to go to a different place from Ferz Island, picking a lake next to old ruins located close to Nirvana’s capital instead, bringing them closer to where the tournament would be held.

Once on the ground, they summoned Pegasus and Hippogriff and headed to the city.

While flying, Mira began talking.

“Listen up, in the free-for-all, you never know who you will be pitted against. You’ll have to think of countermeasures for all situations.”

“Huh…? Ah…! A-Alright…I’ll keep that in mind!”

She mostly meant to make small talk, and said that with a rather casual voice, but Bruce shuddered hearing that.

That was because he had only planned on taking part in the spellcasters division.

Being a member of the Tower, he was certainly amongst the top spellcasters. It was entirely possible he could win that division even. But the free-for-all was a different story. Most summoners, unlike Mira, were extremely weak in close range combat, especially against warriors.

It was only now that Mira mentioned the free-for-all that Bruce realized something, Mira had focused so much on teaching him partial summoning so he would be better equipped to deal against such warriors.

And so, at the very end, Mira shoved yet another problem into Bruce’s arms, who felt forced to take part in the free-for-all now, his eyes staring vacantly at the city they were flying to, while Mira continued talking with excitement about her dream of making summoners popular once again.