Born In Ashes: The Enigma
Chapter 33: Eight Months

Chapter 33: Eight Months

In the open field of the training ground, two figures clashed rapidly, their speed so fast that ordinary people could only see two blurred silhouettes moving.

Azrael looked at a fist rapidly closing in on his face and quickly shifted his head sideways, dodging the punch by just a few centimeters.

At the same time, before Lia could pull back her hand after missing, he used his left hand to strike at her outstretched elbow from below.

Lia reacted swiftly, immediately raising the front part of her arm upward, angling it so that when Azrael’s strike landed, her hand wouldn’t be in a straight position, which could be fatal.

But midway through, she realized that the hand strike was just a feint—and Azrael’s right fist was already surging toward her stomach.

Her eyes flashed, and she quickly responded with a knee strike to block his punch.

However, because her reaction was rushed, she lost balance from the impact after blocking the punch with her knee.

Azrael didn’t miss the opportunity and immediately stepped forward, aiming to deliver a finishing blow before she could regain her balance.

But just as he advanced, through his trait—Infinite Comprehension—which fed him every detail of the battle, he noticed that the movements in Lia’s leg muscles were off.

He quickly ceased his offensive and backed away. As he did, he noticed that Lia hadn’t even tried to steady herself.

Instead, she leaned back, pressed her hands against the ground, and launched herself into a backflip.

As she flipped, her legs moved with great speed, and a hidden knife popped out from the sole of her combat boot.

Because Azrael had reacted in time, the blade missed him by mere millimeters. If he had hesitated for even a second, his stomach would’ve been sliced open.

A bead of sweat rolled down Azrael’s forehead, but he wasn’t surprised by Lia’s use of hidden weapons.

Without hesitation, he dashed toward Lia again, who had already regained her footing. The two immediately resumed their high-speed exchange of blows.

From a distance, Kael munched on some melon seeds, watching the intense sparring match.

He was shocked that the person fighting Lia was actually his brother. He hadn’t expected Azrael to become so powerful in such a short time.

He couldn’t even see their figures properly—only blurs exchanging strikes.

From what he could observe, Lia’s movement speed, reflexes, and attack power all seemed superior to Azrael’s.

But it was as if Azrael could predict every one of her attacks. With incredible fighting instincts, he managed to keep up without losing.

"There are just two months left before Brother turns sixteen. Once he awakens, he won’t stay home anymore..."

At that point, a look of despair appeared on Kael’s face.

"Once he is gone, I’ll be the only one left for that eternal enemy of mine to kidnap for shopping. My youthful life is going to turn into a horror movie."

Kael lamented his impending doom and, feeling deeply depressed, began munching the seeds even faster.

Lia and Azrael continued sparring for another twenty minutes before Azrael finally stopped and collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.

Fighting with complete focus and no rest was far too draining for his still-unawakened body.

"Good work, young lord," Lia said calmly as she walked over and handed him a water bottle.

Azrael took the bottle and drank slowly, glancing at her from the corner of his eye with a speechless expression.

"You look very happy," He said, putting the bottle down, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Lia was momentarily stunned but quickly regained her composure and responded calmly.

"I am just glad to help you improve."

"Is that so..." Azrael nodded, saying nothing more aloud—but inwardly, he was trying hard not to laugh.

He knew the reason Lia was happy was because, unlike their previous battles, this time she hadn’t been defeated.

They had fought to a draw until Azrael collapsed from exhaustion. Neither side had gained the upper hand; they were perfectly matched.

Of course, they were only evenly matched because Azrael had told Lia to use power higher than his.

Had she used power equal to his, she wouldn’t have lasted as long against him.

Lia looked at Azrael’s slightly amused expression and her mouth twitched.

’His combat talent is terrifying,’ She thought to herself. ’Especially the way he absorbs his opponent’s fighting style, evolves it, and uses it to gain the advantage...’

Azrael left to take a shower and, as he entered the bathroom, he couldn’t help but admire the training suit he wore.

"This thing is really convenient. It lets me fight without worrying about injuries."

Although he could read Lia’s movements, Azrael had still been hit a few times by her hidden weapons.

They were real and sharp, cutting deep into his training suit—which was directly connected to his nervous system, letting him feel every injury as though they were real.

He could have turned off the pain-sharing feature, but he wanted the fighting experience to feel as real as possible.

After taking off the suit and setting it aside, he stood under the hot water, letting it wash away the fatigue.

"I’ll be able to refine the 40th energy vein tomorrow..." Azrael closed his eyes and let out a long breath of relief.

The mental torture he had endured over the past months was finally coming to an end.

It’s been about eight months since Ashara told him about Eonrift and the benefit of reaching the mid level of the breathing method.

Since then, he had been exhausting his spiritual power daily to search for and refine new primary energy veins.

"Though I can endure this kind of thing because of my willpower, I am still happy that it’ll be over tomorrow."

After drying off and getting dressed, Azrael walked out of the bathroom.

As he walked, he opened his status window and couldn’t help but smile—something rare for his usually calm face.

===== _{fre ewebno(v)e\l.(c)om}

---) Name: Azrael Thorne

---) Age: 15 Years

---) Level: 0

---) Status: Unawakened

---) Traits: Infinite Comprehension (Eternal Grade), Cold Blooded (White Grade—Evolvable)

---) Attribute: None

---) Rune: None

---) Substance: None

---) Title: ??? [Locked]

---) Bloodline: None

---) Strength: 18

---) Agility: 17.5

---) Stamina: 19

---) Cosmic Energy: 120 (+24) → 144

---) Skill: Cosmic Energy Breathing Method (Entry Level)

---) Shop: [Locked]

---) Inventory: [Locked]

---) Current Task: Learn the Cosmic Energy Breathing Method and increase it to mid level

---) Task Points: 38