I regressed and became the Sword Ice King

Rachael Jun's gaze swept across the room, her eyes landing on her children as she hummed a soft, soothing melody. Her lips curled into a warm, gentle smile as she approached them. "So, this is where you all came to hide," she said, her voice filling the room with a vibrant, loving energy.

Her son's face lit up with a smile at the sound of her voice, but his expression quickly turned thoughtful. 'How long has it been since I saw her?' he wondered. His gaze drifted to her missing left arm, now replaced with a beautifully crafted wooden one made of oak. The engraved arm seemed delicate, yet strong.

Rachael noticed their intense gaze and raised her wooden arm, shaking it from side to side with a playful nonchalance. "Oh, this old thing," she said, downplaying the significance of her prosthetic limb.

"Did Aunt Mirable help with that?" Gloria asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. Rachael nodded, a hint of a smile on her face. The Lucia family's divine abilities included healing and replacement of lost body parts, but such gifts came with a price - unless you were family, of course.

Fiona muttered under her breath, still fixated on the new arm, "It's funny how you're step-sisters." Rachael shrugged, waving her hand dismissively. "Now, leave. I want to speak with my son."

Gloria nodded, standing up. "This is goodbye for now, Raph." She walked out of the room, followed by her sisters one by one. Each said their farewells before leaving, with Rebecca and Morganna being the last two to exit.

"Rest well, Raphy," Morganna said, her lips curling into a warm, gentle smile. Rebecca, on the other hand, lingered in the room, her gaze fixed intently on Raph, her eyes flashing with a mix of emotions before she quietly exited. The door closed behind her, leaving Raph alone with his Mother.

She sat beside him on the bed, her fingers gently tracing the contours of his face. A warm, motherly smile spread across her face, enveloping him in a sense of comfort and love. "How much I've missed you, child," she whispered, her voice overflowing with warmth and affection.

Raph was helpless against her tender charm, his heart melting under her gentle touch and soothing words.

"The battle didn't go so well did it ?" Raph asked, his gaze intense and inquiring. His mother sighed in response. "No. It didn't and things are getting difficult in the north as well".

Raph paused for a moment then said. "The demon gates ?"

Rachael nodded in response, resting on the backrest. "your sisters are in charge of the towns that have experienced the most frequent appearance".

Raph held his chin. "Are there others stationed with them ? Demon gates will only increase in number with time".

"with time they will, but that's not why I came here now is it ?" Rachael chuckled. "you somehow made me talk much more than I needed to".

Raph turned away, coughing awakwardly.

"..I..I was just curious".

"Of course". His mother nodded. "it's natural to be curious but, Raffaelo, you need to tell me what has been going on for the past 5 years since I haven't seen you".

Raph remained silent, in deep contemplation. Alot of time had passed since he had last seen his mother, well five years and that can be a lot. There were alot of things that had happened since she left.

The final renovation of their mansion after the battle against the assassin from La Teur and Uncle Philip.

The beginning of his intense trainning on mastering the first six chapters on book.

He had mastered up to the tenth in hid passed life, so performing them again was easy once he got used to his body and strength.

The last three years that he had used to painstakingly build his traits and create techniques, study magic and other necessary information he required to grow stronger.

He did all, and he was going to learn more in the future.

With a sigh, a rejuvenating feeling swept over him and he turned towards his mother, locking eyes with hers.

"This might take a while. Shall we get some tea ?".

****

The Arena reverberated from the loud cheers of the Spectators as the battle reached a flashpoint.

The ground and the walls of the Arena had been damaged. Deep craters filling it like portholes.

The sun's radiant rays illuminated the debris and damage done to the Arena as loud tremors echoed on the ground.

It was a continuous quake, like a vibrating motor that occured at fixed intervals. Each moment the ground shook, the air compressed and a sonic wave spread through out the Arena.

The source of the commotion was two participants. One a prestigious Elven prince, with silver hair and indigo eyes claded in silver armour that reflected the suns rays. Five muscular, golden torsos protruded out from his back. Each with his own golden weapon, exuding a godly presence.

The other, a human blessed by the gods. His body and blood contained the essence of divine power granting him strength when he called out their names. He had golden luxurious hair and sharp golden eyes.

A golden aura suffused from every inch of his body as he moved with speed and precision. Each strike causing a tremor louder than the last.

He had two stigmas currently on his body.

One a mysterious crescent moon with an eye in the middle and the other a lyre, bow and an arrow, imprinted with a fiery presence on his right palm.

A loud tremor occured yet again, shaking the ground and causing a sonic wave.

The force blew both participants backwards, a safe distance away from each other.

A crater formed as Jane landed, a mad glint sparkling in his eyes as he charged forward, his fist stretched as a fiery light ignited in front of it. Find exclusive stories on empire

"And here I thought you didn't want to battle those two monsters ?" He said, his voice hiding a jovial feeling.

The red–yellow fiery light grew large and wild, blazing as it morphed into different shades of colors when he slammed it into the ground.

It caused a hissing sound to echo in the Arena and the ground shook, glowing bright red and swelling up due to the heat.

"No ! You were the one that suggested the idea so you should loose naturally !". Darell said, his lips curled into a devious grin and his eyes fixed on Jane, charging forward.

"Shoot him down !".

The torso with the bow twisted erratically as it aimed at Jane and drew the string, releasing thousands of golden arrows that shot out at great speed.

Jane caused the ground to erupt, sending massive debris flying into the air and blocking the path of the arrows. He swiftly retrieved his hand and launched himself into a leap, soaring over the rubble and landing with precision on the opposite side of the arena. Darell's eyes widened in surprise as he made a sharp, forceful U-turn, his movements a result of Jane's unexpected maneuver.

He glared at the golden haired boy and charged yet again. "I will defeat you !". He cried out, his voice laced with aggression.

"you will have to do a lot more than that to do so". Jane retorted with a smirk, he stretched his hands apart as a yellow light ignited in each palm.

He charged forward, clashing with Darell's weapons and causing a sonic explosion.

The force caused a crater directly below them and loud tremors spread through the Arena.

They fell deeper into the crater, darkness encroaching them but their gazes remained focused and their movements remained precise.

They charged at each other in that darkness, engaging in a deadly melee. The force of their attacks caused a sonic wave that either forced them deeper into the crater or formed additional pits on the sides.

The intense battle was a testament to their exceptional skill and unwavering determination, as they fought to outdo their opponents.

They were driven by a burning desire to secure the top ranking for their families and pushed themselves to the limit.

Witnessing the unrelenting efforts of their peers only reignited their own passion, if it had begun to wane. This competition was their unique way of identifying the strongest among them - a potential future leader or a formidable foe in the wars to come.

With the coveted number one spot seemingly out of reach, they set their sights on the next best position, determined to make the most of their effort.

Jane's hands had suddenly turned crimson and a searing steam emitted from it as a blazing fire ignited from his palm.

He swung his hand, causing the wave of fire to blast Darell upwards and out of the basin. Then he jumped out, searching for Darell when the sun's rays blessed him with light.

He found Darell aiming his bow at him and

shooting out multiple arrows.

He cursed softly, flying in the air and maneuvering his body in order to dodge them safely.

"Sol Flair!" Jane declared, as a blazing aura of golden-red flames erupted around him. The inferno raged with unbridled intensity and purity, fueled by his unyielding spirit. With a bitter smile, he charged towards Darell, the flames scorching the arrows that dared to stand in his way.

Their eyes burned with fierce determination, their teeth clenched in unrelenting focus, as they resumed their intense melee.