Serum

“Wait, I was called back to report…”

“Oh, that was my father.”

Dirk waved at Alec, making him relax. It was Ryker who had given the order for Alec to return. 

After that, Dirk found a spot on the edge of the massive walls of the base, overlooking the entire battlefield beyond. 

Now they could talk in peace. 

Dirk glanced over to the two girls beside Alec. 

Both of them were rather extraordinary. Magenta was the daughter of a Duke and Ivory was the daughter of a Prince of the Horizon Empire, granddaughter of Emperor Horizon himself. 

The Emperor, with his long lifespan, naturally had several children, and over time they all had children as well. But this wasn’t to say that the Emperor’s reign was coming to an end. On the contrary, he would sooner outlive his children and grandchildren. Unless someone challenged his authority with absolute power, for the next several hundred years, he would reign supreme. It was a good thing that he was a benevolent ruler, or at the very least, not a corrupt one. 

Either way, Ivory was the descendant of a very powerful man, coming from a very powerful family and raised with nothing but the best teachers in the Empire. And yet, she fought Magenta over Alec, making Dirk wonder what the hell his friend had to do in order to so thoroughly win their hearts. 

Well, Alec was charming, and that charm was only growing the more he got older. 

Alec was a bit older than Dirk, having turned 17 while Dirk was still 16. He was beginning to age a bit more, especially since he entered the military. He was no longer as naive and bubbly as he was when young. Now, he carried confidence and responsibility on his back, seeking strength while trying to protect his empire. 

Still, it amazed Dirk to see him being fought over by two girls who seemed no less talented than him, even boasting greater backgrounds. 

Well, Dirk wasn’t worried about his friend. If anything, he found it amusing. This polyamorous relationship would be fun to watch. 

Then again, in the back of his mind, Dirk was secretly taking notes. After all, there was still another girl that he would have to explain himself to at some point, and Alec seemed to know how to handle two women. 

‘I shall learn from your mistakes and successes.’

Dirk muttered in his mind as Alec spoke. 

“So Dirk, what exactly have you been doing all this time?”

“Oh, you know, exploring the world and trying to keep myself alive. Boring stuff like that.”

“Heh, I wonder what kind of trouble you’ve been stirring up. I wondered why you didn’t want to join the military, but I suppose when you have the princess pulling you along, you can’t exactly say no.”

Alec snickered, causing Dirk to shrug. His mission with Pandora was indeed something he couldn’t ignore, not that he would join the military anyway. 

“So where specifically did you go?”

“Dwarven Haven. Pandora had some business there, so I got to explore their capital city built underground.”

“Wow, I’ve always wanted to go. Where else?”

“That’s it, but we plan on going to the Otherworld next.”

“Oh, that’s a long ways away.”

“Eh, we’ll make do.”

Dirk smiled, thinking about how they would be taking an airship this time. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that he couldn’t stand it if they were only able to drive. 

That also reminded him to check out the production facility his mother told him about. It was there that an experimental airship was being created, and they would need to steal it. 

Well, Pandora was good at those kinds of things. Dirk knew that from experience. So with their cumulative effort, he didn’t believe they couldn’t knick an airship. 

Alec continued to talk, and Dirk continued to tell various stories about his trip, besides what he couldn’t. They also talked about combat, specifically their little fight on the battlefield. 

“I still can’t get over how you took on all three of us. I thought I had been getting better, but apparently its nothing in front of you.”

“I agree.”

Ivory suddenly chimed in. If anyone felt most oppressed during that battle, it was her. Dirk had utterly crushed her techniques. 

“I know two techniques. The first is the Dragon Dance, perhaps the most powerful and elaborate greatsword technique in the Empire. The second is the King’s Art, a much more direct but far more devastating technique. And I couldn’t do anything to you with either of them.”

“Mm. I noticed your technique. Are they really the best sword techniques in the Empire?”

“Yes. They are techniques that have been honed and built upon for hundreds of years, passed down across generations, and put to the ultimate test countless times. They are the longest standing and some of the greatest techniques in the world, along with the most complex.”

“Is that right?”

Dirk smiled weirdly. He didn’t know how he should feel about being able to suppress those kinds of techniques. However, he also realized that such techniques couldn’t possibly be utilized to their fullest by this girl. 

And she also seemed to know that, but that didn’t stop her from questioning him. 

“How did you do it? Don’t tell me you saw through the entire technique and figured out how to counter it.”

“No. I just stopped you from being able to use it. Your Dragon Dance requires a rhythm, so I didn’t allow you to start one.”

“What about the King’s Art? It's designed for head on collisions.”

“I just deflected it. You know that better than I do.”

“...”

Dirk’s smile caused her to frown. Her utter defeat had been properly carved into her mind. But more than that, Dirk’s unbelievable skill had inspired her even more. Only, it was so beyond her that she couldn't wrap her head around what Dirk found to be obvious. 

Seeing her conflicted face, Dirk sighed. 

“Look, you say that those techniques are complicated, but maybe you need to simplify it. You couldn’t even touch me because one or two blows was enough to shut you down. You were so reliant on your techniques that you forgot to adapt to the situation. Sometimes you need to shift your focus from executing techniques to just fighting.”

“That’s counterintuitive. Techniques are meant to amplify basic fighting techniques, affording you an advantage through the skillful delivery of power.”

“Yes, power delivered in different ways produces different results. But it was obvious that your techniques weren’t doing that for you. So you either need to work on your techniques more, or go back to the basics. Then again, you don’t really need techniques for that in the first place. Maximum power can be produced by simply swinging your arm. Look.”

Dirk suddenly took out the Sword of Dissonance. However, it was completely deactivated, not even affecting the space around it. 

He raised it in his right arm, his hand rising above his head. Then, it swung down in a simple arc. 

*SLICE*

Ivory watched, seeing the wind be torn in two across his blade. And when the blade stopped a foot or so above the ground, its power continued without it. 

*CRACK*

The ground shattered underneath it, creating a thin line and some cracks. 

Ivory’s mouth gaped, her eyes widening. 

She didn’t sense Aura or mana. This was created purely from the strength of Dirk’s body and his natural effects on the surroundings. The atmospheric anima, for example, was dragged along the blade of his sword until it was released when he halted his strike. But he didn’t even need to channel his own anima to move it. 

And although it was a simple strike with no technique behind it, it delivered immense power and weight. After all, not just anything could damage the walls of this base. Monsters scratched and launched attacks against it all day yet it still stood strong. But one strike from Dirk and it was cut. 

Without Anima, Ivory couldn’t hope to do that.

Of course, Dirk didn’t think it was anything special. He put the sword away and shrugged. 

“It doesn’t have to be complicated. Break things down into their simplest components and everything becomes simple. I don’t know any techniques and yet I was able to nullify yours. That was because your swings were simply swings, and I was simply able to use my sword to stop yours.”

“...No, it’s not that simple.”

Ivory shook her head in refusal. Then, she looked Dirk deep in the eye. 

“I can understand why you think it’s simple though. You’re a combat savant, an Heir I dare say. Reading your opponent and understanding how to fight them comes as easy to you as breathing. You don’t even have to think and you already know exactly what to do. Your instincts are as good as someone who had fought countless battles over hundreds of years.”

“Well, I wouldn’t go that far…”

Dirk scratched his cheek in slight embarrassment.

He knew he was greatly talented in the field of combat. Ivory was right. He didn’t even have to think and he could fight someone he had never fought before, regardless of their techniques or skills. He was adaptable, calculative, and ruthlessly accurate. 

Combined with his skills given to him as a supersoldier, and in an equal battle, he wouldn’t lose to anybody. 

So when he spoke about things being so simple, he also knew that those words came purely from his perspective. Others would see Ivory’s techniques and be enraptured by their complexity and intricacy. When faced with it, they would fall into her rhythm, slipping deeper and deeper as she pushed them ever closer toward death. 

But Dirk had merely watched it for a while and was able to nullify it. It was like she couldn’t swing her sword without his permission, being dominated in every way. 

And she didn’t have the overwhelming strength like Viola did, able to break through Dirk’s skill with strength and put him on the back foot. The fact that anybody could overcome him at all with just mindless power was something Dirk thoroughly hated, but that was the reality in this world and he was forced to make do. 

But if they lacked that power, there was nothing they could do. Ivory wasn’t strong enough to break him down, and anything less meant that she would lose no matter how many times they fought. 

Of course, Ivory found it hard to accept. It was beyond her how someone could be so perfectly attuned to combat. It was like Dirk was a weapon himself, existing for the sole purpose of fighting and killing. That’s also when she noticed how he was blindfolded. He wasn’t even fighting her with proper eyesight!

She wondered, if he were armed with proper techniques, then just how strong would he become? Or, if Dirk was right and her Dragon Dance and King’s Art really were too simple, then what would happen if he made a technique of his own?

Or, perhaps that very notion was counterintuitive to his style. Dirk could adapt to anything, so it wasn’t wrong to say that the very concept of a technique was too limiting. 

On the side, Magenta nodded in agreement with Ivory. But then, she thought about Dirk’s magic. 

His magic wasn’t anything unimaginably complex or overwhelming, but it was still peculiar. They were bullets and fired from some kind of odd tool. They were also shockingly fast and carried enough power to disrupt all her spells. 

She had never seen anything like it before. She also noticed how Dirk hadn’t formed his Domain yet. 

On top of that, there was his Stealth. She had barely been able to notice it, and that was because she had a perfect Dark affinity while being taught at the world’s leading kingdom for dark magic. 

Dirk was a lower Tier than her, so the fact that his Stealth had been so good at all was shocking. 

Eventually, everyone concluded that Dirk was a monster. Ivory and Magenta’s evaluation of him only rose the more they thought about it. 

Alec suddenly spoke. 

“Heh, you guys should’ve seen him when we were at the academy. He had been just as insane back then.”

“Yes, and it’s good that you’ve at least gotten decent since then. By the way, since when do you use a spear?”

“Since I realized it was a better fit a couple years ago.”

“Well, it looks like you need more experience with it. Compared to your girlfriend, you still have some ways to go.”

Dirk snickered, causing Alec to look away in embarrassment as Ivory shot him a small smile. 

“She doesn’t have to work on magic…”

“Excuses.”

“Is not! Hey, spar me!”

“We just fought though…”

Dirk shook his head. Then, he suddenly turned his head. 

Nearby, Pandora leaned against a wall, having arrived unnoticed. She was looking over with a smile. 

Seeing as Dirk finally found her, she walked over. The others also turned, and Magenta’s eyes bulged. 

“Princess Pandora! It’s an honor…”

“At ease, Magenta. Hello, Alec.”

“Ah, Princess. Good to see you again.”

Alec smiled and bowed a bit in greeting. Pandora nodded and took up a spot at Dirk’s side, leaning against him casually. 

Dirk just continued standing against the edge of the wall. At the same time, Ivory narrowed her eyes. 

The intimacy between them was obvious, but Ivory was more concerned about Pandora’s identity. 

Pandora noticed the stare and smiled. 

“Greetings, Ivory Horizon.”

“...Greetings, Princess.”

“How’s your father, Tristan? And your brother. I heard he’s recently attempted to break into Rank 5. I hope there wasn’t- Ack!”

Pandora suddenly flinched as Dirk pinched her side, interrupting her words. 

“Stop it.”

“I was just talking normally! Being a nice conversationalist!”

“You were being weird. You sound like a stalker.”

“I do not!”

“Then don’t ask about someone’s father and brother when you meet them for the first time.”

“...Fine.”

Pandora huffed, looking away. 

Ivory just stared from the side, feeling like this whole situation was something she never thought she’d ever see.

It was a weird impression to have of the mysterious Princess Pandora, who only several months earlier was about to launch a war against Horizon.