"Immense power always es at a price."— Naofumi Iwatani, The Rising of the Shield Hero

  <><><><>

  ~ If you like the story, please leave a review :)

  <><><><>

  Midnight. The students of the academy were sound asleep, and the spirits of the forest were stirring.

  Roy, Cire, and Ri set off for their duel.

  They stopped before a rge circle of stohat emitted a pale blueish-white light.

  "This is the gate to the Elemental Spirit World," Cire expined. "It's the reason the academy was built here."

  Riepped forward and ted an intation in the Spirit Language.

  The stones glowed brighter.

  "Let's go in," Ri said with a smile.

  "Okay," Roy nodded.

  They stepped into the circle of stones.

  A fsh of white light, and they were transported to the Elemental Spirit World.

  The Elemental Spirit World was a realm inhabited by spirits, pletely different from the human world.

  There were no human disturbances here.

  And even if they were ihe injuries wouldn't be severe. That's why the students ofteheir duels here.

  However, it wasirely safe.

  They would still feel pain when injured, and although their physical bodies wouldn't be harmed, their spirits would suffer the same damage.

  If they were lucky, they would just faint.

  But in severe cases, it could cause memory loss or even perma spiritual damage.

  "Fmes, illumihe darkness!" Cire ted, juring a small fireball that lit up their surroundings.

  "Let's go. The real stage is further inside," she said, leading the way.

  Roy and Ri followed.

  They arrived at a rge, dipidated theater, a reli the aimes when the Elemental Spirit World and the human world were still one, known as the Age of Myths.

  "Roy, you'll face Ellis Fahrengart. Ri and I will each take on one of the others," Cire instructed. "Once we defeat our oppos, we'll join forces against Ellis."

  Cire was a skilled tacti, a valuable strategist for their team.

  "No problem," Roy agreed with a smile.

  It seemed Cire had taken his words to heart and wasn't relying on his strength.

  "Hmph! I defeat my oppo in an instant. I just hope a certain stray cat doesn't lose," Ri scoffed.

  Cire gred at her but didn't retort. Perhaps she was focused on the uping duel.

  "—It seems you've all arrived."

  A anding voice echoed from the top of the theater.

  They looked up and saw a girl shining silver armor, her blue hair fluttering in the wind. She looked like a valiant knight, a sight that made Roy nod in approval.

  This was Ellis Fahrengart, the captain of the Sylphid Knights.

  Behiood two other Knights in simir armor.

  One had short bck hair and was named Rakka.

  The other had braided hair and was called Reishia.

  These were the two who had insulted Cire and Ri earlier.

  "Ellis Fahrengart, when did you arrive?" Cire asked.

  "Don't tell me you were waiting there, trying to make a grarance," Ri sneered.

  "W-What? N-No! I just arrived," Ellis denied, flustered.

  Her rea, however, firmed Ri's suspis.

  Cire and Ri gred at her.

  "Let's begin! We'll settle this before dawn!" Ellis decred, drawing her sword and fixing them with a sharp gaze.

  Suddenly, fmes lit up, illuminating the ruiheater.

  A rge eagle with outstretched wings appeared in the night sky.

  "Let me introduce you to my tracted spirit, the wind spirit, Simh," Ellis said proudly.

  Simh circled in the air, the out a deafening roar and swooped down towards them.

  A powerful gust of wind swept through the area, tearing up the stone pavement and sending debris flying.

  "Roy, be careful!" Cire and Ri, despite their increased strength, were wary of the attack.

  Roy, however, simply raised a hand zily, his other hand still in his pocket.

  BOOM!

  Simh crashed into his palm.

  And then, the wind spirit vanished.

  "What?!" Ellis gasped in disbelief.

  Her Simh had disappeared after colliding with his hand.

  What had happened?

  Cire and Ri were equally stunned.

  He had blocked such a powerful attack with a single hand. It was incredible!

  "You two go deal with those two. I'll handle Ellis," Roy said casually.

  "Okay, let's go!" Cire summoned her Elemental Waffe, the Fme Whip, and shed out at Reishia.

  Reishia's Elemental Waffe was a translut ice sword.

  It seemed she was an Ice Elemental tractor, like Ri.

  But Reishia's spirit was no match for Ri's Fenrir, and she didn't seem to have full trol over it yet.

  Cire would defeat her easily.

  Meanwhile, Rakka, the bck-haired Knight, attacked Ri.

  "Take this! Crushing Hammer!" she shouted, swinging a massive hammer towards Ri.

  Ri gracefully leaped back, dodging the attack.

  She summoned her Elemental Waffe, the Ice Bow, and aimed it at Rakka.

  "Trying to ambush me? You're just making yourself an easy target!"

  "O fangs of ice, pierce my enemy! Ice Shot!"

  Ri loosed an arrow, which flew towards Rakka.

  Rakka, however, hid behind her massive hammer, using it as a shield.

  But the impact was still powerful.

  Rakka stumbled and fell, dropping her hammer.

  Ri fired another arrow, striking the defenseless Rakka and incapacitating her.

  "Damn it! You hurt Rakka!" Ellis roared, enraged.

  "O winds of disaster, transform into a spear that pierces the heart of my enemy! Ma in my hand!"

  She ted the intation in the Spirit Language.

  A powerful gust of wind swept through the area, and a magnifit spear materialized in her hand.

  Ellis twirled the spear and gred at Roy.

  ...

  ...

  "Ooh, impressive," Roy ented with a pyful cp.

  "Hmph! Yhe beauty of my Ray Hawk, then?" Ellis asked, proudly dispying her spear.

  "Indeed. Not just the spear, but the wielder is also quite beautiful," Roy teased.

  "W-What? M-Me?" Ellis blushed, flustered by his pliment.

  "Stop it! How dare you tease me! You're just a smooth talker!" she excimed, her face red as she lu Roy with her spear.

  g!

  Roy caught the spearhead between two fingers.

  Ellis stared at him in disbelief.

  She tried to pull her spear back, but it wouldn't budge.

  "Let go of my spear, or I'll turn you into tiramisu!" she threatened.

  "Oh? You make desserts? You'll make a good wife someday," Roy chuckled, releasing her spear.

  "I-I'm still practig! For my ideal husband... and don't try to trick me with those 'good wife' ents..." Ellis retorted, her face still flushed as she attacked again.

  However, just as she was about to reach him, she tripped and fell.

  Roy swiftly caught her in a princess carry.

  'Lancers really are unlucky,' he thought, shaking his head.

  He had seen clearly that Ellis had tripped over a loose stone.

  Ellis, expeg a painful fall, had closed her eyes tightly.

  But she didn't feel any pain.

  Instead, she felt a f warmth, like being held in her mother's arms. She slowly opened her eyes.

  Roy's handsome face was inches away from hers.

  "H-How...?" she stammered, her face turning crimson as she realized she was in the arms of her enemy.

  "Hey, how long are you two going to hug?" Cire and Ri, having fiheir battles, called out with annoyed expressions.

  Ellis, remembering her situation, blushed even harder.

  She struggled to get down, and Roy gently released her.

  Ellis took a few steps bad saw that Rakka and Reishia were unscious.

  "Even alone, I won't lose to you!" she decred with renewed determination.

  "Hmph! You still want to fight in this situation?" Cire scoffed.

  They had three members, while Ellis was alone.

  How could she possibly win?

  "I won't give up!" Ellis decred, raising her spear.

  "I don't think we o fight anymore," Roy said with a smile.

  "What? Are you looking down on me?" Ellis gred at him.

  "No, that's not what I meant. Look over there..." Roy poiowards the distance.

  Thump... Thump...

  A hundred-meter tall cyclopean giant was lumbering towards them.

  With each step, the ground trembled.

  The giant wielded a massive club – or rather, a tree trunk it had ripped from the ground.

  Its terrifying aura alpable from afar.

  It was a high-rankih Elemental Spirit.

  But judging by its violent aura and crimson eyes, it wasn't an ordinary one.

  "It's ah Elemental Spirit, and a powerful o that. I didn't expect to enter one here," Ellis ented, surprised.

  "Unfortunately, none of us form a tract with it," Cire sighed.

  If it had been before, she would have rushed to try and tract the spirit, despite the danger.

  But she already had Scarlet, a highest-ranking spirit.

  Ri was in the same situation.

  Although Elemental Spirit tractors could form tracts with multiple spirits, their divine power was limited.

  They couldn't use many Elemental Waffes at once.

  "Wait, Roy is very strong. Maybe he tract it," Ri suddenly suggested, looking at Roy.

  Cire and Ellis also turo him, sidering the possibility.

  Just then, the white spirit seal on Roy's arm glowed.

  Est emerged.

  She g to Roy's arm and gred at the three girls. "Roy only needs me. A mere high-rankih Elemental Spirit isn't worthy of being his tracted spirit," she decred ftly.

  Est's words were blunt and arrogant, at least in the eyes of the three girls.

  Roy chuckled and patted Est's head.

  Est wasn't exaggerating. He certainly wasn't ied in a mere high-rankih Elemental Spirit.

  Especially since he already had Est and Ren.

  "I think you should be more ed about your own safety. That Earth Elemental seems to be heading towards us," Roy warhem.

  "What? Earth spirits are usually gentle and peaceful," Cire mumbled.

  But she soon realized her mistake.

  Suddenly...

  ROAR!!!

  The cyclopean gia out a deafening roar, causing the girls to flinch.

  "What's going on?" Ri asked, fused.

  "It's a Berserker! That Earth Elemental has been influenced by a Berserker!" Est expined.

  The girls finally uood.

  "Let's get out of here! I'll hold it off. You carry those two and escape," Ellis decred bravely, wielding her Ray Hawk.

  "Don't be foolish. You're no match for it," Cire scoffed.

  Despite fag such a powerful spirit, Cire and Ri weren't panig. They had Roy.

  They remembered how easily he had defeated the rock giant earlier.

  "It seems I have to step in," Roy sighed dramatically.

  He stepped forward, fag the cyclopean giant alone.

  Cire, Ri, and Ellis watched him expetly.

  They were eager to witness his swordsmanship again.

  Ahem...

  By "swordsmanship," they didn't mean literally dang with a sword.

  The "Bde Dance" was simply a term for battles betweeal Spirit tractors.

  And Ellis's adopted sister, Velsaria, even used a mecha.

  How was that a "Bde Dance"?

  There wasn't even a bde involved!

  'No offeo you, Rakka, with your hammer,' Roy thought.

  ...

  "Est!" Roy called out, holding out his hand.

  "Yes, Master!" Est replied, pg her hands in his.

  <><><><>

  Support & Read 18 Advanced Chapters. Ahead of the rest!

  https://p-atreon./dragonnx

  (Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)

  There is 8 Exg Fanfics already avaible on my Patreon!