Doggone Academy

Chapter 116 Circulatory System (18)

Chapter 116 Circulatory System (18)

As Sion increased her speed, pushing forward, Damian, who was defending from his position, inevitably found himself overpowered.

The artifact on his ankle shone brightly again as he swung his sword relentlessly at the masked man.

Damian raised his sword above his head to block and struggled to fend off the continuous attacks.

After a few exchanges, it became clear. The feeling Damian had vaguely sensed during the entrance examination was now starkly apparent.

He lacked a proper sword technique.

However, he wasnt entirely defenseless. With a rawness reminiscent of a wild beast, there were sporadic glimpses of a proficiency honed by real combat.

The two clashed swords and exchanged pushes, forcing each other back.

At a ten-step interval, they resumed their standoff, Sion frowning in irritation.

Damian alternated his grip on the sword and opened and closed his palm to ease the pain.

The demonsword Silveryn flickered, as if craving a more violent struggle. But Sion could not fully unleash her power; without parity in conditions, victory held no meaning. She had postponed pursuing Damian for a day after seeing the monster carcass in the valley, aiming to preserve her strength.

How long do I have to hold back?

Damian held his sword with one hand, adopting a relaxed defensive stance. Was he feigning composure?

During the standoff, a scent of high-class perfume, usually worn by noble ladies, carried faintly on the wind, clashing with the current environment.

Where have you hidden the other one?

Whenever tracking the trail, there had been evidence of at least two people. That meant a woman was likely waiting somewhere nearby.

Frustrated, Sion charged at Damian once again. This time unleashing a triple strike, which Damian once again deflected with rough movements.

Fighting him was frustrating.

She clearly overwhelmed him in strength and skill, yet she couldnt pin him down completely.

It felt like slicing through a formless liquid.

At the end of the three strikes, as Sion was locked in a struggle of strength with the man, she declared,

The time for going easy is over

Just as she was about to draw out the full power of Silveryn, Sion sensed something amiss and swiftly backed away like a skipping water strider.

She inspected her sword.

Without having exerted full strength, it had lost its magic and the light had dimmed.

What did you do? asked Sion, puzzled.

The masked man was also staring at his own wooden sword as if he found something unusual.

Seeing that the man wasnt taking her seriously, Sions eyes widened as she poured mana into Silveryn and warned in a cold tone,

Last warning. Fight properly. Otherwise, youre going to get seriously hurt.

Realizing that words were of no use, she changed her strategy.

Ill need to deal with your friend first.

She focused for a moment, sensing the flow of the air, then watched movements that were invisible within the mist.

Someone was observing their duel from a distance.

Sion activated her artifact and charged, not at Damian, but towards the figure lurking at the left diagonal direction.

She swung her sword into thin air to clear her vision, drawing out the swords power.

A gust of wind swept away the fog temporarily.

In the cleared space, at the edge of the mist, sat Luna, the top student of the magic division, perched neatly on a rock.

They locked eyes briefly.

Startled by the unexpected figure, Sion hesitated for a moment.

!

Suddenly, Sion felt a killing intent on the side of her head and hastily backstepped to retreat.

A dazzling streak of sword energy swept through the midpoint between Sion and Luna.

Koo-goo-goo-gooboom!

Did we run away because of me?

No, we had agreed to shake off Sion from the start. It worked out just as we wanted.

Okay

Perhaps she felt running away without confronting Sion was due to her being spotted. Our plan had gone slightly awry due to Sions keen senses, but that wasnt Lunas fault.

After a moment of thought, Luna spoke up again.

The next time we face Sion

Yes?

Ill fight too.

No, theres no need for that.

I let my guard down for a moment. Next time Ill make sure were not underestimated and face her properly.

She didnt show it much, but Luna seemed slightly vexed for having been caught off guard by Sion.

Is that why? During our escape, she did more than just disrupt Sions sensesshe completely overpowered her. With that kind of might, even I wouldve been helpless like Sion.

It occurred to me that Luna might be a greater adversary for Sion.

Alright. Just dont expose yourself to unnecessary danger. Stay behind me.

Luna nodded affirmatively.

Okay!

I dusted myself off and unfolded the map for our next destination.

We had succeeded in optimizing our bodies for the Circulatory System by consuming local food, but there were still challenges to overcome.

We had to delve into the heart of the Circulatory System. It would have been ideal to follow the map, but it wasnt straightforward.

No path existed within the primal forest, and no landmarks were visible to determine location. The trees were too dense to discern the position of the sun. Lunas spirits were struggling to navigate due to the strong magical forces of the earth here.

Moreover, our ultimate destination area, the domain of the Familiar, wasnt even marked on the map.

The map depicted the Circulatory System as a vaguely egg-shaped region. We had to enter the yolk and rely on scant hints to find the domain of the Familiar.

The clues we had were: the presence of a Spirit Master would be beneficial, and Blue Spirit Grass could help. That was all.

Since Blue Spirit Grass had to be gathered from within the Circulatory System, I had come from Rigved empty-handed when everyone was collecting it.

I wasnt sure what a Spirit Master would be beneficial entailed. Although I was currently benefiting from Lunas abilities

Maybe we should start by searching for Blue Spirit Grass first.

While I was absorbed with the map, Luna called me with a trace of panic.

Damianover there

I turned to look at Luna.

An unidentified figure, resembling a white stuffed toy, was standing in front of her.

Small as a cucumber, with a translucent body and eyes as tiny as green peas.

It stared softly up at Luna.

?

?

And it wasnt just one.

Numerous unidentified beings began to gather around Luna, revealing themselves.

They seemed to feel a sense of familiarity with her, climbing onto her shoulder, draping across her, laying on her head, and casually finding spots on her knees like sparrows on a branch.

Before long, their numbers grew to about a dozen, filling the area around Luna.

As I approached Luna, the creatures started and some scurried away; others disappeared completely.

What were they doing? Could they possibly be spirits?

They dont seem bad

I took a few steps back from Luna slowly.

Soon, the mysterious beings reappeared around her.

Butthey seem very afraid of you.