Dragon Across the Multiverse (Si-WC) (Patreon)

Chapter 23: The Challenger from the Sky

Several Days Later

With the arrival of Alpha or Liriel, as she preferred to be called, the recruitment process for the remaining shadows truly began. But before we could search for them, and because we were still two years early, there was something more important to focus on.

Training.

The sounds of wood meeting wood echoed through a clearing by mid-morning, where two girls struggled against another teen about their age. The sounds abruptly came to an end as the girls were launched across the field by the other.

“Alright, that’s enough for now, girls. Looks like it’s time for lunch.” I dismissed my wooden training sword with a thought as I regarded Liriel and Yukime. Both were already back on their feet and slightly panting, sweat dripping down their brows.

“I-I can still go on,” Liriel said stubbornly, eyes sharp with determination even as she leaned on her training sword for support.

“S-Same here,” Yukime chimed in, just as stubborn, though she wobbled on her feet. Instead of a sword, she wielded a wooden war fan.

Liriel had gravitated naturally toward swords, while Yukime favored tantos and fans. I had even crafted personal weapons for each of them, forged from refined magisteel that had grown naturally in Veldora’s new den back home.

We’d been training for hours now, honing their ability to harness magic for both offense and defense. Thankfully, since this was a world where children began training young, both already had a foundation in handling weapons and channeling magic. I didn’t have to start from scratch.

Still, both of them had more than magic to work on. With Added Potential, both had gained chakra circulatory systems, and I had unlocked their chakra at the start of training. Their reserves were small for now, but they’d grow with time and practice. To build control, I had them work on simple exercises: sensing their chakra, focusing it, and sticking leaves to their foreheads.

Combined with my perks, their progress had been rapid. They soaked up my teachings like sponges.

At present, Yukime was stronger than Liriel by a fair bit, something that irked the blonde elf to no end. But that was only natural, Yukime was older, already fourteen, while Liriel was still just nine. That didn’t stop them from forging a fiery rivalry. Both pushed themselves to the brink of exhaustion every day, each trying to outdo the other, each seeking more of my attention. Honestly, it was cute.

I made sure to treat them equally, no favorites for now, not wanting to hamper their training. And yes, I’d noticed the budding crushes from both of them, but for now I ignored it. There would be plenty of time for such things when they were older… Liriel especially, since she was younger.

“I can see that,” I said, amused at their flushed determination. My gaze drifted past them, and they followed it, finding a girl standing shyly at the edge of the field. “But you don’t want to make Marie sad after she went out of her way to make us lunch, do you?”

Marie clutched a basket in one hand, cheeks pink as she realized our attention was on her.

“P-Please don’t mind me, Akari-san,” she stammered, waving her free hand. “I don’t mind waiting until you’re finished. This is the least I can do after you saved me and offered me a place here as your maid.”

“Nonsense, Marie. A meal always tastes better when it’s warm, right?” I countered with a relaxed smile. She looked away, unable to argue.

Marie, not to be confused with Mary the vampire hunter, was just a simple but beautiful girl, beige hair framing her green eyes. Only thirteen, and yet in another timeline she would have been sold by her parents into prostitution to pay their debts. She would’ve worked under Yukime for five years before escaping that life, eventually becoming a bartender after the incident with the Red Moon in the Kingdom of Orianna.

Not this time. Days ago, I had intercepted the slavers transporting her to the Lawless City. I slaughtered them, freed her, and offered her a place here as my personal maid. She had broken down crying into my chest when she realized I wasn’t there to hurt her, but to save her. And when I asked, she accepted tearfully, clinging to the chance at a new life.

I had always liked Marie in both the LN and the anime. She didn’t deserve the fate she was given, and now, with the power to change it, I had.

Liriel and Yukime both opened their mouths, about to stubbornly insist they weren’t hungry, only for their stomachs to growl in unison. Both girls blushed furiously, clutching their bellies.

“Hmhmhm. Seems your stomachs disagree. Come on, you two, let’s eat.” I chuckled, already walking toward a patiently waiting Marie. With a gesture, I summoned a wooden table and chairs into the clearing using Mokuton.

“Even after seeing your abilities for days now, it still surprises me how easily you can manipulate the elements with a simple gesture,” Marie muttered, her eyes shining with quiet awe as she set the basket down and began arranging the meal.

“I find it more extraordinary how you can share your memories with others,” Liriel added, sitting to my left.

To speed up training, and out of a little laziness, I’d had Ciel share my memories with them. Sharing my memories of learning to harness my chakra and how to better handle my magic. The knowledge of my experience gave them a head start, while I corrected their mistakes and answered questions.

“Master is a cheater after all,” Ciel teased from the back of my mind.

“Like I told you before, Ciel, there’s nothing wrong with a bit of cheating,” I shot back cheekily, earning a huff.

“I think the ability to teleport anywhere you want is more impressive,” Yukime said as she slid into the seat at my right.

“In time, you’ll both be able to do the same,” I promised with a confident smile. Both straightened, puffing up their already budding chests proudly.

“Here you go,” Marie said, setting plates before us. “I hope you like it.”

She’d prepared tonkatsu with rice.

I took a bite, savoring the rich flavor, not at all surprised. Buying the Faerie Feast upgrades had been worth every point if they turned Marie, who’d been a complete novice, into a cook capable of making food like this.

“…Delicious. Thank you, Marie, you’ve outdone yourself again.”

Her cheeks colored, but she smiled, lowering her head modestly. “It was my pleasure, Akari-san.”

To my left and right, Liriel and Yukime didn’t even lift their heads from their plates, too busy stuffing their faces. I chuckled softly, amused.

=====

We finished lunch half an hour later, with Sherry joining us a bit after we started pouting at an embarrassed Marie for forgetting to invite her along. Sherry and Marie had surprisingly hit it off from the start, probably finding common ground in not being fighters, and you could always find them hanging out together now.

“I have a few things to do today in the Midgar Kingdom. While I’m gone, I want you to begin training on the next chakra-control exercise, tree walking.” I said, cleaning my mouth with my napkin before taking a sip of my smoothie made from ingredients in my Imaginary Space.

Yukime and Liriel both perked up at my words and offered at the same time. “Can I come?”

“I won’t be gone for long, and what I need to do requires secrecy. Unfortunately, you two are not yet capable of going unnoticed.” I let them down gently with a shake of my head; they slumped a little in their seats.

“Walk on trees?” Marie asked with a tilted head as she picked up the dirty plates.

“Oooh~ I want to learn too, Akari-kun~” Sherry piped up, stars in her eyes as she raised her hand.

I smiled at the eager girls, finished my drink, and stood up. The others followed as I made a few medium-sized trees grow in the training yard and walked toward them.

“It’s actually exactly what it sounds like.” I walked up the center tree and, to everyone’s astonishment, walked sideways up the trunk until I reached the nearest branch; I stopped there, upside down, and looked back at them.

“You gather chakra at the soles of your feet, and if you balance it correctly you’ll be able to walk on almost any surface as if it were solid ground.” I kept my hands in my pockets. In a quick motion two kunai landed at Liriel’s and Yukime’s feet. “Use those to mark your progress.” I dropped to the ground without disturbing the grass, pleased that Liriel and Yukime had noticed how silently I moved.

“Amazing~ Teach me! Teach me!” Sherry ran up, hugged my waist, and gave me puppy-eyes.

I saw the looks of envy Liriel and Yukime shot her but stayed silent and rubbed Sherry’s head; she closed her eyes in enjoyment. “I suppose I could teach you. While I don’t see you becoming a fighter like those two, there’s nothing wrong with learning, might help you in a pinch.” Sherry’s eyes sparkled as she hugged me tighter.

“Yay~”

My gaze fell on Marie, who’d been watching with a small smile. “That goes for you as well, Marie.”

Marie blinked in surprise and nodded shyly. “Thank you, Akari-san. I’ll give it some thought, I’ve never been much of a fighter, nor do I have interest in it.”

“No worries. I just didn’t want you to feel left out.” I smiled, then refocused on Liriel and Yukime.

“Liriel, Yukime. When I return, there’s something I want to talk about with you two.” They both nodded seriously.

“Very well,” Liriel said softly.

“No problem,” Yukime added, tail swishing in anticipation.

I rose into the air to their awe and left them with one more piece of news. “Once I deem you two have the basics down for both magic and chakra, we’ll begin recruiting others into our cause, so mentally prepare yourselves.”

Waves and cheers followed as I floated higher coming from Sherry and Marie; Liriel and Yukime on the other hand immediately picked up the kunai I’d thrown and began their training eagerly.

“They’re coming along well. At this rate I can just leave the initial training of future members to them and whatever other shadows I recruit like the original Cid did,” I muttered with a grin as I disappeared into the clouds.

“They both show potential. Is Master planning to give them Hero’s Eggs in the future?” Ciel asked, curious.

“Of course. I plan for Liriel to take leadership among my new Gold Numbers, with Haru consisting of the 100 strongest, and have Yukime as her second in command. For that to happen they’ll need to be strong enough to stand against those from the Central World.” I nodded.

“They have a long way to go, then.”

“Yep, that’s why we’re here: to give them the proper time and environment to grow into their power.” I smiled as we headed toward the capital of the Midgar Kingdom.

“Besides, I already noticed that my Ciel has been subtly helping them in their dreams~” I teased, almost physically seeing Ciel turn red at being caught.

“I-I just didn’t want them to embarrass Master in the future, that’s all,” she huffed cutely.

“Hmhmhm, my Ciel is really tsun lately~”

“It’s just Master’s imagination!” she protested before going silent, which only made me chuckle more.

=====

Midgar Kingdom

It didn’t take me long to reach the capital. I slipped below the cloud cover and turned invisible, gliding quietly as I searched for the reason behind my visit.

Or, more specifically, for two certain someones who were practicing in the back of their castle.

Stopping in mid-air, I watched in silence as a red-haired girl sparred with a white-haired girl a few years younger than her, the resemblance marking them as relatives.

The redhead had a huge magic reservoir compared to most people in this world, but her form was rigid and the way she used her power was atrocious. The white-haired girl, on the other hand, had very little magic but a solid form that spoke of hours of steady practice.

They were Iris Midgar and Alexia Midgar, the kingdom’s first and second princesses.

Their fighting styles weren’t the only opposites. Their tastes were different, one preferring sweets, the other bitter things, and their maturity and growth diverged as well.

Alexia would grow much stronger in the future after facing hardship and developing as a person. Iris, conversely, would become disillusioned by repeated setbacks and eventually a shell of her former self, filled with a fierce hatred for Shadow Garden and Shadow in particular. Unaware she was being manipulated by the Cult through those close to her, Iris would spend her life hunting them down.

It was a pity, because I actually liked Iris’s personality better than Alexia’s bitchy one, before Shadow Garden became actively involved in the Kingdom. Iris’s problem was not lack of power but willpower and how everyone constantly praised her as “the strongest.”

Those voices became her shackles, convinced that she was truly the strongest and she didn’t need to continuously improve herself. Combined with being stubborn as hell and spoilt by status, she never learned to test herself properly.

So my plan was simple.

Kick her ass a bunch of times while she was young to break that inflated notion that she was unbeatable, and plant the idea that there’s always someone stronger.

I was also curious whether young Alexia was as prickly as she later became, or if she’d be nicer as a child.

There was only one way to find out.

I summoned my wooden training sword, smiled giddily, and set a few barriers around their training field to make sure we wouldn’t be interrupted.

Then I dropped from the sky and landed in a crouch in the middle of the field. Their heads snapped toward me and they went instantly defensive.

“Who are you? Identify yourself!” Iris demanded, her indignation a little comical since she was still a kid, while Alexia tucked behind her sister and peered at me with curiosity with no hostility in her eyes.

“Yo. Name’s Akari. Word is you’re pretty strong, Iris Midgar, so I came to see for myself.” I grinned, dressed casual, wooden blade pointed at her.

“In other words, I’ve come here to kick your ass and prove you’re not as strong as you think,” I taunted, my grin sliding into a smirk as I watched her eyes narrow.

‘Huh, well what do you know. Seems she does hold some resemblance to Rias Gremory now that I look at her closely.’ I thought privately as other than her red eyes and hair style, everything else was spot on from what I remembered.

‘Speaking of Rias, I plan to head there in the future. Wonder what those devils would say after they meet a Daemon or the likes of the Primordials? Hahahah I can’t wait~’