Lux and Iris stood at the corner of the Training Ground, watching Eiko face off against Astra.
They were not the only spectators this time since Vera had come just before they headed towards the training grounds. She was very curious to know how much stronger Eiko had become after staying in Elysium for several months.
Iris' other Guardians were also present to observe Lux and Iris' "baby" and see for themselves what the little slime was capable of.
Hanz, the White Tiger.
Valerie, the Blue Dragon.
Myrtle, the Black Tortoise.
And lastly, Zoe, the Red Phoenix.
These were all Iris' Beast Companions, and they had been raised by her ever since they were hatched from eggs.
They were her loyal protectors who ensured her safety in Elysium. All of them were powerful beasts, which made Iris a very precious member of the Serenity Guild, which was a subsidiary of the Barbatos Guild in Elysium.
"Who do you think will win, Brother?" Iris asked.
"If Astra underestimates Eiko, our daughter will definitely win," Lux replied.
"Really?"
"Yes."
When the Guardian Beasts beside Iris heard Lux's words, all of them thought that the Half-Elf was just joking, except Hanz, the White Tiger.
He had been there when Eiko and Astra fought for the first time. Although the baby slime didn't hold a candle to the Unicorn then, the White Tiger could see Eiko's potential. Just like the others, he was looking forward to this rematch, wanting to know if the baby slime had improved since the last time he saw her.
Eiko glared at the Unicorn, who was looking down at her with contempt, in the distance. They were waiting for Iris' go signal to start the battle before they began attacking each other.
"Are the both of you ready?" Iris asked.
"Ma!" Eiko replied.
Astra just nodded his head and stomped his right hoof on the ground. He was also raring to teach the baby slime a lesson.
"Start the Duel!"
As soon as the battle started, Eiko summoned Four Slimes which spread out in order to attack the baby slime's opponent.
Blackie and Whitey flew in the air and fired their spells at the unicorn, while Eiko's two new summons, Rocky, the Earth Slime, and Maya, the Water Slime, did the same.
"Looks like Eiko has made some new friends in Elysium," Iris commented as she looked at the four slimes that were working together to fight against the Unicorn who easily dodged their attacks due to its speed.
Lux nodded. He didn't tell Iris that Eiko had also received a reward after defeating the Mutated Thunder Wolf King, which allowed her to gain another rank. Rocky and Maya were fairly new to Eiko's arsenal, so their teamwork with Blackie and Whitey wasn't that great at the moment.
However, that didn't change the fact that the four slimes were performing extremely well against an opponent that was as strong as Astra.
Just when the Unicorn evaded Blackie and Whitey's combination attack, Eiko appeared beside him and unleashed her skill, Moon Blast, which she had gained after she had ranked up.
Astra's body briefly glowed as he disappeared from his location and reappeared behind the baby slime. However, at that exact moment, Blackie and Whitey's special combo attack, Starfire Tempest, collided with the side of the Unicorn's Body that had just teleported behind Eiko.
The unicorn was pushed back a few meters from where he stood, but he was mostly unscatched because it managed to activate its Magical Barrier just in time. Even so, there was a minor burn mark at the side of his body, which made the Unicorn narrow his eyes.
"Astra is now going to get serious," Iris smiled. "He finally recognized Eiko's threat."
"Yes," Lux agreed. "Now, Eiko will be hard pressed to fight him since the element of surprise is now gone."
Vera and the Guardians that were watching the battle from the side were quite impressed on how things played out. Clearly, Eiko expected that Astra would teleport behind her and ordered Blackie and Whitey to fire their special move behind her, even before Astra teleported.
This made the attack hit the Unicorn without fail. If not for the fact that Astra reacted in time, a minor burn mark would be the least of his worries.
"Simp!" Eiko raised her head arrogantly, taunting Astra.
The Unicorn didn't reply and simply unleashed its Aura, which created a shockwave that pushed back Eiko, as well as the slimes that were in a thirty-meter radius around it.
Lightning crackled at the tip of Astra's horn and its entire body was covered in lightning bolts. This was similar to the Mutated Thunder Wolf King's Lightning Body, which damaged those who came close to it.
Astra then aimed its horn at Eiko and unleashed a Lightning Blast, which the latter easily evaded using Blink.
However, after she disappeared, the lightning changed direction and attacked the place where she had gone to.
A thunderous explosion erupted as a slime crashed on the ground, rolling away for several meters before coming to a complete stop.
"Rocky!" Eiko shouted as she gazed at the Earth Slime who had appeared in front of her to shield her from Astra's attack.
Rocky's body shook as it propped itself up before looking in Astra's direction.
"Careful!" Rocky shouted as he fired a barrage of Stone Bullets at the Unicorn, who was in the middle of preparing to unleash another attack.
Astra didn't dodge and simply allowed himself to get hit by the Stone Bullets. The lightning that covered his body incinerated the stones before they could even reach him.
Astra then unleashed three lightning bolts which were all targeted at Eiko. Knowing that dodging was not an option, the baby slime activated her Elemental Shields to mitigate the lightning bolts that were aimed at her.
Three magic circles which glowed with the colors of the rainbow appeared in front of Eiko. However, they only lasted for a few seconds before they broke apart.
At that moment, Blackey, Whitey, and Maya, appeared in front of Eiko and blocked the lightning bolts with their bodies. All three slimes were sent flying several meters away before they crashed on the ground, motionless.
Eiko glared at Astra as her body glowed briefly.
Suddenly, two baby slimes who looked exactly like Eiko appeared beside her. However, the moment these slimes appeared, Eiko shook her head and the two slimes vanished without a trace.
Lux, who was watching this scene smiled, because he understood what Eiko was thinking.
Clearly, she wanted to fight against Astra using only her powers, which proved that she had started to gain confidence in her own abilities. Although she could copy Lux's abilities and gain an upper hand, she didn't do that.
More than anything else, Eiko wanted to beat Astra using everything she got, without relying on others.
'You can do it, Eiko!' Lux cheered for the baby slime in his heart as he watched the battle become more intense.
Iris' Guardians were no longer observing with a carefree manner ever since they realized that the baby slime's performance had exceeded their expectations.
Little by little, Eiko was being pushed back by Astra's dominating attacks. Even if the other slimes were to help her, all of them were helpless against the Unicorn's swift and powerful attacks that didn't give them any time to rest.
"Simp!" Eiko shouted at Astra as she stood her ground. "Fight!"
Astra paused as he looked at the baby slime. Although Eiko only said the word "Fight," he understood her intention. The baby slime was challenging him to a head on clash with their most powerful attack.
Astra stomped his right foot against the ground and aimed his horn at the baby slime. He had accepted her challenge and decided to face her head-on.
Eiko then opened her mouth wide as a magic circle appeared in front of her. To everyone's surprise, the magic circle was getting bigger and bigger. Clearly, Eiko was pouring all of her magical energy into one powerful attack with all of her might.
Astra knew that he couldn't afford to hold back since he could feel that Eiko's magical energy was rising at a rapid rate.
Lightning crackled at the tip of the Unicorn's horn, creating a ball of lightning which growed bigger and bigger every second.
Lux had summoned Pazuzu to stand in front of them, while the Black Tortoise, Myrtle, stood in front of Iris. The rest of Iris' Guardians had also taken a defensive stance, forming a circle around their Master to ensure her safety.
"Grandma, please, make your move if you see that Eiko's life is in danger," Lux said softly.
Vera nodded. She had also made her preparations to take action if Eiko's and Astra's life were in danger.
"Moonblast!" Eiko shouted and a two-meter tall orb of light erupted from the magic circle in front of her. It had a shape similar to that of the moon's which emitted a radiance that shone brightly.
Astra neighed as it unleashed its skill called "Thunder's Fury." It was his strongest attack that he only used when he fought against strong opponents in Elysium.
When these two spells collided, a mini shockwave erupted in the surroundings as both spells tried to push each other away.
These lasted for several seconds before both attacks merged into each other.
"Pazuzu, block it!" Lux ordered.
The Demonic Defender immediately activated its Shield Wall, creating a giant Tower Shield in front of them.
Vera disappeared from where she stood and a few seconds after that, a powerful explosion rocked the entire Training Grounds, forcing Lux, and Iris, to cover their eyes due to the intense radiance that turned their sight completely white.
