"I have finally met you again… Dimitri."
Dimitri's eyes were still glued to the wound, but he didn't forget to respond to Noel. "Yes, Young Master. It's my pleasure that we can meet again… You have truly grown up."
Noel smiled. "Since you are the one saying that, that's true, I guess."
"Ahaha, Young Master knows how to joke around now." Dimitri had a gentle smile on his face, feeling gratified to see the change in his young master.
"There are a lot of things I want to talk about."
"I know. But I have to warn you that I don't think I can answer a lot of your questions, not because I'm forbidden to answer them, but because I'm clueless like you."
"In that case, my first question is… how strong are you? Can you do something about the Superior Demon or the Devil Bishop?"
"That's two questions, Young Master."
"I mean the first pair of questions." Noel smiled.
Dimitri couldn't help but chuckle as this action reminded him of his master, Noel's father, Luke Ardagan.
Dimitri hesitated for a moment and thought carefully to give a perfect answer. "My strength is indeed enough to do something about them. However, I don't want Young Master to rely on me… I'd like to see you grow by overcoming difficulties like you've done from the start."
"I know. Unfortunately, I have promised someone that I'll fulfill their revenge… As the next lord of the Ardagan Family, I can't afford to break my promise."
"If that's the case, I'll help them if Young Master gives me a satisfactory answer."
"Hoh? What's the question then?"
"What are you planning to do after this? Are you going to meet up with them or…"
Noel smiled. "I'll be traveling with you for one month. In that month, I'd like you to teach me about things I don't know and keep training me. After that, I'm going to use my second identity to meet them again. I know it'll be unfair to them and they'll figure it out sooner or later, but I should do this for many reasons…
"After that, I'm going to reinstate the Ardagan Family and get an explanation from my parents! Whatever they're going to do next, I shall become the new Patriarch of the Ardagan Family!"
"So, Young Master would stop after rebuilding the family?"
"Of course not. I don't have the ambition to become the richest man or the strongest man in the world. They're too restricting for me." Noel smirked. "I think you already know my nature, Dimitri… And what I want the most…"
Dimitri closed his eyes for a moment with a smile on his face. He couldn't help but picture the lazy young master who was lying on top of a maid's lap, enjoying his time. "I have to tell you this… Your path might be harder than becoming the strongest or the richest man in the world."
"I'm ready for the challenge. But to do that, I need your help."
Dimitri fixed the last stitch and stepped back before kneeling on one knee, lowering his head.
"I, Dimitri, swear my loyalty to the next lord of the Ardagan Family. Please give me your instructions!"
"I order you as your lord. Kill the Blood Berserker!"
"Your wish is my command."
Without hesitation, Dimitri carried Noel to a hill next to the South Gate so that he could see what was going on.
He saw Clara having a hard time fighting the Blood Berserker. Although the Blood Berserker had more wounds on his body, Clara seemed to be the one suppressed. She looked exhausted.
Even though she was a captain, she was still a healer. So, it was clear that their strength wasn't at the same level. Even Clara had a hard time healing the wound on her body, showing how tough it was for her.
"Young Master. Have you learned about two Approaches?"
"Yes. Hard Approach is for explosive use, and Soft Approach is leaning to control."
"That's right. I'll start with the Soft Approach… What do you think about Control?"
"The control of my Spiritual Energy?"
"Yes. What does it change for you?"
"Hmm… The penetration force? The direction?" Noel tilted his head in confusion.
"No." Dimitri shook his head. "Penetration force? You can change the shape of your Spiritual Energy into something like a needle to increase the penetration force. Direction? You can twist the shape so that it flows like your shape. It doesn't change all that… Instead, it changes… Dimension!"
Dimitri waved his hand. Suddenly, the shadow underneath his feet turned into one sharp blade on the ground, expanding toward the South Gate.
"You change its shape, extend it, expand it, or whatever you like! And this time, I'm extending my own shadow and…" Dimitri paused for a moment.
The Blood Berserker, who was fighting Clara, felt another powerful presence coming from the side.
He saw the shadow coming toward him and tried to jump away. But at the same time, the shadow suddenly came out of the ground, turning into chains and wrapping around his wrists and ankles.
"…Change its shape." Dimitri smiled as he pulled out his sword. "When you manage to capture your target, all you need to do is to cut it down."
The black energy around his sword was blazing like a flame.
"That's where the Hard Approach comes in. You gather all your energy into one spot and release it at once!" Dimitri waved his blade, releasing the black energy.
"!!!" The one who was shocked the most wasn't Noel, but the Blood Berserker.
He was trying to rip the shadow apart, but the shadow seemed to be changing its dimension continuously, acting like a rubber.
And before he succeeded in freeing himself, a huge sword strike ran down the hill and headed straight to him.
Compared to other attacks, the Blood Berserker felt he would lose his life if he took this attack head-on. He felt… fear for the first time.
He instinctively jumped back to avoid this attack, but it was too late.
His left hand was a bit too late to react and this black sword strike cut his left arm. All it took was two moves from a distance for Dimitri to cut a Devil Bishop's hand. This showed the difference in their strength.
There was only one word in Noel's mind.
Overwhelming.
