"Hehe. Told you not to compare me with your typical Sage's typical minions.
Even the Sages themselves are nothing more than a speck of dust in the grand scheme of things."
Alephee said as she combed her voluminous black hair by running her finger through it. She had a normal mana signature at this point, which was almost similar to Eren's. Since the transformation was internal, her appearance hasn't changed.
Alephee didn't sound arrogant even when her statement sounded that way. This was something she knew to be true.
Eren had already come to realize that Sages were not prominent figures in Alephee's eyes. Her statements just now only highlighted what he already knew.
"What did you do?"
Eren asked while raising his eyebrows. For some reason, he could feel resonance with Alephee's mana core. As if he could use her mana core and she could use his even though they were two distinct entities.
Alephee chuckled in response before answering.
"Something you wouldn't understand even if I told you. What you need to know is that I can cast the same spells as you from now on. And then some more after using a medium."
Alephee said paused. She thought of something and her eyes lit up.
"What do you say, Eren? Want to spar with me?"
Alephee looked at Eren with a subtle smile, knowing full well what his response was going to be. Eren could only smile back in response before taking out his weapons.
Eren was wielding Rigor Mortis Shamshir in his right hand and Andruril in his left hand. He regretted the fact that since he had been promoted to Adept rank, all his Ace rank weapons were not that useful to him anymore.
Eren had the transcendent-grade Labrys. But he needed sufficient weapon comprehension and mastery in the weapon arts related to the weapon to use it in a spar against someone like Alephee.
Eren could tell looking in Alephee's eyes that she meant business when she said that she wanted to guide him. As such, she would not be easy on him. Not that he wanted her to do so anyway.
Alephee knew what Eren was thinking after he drew his weapons. She raised her right hand and closed her eyes. A pitch-black book was conjured in front of her that seemed to have unknown origins as it gave off a unique aura.
This black book had black pages and they didn't seem to have anything written on them. Yet, Eren could see that Alephee was focused on the book with her ruby-red eyes.
Alephee let the book levitate motionlessly in front of her while addressing Eren.
"Take out all of your weapons. I'll cheer you up right away."
Eren looked at Alephee suspiciously when she asked him to take out all his weapons. He wasn't sure what she was planning to do with them. But he did what was asked of him.
What he saw next blew his mind.
***
An open field near Lake Hatu.
Two Adept-ranked entities were seen standing face to face, about 30 meters apart from each other. Some monsters had come to see the fight after Kirin informed the higher-ups about it.
"Isn't this the homunculus the Lord created earlier? She seems a bit different than the last time we saw her."
Sharog commented after observing Alephee. She also sensed that Alephee didn't come across as a Homunculus anymore.
Sharog had checked up on Eren from time to time during the three days, ensuring his well-being isn't harmed during the process. She also felt a bit jealous that Alephee was currently hogging all the attention Eren could spare to give to any of them.
Lasha and Luna were with Sharog, standing behind her. The trio started talking about Eren and Alephee while fixing their gazes on them.
Kirin was nowhere to be seen. But one could always guess that she was hiding in plain sight. She wouldn't miss the fight between her husband and this mysterious entity known as Alephee.
There were other monsters like Ror, Kaal, and Durbag standing all around the open field, looking at the duo keenly. To be honest, the monsters wanted to see how their king would fight without holding anything back.
The duels Eren had fought using his Varhan identity placed certain restrictions on him, making him unable to bring out his true strength. But he would need to go all out during his spar with Alephee.
Sharog, Luna, and Lasha had also sparred with Eren in the past. So they knew how exceptional of a close combat expert Eren was. So they were keen on knowing what the homunculus was up to.
Eren was holding the same set of weapons in his hands. But there was something different about them.
All of his go-to weapons and gears had been upgraded to Adept rank, making them suitable for his current rank. He didn't have to buy or hunt for brand-new weapons anymore. It was unclear how many lives Alephee had saved by upgrading his gears to Adept rank.
This time, Alephee didn't cast the soul spell. She used grimoire magic, which was a known school of spells on Anfang. It was just that the way Alephee used the spells related to grimoire magic made them look like they were on a completely different level.
Even among the homunculi, Alephee had become a unique being. That's because she had the mana core. However, her mana core only allowed her to cast Eren's spells. For other spells, she needed a medium to cast the spells with. Alephee had chosen grimoire magic for this reason.
"This… this is unbelievable. I thought the runes leave a permanent mark on the mana-harnessing metals. As such, it is not easy to upgrade the weapons' ranks after they have been set.
And upgrading their ranks without any smithy in sight? Suffice to say, I'm as surprised as I'm thankful, Alephee."
Eren gripped his two swords and spoke. He thanked Alephee briefly before preparing himself to fight with the existence he had only received help from at this point.
Eren was eager to try his new weapons out. He wanted to learn what she had to teach him. Most of all, he wanted to see how wide the ridge was between him and her.
Alephee could only have access to Adept-ranked mana and thus could only use Adept-ranked spells. But that didn't mean Eren would have an easy time battling with someone who didn't even treat Sages with much regard in her eyes.
"Hehe. Ready when you are, Eren."
Alephee replied casually to Eren's remark. It seemed that she was also intrigued by the prospect of sparring with the butcher.
