The hum of the Vanguard battleship's engines reverberated through the hull as Arthur stood near a viewport, while Solace Prime gradually shrank behind him.
He had spent the morning tying up loose ends, another brief meeting with Professor Eamon Carstairs, who insisted on discussing dimensional anomalies with him one last time before he left, though he still didn't find anything noteworthy even after several tests conducted on Arthur. The man was brilliant but relentless, always hungry for knowledge. Arthur had to admit, he respected that.
Afterward, he bid farewell to Kael and Lira. Kael had, of course, made some remark about Arthur finally getting off his "vacation" and back to real work. Lira, on the other hand, simply nodded at him. "Stay alive out there, Arthur," she had said.
Admiral Kane had been the last stop. "The battlefield is where you belong now," Kane had told him. "We'll see each other again, I'm sure." There had been a weight to his words, a silent acknowledgment that whatever awaited Arthur in the coming days wasn't going to be easy.
Now, as the battleship closed in on Dreadnought Mk XI, Arthur exhaled. The time for farewells was over.
…
The moment he stepped off the ship, the familiar atmosphere of the battle station greeted him. It was strange how quickly this place had started feeling like home.
A few officers saluted as he walked through the corridors. He didn't linger. His first stop was his quarters.
As the doors slid open, he was immediately met with a loud voice.
"Finally decided to show up, huh?"
Arthur smirked as he stepped inside, finding Leo reclining against the couch, arms crossed.
Elena stood near the door of her room, hands in her pockets. "You've been gone for what? More than a week?"
Samir, seated at the table, let out a low chuckle. "We were starting to think you were never going to come back."
Arthur rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I missed you guys too."
Arthur shook his head as he set his bag down. "Anything new while I was gone?"
Elena's gaze flickered toward him, her expression shifting slightly. "Orders came in. We're being deployed to the frontlines soon."
Arthur's brows furrowed. "How soon?"
Samir exhaled. "Three days."
The room fell silent for a moment. Three days wasn't much time.
Arthur finally nodded. "Alright. Then we better be ready."
…
They moved to the mess hall together, settling into their usual spot. Soldiers and officers bustled around, but Arthur kept his focus on his team.
"So, what's the mission?" he asked, cutting into his meal.
Leo leaned forward. "Reinforcement duty. Some of our forces are holding a key choke point in Sector 14, but the Chimerians have been testing their defenses. Command thinks a full-scale push is coming."
Elena nodded. "They're sending multiple ECHO units, not just us. But considering how brutal these engagements have been… casualties are expected."
Arthur absorbed the information. A full-scale assault meant they wouldn't just be dealing with foot soldiers, they'd be facing Chimerian war machines, elite units, and possibly even commanders.
…
After finishing lunch, Arthur wasted no time heading toward the lab. The doors hissed open, holographic screens flickered to life as he stepped inside.
Arthur thought about what to do in these three days and decided to upgrade his armor first, this will also act as a reference for the UFE if they wanted to see a tangible prototype.
He then contacted the guardian through their neural link, "Hey Guardian," Arthur called out.
A smooth, synthetic voice responded. [How may I assist you? Commander.]
Arthur replied, "Could you start to modify my ECHO armor to integrate Alloy SA-I, according to the new blueprint."
[Processing request,] the AI responded. [Estimated time for completion: one hour.]
Arthur nodded. "Good. Also, I need a new sword forged from Alloy-X."
[Acknowledged. Estimated time for completion: 10 minutes.]
After that he started to study the atomic disintegrator gun from the Spear of Heaven.
…
For the next three days, Arthur maintained a busy routine, splitting his time between his combat training in Thyrandel, research on advanced technology, and honing his physical conditioning. While only three days passed in this universe, nearly three weeks passed in Thyrandel, allowing Arthur to make substantial progress.
…
Each night after completing all his work in Dreadnought Mk XI, Arthur stepped through the portal into Thyrandel, when morning arrived he with the other students reached the academy training field where Instructor Garrick was always waiting for him.
The grizzled veteran never went easy on him, pushing Arthur to refine his technique, maximize his mana efficiency, and incorporate fluidity into his movements.
One particular afternoon, after an intense round of combat drills, Garrick paced around Arthur, arms crossed.
"You're improving," Garrick admitted, nodding slightly. "Your swordsmanship has always been sharp, but your mana control is becoming much better. That's good."
Arthur rolled his shoulders, "Still feel like I'm wasting too much mana when I am channeling it into my sword," he said.
Garrick nodded hearing that. "That's because you're overcompensating. You don't need brute force, precision is what matters. Again!"
Arthur exhaled, resetting his stance before launching forward. His sword cut through the air, and this time, Garrick blocked the blow but felt much more force behind the slash, a sign of progress.
Between training sessions, Arthur also made time for his studies, particularly focusing on mana theory, and magical formations. Over the weeks, he began grasping deeper nuances of spellcasting efficiency, even though he was more of a hybrid fighter than a pure mage. The academy is going to provide them with spell books soon.
After nearly one and a half months in Thyrandel, the first-year students had made significant progress. Most of them had reached the Apprentice Mage realm, and a few exceptional ones, such as Eva, Natalya, Leon, Finn, and some others, had even advanced to the 1st Circle Mage realm. Their improvement didn't go unnoticed, and Instructor Garrick eventually decided it was time for Arthur to spar with them.
The training ground was packed with students, the air filled with excited murmurs. Arthur stood in the center, facing his first opponent Leon, a tall, dark-haired lad with a confident smirk.
"Don't go easy on me," Leon said, gripping his sword.
Arthur just gave him a half-smile without saying anything. Well he can't go full strength on the students otherwise they will go splat.
The duel began. Leon moved first, his sword slashing in a controlled arc. Arthur sidestepped effortlessly, deflecting the strike with minimal movement. Leon pressed forward, his mana-enhanced footwork allowing him to shift directions mid-attack. It was an impressive display for a 1st Circle Mage, but Arthur could see the gaps in his form.
Leon thrust forward. Arthur twisted, catching the blade with the flat of his sword before kicking Leon's leg out from under him. With a dull thud, Leon landed on his back, blinking up at Arthur.
"Not bad," Arthur said, stepping back. "Your form is solid, but you telegraph your moves too much."
Leon grinned despite his loss. "I'll keep that in mind."
The next spar was against Eva, the blonde haired noble girl known for her exceptional mana control. Unlike Leon, she didn't rely on brute force. The moment the match started, she conjured three floating blades of mana around her.
Arthur raised an eyebrow.
Eva waited for a second before sending the blades toward him at high speed. Arthur deflected one, dodged the second, and let the third graze past him as he closed the distance. Eva anticipated this, forming a protective mana barrier just before he could strike.
"Good reaction," Arthur admitted as he stepped back.
Eva didn't say anything, but her eyes gleamed with determination.
The fight continued for a few more exchanges before Arthur decided to break through her defenses, ending the match. As he helped her up, she nodded in appreciation.
"That was the hardest fight I've had in a while," Eva admitted.
"You did well," Arthur said. "Your mana control is impressive, even I am not confident to compete with you in mana control."
Then he went on to spar with the others.
These spars weren't just for the students, Arthur himself learned a lot. Though they weren't as strong as he was, but the noble-born students had been trained from their childhood, and their techniques were polished. Each fight gave Arthur new insights into different styles, strategies, and ways to counteract various forms of attacks.
Alongside his combat experience, Arthur continued refining his mana cultivation. Over the past few weeks, he had steadily absorbed and refined mana, strengthening his core. He could feel the breakthrough coming, within a few more days, he would reach the 2nd Circle Mage realm.
Within these one and half months Arthur didn't go out of the Academy again, he focused on always trying to improve his strength either through training or cultivating mana .
…
Whenever Arthur wasn't in Thyrandel, he was deep in research, studying the atomic disintegrator gun from the Spear of Heaven and many other such technologies. He also spent time in the gravity chamber he built, pushing his body to its limits in increased gravitational fields, reinforcing his strength and endurance.
By the time the three days were up. His armor was upgraded, his training had progressed significantly, and his understanding of both magic and technology had deepened. It was nearing the time they had to leave for the frontline.
He also received his award, his new position as a Lieutenant and became the team leader of their team. From now on Lt. Nakamura will not be their supervisor. His teammates were happy for him as they had seen first hand how powerful Arthur was and had no problem with him leading the team. For these three days he also sparred with the three of them to improve their coordination, and got ready for the upcoming mission.
***
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