Anchora, the Master of Wild Imagination

Hum—

The low hum of the vibrating blade rippled through the air, as if an invisible string had been plucked. The longsword in Aise's hand glowed with a faint blue light, like a lunar halo.

Immediately after, a sturdy wall of ice rose in front of Aise, blocking all the steel spikes hurtling toward him from the front.

The longsword in Aise's hand was no ordinary sword. Its entire body was forged from materials with extremely high magic conductivity. The crossguard was not a standard metal handguard, but rather intertwined silver vines, and an extraordinary blue crystal was embedded in the hilt. The patterns etched into the blade were also highly complex magic circuits.

This sword was also Aise's magic staff.

Developed by Aina, it was a staff in the shape of a sword.

After all, no one ever decreed that the shape of a staff had to be rigidly fixed.

Cultivating both magic and the physical body simultaneously, this longsword was the most suitable weapon for Aise.

In terms of overall strength, whether taking his magic or his physical combat skills individually, Aise had not actually reached an advanced level yet. After all, Aise had not even fully grown; he was still developing...

But combining the two allowed Aise to exhibit quite an impressive combat prowess.

Crack—

A harsh grinding sound echoed. Fissures rapidly appeared on the ice wall, sending icy shards flying.

The ice wall would soon be pierced through... but serving as a temporary obstruction was already enough.

Aise had already lowered his stance, swiftly approaching the Bramble Beast from the side.

Seemingly sensing the threat, the Bramble Beast's spike-covered body writhed violently once more. More steel spikes detached from its main body, transforming into a dense, rapid black rain that blanketed Aise's path of advance.

As the sky-filling iron thorns struck again, Aise repeated his old trick. At the same time, a cloud of white mist rose over the battlefield, concealing Aise's tracks.

In the end, it is just a monster... The longsword in Aise's hand let out a melodic chime. At some unknown point, he had already circled behind the Bramble Beast.

The power of Aise's entire body rose from his ankles, channeled through his waist and abdomen, and finally poured into his arms. This was the sword-swinging technique Xia Lun had personally taught him.

Trailing a gleam of cold light, the longsword slashed downward.

Clang—

The sword struck that massive head, but the expected sensation of a sharp blade slicing into flesh did not occur. Instead, it felt like striking incomparably hard black iron, sending up a shower of sparks. The longsword in Aise's hand was instantly repelled.

To think it was this hard? The Bramble Beast's head clearly looked soft and squishy.

The iron spikes attacked again, and now Aise simply had no time to adjust his posture to parry.

Ankula appeared behind Aise out of nowhere, fiercely grabbing the collar at the back of his neck and tossing him backward. At the same time, a bottle was thrown from Ankula's hand, smashing against the Bramble Beast's head.

The sound of the shattering glass bottle was incredibly crisp. Some sort of green solution contained within splashed everywhere, with the majority pouring over the Bramble Beast's head.

The defense that Aise's longsword could not damage in the slightest unexpectedly melted away under that bizarre solution as quickly as snow meeting a branding iron. Those frenzied iron thorns also retracted at an astonishing speed. Soon, this eerie creature known as the Bramble Beast shrank into a tiny ball, ultimately turning into an inconspicuous lump of charred black matter on the ground.

Phew— That was dangerous. Good thing my reflexes are quick. Ankula stepped forward, pocketing what was left after the Bramble Beast dissolved, then glanced back at Aise. Are you alright?

I am fine... Aise slowly got up from the ground. Blood was still ringing in his ears, and his breathing and heartbeat were a bit fast. Even he was still a little shaken at this moment.

If Ankula had not intervened to save him, he definitely would not have met a good end just now.

Thank you...

Quite honest, aren't you. Ankula smiled. You are Xia Lun's son. If something happened to you on my turf, I would have a hard time explaining it to your father.

When Ankula mentioned Xia Lun, Aise frowned slightly.

What, you do not have a good relationship with your father? Ankula caught this quite keenly, asking with great interest.

No... Aise shook his head.

Haha, it is fine. If you hate him, you hate him. What is so hard to say? Ankula patted Aise heavily on the shoulder. I get it all. Your father is the Hero, so you must have had a lot of expectations poured into you since you were little. It must have been quite tough, right? Not to mention you have that kind of flaw... Did you run away from home because you had a falling out with Xia Lun?

It was clearly his father and mother who told him to move out, saying they wanted him to learn to be independent.

It is not... Aise opened his mouth to deny it, but was interrupted by Ankula.

You do not need to explain, I understand everything, kid. When others talk about you, the first thing they usually mention is your father, and the title they give you is usually the Hero's son. It really is quite an annoying thing.

You do not want to be overshadowed by your father, so you came out to adventure, wanting to prove that you do not need to live under his halo? ...Do not worry, I will support you! I wish you early success in making a name for yourself. You are not one bit worse than your father! Ankula encouraged Aise.

Aise: ...

What was she talking about? Basically, not a single point she made was correct...

However, you also have to be considerate of your father. It has not been easy for him either. He has worried a lot about your matters. Ankula shook her head and sighed. I heard that when Aina found out he wrote letters to me in the past, he had to sleep on the sofa for a month...

Aise knew about this incident too. At the time, he was even curious why the couple, who were usually stuck together every day, suddenly stopped sleeping together.

You are still in your rebellious phase right now, so perhaps you have all sorts of grievances against Xia Lun... but when you grow up, you will understand your father. Ankula said to Aise with profound earnestness.

When it came to matters like this, Ankula had a lot to say... Aise had absolutely no chance to speak up and explain, so he did not bother explaining anymore, letting Ankula fill in the blanks with her own imagination.

Those matters of their family... were not suitable to be told to outsiders anyway.

...

Aise opened his eyes. Before him was a somewhat unfamiliar ceiling.

This was Aunt Ankula's mansion.

Aise yawned. After experiencing the events in the Spirit Realm last night... he still felt a bit exhausted. He had not slept very well, but maintaining his focus was not an issue.

A knock suddenly sounded from outside the door.

Come in.

Young Master Aise. Eni tiptoed in from outside the door. It is time for breakfast.

Mm. Aise, bare-chested, sat up from the bed. Eni blushed slightly at the sight.

Waking up this late when you are away from home... Master Xia Lun will definitely scold you if he finds out, Eni reminded him.

Aise did not reply, merely pointing to the coat rack nearby. Bring me my clothes and help me get dressed.