Earth's Greatest Magus

Several days had elapsed since the arrival of the guests from the east. Despite their failure to acquire the legendary sword, the group remained and were treated as esteemed guests of the Kingdom of Britannia and so were Klea and the group from the fey village.

Klea and Fjolnir stood at her residence in the back of the mansion, observing a practice battle between Glita, the strongest among the Fey warriors, and two female Vanir warriors that Fjolnir brought with him.

The two women were strikingly beautiful, with long flowing hair and sharp features, their movements graceful yet fierce. Unlike Brandt, a Sky-realm warrior who had mastered the use of swords, these two Vanir were still in the Earth realm and fought using spears.

Glita was initially overwhelmed by the Vanir's spears, struggling to find an opening in their defenses. However, after a few minutes of intense combat, Glita transformed into her half-human and half-wolf form, significantly enhancing her battle power.

[Glita]

[Battle power: 46 (58)]

Despite the advantage Glita had gained, the two Vanir warriors still fought fiercely, displaying impressive skill and dexterity.

However, Glita was not one to give up easily. With a fierce growl, she hurled her sword toward one of the female warriors who was momentarily distracted by the unexpected attack. Seizing the opportunity, Glita used a spell taught to her by Klea.

[Freezing Claws]

As Glita swiftly leaped toward one of the Vanir warriors, a sharp, icy blue aura enveloped her claws. When the warrior realized what was happening, it was already too late to dodge. Glita's freezing claws pierced through her armor and left her with a numbing feeling on the wound.

As one laid incapacitated kneeling on the ground, it took only a few seconds before the second female warrior admitted her defeat.

"Impressive!" Fjolnir shouted from the side as he clapped his hand, admiring the fey girl's prowess.

With her fierce nature, the girl was actually not suitable for the art of the sword. Klea taught her to make full use of her fey capabilities in accordance, and indeed, minutes after the change of style, she was able to defeat two Vanir warriors with ease.

Klea was impressed not just by Glita, but by the display of skill from both sides.

"Your warriors' spear art is quite impressive. Who are they?"

"These women follow the practice of the Valkyrie. Unfortunately, it is a long forgotten art, and they have only mastered a glimpse of it," Fjolnir explained.

Klea was intrigued by this. She had heard about the Valkyries from one of the tales written by the northern tribe in the library of Alexandria, which told of a legendary group of warrior women known for their unparalleled bravery and skill in battle.

Fjolnir went on to explain there were only two dozen of them left back in Valkyrie temple back home. As for someone like Brandt, who had received some legacy of the ancestor, there were only a few.

The news filled Klea with a sense of grave concern. Fjolnir had lived a thousand of years, and if he could confirm that these numbers were of the living humans who had reached the level of Sky realm, then it would most likely be true.

With the way the Rome academy was going and the addition of the Fey people she was currently training, they were only looking at 50 Sky-level warriors that could be relied upon when Earth was in danger in the next 10 to 20 years.

Alas, with the way they were now, their strengths could not even match up to Emery's clones.

"This is not enough," Klea said, her voice filled with worry. The more she thought about it, the deeper her frown became.

It was clear they needed to find more warriors, and fast. But as Klea voiced her concern, Fjolnir only offered a resigned shrug.

"Well… I don't know what kind of threat we will be facing, but Sky-level warriors don't just grow on trees," Fjolnir said with a wry grin. "Talking about trees, you should ask Ashaka. The Abbot should know more people from the southern side of the continent," he suggested.

"I already sent him a message," Klea replied, her mind racing with possibilities.

Klea went on to reveal her plan to visit the monastery and the secret tomb of the old king Anu. As both were in vicinity to one another, she previously thought of going to the place together, at the same time when she could break through to the third level of the [Soul Tempering] following Fuxi's suggestion.

But a year had passed, and she had yet to make any progress on it.

"Perhaps I should visit the Abbot first. I have an item prepared by the Eastern Sage for him," she mused aloud, her eyes flickering with determination.

As she spoke, she also mentioned the fall of Lord Izta the Gilgamesh, the name that caused Fjolnir's expression to darken with an unmistakable sense of grief. As someone who was supposedly part of the first generation, he had received only fragments of his memory upon his reincarnation. Those blurry fragments were enough for him to feel the loss, but not enough to truly remember or even put a face or a name to what his true feelings concerning it were.

Sensing his pain, Klea produced an item she had been keeping hidden away, a cube with an array of intricate patterns etched across its surface.

"We have something for you too," she said softly, offering him the cube. "Fuxi couldn't find the planet of your origin. However, he asked me to give this to you in hopes that it might help you remember."

Klea could only imagine how painful it was for him. As she handed out the gift she brought to him, she could see the longing in his cloudy eyes.

[Memory Puzzle]

It was an artifact that allowed cultivators to delve deep into their memories, much like a puzzle box that revealed the secrets within oneself.

Fjolnir's face lit up with joy as his eyes landed on the gift, eager to try it out right away. Klea, however, harbored no illusions about its efficacy. The memories he sought were from a past life, and the box might prove futile in that regard. Nonetheless, it was worth a try.

Buoyed by newfound enthusiasm, Fjolnir rose to his feet and challenged Klea with a glint in his eye.

"I got tired of watching someone else fight! You… you fight me! Let's see if a third-generation like you can beat an old one like me!"