2781 Skill Issue (Part 1)

Feeling the worry in the boy and the depression in the woman, Onyx rushed to say: "I'm sorry for being a jerk. My competitiveness got the best of me." She gave Kamila a deep bow and a complimentary lap on the face.

"Apology accepted." Kamila hugged the Emperor Beast, finding comfort in her warm and soft fur.

"What about me?" Abominus growled.

"You're right." Onyx turned toward him. "I'm sorry you've yet to evolve even though months have passed since I did. It must suck to suck."

"You furred-" Rage, practice, and the powerful mana geyser that fueled Solus' tower made something click inside the Ry's mind.

He had received the teachings of Lith, Dragons, and Phoenixes just like Onyx but until that moment everything just sounded like hot air to him. Abominus took a deep breath, holding it in while contracting his abdominal muscles before letting it out.

Along with his breathing technique, a golden pillar erupted from his body, quickly joined by a bigger one descending from the sky. His fur turned from red to blue and his body started to grow in every direction.

Once the evolution was over, the Ry had been replaced by a wolf-like creature whose height at the withers reached two meters (6'7"). Its thick blue fur was streaked red and yellow all over.

His tail seemed to be comprised of a single masterfully chiselled crystal and ice spikes covered his neck in the form of a mane. Blue feathered wings came out of his back, transparent like glass but as sharp as razors.

Yellow bolts of lightning were trapped inside the ice crystals and coursed from head to paw of the Emperor Beast, producing a blinding light.

"You did it, Abominus. You did it!" Leria hugged him without a care for the electricity that died down the moment she touched the newborn Emperor Beast. "How is your species called?"

"Good question. Too bad that's up to you to answer" Abominus covered her face in slob with a single lick of his massive tongue. "Lith named Protector and Aran named Onyx.

"Please, find me a cool name, and don't go for something cheesy like Thunderwolf or Frostfire. I Don't want to be the laughingstock of my pack."

He waggled his tail with an expectant look on his face.

"Sure." Leria replied, her enthusiasm dying down a bit. "Give me a few days. A month tops."

"A month?" Abominus echoed in disbelief.

"As I said, skill issue." Onyx laughed her ass off. Til call you 'Good Boy, then."

"Don't you dare!" Abominus jumped at the Utgard's neck, but between his lack of control over his new body and the eight legs of his opponent, Onyx pinned him down like the inexperienced cub he was.

"Don't bully him, Onyx. It's not his fault if Leria didn't prepare anything for this moment." Aran patted her neck and the Utgard released the prey.

"Are you telling me you did?" Leria was flabbergasted.

"Sure, I have several names at the ready for when Onyx evolves into a Divine Beast and then into a Guardian." Aran said like it was the most obvious thing on Mogar. "I'm so envious of you guys.

"Aunt Kami has already reached the yellow and will soon catch up to us whereas Onyx and Abominus are in a league of their own. Why is my mana core still bright yellow?" He pouted while looking at his own reflection in an ice mirror.

Lith had taught the kids years ago that even without a breathing technique they could check the progress of their cores from the color of the mana released by their eyes.

"Because beasts are supposed to grow quickly. They can't afford to be small for years like us." Kamila patted his head. "As for me, I'm an adult. My body can withstand the power of a stronger core whereas you kids are still growing.

"You are just seven years old."

"I'm already seven years old, you mean." Aran pouted harder. "At my age, Lith was already working as a healer."

"That's because Uncle Lith self-Awakened at four." Leria sighed. "Let's be honest, we are not his match. He learned everything by himself while we can't do anything without his teachings."

"That's not the issue. Lith is actually a man from Earth who Awakened upon his rebirth on Mogar. There's no comparison between you guys.'Kamila thought.

"That's not true. You guys are amazing. Aside from the heirs of magical bloodlines, there are only a handful of kids of your age as skilled as you are.

"Also, according to Lith, your mana cores are growing almost as fast as his own did while using Accumulation. I'm sure that as soon as you grow up a bit more, your cores will develop as well." She actually said.

"I want to grow up, then!" Aran grumbled.

"Really? You want to start working, cooking, cleaning and moving out of your house instead of playing all day?" Kamila asked.

Aran opened his mouth to answer when he realized that not only growing up implied working every day like the rest of his family did but also that he only had a few years before he had to either apply for an academy or find himself a master willing to teach him a trade.

The idea of giving up on life as he knew it, of seeing Onyx and Leria only during his free time made his jaw close shut and his stomach churn.

"I changed my mind. I want to stay a kid forever"

***

Meanwhile, inside the tower, Lith and Solus had finished the preparatory steps before attempting Dismantle on their own. They wore one gauntlet of the Hands of Menadion each and had summoned the Davross they had left via the Workshop and the Factory.

The latter shaped the metal as a small Forgemastering Forge while the former now increased the amount of Davross they had available by 50%, giving them enough for both of them.

Our goal is to learn how to do everything by ourselves individually, but since it's our first time working on something so complex, we better split the job and master our respective tasks. There's no point biting more than we can chew.'

Lith and Solus shared the same mind and energy signature, making it possible for them to conjure a spell together. Lith's Abomination and Dragon sides gave him affinity toward the darkness element while Solus was naturally attuned to the light element.

They each manipulated only part of the spell so that their instinct would guide them and the Dismantle spell would be handled as if the caster was equally attuned to darkness and light.

Lith and Solus had decided to start from Double Edge and work their way up from there. The blade was made of Adamant and Dragon bones, with no elemental or memory crystals.

Only violet crystals were available for purchase and those an artifact big enough to be wielded by a Tiamat needed were as big as expensive. Even if the Eye of Kolga was still intact, it would amount to just one crystal and to fuel its spells Double Edge needed many.

Lith flooded it with the destructive side of the spell, attacking the weak points of the enchantments he had imbued in the blade.