Chương 51: Chapter 50: Reuniting with Selen After Ascension

As I passed through the forest to head back to safety, I started thinking back to when I first ascended. It had been an entire two hundred and twenty years since I parted ways with Selen. This was very strange to think about, as it felt as if it had not been that long at all. The days had started to blur for me since every day was the exact same thing with me training in the forest, so perhaps that was the reason why I felt no time had passed.

Still, it had been a long time since I had talked to anyone other than enemies trying to kill me. With so much time apart, we had a lot to catch up on, and I was genuinely looking forward to hearing her voice and having a normal conversation again. Once I finally passed the last few trees, I entered the area where I usually trained every day. I put Selen down and tried to wake her up, as she was still unconscious.

My efforts yielded no results, as Selen seemed to be in a very deep sleep, not reacting to anything I did. Since this was the case, I decided to just wait and see. The days passed and Selen still did not wake up, so I started to wonder what had happened to her, but there was not much I could do as she did not have any obvious injuries on her body. Unable to help, I just left Selen to wake up by herself while I continued to train.

On the positive side having Selen next to me gave me some motivation, as I was no longer bored with training. As more time passed, my motivation did not drop despite Selen not talking to me and remaining unconscious. I decided to take advantage of my focus and steadily made progress. Finally, after a month had passed, I noticed Selen making slight movements. Her eyes started twitching before they opened widely. Once she woke up, she began looking around to see where she was.

Her expression changed when her eyes landed on me.

"Where am I?" Selen asked, finally noticing I was there.

"You are in the forest. You passed out just outside of it not far away."

"So, I did make it," Selen mumbled.

"What happened to bring you here anyway? How did you end up passing out outside the forest?"

"I came here to look for you."

"To look for me? How did you know I was here?"

"You are very famous among the gods now as you escaped from Trisha so many times and embarrassed her. Everyone knows you are here, but they can't come in due to something stopping them."

"I see. So why were you looking for me?"

"The reason was that I needed a safe place to stay, since Trisha came looking for me after failing to kill you. I heard you managed to stay safe and figured I could do the same if I found you."

"That makes sense, but how did you end up passing out near the forest after getting so close?"

"It was because my exhaustion finally caught up to me. I have been hiding from Trisha for decades and haven't had much time to rest. I was completely drained of energy and passed out."

"You are very impressive to escape from Trisha after all this time. It's also very impressive that you managed to become so powerful in such a short period." The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

"Not as much as you have grown. The power you are giving off is immense, and I don't think I am a match for you anymore."

"It is all thanks to the person who helped me when I ascended. His name was Freed, and he brought me to this forest, which has kept me safe for so long."

"Why do I not see him around?"

"He died a long time ago, and I am all alone now."

"I see. Since you are alone now, do you mind if I stay here with you to avoid Trisha?"

"By all means, I don't mind. I actually like your presence here, as I was becoming lonely after so many years alone. Stay for as long as you like."

"Then I won't be overly polite, and I'll stay here from now on. So, what do you usually do here all alone?"

"I train every day in the hope of killing Trisha so I can finally walk around freely in the open."

"So how close are you to that goal now?"

"Still very far away, as she can still easily kill me."

"How about I help you train then? I don't know how helpful I will be now that I am weaker than you, but I also want to see Trisha dead."

"Sure, maybe having you help can bring about some unexpected results rather than me just practicing all alone."

"Shall we begin now?"

"Are you sure you are ready? You have been unconscious for an entire month, so shouldn't you rest a little longer?"

"No need. If I continue to rest, I will become even rustier."

"Suit yourself. Let's begin since you are so eager." Selen drew her sword, and so did I. Before we started, I looked at her level to see how much I should hold back. What I saw was very surprising, as she had reached level 6528 after only two hundred and twenty years. Her swordsmanship was even more impressive, as she had reached [EX] Divine Swordsmanship (Lv. 52). This was a massive increase considering she had no one to help her and had to live in hiding.

This really showed me how much of a genius at swordsmanship Selen was. Considering her current strength, I decided to hold back a little less. I could not use my full power, or else this would not help me train in any way. After I finished checking on her current level, I waited for her to make the first move. I did not want this to end too quickly, so I tried to give her the courtesy of going first. Selen stood motionless like a rock despite me waiting for her to make the first move.

Seeing that this was going nowhere, I gave up and made the first move myself. As my sword got close, Selen made a perfect sword arc just as I remembered she used to do. Since my slash was so casual, she easily changed the trajectory of the blade and came out unscathed.

"What do you think you are doing?" Selen yelled at me.

"Do I not require at least some of your attention anymore?" Selen's words made me realize I was taking her too lightly. This had to feel like an insult to her with how little effort I put in. I decided to be more serious, as this was for my own training as well.

"I am sorry about my poor display," I replied, no longer acting so casual.

"I will take you seriously from now on." We both repositioned ourselves into our combat stances and restarted the spar. This time, I put significantly more force and proper technique into my slash. Despite seeing this strong move, Selen did not panic and continued her own method of counterattacking. She focused her strike and managed to deflect my attack slightly, allowing her to remain uninjured. I quickly pulled my sword back to prepare for my next move.

Selen did the same as she condensed her energy and unleashed a blast from her sword. This concentrated energy was very strong, managing to push me back slightly as soon as it made contact with my sword. I was surprised by Selen's power. Despite being so much weaker than me, she could still push me back, even if only a little. This made me wonder just how strong Selen was when I first met her. She was simply far stronger than her level implied.

If she had taken me seriously back then, I truly would have died instantly. Now, the positions were swapped, as I was far stronger than her. The student had surpassed the master, which gave me a very satisfying feeling. Refocusing on the fight, I attacked since it was my turn. Slashing down once again, Selen made a move to try and stop me. Once again, she pushed me back slightly, but my slash stopped right in front of her face. If I pushed a little more, she would be injured, so I pulled my weapon back.

Seeing that she had lost, Selen put her sword away and stopped.

"You are truly strong now," Selen praised with mixed emotions.

"I cannot even injure you anymore despite my best efforts."

"I met an amazing teacher, so do not feel upset. You managed to get this far all by yourself, which is worthy of praise. How about I teach you swordsmanship from now on and we can progress together?"

"Since you are stronger than me now, I have no reason to refuse."

"Then let's work hard together and become stronger. With your talent, it will not be long before you start catching up to me. Once we get strong enough, we can kill Trisha together."

"If I can help you kill Trisha, I am more than happy to do so."

"Since you are so eager, shall we start right now?"

"I am ready when you are." With Selen ready, I started to train her in the same way Freed had trained me.