Chương 55: The Clay Who Became King’s Equal

The next morning, Ava slept in. No one questioned it. Her body was exhausted from Erzabet's idea of training, which apparently involved kidnapping, terror, near-death experiences, and being used as entertainment by a woman who smiled like murder was a hobby. Before returning her to the Jupiter residence, Erzabet had made one thing very clear. Ava was not to speak a word about what had happened. Not about the training. Not about Nikolai.

And especially not about the fact that Nikolai had devoured Walter Fafnir's corpse. If Ava told anyone, Erzabet had promised to render her into what she described as a "meat-based alternative to parmesan cheese." Ava had no idea what that meant. She also had no desire to find out. So she slept. Meanwhile, Noah and Charlie were not so lucky. At six in the morning, Leonardo Jupiter entered the room and woke both of them with the mercy of an executioner. Charlie groaned into his pillow.

"I wanna sleep in…" His voice came out muffled and miserable.

"I'm still hungover." Noah, half-asleep on the couch, lifted his head.

"Didn't I heal you?" Charlie cracked one crimson eye open.

"I'm emotionally hungover." Noah stared at him.

"That is not how that works."

"It is for me." Leonardo stood over them with his arms crossed, already dressed in his black suit despite the early hour and the oppressive heat of Lævateinn.

"Get up." Charlie pulled the blanket over his head.

"No." Leonardo looked at Noah. Noah slowly lay back down.

"… No." Leonardo smiled. A few minutes later, both of them were outside. Neither looked happy about it. The morning sun had only just begun to rise over the desert, painting the sand gold and red. The heat was already building, and the air carried the promise that the day would become unbearable long before noon. Leonardo stood in front of them, perfectly composed. Noah stood with tired eyes and messy hair.

Charlie stood beside him in pajamas, a cat sweater, and the expression of a man who had been betrayed by everyone he loved.

"Alright," Leonardo said.

"I'll be training both of you." Charlie blinked.

"Both?"

"My brother needs to get back in shape," Leonardo said, pointing at him. Charlie frowned.

"I am in a shape."

"A disappointing oval at best." Charlie looked personally wounded. Leonardo then pointed at Noah.

"And you need to prepare for that psycho Erzabet." Noah's expression sharpened.

"She made it seem like she respected you." Leonardo's eyebrow rose. Noah hesitated.

"How strong is she, anyway?" For once, Leonardo did not answer immediately. His usual confidence settled into something quieter. More careful.

"I have no clue why she respects me so much." Noah frowned. Leonardo looked toward the open desert beyond the manor.

"I have never even made her draw her weapon." The words landed heavily. Charlie's irritation faded slightly. Noah went still. Leonardo continued.

"I doubt any of us have." The morning wind dragged sand across the training yard.

"That woman sees the entire world as her own." His crimson eyes narrowed.

"And in battle, she merely chooses who to exclude from her vision." Noah swallowed. Leonardo looked back at him.

"Once you're excluded…" His voice turned flat.

"You're dead." The silence that followed was enough to sober even Charlie. Then Leonardo cracked his knuckles.

"So." His smile returned.

"If you want to survive her…" Noah felt his stomach sink. Leonardo stepped forward.

"We start with teaching you how fragile you really are." Then Leonardo smiled.

"Don't worry. I'm an excellent teacher." Charlie sighed beside Noah.

"Yeah. His specialty is beating up children your age." Noah slowly turned toward him.

"Is that true?" Leonardo tilted his head.

"That is a very morbid way to phrase it." Charlie stared at him.

"But technically," Leonardo continued, "I am the first-year combat instructor at the Heroes Academy." Noah blinked.

"If you had attended," Leonardo said with a pleasant smile, "I could have been beating you up while getting paid."

"That doesn't make it better," Noah said.

"It makes it professional." Leonardo reached behind his head and untied his ponytail. His long black hair spilled down over his shoulders. Charlie's face immediately went pale.

"Oh no." Noah glanced at him.

"What?" Charlie took one step back. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"My brother only does that when someone is going to die." Noah's grip tightened. Leonardo raised one hand.

"Come to me…" The air shifted.

"The Clay Who Became King's Equal." Clay appeared from above like rain falling from an invisible sky. It spilled over Leonardo's hair, shoulders, and arms, clinging to his skin before hardening into smooth armor. Layer by layer, it wrapped around him, molding itself to his body as if it had always belonged there. Noah acted on instinct. Golden light flared in his hand. The Lion King of Heroes appeared, its lion hilt shining beneath the morning sun. Charlie stared at the blade. Then at Leonardo. Then at Noah.

"Hey, Charlie," Noah said carefully.

"How dangerous is his Regalia?" Charlie swallowed.

"Let's see…" Leonardo flexed his fingers.

"His physical abilities are always increased to match his opponent." Noah's eyes widened.

"His grip becomes impossible to escape from."

"That's bad."

"And…" Charlie's voice trailed off. Beside Leonardo, the clay twisted. A second figure peeled itself away from him, taking shape piece by piece until another Leonardo stood there. Same height. Same face. Same calm expression. Only this one was made completely from clay. Charlie gave a nervous laugh.

"If he's outnumbered, that happens." Noah stared at the clay double. Then at his glowing sword.

"My sword shines brightly and has powerful attacks." He nodded to himself.

"That's something." Charlie looked at him.

"Are you trying to reassure me or yourself?"

"Yes." Charlie slowly raised his hands.

"I'd rather not bring out my Regalia this early in the morning, and my ability is useless against him." Noah glanced at him.

"So what do you suggest?" Charlie pointed toward the desert.

"We run." Leonardo smiled.

"That's fine." Both Noah and Charlie froze. Leonardo cracked his fingers.

"Let's begin with a cardio workout." The clay double did the same.

"If I catch you…" Leonardo's crimson eyes sharpened.

"I break you." Noah and Charlie looked at each other. Then they ran. Behind them, Leonardo laughed. The training had begun. Both Leonardos chased after them across the sand. Noah and Charlie ran with everything they had. Which, in Charlie's case, was apparently spite, fear, and whatever remained of his dignity.

"Royal March!" Golden circles flashed beneath Noah's feet. His body launched forward, propelled by bursts of light as he used the Royal Arts to increase his speed. Sand scattered behind him as he cut across the training yard, trying to create as much distance as possible. Leonardo smiled.

"Good." His voice carried far too easily.

"I recommend using movement techniques to evade me." Noah glanced back. Leonardo was gaining.

"Think of this like tag."

"That is not comforting!" Charlie leapt upward.

"Sky Walk!" His foot pressed against the empty air. Then another. And another. He ran into the sky itself, taking the high ground with surprising grace for a man who had been emotionally hungover ten minutes ago. Leonardo looked up. Then smiled. He grabbed the clay clone by the leg. Charlie's eyes widened.

"Wait—" Leonardo hurled the clone into the sky like a spear. The clay double shot toward Charlie.

"That's cheating!" Charlie shouted.

"It is martial arts," Leonardo called back.

"That doesn't answer anything!" Noah kept running. Then Leonardo's gaze shifted toward him.

"Let's see if I remember how to do this." Golden light flashed beneath Leonardo's feet. Noah's stomach dropped.

"Royal March." Leonardo disappeared. Then appeared directly in front of Noah. Noah reacted on instinct.

"Earthquake!" He swung the Lion King of Heroes upward, unleashing a heavy rising slash toward Leonardo's chest. Leonardo leaned back just enough for the blade to miss. The force of Noah's own attack launched him upward into the air. Noah twisted mid-flight.

"Shooting Star!" Golden light wrapped around him as he came crashing down, sword raised for a follow-up strike. Leonardo looked up calmly.

"You should have kept running." Noah's eyes widened. Leonardo raised one palm.

"Air Palm." His hand struck Noah in the stomach. There was no dramatic explosion. No flash of light. Just a clean, brutal impact. All the air left Noah's lungs at once. His eyes went wide as his body shot backward across the sand, the Lion King of Heroes slipping from his grip and vanishing into golden sparks. Meanwhile, high above them, the clay clone reached Charlie. Charlie stepped backward through the air, trying to regain distance, but the clone followed with Sky Walk as easily as if it had been born for it.

Charlie's face paled.

"Oh, that is unfair." The clay Leonardo appeared in front of him.

"Throat Strike." A sharp hand jabbed into Charlie's neck. Charlie's focus shattered. His feet slipped from the air. He fell. Noah, still trying to breathe, looked up just in time.

"Oh no." Charlie crashed directly onto him. Both of them hit the sand in a tangled heap of pain, limbs, and regret. For a moment, neither moved. Then Charlie groaned.

"I think I saw my wife." Noah wheezed beneath him.

"Get off."

"I can't feel my legs."

"Those are my legs." Leonardo walked over with his clay clone beside him. He looked down at the broken pair with mild disappointment.

"Let's see…" He glanced toward the rising sun.

"You two lasted twelve and a half minutes." Noah coughed. Charlie made a sound that might have been a plea for death. Leonardo folded his arms.

"That is about eighty-seven and a half minutes less than I hoped." A slow clap came from the edge of the training yard.

"Wow, Leo." Everyone looked over. Alaric walked toward them, white lab coat shifting in the desert breeze. His green hair was slightly messy, his glasses sat crooked on his face, and he carried the tired smile of a man who had either slept poorly or not slept at all. Possibly both.

"Don't bully them too badly," Alaric said. Charlie lifted one shaking hand from the sand.

"Save us." Alaric looked down at him. Then at Noah, who was still half-buried beneath Charlie. Then back at Leonardo. His smile widened.

"Want me to help out?" Noah's eyes sharpened slightly. Charlie's expression fell. Alaric adjusted his glasses.

"I'd say, power-wise, Leo and I are about equal." Noah went still. Charlie slowly turned his head toward him.

"Why would you say that like it's helpful?" Alaric chuckled. Leonardo smiled at his coworker.

"Sure. I'd appreciate it." Noah's stomach sank.

"You can take the next round," Leonardo said. Charlie immediately tried to crawl away.

"No." Leonardo looked down at him. Charlie shook his head.

"No, absolutely not. I refuse. I already died once today."

"You did not die," Leonardo said.

"Emotionally, I did." Alaric stepped closer, still smiling gently.

"Don't worry. I'm a therapist." Noah stared at him.

"That makes this worse." Alaric's eyes glinted behind his glasses.

"Probably." Leonardo stepped back, allowing Alaric into the training yard. The morning sun burned hotter over Lævateinn. Noah forced himself onto one knee. Charlie finally rolled off him and collapsed onto his back. Alaric looked at both of them with calm, professional warmth. Then his smile sharpened.

"Now then." For a fraction of a second, his eyes flashed purple. Noah saw it again. That strange, unnatural color. That hidden disgust. That thing beneath the kind smile. Alaric clasped his hands behind his back.

"Let's see what hurts." Noah swallowed. Charlie whispered, "Everything." Alaric's smile brightened.

"Excellent. Then we have plenty to work with." Leonardo laughed from the side. Noah summoned the Lion King of Heroes again, forcing himself to stand. Across from him, Alaric adjusted his gloves. The second round was about to begin. And somehow, Noah already missed being chased by Leonardo.