Chương 96: A hundredfold gap

Nym's eyes widened. She stared at Vale, her expression one of sheer disbelief, as though she were searching his face for some sign that this was all an elaborate joke. When she found none, her gaze snapped back to Callum, who stood before them with the same calm, almost indulgent smile. She blinked several times. Then her composure shattered.

"How is that fair?!" she demanded, her voice echoing sharply through the dojo, anger ringing clearly in every syllable. Callum blinked in mild surprise, then let out a soft chuckle. Before addressing her, he turned to Vale.

"Oh, Vale," he said gently, "from this point onward, I'll be referring to everything by its original titles." Vale closed his eyes briefly, then nodded once.

"I'm aware everyone's been simplifying things for your sake," Callum continued, "given your memory loss. But that can only last so long. You won't truly learn, or adapt, unless you're forced to." Vale opened his eyes again, his posture straightening as he listened more intently. Callum then turned back to Nym.

"Nym, understand this," he said, his tone shifting to something more deliberate.

"Both of you are operating at the level of a Paragon when it comes to pure combat mastery." Vale's eyes widened slightly. Callum continued, unperturbed.

"Because of that, I needed to demonstrate the difference, not just in skill, but in stage as well." Vale's mind raced. He knew what that meant. There were two recognized forms of Paragons. The first were evolutionary Paragons, Visorians who had reached the Sixth Stage of Ascension by clearing the Trials. The effort required to reach that stage was immense, and most aspirants died long before ever touching it. The second were combat Paragons.

Individuals whose mastery of battle, independent of plane, essence, or innate ability, had reached the second-highest possible tier. Beyond that point, one could only progress by becoming a true Paragon and ascending to the final stage of existence. In short, Callum had just stated that their skill was already bordering on flawless. Nym grit her teeth and crossed her arms tightly.

"Well," she said after a moment, "if you put it like that… I guess it makes sense." She paused, then added flatly,"Still doesn't make it feel much better that you're a Transcendent Combatant." Vale's eyes widened sharply. He pointed at her weakly, shock written all over his face.

"A-a Transcendent?" That was the pinnacle. The absolute summit of combat mastery a Visorian could reach. A stage where fighting, and even ability usage, became instinctive rather than conscious. Where thought no longer preceded action. Where body, will, and essence moved as one. Vale had read about it. Such mastery was widely regarded as nearly impossible. Callum laughed lowly at their reactions, his shoulders shaking as he bent forward slightly before straightening again.

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"Well," he said with an ominous grin, "doesn't that make your performance even more impressive?" Vale and Nym stared at him. After a long pause, Vale finally spoke. He exhaled slowly.

"Well… yeah," he admitted.

"But how exactly are we supposed to grow if you're fighting us at the level of a Path Forger while we're barely Flickers?" He looked directly at Callum.

"Two ranks apart means you're, what, around a hundred times stronger and faster than us?" He hesitated, then added honestly,"I noticed it during the fight. Your movements were impossible, your speed, your precision. But you weren't using the power that comes with it. You kept yourself close to our level." That realization brought Vale a small measure of relief. Callum smiled.

"Exactly." Vale raised an eyebrow. Nym tilted her head, arms still crossed.

"If the two of you can work together," Callum continued, "to defeat an opponent a hundred times more powerful than you, then think about how many challenges would suddenly become trivial." He placed one hand against his chest and gestured outward with the other as he spoke, his voice resonant with confidence. Silence followed. Eventually, Nym sighed.

"Alright," she said.

"Then what do you want us to do?" This time, her tone held genuine curiosity rather than frustration. Vale narrowed his eyes slightly. On the surface, what Callum proposed sounded impossible. But Vale had learned something important since arriving in this world: impossible did not mean unattainable. As long as there was even the smallest chance, there was a path forward. Callum grinned, almost as if he had read Vale's thoughts.

"Train," he said simply.

"Build a bond. Fight together. Train together. If you do that, truly do it, I'm confident you can beat me." The casual certainty in his voice made Vale's eyes widen. Nym stared at him for a moment. Then she chuckled. The chuckle grew into a laugh.

"You really know how to make the impossible sound doable," she said, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. She straightened and pointed at Callum, fire blazing in her expression.

"Fine. I'll train. And when I'm done, I'll land a hit on you." Callum grinned and nodded approvingly. Then he turned to Vale.

"And you?" he asked, pointing directly at him.

"What will you do?" Vale stared at Callum, his pale eyes wide. For a brief moment, he remained completely still, no shift in posture, no flicker of movement, as the weight of the challenge settled in his mind. Then, slowly, something changed. The silence did not linger because of doubt, but because the idea had taken hold of him, rooting itself firmly in his thoughts. The challenge refused to let go. Before he fully realized it, a smile crept across his face.

Vale tilted his head slightly, a grin forming as confidence, reckless or earned, even he wasn't sure, rose to the surface.

"I'll do it," he said. Then, with a hint of sarcasm woven neatly into his tone, he added, "It's only you, after all. How hard can it be?" Callum paused. Then he laughed, low and genuine, clearly amused by the remark.

"See?" he said, grinning widely.

"That's the spirit." He walked closer, then past them, his presence passing like a warm pressure through the space. As he moved toward Korin, he glanced back over his shoulder.

"I'll focus on Korin for now," Callum said.

"Will you two be able to spar for battle practice?" Vale and Nym exchanged a brief look. Neither spoke. After a moment, both nodded. Callum let out a relieved sigh and turned fully toward Nym.

"Nym," he said, curiosity evident in his tone, "can you teach Vale a few things while you're fighting?" Nym tilted her head, her eyes widening slightly.

"Yeah," she said after a second, glancing at Vale.

"Sure." Vale met her gaze and shrugged indifferently. That earned him an annoyed look in return. With a quiet scoff, Nym turned and walked toward the wall of weapons. Nearby, Callum and Korin sat down on the stone floor, already beginning what looked like a serious discussion about Korin's training. Vale barely spared them a glance. His attention was elsewhere. He moved toward the weapon rack, eyes scanning the selection. If he was going to face Nym properly, he needed something suitable.

After a moment's consideration, Vale reached out and took two short swords from the wall. The blades were clean and well-balanced, their surfaces polished to a near mirror sheen, though, as always, they reflected nothing of him, only the ceiling lights above. Vale stared at the empty reflection for a brief moment.

'I've never fought her with weapons,' he realized. The thought lingered. The only time he had defeated Nym had been under specialized rules, and even then, he knew the truth: she had been disoriented. Too accustomed to relying on her ability. When that advantage had failed her, it had thrown her completely off rhythm. That would not be the case now. Nym was experienced. Dangerous. And with weapons, she was an entirely unknown variable. Vale exhaled quietly, dismissing the hesitation.

He moved to one side of the dojo. Across from him, Nym stood ready. In her hands was a massive twin-bladed weapon, nearly two meters in length. Each blade extended at least fifty centimeters from the central grip, sharpened on both sides, designed not merely to wound, but to tear through flesh with ruthless efficiency. Vale swallowed. Both of them assumed their stances. No words were exchanged. Their silence spoke clearly enough. Then, Nym moved.

She surged forward with inhuman speed, the stone floor cracking faintly beneath her step. Vale's eyes widened slightly.

'She's slow.' The thought surprised even him. And yet, it was both true and misleading. Nym was far faster than any normal human, faster than most Visorians, even. But Vale had not been fighting normal opponents lately. The closest comparison would have been Eskar, and even that encounter had felt more animalistic than human. For the past two days, Vale had been forced into battles against entities that moved far faster than this. A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

'Seems like I might actually win this,' he thought. But even as confidence rose, Vale tightened his grip on the swords.