Chapter 583: Graduating the Students

As Kai kept sparring with the elites, more of them came to take their shot and build experience. Because he didn't want to accidentally kill anyone, Kai wasn't sure how he would do if he fought with his full ferocity... but he wasn't completely confident that he could win, not when outnumbered. The elites definitely punched above their weight.

Fighting at such a high level for sustained periods solidified everything he'd learned about phases. He couldn't call it effortless, but it became second nature, so normal monsters would be completely helpless against him. That was just the entry requirement for being a true elite of the elite, but they all acknowledged that he'd made it.

The process was so beneficial that he insisted Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena participate as well, which they did to varying degrees. Omilaena was annoyingly fast to pick up the tricks and round out her phase usage, though she had less stamina for it. Zae Zin Nim participated a few times before returning to cultivation, and the elites admitted that this was probably fine: if she reached Sky Soul, her phase training combined with her new qi would allow her to fight at the highest level.

It was so much fun that Kai would have loved to train with them all day, but unfortunately there was a limiting factor: with an unknown amount until the incursion, they couldn't injure anyone too severely, or leave Fornil and other healers drained. This forced him to adopt a more balanced schedule, which was probably for the best.

He spent some time with his students, but there was increasingly little he could do for them, as they needed to find their own paths. They still needed two things: Physique... and a final edge. Kai put off the former until Omilaena came to him.

"Some of the kids are ready for their Physique breakthroughs," she said.

"Do you need blood?" Kai asked.

"Nah, I don't need anything from you." Omilaena raised an eyebrow at him. "They just want you around, for moral support. Now, are you going to be a good father or not?"

So he went to observe, and the group did seem to perk up when he arrived. Looking over the group, Kai was surprised that only one of them wouldn't reach D-rank Physique: Mariyay had been too focused on her varying skills and was only at E-7.

"Cheer for me!" Bonto saluted the group before thrusting out his arm for the injection with an exaggerated grimace. Omilaena rolled her eyes, but the group chuckled.

It proved to be a conventional breakthrough, bringing Bonto up to par. The surprise was Tori, who was still a slip of a woman, but had somehow pushed her way to E-9. She winced sincerely as she prepared herself, and Mariyay held her hand as she underwent the process.

"Now the tricky one." Omilaena laced her fingers and cracked them all at once as she looked toward Kifaela. "I've gotten a lot of experience with fundamental essence, so we're going to try something. You're going to burn out the naiad part of her soul."

"Wouldn't that... kill her?" Mariyay asked suspiciously.

"No, we discussed this." Kifaela took a deep breath and stepped forward. "Very well, I am prepared as I'll ever be."

"We'll be disappointed in you if you can't do this," Untariin said, and she gave him a curt nod.

"To be clear, you shouldn't go burning out parts of your soul at random," Omilaena said as she began preparing an injection. This one took longer: as she pulled back the stopper, it seemed to take real effort, and chakra formed slowly within the syringe. "But Kifaela's personal essence has withered and is holding her back, so we're going to try an elemental shift."

In other words, both exactly what she needed and another step in Omilaena's plans for herself. Kai had to admire her ability to do both at once sometimes and wondered how he should thank her for it later. For now, he waited to watch the transformation along with all the students.

Kifaela's transformation was much worse than the others, her body twisting in agony as she screamed over and over. But Omilaena kept her neck still as she slowly injected all the chakra and it spread through her body, glowing like molten lava. It seemed especially bright along all of Kifaela's scarring, as if she was burning from the inside, and then it suddenly surged in a blinding flash.

When it was done, Kifaela had transformed. The useless Naiad Essence in her soul was gone, replaced with a new "Plague Naiad" entry. Instead of disappearing, the scars across her body now glowed green, and her milky eye was green as well. It was certainly a striking look.

"Badass!" Bonto rushed in, wrapping an arm around Kifaela's neck and knuckling her head. She laughed and pretended to struggle while the others gathered around in a circle of good cheer.

Seeing it continue, Kai decided to give them a little more time. But when he started to back away, Tori noticed and turned to him.

"Thank you," she said with a deep bow. "Kai, for believing in us, and Omilaena, for helping us unlock so much. We hope to do you proud."

"Why are you talking like you're finished training?" Kai asked, and he saw the group go still.

Surprised, but alert.

"There's one final step for you to take," he continued, "to sharpen you for the incursion. I wasn't going to do it due to the high risk, since you all had Physique progress to make. But since you're there... the incursion risk only gets higher from here, so no time like the present."

"What else is there?" Untariin asked. "Surely you can't have even more power up your sleeve."

"Soul Level isn't as dramatic as some other abilities, but I've always believed it's more important than it's given credit for. When you're pushed to your limits in the incursion, that could be the difference between life and death."

"That's fine to say," Mariyay said, "but Soul only seems to go up in truly dangerous situations."

"This will be." Kai smiled proudly at the group, then let his jaws shift into a toothy maw. "I'm going to be hunting you."

.

..

.

For three days, Kai subjected his students to a hellish experience. Not only did they need to survive in the twisted environment of the Frontier, he hunted them relentlessly.

Of course his full strength would have killed them, but he could still push them to the brink. They had never faced the full power of his Void Gaze or Famished World, which would have broken lesser fighters. He didn't hold back from cutting deep wounds with Tyrant's Claw or poisoning them with Manticore's Spine. Kai even exhaled Baleful Breath toward some of them, putting them a hair's breadth from being consumed.

By the end of it, the group was utterly exhausted, but they had faced themselves at their worst and come out stronger. Kai had arranged with Fornil and some other healers to help them at the end, but they still needed a full day to recover.

Surprisingly, Gunjin came along. For a while he didn't say anything, looking over the group before eventually coming to stand alongside Kai.

"Alright, now you're just making me feel bad."

"What do you mean?" Kai asked. "They should help against the incursion."

"You're doing what I'm trying to do, but better." Gunjin chuckled and shook his head. "I wish that I'd stayed behind you, so that I could say I was proud. But you should be proud of them."

Kai wanted to object or offer some encouragement, but his mentor moved away too quickly. Once Fornil had finished his work - and given Kai a lecture about causing harm - they were gone, leaving only Kai and his students.

Without any announcement, the group knew that this had been their final challenge together and that they would soon be parting ways. The night after they recovered, they spent a long time around a campfire together, sometimes celebrating loudly and sometimes quiet. A few might have slipped off with one another, but Kai decided that was none of his business and didn't pay close attention.

In the morning, all of them were waiting and ready. As Kai looked over the group, he knew he should have felt pride, but mostly he worried about all of them. They were more than up to the average challenge, but what would they face in the incursion?

"The speech can wait until after," he told them. "We still don't know how late the incursion will be, but we're going to move you to your locations now. Use the remaining time to fully recover and get to know the battlegrounds where you might be fighting."

He got seven nods in return.

First they sent off the Goralian group: Untariin with Razz in Goraykan, Ankrastor taking care of Monskon City.

<

Name: Ankrastor of the Undertow

Total Power: 513

Flameborn: Twiceburned (114)

Firebrand Class: 23 (33)

Physique: E-1 (305)

Soul Level: 6 (36)

Twinflame Physique (+15)

Soulbronze Armor (+10)

>

<

Name: Untariin of Cuulisi

Total Power: 405

Crystal Cultivation: 9999 (125)

Rogue Class: 19 (29)

Physique: D-1 (205)

Soul Level: 6 (36)

Soulbronze Armor (+10)

>

As the others said farewells, Kai noticed Tori lingering and made the connection to the "Soulbronze Armor" he saw in everyone's souls. Apparently she had gained the ability to make defenses for others and somehow found the time to make six suits of it.

Tori herself joined Bonto to go to Krysal.

<

Name: Tori Quondan

Total Power: 407

Path of Steel: Bronze 9 (18)

Silver Hand: Opal Rank (35)

Crystal Cultivation: 4280 (93)

Physique: D-0 (200)

Soul Level: 6 (36)

Soul of Creation (+25)

>

<

Name: Bonto of Birtaegal

Total Power: 393

Manalance: 29 (49)

Crystal Cultivation: 7371 (109)

Physique: D-0 (200)

Soul Level: 5 (25)

Soulbronze Armor (+10)

>

The final training had put Tori over 400 Power, but Bonto was still a little below, so Kai worried for him. Krysal was a uniquely difficult position, given the political chaos. Then again, they had spent months in the crystal mines, so they should have a grounding, or so he hoped.

Next came a more unusual pairing: Kifaela and Mariyay were headed to Irun. Both of them had strong sets of abilities near 400 Power total.

<

Name: Kifaela

Total Power: 418

Plague Artisan: Amber Rank (70)

Tideblade Class: 17 (27)

Physique: D-5 (225)

Soul Level: 6 (36)

Plague Naiad (+50)

Soulbronze Armor (+10)

>

<

Name: Mariyay Hafkrir

Total Power: 372

Builder Class: 54 (64)

Earthborn: Onceshaken (70)

Path of Steel: Steel 3 (63)

Physique: E-8 (104)

Soul Level: 6 (36)

Earthfist (+25)

Soulbronze Armor (+10)

>

Their bonds to their nation weren't as strong, but they had still agreed to risk their lives in order to defend it. Kai nodded to them as they stepped into the portal and could only hope that it conveyed everything necessary.

That left only Kyridnyiam, standing awkwardly on his own.

<

Name: Kyridnyiam

Total Power: 326

Dryad Essence: 35 (105)

Cultivation: Body Refinement 0% (100)

Waterborn: Oncedrowned (66)

Soul Level: 5 (25)

Soulbronze Armor (+10)

Tidebearer (+10)

Crystal Helm (+10)

>

With just over 300 power, he was the "kid brother" of the group, though Kai saw that the others had given him the best support they could. Tori had made her Soulbronze Armor, of course, but it looked like Untariin had uncharacteristically offered something, and even Mariyay had broken her usual policies to make him a spear.

"You'll do fine," Kai said, clapping the young dryad on the back. "Now go have fun in the Water Union."

Then he was gone, the portal died away, and Kai stood alone hoping that he hadn't lied. Not long ago, he had been hunting his students like a monster, but now he could only feel like a father.