My Soul card is a Reaper

On the way home, Orion was greeted by many clansmen. Despite the fact that there is no internet in the clan village, everyone seemed to have already heard about his selection to the main tournament, how he destroyed a rank-7 battle robot that could defeat any average Exalt Arcana master (7-star)

By the time he reached his room, his chest was puffed, his ego inflated. When he was praised on the pavement, he was modest, but by the time when the servants of the Garcia Palace were praising him and congratulating him, Orion's words turned a bit arrogant, claiming those robots aren't really a big deal, his sights is much higher, or he didn't even bring forth his full power, etc… Such comments often escaped his mouth.

And to one's surprise, Azzy didn't summon him to talk or congratulate him. He mostly spent on enforcing the new laws discussed in the clan meeting. That annoyed Orion a bit, but he seemed like he wasn't bothered about it as he had already received the nod of acknowledgment from his dad, right in the arena itself.

The next five days passed with no sign of sweat or strain. Orion didn't train or learn any new techniques. He just napped, subtly flirted with a few maids in the palace, and went to Graena City a couple of time to enjoy the modern world, back in the outside world.

Azzy, of course, kept tabs on his movements but only observed in silence.

At first, he only frowned. Then sighed.

By the third day, he stood on the balcony outside Orion's window, watching him juggle apples while reclining on a lounge chair.

He murmured to himself, "Smugness... The first step to stagnation." He took out his message card and went through the soul signatures before selecting one. "You are the perfect person to do this."

But on the morning of the sixth day, Orion was startled by a sudden knock, and then the familiar, energetic voice barged in without permission: "Get up, lazy bones!"

Fiona, dressed in her light sparring attire, stood at his doorway, hands on her hips and a wicked grin on her face.

Orion blinked. "Fiona? What are you doing here?"

She marched in and grabbed his arm. "Your dad asked me to visit. Anyway, come with me."

"Hey, hey… wait… where are we going?"

"Break's over, hero."

She dragged him by the collar, quite literally, as he stumbled behind her out of the estate and toward the Violet Pavilion.

As they arrived at the top of the mountain, a few people took a glance at them and watched silently, wondering what was going on.

Orion straightened up, cracking his neck as she freed the grip. "You dragged me all the way here for a spar?"

"Follow me to the training ground." She said, walking forward.

"Ugh… is this little aunt of mine in a bad mood or something…" Orion groaned but followed her in the end.

Soon, both of them stand opposite each other.

After a few seconds of silence, Fiona's boots slid back into a balanced state, hands relaxed at her side. "Come at me."

Orion narrowed his eyes. "You serious?"

Fiona didn't respond. She vanished into a blur instead.

Orion barely saw her figure, but he sensed an attack on his chest. He instinctively crossed his arms to defend.

Her palm slammed into his forearm, sending vibrations through his spine. He staggered backward seven steps before he managed to come to a halt.

"What's wrong, Error Boy?" she said in a flat voice. "Can't handle pressure without a camera crew watching?"

"I wasn't ready!" Orion shouted, his footing slipping slightly.

"Your opponents wouldn't wait either."

She spun, her heel smashing against his ribs. He coughed, the wind knocked out of him. Divine energy flared to cushion the impact, but it was too late.

Five strikes landed in succession: two jabs, a shoulder check, a low sweep, and a palm to his chest that sent him flying back a couple of dozen meters before crashing to the ground. Dirt smeared a part of his face.

Letting out a groan, as he got up, Fiona spoke. "If you can't even face this much, forget about Zion, you will be defeated before you even reach round 16.

That triggered Orion.

BOOM.

Orion immediately launched forward with his right fist ignited in divine energy, a golden arc trailing behind.

Fiona, however, didn't move.

He closed the distance in a blink, throwing a right hook at her ribs, but just at the last moment, she vanished.

"Fast," he muttered with widened eyes.

Thwack!

A strike hit his side elbow. He spun, sending a roundhouse kick toward her, but it cut through the air again. Another blow, this time to his shoulder.

He slid back. "Ugh…" Another groan escaped his lips.

He activated his divine energy fully this time. It wrapped around him like a second skin, a layer of armor. Whatever pain he felt from punches so far was gone in an instant.

Tightening his fist, he charged forward. He threw his fist at her face at his peak speed, but this time, Fiona didn't dodge but instead, she threw a palm strike.

Both collided, releasing shockwaves and throwing them away from each other.

While Orion landed on the ground, Fiona twisted in midair, turning into a blur and landing lightly behind him.

"Still too slow," she said, and struck with a sweeping kick that took his feet out from under him again.

As he fell on his back, Fiona unleashed a freezing technique through her ice element manipulation and froze everything below his neck. Orion gritted his teeth. He tried to get out but was unable to do so. The divine energy was resisting the freezing effects, but it couldn't free him for some reason.

She then looked down on him and said. "Orion, you aren't the only person in the world with divine energy. Don't be so complacent just because you defeated a robot and those weaklings praise your strength. You just recently started training. Yes, your progress is a lot faster than your peers but you still have a long way to go to be considered strong. In fact, as a person who didn't have soul energy or Arcana spirit, and as a person who hadn't trained since childhood like us, you are at even more of a disadvantage. So, you have to put twice the effort as others. Or else, you will only fall behind."

Orion didn't say anything to that and stayed silent.

Later, as Orion returned to the palace and shut himself in the room, Fiona went to meet Azzy at the throne hall.

Fiona greeted him with a simple bow and reported to him on the battle result.

Azzy stayed silent for a few seconds as if he was thinking about something, and asked. "After the battle, does he seem frustrated or determined?"

Fiona blinked and went silent for a moment before she answered. "I'm not sure. He didn't say anything. He was strangely silent and only spoke the words, understood, and I need some rest."

"Hmm…" Azzy went into thoughts once again.

After a few moments of silence, Fiona interrupted him. "So, should I leave now?"

"Ah, yes, thanks for your help, Fiona," replied Azzy.

"Not a problem…" Fiona nodded blankly before walking away.