As I expected, the fight of those two against the Blue Dragons, despite appearing challenging, posed no real danger to them.
For an unprepared person, or even someone alone inside that cave, the situation would have been completely different.
Even a God-level fighter, isolated, could face enormous difficulties against so many Dragons at once.
The cave environment favored the beasts: uneven corridors, darkness, bursts of fire accumulating in the thin air, in addition to the Dragons' natural strength.
But, in this case, Ghislaine and Eris were not the prey — they were hunters.
They knew the Dragons' strength.
Their presences were visible to Ghislaine's Magic Power Eye, which mapped every movement in the cave's gloom.
The Longsword of Light was the ideal technique against those colossal creatures, cutting through the scales as if they were only a fragile varnish.
Adding that to the versatility of the Beast God Style and the North God Style, no Blue Dragon managed to react fiercely before being cut to pieces.
It was a ruthless sweep, the two completely nullifying every advantage the enemy could have had and making the most of their own strengths.
Meanwhile, mounted on Skoll, I only watched.
My perception was extended throughout the entire cave, and I was ready to intervene at the slightest sign of danger.
But there was no need.
Soon, the fight was drawing to a close.
Ghislaine ran along the stone walls like a shadow, using the Wild Dash to accelerate her movements beyond the Dragon's perception.
The last Blue Dragon, cornered, roared and spat flames in desperation, turning the cave into an inferno of embers.
Still, the beast was too slow.
With a leap, Ghislaine vanished from its line of sight and appeared above it, cutting off its head in a single blow.
The thick neck split clean, dark red blood sprayed against the wall, and the colossal body fell with a deafening thud.
Eris approached me shortly after, sheathing her sword. Her expression, however, was one of frustration:
"That wasn't very easy? I expected a bit more difficulty!"
Despite the complaint, I could feel her true colors — she was very pleased.
Perhaps there was no great lingering trauma from that time, but certainly that event had left a stain on Eris's pride as a swordswoman.
And now, by crushing the same Dragons that once reduced her to despair, she felt better somehow.
"Be thankful it was that easy…" I replied with a smile that didn't reach my eyes. "Or you wouldn't even be fighting."
Eris made a typical pout.
Ghislaine came up right behind her, Dragon blood still dripping from the blade, but her gaze was serene. With a slight smile, she commented:
"It was only easy because we used a good strategy."
Still, her eyes scanned the scene: the bodies of dozens of fallen Dragons, the scorched ground, the metallic smell of blood and sulfur impregnating the air.
Her expression grew distant and somewhat nostalgic.
"It's good to see how much stronger I've become since that time…" she murmured.
Eris crossed her arms and huffed:
"Hmph! They're not even a warm-up! Soon, the Dragon God will be next!"
Hearing those words, Ghislaine's expression turned darker. Mine did too.
Skoll barked in agreement.
I took a deep breath and watched them in silence.
My wives were much stronger. There was no doubt about that.
But… I no longer knew if I truly wanted their help when the time came to face Orsted.
It wasn't for lack of confidence in them.
I knew their strength, perhaps better than anyone.
But the more I trained, the more I expanded and tested my own magic, the more I understood a hard-to-accept reality.
I still couldn't see a clear path to certainly defeating the Dragon God.
Yes, I believed I could win if he used only what he showed last time.
But if I were to consider those monsters depicted in the stories… if Orsted had already surpassed figures like the Fighter God and Dragon God Laplace… then it was obvious he was holding back. A lot.
Whenever I tried to imagine Orsted fighting seriously, I couldn't see victory.
And there was also a new problem that, lately, had begun to become all too evident.
Even improving my techniques, even expanding my magic, I felt a severe lack of real combat experience.
"Alright, let's go back." I said, breaking the silence. "The food must be almost ready…"
The two nodded.
They took about thirty minutes to completely sweep the Dragons from the cave, and during that time the others were probably finishing the picnic preparations.
As we returned, Eris and Ghislaine were talking about the battle and the techniques they used.
I, however, was pondering a rather pertinent subject: potential.
Ghislaine was, without a doubt, a talented woman.
Since she was ten she had followed Gall Farion, and under his guidance she had become a Sword King while still in her early twenties.
It wasn't a monstrous talent like Jino Britts's, nor an outlier case like my own history, but even so it was impressive.
After all, when she began practicing swordsmanship, Ghislaine was not seeking strength out of personal ambition.
She had no grand goal to drive her blade; she simply learned what the Sword God had taught her.
And I had long discovered that in swordsmanship purpose was as essential as talent.
Knowing why you wield a weapon was what shaped your strength.
Perhaps that was why Ghislaine remained stagnated at the King level for so long.
She didn't have a burning reason to go beyond.
But, after meeting me… and, more so, after we found Orsted, she finally changed. She found a purpose.
And with that, combined with the training I gave, Ghislaine not only surpassed her limits in the Sword God Style, but also recently reached the rank of Emperor in the Beast God Style — a style that seemed tailor-made for her.
Even so, with my current view, with the level I reached in understanding this world's martial arts, I knew that Ghislaine was probably already near the limit of her potential.
She had gone further than I myself believed possible, but she would not reach the God level in swordsmanship.
For that, something she did not have at the moment would be necessary.
A crazy obsession, a consuming flame that would make her sacrifice everything for the blade.
An obsession that would leave family, children, love — everything — aside.
Even if she wanted to, Ghislaine wouldn't be able to achieve such focus.
Now she had children.
Now she had me to protect her.
Now she had a family.
And that, although good, was also a limit.
Of course, it wasn't truly the end of her growth.
Galgard, after all, was not a God-level fighter, but he had reached a similar strength by other means.
The same could happen with Ghislaine. She could still grow through magical items or magic.
And then, there was Eris.
Her case was a bit different.
If I compared only raw talent, there wasn't much difference between her and Ghislaine.
But… the life Eris chose, the way she lived her youth, was an absolute contrast.
While in her youth Ghislaine wandered without a defined goal, Eris lived entirely devoted to surpassing herself.
Since she was nine, every step she took was toward a goal.
At twelve, when she reached the Saint level, she already had a clear objective: to kill Orsted.
Later, upon surpassing the King level, her goal was to defeat me, to prove her strength, to be useful at my side.
Each time an obstacle appeared, Eris not only reached her potential, but surpassed it, supported by Healing Magic that allowed her to endure extreme training, and surrounded by top-tier instructors who honed her relentlessly.
Therefore, while Ghislaine was close to her ceiling, Eris still had some room to grow.
If nothing changed, if she continued dedicating herself in the same tireless way, mastery would come naturally to her.
And with the magical items I planned to prepare for my women, there was a real chance that Eris would reach and even surpass Gall Farion.
Depending on the path she took, she could, one day, even contend for a position among the Seven Great World Powers.
Verdia was a case apart.
She wasn't really dedicated to swordsmanship at the moment, even though the swordsmanship of her elven lineage possessed great potential.
The truth is that Verdia simply had no interest in pursuing that path to its limit — and I agreed with her.
Verdia's true talent was in magic.
In terms of Touki, with her talent, she wouldn't go beyond the Saint level.
Comparatively, her magical potential was on another level.
With her old Flying Devouring Whale Staff back in her hands, her mana efficiency increased to the point that she could cast Emperor-level spells with stability.
By my estimates, given her talent and her natural affinity with certain elements, Verdia would inevitably reach that level.
And with Chantless Magic eliminating casting time, her combat capability would make a huge leap.
Overall, if I paused to reflect, all my women were extraordinary compared to the common standard.
There was also my disciple.
I believed that, with Aisha's talent, she would inevitably reach the God level in magic.
Of course, it would still take many years — probably decades — but the potential was there.
As for swordsmanship, she would certainly reach the Emperor level and, depending on her dedication, could even reach the Water God level.
But Aisha's real differential wasn't standing out in each art in isolation.
As my disciple, from early on she had been establishing a hybrid fighting style, blending the best of her two strengths: magic and the sword.
With that style refined to perfection, Aisha had real chances to surpass even Jino Britts.
And speaking of Jino.
Among all I had observed, his potential as a swordsman was the greatest.
If he kept his determination to defeat me, one day he could not only reach the God level in all swordsmanship styles, but perhaps even create his own style — just as I did.
Aside from those few names, I had not seen elsewhere in the Kingdom of Gaia another talent I truly believed could reach the God level.
There were some promising ones, capable of great heights, but without the cohesion of talent and ambition, they wouldn't really stand out.
And I had neither the time nor the intention to guide each one individually.
What I did was remain attentive to the emergence of new talents.
These thoughts stayed with me until the end of the trail, until we finally returned to the group.
The pleasant smell of roasted meat and warm spices filled the air — the food was indeed ready.
For a moment, I set aside all those reflections about talent, limits and future confrontations.
I breathed the pure mountain air deeply, and simply enjoyed the moment.
I played with my children, who at the moment were very interested in Skoll.
I talked with my little sister, who told me about her training with Aisha and her dreams.
I spoke with my father and my mother and, of course, with my wives, as beautiful and radiant as ever.
It was that precious time beside them that strengthened my conviction.
It was that family that sustained my determination.
And so, after spending the whole day enjoying together, we left the mountains and returned to the Great Forest, each resuming their own responsibilities.
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