Altair never imagined he'd find himself kissing one wife in front of another, the thrill of the clandestine act electrifying. But, mindful of Rinslet's shy nature, he didn't push too far. After savoring her soft lips, he dutifully channeled his magic into her, restoring her to a state stronger than ever. Rinslet was deeply satisfied.

Once her power was replenished, Altair released her and returned to his spot, picking up Est and sitting on a rock to observe.

The rest was up to Rinslet. Per his plan, she would defeat Claire and Kamito here and recruit them into her team.

While Rinslet, with his aid, could dominate the entire Blade Dance festival single-handedly, the rules required a team. Strong teammates were preferable to weak ones.

At Areishia Spirit Academy, Rinslet, with Altair, was unmatched. Next in strength was Kamito, followed by Claire, a talented elementalist who hadn't yet unlocked her full potential.

As Claire was Rinslet's friend, whom she genuinely wanted to help, including her was a natural choice.

The training and power transfer had taken time, so Rinslet didn't wait long before Claire and Kamito appeared in the Elemental Realm.

The Elemental Realm and the human world were parallel yet intertwined, with locations in one corresponding to the other. Areishia Academy's position had a fixed counterpart here, where students trained or, as now, dueled.

"Claire Rouge, I'm pleased you didn't run." Rinslet said, her instinct to taunt kicking in.

"Don't get cocky, Rinslet! I've formed a contract, and I'll win today!" Claire shot back, pointing at her. In the past hour, she'd successfully contracted with Kamito. Despite knowing his identity as the Dark Elf King from Altair's spoilers, she showed him no deference.

"Oh? A new spirit? Let's see what your contracted spirit can do." Rinslet glanced at Kamito, brimming with confidence.

"Don't worry, I won't crush you instantly. For this duel, Master Altair won't intervene. I alone can handle your entire team."

Bow in hand, empowered by Altair's teachings, Rinslet feared nothing. Even if Claire had contracted Kamito, Altair had said he hadn't awakened, was weak, and thought himself an elementalist. She had no reason to worry.

"Come, I'll let you strike first. Show me your strength."

"Damn you, Rinslet, underestimating me!" Claire's right hand summoned her flaming whip.

"Obey my command, Scarlet!"

Claire lashed the ground, pointing at Rinslet.

"Kamito, go!"

"How am I supposed to go? You expect me to fight an elementalist barehanded?"

"Barehanded or not, you're a spirit! Use your body and fight!"

"What kind of logic is that?!" Despite his complaints, Kamito followed Claire's orders, utterly under her thumb.

Unarmed, he stepped in front of Claire, ready to attack Rinslet as her vanguard.

"Let's see what you've got." Rinslet said, holding her bow with one hand, elegantly flicking her golden hair.

"Sorry, then." Kamito dashed toward her.

"I'll cover you!" Claire summoned a fireball, hurling it not at Rinslet but at the ground before her, aiming to obscure her vision and aid Kamito's advance.

The fireball exploded on impact, kicking up dust that perfectly blocked Rinslet's sight.

"Nice work, Claire!" Kamito praised, accelerating to flank Rinslet.

"Got you!" His right hand formed a knife-hand strike aimed at her neck. Though weaponless, Kamito, trained as an assassin from childhood, was formidable in close combat, especially against elementalists reliant on spirits.

But his strike passed through Rinslet's body, hitting the ground.

"What?!" Kamito's eyes widened, and he instinctively retreated, staring at her warily.

"What was that?"

He should have hit her, but felt nothing, passing right through.

"Hey, Kamito, what are you doing? Why'd you pull back?" Claire shouted, confused by his retreat after charging in.

"You're right. Why back off? To hit me, you need to get closer." Rinslet said as the dust cleared, standing unscathed with a smile.

"Or are you scared to approach me?"

Good grief, Altair thought, watching from behind with Est in his arms. That line!

Is her name Rinslet Aizen now?

Empowered by Altair's guidance and new abilities, Rinslet's confidence had ballooned, her naturally bold personality amplified. She'd just quoted Aizen's iconic line to Kamito.

Incredible!

"Kamito, what's going on? Why'd you retreat?" Claire ran to him, grabbing his sleeve.

"It's not that I wanted to, Claire. I attacked, but my strike passed through her. I didn't touch her."

"What does that mean? I don't get it."

Claire's limited understanding couldn't grasp Kamito's words.

"It means my attack was completely negated. She used some technique I don't understand to nullify it."

Claire sort of got it, her attack was ineffective.

"Impossible. Rinslet's just an ice user. She doesn't have that kind of ability." Having clashed with Rinslet for years, Claire knew her well.

"But my attack was negated. If you don't believe me, I'll try again. This time, don't cover me. I'll find a way to get close."

Claire was skeptical, not understanding the ability Kamito described, but since he insisted, "Be careful."

"Yeah, watch closely. See how she counters my attack."

Kamito charged Rinslet again.

Rinslet stood confidently, unmoving, watching him approach and swing a fist.

Claire witnessed it herself, Kamito's fist passed through Rinslet's body, his entire form going through her.

"What is that?!" Claire shrieked.

"An illusion? Did Rinslet create an illusion? Damn it, when did she learn that trick?"

Kamito, missing his strike, quickly retreated to Claire's side.

"I don't know. It feels like an illusion, but it's different from the environment."

"Could it be that black dragon spirit's power?"

Elementalists' abilities stemmed from their spirits. Scarlet's fire let Claire wield fire magic; Fenrir's ice enabled Rinslet's ice magic. Illusions weren't Fenrir's domain, so Rinslet's new ability likely came from her new spirit, capable of illusions.

"Oh? You think I'm an illusion?" Rinslet laughed at Claire's analysis.

"If you believe that, come experience it for yourself, whether I'm an illusion or not."

As she spoke, Rinslet slowly drew her bow, ice forming an arrow. She aimed at the ground beneath Claire and fired.

"Dodge!" Kamito yanked Claire aside, evading the arrow. It exploded on impact, blooming into a massive ice flower, shards scattering to form a five-meter-tall ice sculpture.

"No way, that kind of power!" Claire gaped at the towering ice.

"When did Rinslet get this strong?!"

***

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