"I feel more comfortable in my normal clothes."

"You'll fight in a pajama and a t-shirt?"

"I don't see why I can't."

Elizabeth stared at him for a moment and shook her head.

She changed into the full body black training suit.

It clung against her curves that were threatening to burst out.

'She has a big heart,' Neo thought.

"Do you stare like that at everyone?"

"Not at everyone."

While Elizabeth took the stance, Neo checked his status.

[ Neo Hargraves ]

[ Rank: Grade 5 Mythic ]

[ Divine Energy Purity: Grade 2 Mythic ]

[ Stats ]

﹂ Strength: 107

﹂ Speed: 101

﹂ Dexterity: 103

﹂ Constitution: 108

﹂ Luck: 0

[ Affinity: Death, Shadow, Darkness, Void, Water, Time ]

﹂Magic Spell: Necrotic Touch, Ocean's Embrace, Essence Breath

[ Bloodline: Monarch of Death ]

﹂Unique Skill: Death, Immortal, Eternal

[ Quest: Complete Barbatos' Training (Part 1), Completed 3/5 ]

The stats were good.

But not good enough to fight an Exalted Demigod.

"Why are we fighting again?"

"Don't worry. I will match my strength to your level."

"I'm not worried."

"Your eyes say otherwise."

Neo pursed his lips.

"Am I going to get beaten?"

"Why would I hit you?"

"Because I did some crazy things?"

Regression until he was about to be erased due to Erosion was beyond crazy.

Elizabeth decided to be the bigger person and didn't point it out.

Neo felt a chill crawl up his spine when the corner of her lips rose.

"Wait, we should talk it out—!?"

Elizabeth disappeared.

Neo instantly ducked and a spear shot through the space where his head had been moments ago.

His senses warned him of another incoming attack.

He was about to trigger the Ocean's Embrace when suddenly a fist hit him in the abdomen.

The attack knocked the air out of him.

All of the Divine Energy gathered within his core dispersed.

"Don't use Spells or elements. Just fight with your sword. I want to see your techniques."

"You could've… said it… first…"

Neo stabilized his breathing.

Elizabeth stabbed the spearhead towards his heart.

Instead of dodging, he moved towards her.

He raised his left hand to block her attack.

His sword was shorter than her spear, but he could attack her if he sacrificed his arm.

Elizabeth, not wanting to harm Neo, changed the attack's trajectory at the last second.

Neo used the opportunity and slashed towards her neck.

The sword passed through her harmlessly.

Elizabeth's figure flickered.

She burst like a water balloon and drenched Neo.

'Shit! It's a doppelganger!'

Neo scanned the room.

He couldn't find Elizabeth.

The water on the ground shook and transformed into five Elizabeths.

Neo retreated and put some distance between himself the doppelgangers.

'The real one must be hiding among them.'

Neo's mind raced.

'I doubt the doppelgangers can have bloodlust.'

'I should be able to sense the real Elizabeth with my death affinity when she releases her bloodlust…'

Neo stiffened.

The bloodlust was coming from all doppelgangers.

They attacked him together.

Neo cleaved the first Elizabeth into two halves.

She burst into water and the water transformed into two Elizabeths.

His actions only increased her numbers.

'Which one is the real one!?'

Confused, Neo held himself back from using a big attack.

Elizabeth would not know how strong he currently was.

Even if she could see his rank, she couldn't see the extra stats he gained through Darkness.

'I can catch her off guard. I just need one moment.'

Neo kept his senses sharpened when suddenly a cold piece of metal touched the back of his head.

"You've lost."

Elizabeth held the spear against his head.

'When did she sneak up on me?'

Neo frowned while he turned back.

'So, that's why I couldn't sense her.'

He realized his mistake.

'She never held any bloodlust towards me.'

Neo thought back to a few moments ago.

Not all doppelgangers radiated bloodlust.

'I should've kept my focus on those doppelgangers.'

He continued to think of the factors that led to his defeat and what he could've done better.

It was a habit he gained from countless battles.

Elizabeth lowered her spear.

She flicked his forehead.

"It's was a good battle."

"…You don't need to console me."

"I'm not consoling you. The first attack was enough to defeat Amelia. You dodged it with ease."

Neo returned his sword to the sheath.

"Was that good enough for a spar?"

"Yes, it was. I'm satisfied with your progress."

She smiled, and it was not the scary smile she showed him a few moments ago.

"How do you feel now?"

Neo closed his eyes and sensed his condition.

His Divine Energy was knocked out of his body when Elizabeth punched him.

Weirdly enough, he wasn't exhausted even though he barely had any Divine Energy.

'This must be the result of one of her Spells.'

"I feel.... strange," Neo answered. "I'm recovering my Divine Energy using the breathing technique.

"But the air in this room is weird.

"Whatever is present here is entering my body."

Elizabeth flicked her wrist.

A small hole appeared on the ground and a spherical machine flew out of it.

Neo could sense the weird particles in the air were coming from machine.

"It's an Elemental storage unit. Right now, it's emitting Time elemental and filling the air with it.

"The current quantity of Time elementals in the room is high enough that a Time wielder can sense them.

"But it's still at a level that someone with no affinity for Time cannot sense them."

"What…?"

Neo's face hardened.

"If your words are true, doesn't that mean…"

"You've awakened Time Element."

"That's impossible. I can't control Time yet."

Elizabeth shook her head.

"You might've not realized it but the amount of Erosion covering you is enough to kill any Mythic rank Demigod.

"The only reason you are still alive is because you've awakened your Time element."

....

Trivia #3

Neo wasn't not sad or afraid when he was about to die in the Labyrinth.

It's because he had won the battle against the Minotaur.

The victory was more important to him than his life.

And since he had already accepted Death while mastering his Death element, the idea of dying in a battle seemed normal to him.