Satisfaction.

Nanami watched from the sidelines, right next to her aunt. Her eyes were glued to William, to the thick purple aura that seemed to envelop his body. Aether so intense it could be seen and felt without effort. Even at a distance she could feel the heat coming from him. It was like a furnace. Nanami had expected her aunt to have taught him what he was doing, but it looked like that wasn’t the case.

She was watching with a look of utter shock.

“W-Wait, you didn’t teach him this?” Nanami asked her.

“I told him to brute **** his strengthening magic with raw power, but… This is something else.” Aoi’s lips curled lightly into a smile. “This kid, I swear…”

The two of them watched Johana create a long, metal halberd with her own magic. It was not only a show of strength that she could swing it around so easily, but also a show of prowess in aether control. Construction magic was very close to healing magic in complexity and difficulty. Even most skilled mages only learned to create a handful of items at best. Her aunt, for example, was able to create a sword, and learning to do that took her years of training.

Johana spoke loudly, her smile savage and excited. Her own aura flared up. Colorless like most, and while its intensity also made it easy to see and feel, Nanami would say it was slightly above Aoi’s. In this aspect, at least, Will was the clear winner. Still, though she wasn’t an expert in fighting, Nanami knew there was more to it than the power of one’s aether.

It happened in the blink of an eye. One second Johana was standing across from Will, the other she was within striking distance with her halberd raised high.

Nanami flinched and closed her eyes instinctively, feeling a weak gust along with a dull impact sound. She didn’t dare open her eyes.

“It’s fine, Nanami,” Aoi told her, pride in her voice. “He’s fine. My sword is faster than her halberd.”

Nanami opened her eyes and saw what her aunt meant. Will had stepped in and caught the shaft of the weapon mid-swing as it came down on him.

“The strength behind that swing is likely three times what I could manage, however,” she added with a nervous grin.

And yet Will stopped it. Nanami’s heart raced, and she wasn’t sure it was from fear or excitement.

Johana stepped away, just outside her own range. Though with her speed, her actual range was longer than the length of her weapon.

“So it really isn’t just for show…” The amazon liked her lips, eyes locked on Will like he was prey to hunt. “And you’ve got the balls to step in, too. Not afraid I’ll split your head open?”

“Can you actually do it with the way I am now?” Will asked her with a smile of his own.

“Heh. Might take two or three good hits, actually. I suppose I should’ve known Princess Ishtar was a monster considering who her mother was.”

Johana readied up again, lowering her stance and resting her halberd on her shoulder. She almost looked like a lioness ready to leap. Gave off the same dangerous aura, too.

Will sensed it too and did what Nanami would’ve agreed was a good strategy. He began to slowly step back while raising his hand and aiming it at her. That made Johana stop, wary of whatever it was Will was thinking of doing. Though her vigilance lasted little. In a moment, she did as she intended and dashed forward at full speed.

At the same time there was a loud boom, not too dissimilar to the sound of a gunshot. Nanami couldn’t fully process what happened in the next five or ten seconds.

Will shot a blast of concentrated aether at her. Nanami barely saw the faint purple trail it left. It really was like a gunshot. But the attack hit the wall at the other end. Nanami wasn’t good enough to know if he had missed or if Johana had dodged it, but when the same thing happened three more times, Nanami understood the amazon woman was purposely moving out of the way.

She closed the distance with lightning quick zig-zagging jumps, and the edge of her halberd found Will’s abdomen. The impact sent another gust of wind through the room and Will was sent flying until he crashed against the wall.

Nanami felt her heart about to burst, her hands shaking and her mouth dry. She thought she was screaming but no sound came out. That blow could’ve split a person in two, but Nanami watched with wide eyes how Will stood up.

He was coughing and holding his own abdomen, shaking his head and with pain clear in his face. But he was uninjured, or at least there was no blood. The most shocking part of it all, however…

Will was smiling. More than that, he was laughing.

“H-Hahaha… Good. It works…!” He coughed again and almost stumbled forward. “Did you hold back at all there?” he asked Johana, his tone devoid of any anger or hostility towards the woman who could’ve just ended his life.

“Not much,” Johana said, standing straight and holding the shaft of her weapon with its blade on the floor. She smiled at Will. “I wanted to test that technique of yours. Congratulations, you’re officially tougher than a Rock Golem.”

Nanami had never seen a Rock Golem but was familiar with the concept. Constructs made of rock, bound together with seals and strengthened with magic. They were supposedly really strong, reliable weapons.

Will’s smile seemed to brighten more. He chuckled despite the pain and straightened himself up.

“Are you happy with the results?” Johana asked.

“I think so.”

“Good, but don’t settle for that. You can make that even stronger. See if you can get a hint as to how while we fight. The greetings are over, William. Here I come!”

Nanami instinctively closed her eyes again. This was a bit too much for her.