Chapter 14: Combat training

"Fine, Rui. This will hurt a little, so try to endure it, okay?"

said Ana as she approached Rodrigo with her sword in her left hand.

"Alright, Ana,"

Rodrigo replied.

The young man thought she looked far too cute and childlike to be taken as a serious threat. However, before he could finish that thought, he saw his right arm vanish again—just like when Tania had done it the first time they met.

Ana was already behind him, her sword unsheathed. She had made a perfectly clean cut, and Rodrigo hadn’t even had time to react. The pain and terror returned to the confused boy, who believed he had lost his arm for good—and that he might die.

But he was still conscious, and the blood flowing from his wound began to weave itself into thin strands, like a spiderweb, connecting back toward his severed arm.

In moments, the drops of blood merged, and his arm reattached itself, completely healed—only a few stains of blood on his clothes remained as proof of the cut.

"This is divine blood, Rui. It’s called ichor,"

said Ana, turning around as her sword dissolved into dark feathers until it disappeared entirely.

"But… how did my arm come back just like that?"

Rodrigo asked, feeling suddenly dizzy and covering his face with his hand.

"The body of a god doesn’t work the same way as a human’s," Ana explained, stepping closer to him.

"As long as we have ichor flowing through our veins, our wounds will heal—even if we’re decapitated or torn into hundreds of pieces.

However, every wound or blow—depending on its strength—makes you lose ichor. When your reserves run too low, your wounds will stop healing and you’ll lose consciousness.

If you’re mortally wounded without ichor… you die."

Then Ana tapped Rodrigo’s forehead with one finger. Though it looked like a light tap, the young man was blasted several meters away, smashing through a cavern wall.

"And I’m supposed to be the brute one,"

Tania said with a smirk.

Rodrigo felt his consciousness fade. His entire body went numb—no energy anywhere. His arms wouldn’t move, nor his legs.

"I’m going to die,"

he thought.

Ana rushed to him and pulled out a small golden tube.

"Quick, drink this!"

she said, pouring some of the liquid into her student’s mouth.

As if by magic, Rodrigo felt his energy return. The pain vanished entirely, and his vision cleared.

"This is ambrosia,"

Ana explained, helping him stand up.

"When your ichor levels are in danger, ambrosia restores them instantly.

If you don’t have any, you’ll have to wait until your body naturally replenishes its ichor—but that can take days.

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And if your wounds don’t heal during that time, they’ll never heal at all.

For example, if you lose an eye and don’t have enough ichor for a long period, you’ll lose that eye forever."

Rodrigo stood, still shocked by what had happened.

"So that means… a single tap from your finger was enough to drain all my ichor?"

"Rui, you’ve never trained or learned how to increase your ichor," Ana said with a kind smile, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Don’t feel bad. As you train more and more, your ichor reserves will increase,"

she said, turning to face him again.

Ana smiled and raised her arms.

"Alright. Now I want you to hit me with everything you’ve got. I won’t defend myself."

Rodrigo quickly shook his head.

"Impossible. I can’t hit girls,"

Rodrigo said, trying to sound chivalrous.

Tania immediately burst into laughter.

"This girl almost killed you with one finger, and you think she’s defenseless?"

she teased, still lounging nearby watching the training.

Ana laughed discreetly.

"You’re sweet, Rui, but you can’t cling to human customs. That attitude will get you killed in the world of gods," said Ana, still keeping her stance.

"Goddesses aren’t like human women. A goddess of war could slaughter hundreds of igigi and malakim in seconds."

"What would you do if a goddess came here and attacked you? Would you just let her kill you?"

asked Tania, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. I wouldn’t attack her—only defend myself,"

Rodrigo said, placing a fist to his chest with a tone he thought sounded heroic.

"See? Hopeless,"

Tania said with a bored expression, resting her head on her left hand.

"It doesn’t matter if she’s an angel, goddess, or human. I could never raise my hand against such an angelic face. A woman’s hair should never even be touched in violence," he declared, as if reciting a speech he had memorized long ago.

"Pathetic, don’t you think, Ana?"

said Tania, still unimpressed.

But Ana’s cheeks had turned red, her lips slightly parted.

"That… was very sweet, Rui,"

she said softly.

"For heaven’s sake, Ana! That’s pathetic! It’s the cheesiest, most cliché thing I’ve ever heard—you’re not a teenager anymore, you know!" shouted Tania.

Rodrigo blushed too and turned his gaze away.

"Of course… I’d protect all of you,"

he added nervously.

"Alright, alright," Ana said, still flustered.

"If you can’t do it, I won’t force you."

"Hey, old hag, come spar with me then,"

Ana said, turning toward Tania.

"Old hag?"

Tania asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, if I’m not a teenager anymore, that makes you a decrepit granny who needs a cane to walk,"

Ana said teasingly, her dark hair swaying as she smirked.

"Oh really? Then you’ll see what this old lady can do, you brat,"

Tania said as she stood up.