With the meeting finally concluded, Ivan quickly returned to his tent.
He had a lot to prepare for the battle. He didn't want to lose his first major battle.
Losing means death, or maybe he could barely escape with his life. Still, he didn't want that.
He wanted to prove himself. To show the world they had been wrong.
"I still have two summon slots left, but first, I need to do something about this damned hunger."
While eating, he had time to go through the discussion in the meeting.
'This is it… I can't help but feel excited.'
With the meal he had, his hunger didn't fade completely. That dull emptiness still churned inside him.
"So it really has to be blood, huh?" Alex muttered, frowning. He didn't know how ready he was, but the idea of drinking human bloo made his stomach twist.
He wasn't ready for that… not yet.
Enduring the hunger pangs was the only solution he could think of for now.
"You called for me, Prince Ivan." A voice interrupted his thoughts.
Alexander turned to see Ren standing at the entrance of the tent, calm as ever.
"Oh yeah. That's right. I need to sharpen my skills. Do you mind if you spar with me."
"Of course, my prince. I was appointed your personal guard for a reason, after all."
"Good."
Without wasting much time, the two of them made their way out of the camp and into the nearby woods. After a short walk, they found a clearing surrounded by towering trees.
"Young master." Ren said, his voice low. "It's best if you sit this one out."
"Sit what out?" Alex asked, drawing out his sword.
"I mean… the war. It isn't necessary for you to take part. I can carry out the plan myself... with ease."
"If you think I'm gonna get killed, then there's no need to get worried."
"I don't plan on dying here. Not again." He muttered with a strange glint in his eyes.
"If that's all... let's begin!"
Letting out a soft sigh, Ren finally drew out his sword, shifting into his stance. Gripping his sword, his aura shifted. The laid-back aura vanished, replaced by the calm of a seasoned killer.
"Prepare yourself."
Gripping his sword, Alex swung it a couple of times before taking a stance.
"Bring it on!"
Ren moved first. Running forward, he performed a swift horizontal slash. Alexander barely raised his sword in time to block. The impact sent him skidding a couple of metres across the clearing.
'I knew he was strong but never expected it to this extent.'
The amazing thing was that this was just his natural strength without even using mana.
Regaining his footing, Alexander dashed forward, unleashing a flurry of attacks. His blade moved with precision, but Ren parried each strike with ease.
He could clearly tell Ren was holding back... yet he was still struggling.
Ren's counterattack came in swift bursts. Fluid and impossible to predict. Alexander's arms vibrated with pain each time their sword clashed.
'I need to sharpen my senses in battle.' Twisting his body, he narrowly evaded a slash and, with a flip, widened the distance between them.
Circling each other, they charged forward, their blades clashed midair. The sound of steel rang through the woods as they exchange a couple of blows.
Ren was relentless. His attacks were fluid were getting faster with each strike, causing Alex to strain himself. His breathing grew ragged, his muscles screamed in protest, yet he didn't stop.
"Dammit! This body's still too weak!" He muttered, gripping his wrist with his other hand, barely able to stop the blade pressed against his, from reaching his throat.
Straining his muscles, he managed to redirect the attack, earning just a little cut on his cheeks.
"That's enough," Ren said, stepping back and sheathing his sword. "You've improved. But you'll need more than that to survive the war."
"Not... enough. Not yet. I... I can still go further," he said between gasps.
Closing his eyes, he let go of everything, the pain, the fear and doubt clouding his mind.
And then he focused.
Opening his eyes, a subtle shift had occurred.
"One more round."
Ren raised an eyebrow, but smiled faintly. "Alright, let's make this quick."
Charging forward, Ren once again struck. This time around, Alexander was ready. Instead of meeting the attack head–on, he redirected the blow, sliding his blade across Ren's and slipping behind him.
Ren turned just in time to deflect the counter, but he gave a rare, satisfied smile.
"That's it. Feel the fight." He said as they exchanged a few more blows, but soon, Ren stepped back and lowered his weapons.
"That's enough for today, Young Master."
Alexander stood, chest heaving as beads of sweat dripped from his brow. "I'm not the same prince from before…" he said.
"I can still go on."
"No... You're not." Ren agreed, his voice calm. Indeed, he had noticed the change and was quite surprised. But it was a good thing. The world had no mercy for the weak... not one of royal lineage.
"But, you need to get some rest for tomorrow's battle."
Alexander paused in his words. He was right. He needed to get some rest. The hunger still gnawed at him.
But a fire had lit up in him.
This battle… would be a stepping stone towards the greatness he was about to carve.
They returned back to the camp with Alex back to his tent. Touching his cheek, he noticed the cut from earlier was gone.
'I haven't fully tested this body.' He thought, collapsing on his bed. He was a vampire, after all. It wasn't strange having quick regeneration.
He didn't have the chance to test out his Blood Summons, but that didn't matter. He was going to see them in action soon enough.
Time slipped by as he lay on his bed, lost in thoughts.
He thought about his past life. Wondering how his friends would react to his death.
He felt a bit strange leaving them behind. Though they were quite annoying sometimes, they had been the only ones he had and... well his books... after his parents died.
It was also quite sad having his memories of his previous life slowly fading away as each day passed.
"No use thinking about that now." He muttered trying to console himself.
"This is my new life... now. I need to accept it."
"But I won't end up becoming nothing here." He was going to rise… no matter what.
He was Alexander Ivan Rodnerick. The sixth Prince of the Eternal Dynasty...
The Blood Prince... and was ready to carve his name in the history of Elysia...