Walking around the zone, Atesh walked around the zone to see how other people acted. He was familiar with the actions of people within the city but that was a rather unique situation.

In the city, most people were happy with what they have and enjoy life everyday. They would party when a special occasion comes up and laze around on a weekend.

Naturally, the same goes for the soldiers since s.h.i.+ro was able to take care of most of the battles. There wasn't much risk to their health due to her skill and even if there were risks, Silvia has that covered.

Leaning against the window, Atesh glanced down at the guards that were protecting this zone.

Seeing them, he couldn't help but think about how easy it is to break through the first few defences of this zone.

To put it cruelly, they were barely enough to delay time. Cannon fodder in other words.

However, for Asharia, even the weakest cannon fodder was enough to kill several tier 5 beings on their own due to the weapons and armour s.h.i.+ro provides.

Seeing the military power, Atesh understood how much stronger they were compared to the average Queen.

'But that's only when it comes to the average Queen in this new age. The higher level people get, individual strength becomes more important. Without me, big sis Yin, big sis Lisa and everyone else, mum would have a hard time picking fights with other Queens/Empresses.' Atesh thought to himself with a sigh.

"You seem to be rather disappointed by our soldiers. Mind if I ask about what they're lacking?" A feminine voice rang out as Atesh glanced behind him and saw Saphi walking up to him with a small smile.

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"Lady Saphi." Atesh bowed slightly as Saphi shook her head.

"There's no need to be courteous with me. Just call me Saphi like everyone else." She chuckled.

"That can't do. I am here as an envoy after all." Atesh shook his head.

"I see… Well going back to the previous question, if you don't mind me asking, what is it our soldiers are lacking. Seeing your disappointed expression, I can't help but be curious about your thoughts."

Hearing this, Atesh paused for a moment before opening his mouth.

"This might be harsh but I'll be truthful with you Lady Saphi. If a strong monster was to attack this place, without the tier 6's here, the guards will be killed in a matter of moments. Their numbers are impressive but the individual strengths… leave much to be desired." Atesh replied truthfully as Saphi glanced out and sighed since that was the truth.

With how things were, cultivating good soldiers on top of focusing resources on strong tier 6's was difficult. For the average Queen, they would naturally pick cultivating tier 6's over the soldiers.

If she was to be brutally honest, having more soldiers was just a show of manpower. A lackl.u.s.tre attempt to dissuade people from attacking but that was the case for most Queens.

However, this is what confused her. The man in front of her, Atesh, made it sound like having a strong army was important. Hence why she wanted to hear his thoughts. Plus, with how strong he felt, having a powerful army SHOULD be close to impossible using normal standards.

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"You are not wrong. But is this not the standard? Most of the people used for Soldiers are refugees of this garden. Those who we extend a helping hand to when the world collapsed before them. There is not much they can do in the city considering the fact that we come from… monster origins and need mana rather than food to survive. So we station them as soldiers instead." Saphi explained as Atesh nodded his head.

It was true that monsters need mana rather than the standard food. The only reason why Yin likes to eat so much was because she enjoyed the taste rather than the mana it provided. Plus, with her skill, it converts anything she eats to mana so it was efficient for her.

s.h.i.+ro no longer needed to just eat mana crystals because she no longer needed that and can keep herself full with normal food.

Plus, with all of her skills, she can survive even without oxygen, much less food. It wouldn't feel great but she would still survive.

"I suppose so. Though it is a little sad to see good people being stationed as… cannon fodder." Atesh sighed.

"But that's how it is now. Once a victor is chosen for the new age, all of this can stop."

"However, let's not talk about victors when we're still in the stages of forming an alliance. How about a spar just to stretch our bodies a little?" Saphi offered as Atesh thought about it for a moment before nodding.

"Sure, only one round though. Mother does not like me fighting too much after all." Atesh chuckled.

Following Saphi to a small arena near the back of the zone, she opened the weapons shed.

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"Do you have a weapon that you prefer?" Saphi asked as Atesh thought about it for a moment before pointing towards the greatsword. While he was mage focused, he did like the look of a great sword.

Raising her eyebrow, Saphi was a little surprised that Atesh wanted the greatsword but pa.s.sed it to him.

However, the moment the greatsword touched Atesh's hand, it burst into flames from the heat of his pa.s.sive skill.

"Well… I suppose not using weapons is also fine. Though if you are insistent, I do have a weapon that my mum's subordinate crafted for me." Atesh shrugged.

"In that case shall we spar with personal weapons?" Saphi asked as ice formed in front of her. Grabbing what seems to be the handle, the ice shattered apart to reveal a delicate blade that radiated a sharp aura.

Seeing this, Atesh smiled and snapped his finger.

A small portal appeared next to him as the handle of a weapon could be seen. Grabbing the handle, Atesh twisted his body and pulled out a runic greatsword. Neon red runes lit up along the blade as the golden cross guard reflected the light of the sun.

*BANG!!!! CRACK!!!

Stabbing the sword down, the temperature of the area increased dramatically as light started to distort.

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"That's quite the impressive weapon you have there." Saphi praised as she had cold sweat drip down the side of her face. Even with her using ice to cool herself down, the temperature was still unbearable.

"It is. However, it is just a prototype for now. Made from leftover materials that he had within the vault. Once we find a more suitable core material, he'll make me a proper weapon." Atesh narrowed his eyes as he flared his aura.

"Now, I'll let you have the first move." Atesh offered as Saphi smiled.

"Many thanks."

Entering a stance, she dashed forward. A trail of cold energy followed behind her as it was barely holding itself together from the heat.

'Is this really a Queen's personal guard?' Atesh thought to himself as the ice was lackl.u.s.tre. Compared to what s.h.i.+ro could create, this paled in comparison.

Even if he was to go all out against s.h.i.+ro, her ice would just dominate his fire. Plus, ice was no longer her main element. Should she use nan.o.bots, his fire wouldn't even get a chance to perform.

Watching Saphi charge towards him, Atesh pulled his sword from the ground and activated the first set of runes.

Fire erupted out of the blade as a pulse of energy exploded out, evaporating the ice in an instant.

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Widening her eyes, Saphi quickly adjusted her movements and disappeared from his view.

'I suppose I should hold back a little. If I dominate her too much it might leave a shadow in her heart and make it harder to get stronger.' Atesh thought to himself since he understood that crus.h.i.+ng his opponent too much would leave a trauma.

Muttering a small chant, runic shackles appeared on his body as it was hidden by the clothes.

Twisting his body, he swung his greatsword behind him.

*CLANG!!!

Clas.h.i.+ng blades with Saphi, he watched as Ice appeared in front of his face before exploding into steam.

Quickly jumping back, he adjusted his grip on the sword and cleaved down with both hands.

Dismissing the mist, he managed to catch the shadow of Saphi and knew that she was above him.

Removing his right hand from the sword, he slammed it into the ground as a tier 6 magic circle expanded beneath him.

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Suddenly, a column of fire exploded into the sky as all of the soldiers were shocked by the heat. Some of their armour started to melt as they quickly removed the plating before they got hurt.

Standing up, Atesh stashed his greatsword away.

"I apologise, it seems like I got a little excited. How about we end the spar for now and find a better occasion next time." Atesh suggested as Saphi was surrounded by an ice coc.o.o.n that was barely keeping itself together.

"Let's do that." Saphi sighed in resignation since she knew that he was the clear victor.

Looking down at her hands, she couldn't help but be amazed by the strength of his flames.

Anything below a tier 6 spell would be melted in an instant and tier 6 spells had less than half their power when exposed to his flames.

Fighting this man would be suicidal.