Warrior Jiro continued to train the members of the Sky Squad. Elsewhere, Aji trained alone, practicing his sword skills at the edge of the field in front of the Sky Squad headquarters.

Jiro moved from person to person, guiding each member according to their individual specializations. He was pushing toward a target: everyone had to reach at least Rank 8. A few members had already achieved Rank 8, including Gayatri, Lao, Barsha, Alicia, Nagada, Astro, and Arion. The rest were still at the peak of Rank 7.

Although eight members had reached Rank 8, they were given specialized exercises to further refine their skills. Barsha received instruction directly from Warrior Jiro, based on guidance Jiro had obtained specifically from Aji. It represented the absolute pinnacle of an assassin’s art. Barsha was left in awe that Uncle Jiro could perform the highest assassin technique once mastered by his own grandfather. Uncle Jiro was able to unleash the ultimate form of Ghost Speed—a level of power Barsha had never even known existed before.

It truly felt like a lost, supreme art of the assassins. Had Uncle Jiro learned directly from my grandfather, Ganada? That was the question stirring in Barsha’s mind.

Gayatri, on the other hand, was lost in thought as Warrior Jiro taught Barsha the ultimate assassin technique, Ghost Speed. She felt as though she had sensed that same blistering, powerful attack energy during the second test.

Back then, in the final moments when all the attackers rushed her team, every single opponent was brought down in a split-second blitz. Gayatri remembered feeling that precise energy—the very burst of force that neutralized the attackers before her brother Lao's energy discs could even hit, knocking them all unconscious simultaneously.

Had Warrior Jiro been there to help the Sky Squad candidates back then? Or was there something else to the suspicion she had harbored all along—that in that exact instant, she had felt Aji’s energy signature vanish from beside her for less than a second?

That was a mystery Gayatri kept to herself. She glanced toward Aji at the edge of the field, who was swinging his sword with painstaking slowness. He seemed to be unifying his mind, soul, and blade, weaving a new technique or perhaps practicing a lesson he had received in the past.

He was a mysterious youth. Even now, Gayatri could not gauge the rank of his power. His energy was profoundly calm and vibrant with color, entirely unlike that of a normal human. She couldn't guess any further, especially since Aji rarely interacted or joked with the other Sky Squad members.

As she watched him, Aji suddenly seemed to sense her gaze and looked back, meeting her eyes deeply. Gayatri quickly averted her eyes, startled that he had noticed her watching.

Warrior Jiro continued instructing each member. When he moved on to Lao, Gayatri, and Aria—who all possessed elemental support abilities—he provided a unique training exercise.

Jiro taught them a technique to accelerate the absorption of natural energy. It wasn't just about unsealing their internal circles; it was about truly merging with nature, sensing its energy, and drawing it in at extreme speed.

Normally, a martial artist who has mastered or unsealed their internal circles can align themselves with nature and harness its ambient energy. This time, however, Jiro's lesson focused on blending with nature while simultaneously absorbing its energy as rapidly as possible.

If natural energy could be drawn in quickly, their power would increase drastically. Yet, such a sudden surge posed a severe physical danger to anyone harnessing internal circles. If a human body absorbed an excessive amount of force, it could cause catastrophic damage to their physical vessel or internal organs.

Because of this, most circle masters capable of gathering natural energy would never dare absorb too much at once, fully aware that it could cause them to detonate from within.

This time, Warrior Jiro instructed the three of them to create dual bodies—to construct duplicates of themselves, sustain those illusions, and have each duplicate absorb natural energy independently.

In essence, it shared similarities with the summoning arts used by Advisor Silvi. It was a formidable discipline; during her duel with Gayatri, Advisor Silvi had controlled summoned entities, directing them to move as if they were alive.

What Jiro revealed expanded the horizons of Lao, Gayatri, and Aria. To them, such a concept seemed confined to the realm of pure imagination—something virtually impossible to achieve.

Seeing the three Sky Squad members look at him in disbelief, Warrior Jiro decided to demonstrate. He leaped into the air and released a burst of energy from his body. Noticing the display, the rest of the Sky Squad paused their training to watch, drawn by the spectacle—everyone except Aji.

Maintaining his position in midair, Jiro thrust both hands forward.

Splaashhh!

Two glowing spheres of energy materialized to Jiro's left and right. Each sphere was massive, spanning roughly 50 centimeters in diameter. The glowing orbs began to shift and reshape, expanding into elongated forms. They kept molding themselves until they took human shape, becoming exact energy duplicates of Warrior Jiro.

"Maintain this form of energy and control the summons completely," Jiro instructed. "Then... unseal your circles and focus on absorbing the ambient natural energy."

Jiro concentrated once more, and faint strands of natural energy began drawing into his body. The same occurred with his two luminous creations; both energy summons drew in the surrounding natural energy alongside him.

It was utterly amazing! None of them had ever conceived of such a wild concept, especially the three elemental support users: Gayatri, Lao, and Aria. It was a monumental breakthrough in their understanding. They were certain they were about to reach a new height, feeling profoundly fortunate to be part of the Sky Squad and to be guided directly by Warrior Jiro.

Warrior Jiro’s true body continued to gather natural energy, having unsealed his seventh-level circle. His two energy summons continued to absorb the ambient power as he held the technique stable.

"Enough!"

Blaaaaarrr!

The energy burst apart, and the two energy entities Jiro had created disintegrated into a blinding flash of light that dazzled everyone watching.

"That was a demonstration for your training," Jiro explained. "It shows that you can absorb natural force beyond your normal body capacity. This will prove invaluable in your future battles against the evil forces of darkness."

Lao and Aria were left speechless, filled with admiration for Warrior Jiro.

Gayatri herself had previously thought Advisor Silvi's summoning arts were the pinnacle of mastery. In fact, without the circle-sealing pill provided by Aji, she certainly would have been defeated easily by Grandma Silvi.

Seeing what Warrior Jiro demonstrated—even if it was merely an initial showcase—revealed immense potential if developed further. Gayatri also realized that Jiro was still in the early stages of mastering this specific method. He appeared to struggle somewhat to sustain two energy summons that could actively absorb natural power.

It was naturally difficult; simply maintaining a summon demanded great focus, let alone forcing those summons to act as vessels for overwhelming natural energy.

As Gayatri pondered the next direction for her own training, a brilliant spark of inspiration took root in her mind.