Combat Maid Harem

Ember left Lawrend's side and meditated behind a tree. She didn't want anyone to disturb her. Another mini storm of fire mana appeared around her body. She looked like a fire goddess.

She wanted to use every bit of time she could to surpass him. The circulation of the fire phoenix mana inside her body became more and more efficient. It would only be a matter of time before she became a Heaven Mage.

Ember had met a lot of Heaven Mages in her life. Some of them even gave her pointers. It wasn't absurd to say that she knew more than Lawrend about that level.

Lawrend only managed to stare at a Heaven Mage's mana circulation. He didn't get an explanation of how he made it so efficient. He might be able to come up with an explanation, but it won't be as good as learning the real thing.

She knew what needed to be done to become a Heaven Mage.

"Harmony with the world…" Ember thought to herself.

Suddenly, the sky above them turned red. The clouds dispersed and red clouds appeared made up of fire mana.

Lawrend stopped his lecture and looked up at the sky. He then looked at Ember.

"She is..?"

Lawrend had no idea what this phenomenon was.

"S-s-she…"

Julianne opened and closed her mouth in disbelief. She recalled a legend she had heard before. It was a legend about how to become a Heaven Mage.

'Master, Ember is harmonizing with the world,' Valentina said in Lawrend's mind.

'What does that mean?' Lawrend asked in confusion.

'I didn't tell you because you aren't an Earth Mage yet, but you need to do that to become a Heaven Mage,' Valentina explained.

'Amazing…'

Lawrend was speechless at Ember's talent and determination. It looked like he would have to concede to her once she succeeded.

The three envoys waited with bated breaths.

Suddenly, the clouds in the sky condensed and formed flaming phoenixes. They floated in the sky and extended their wings outward. The sweltering heat dried the highest leaves of the trees in the forest.

The mages didn't know what was happening. They looked around them with panic and gripped their staffs in preparation for an ambush.

"Relax," Lawrend said.

The mages lowered their staffs after hearing his word. They trusted him, so they stared at the phenomenon in the sky with eyes full of curiosity.

"No…" Ember whispered with indignation.

The phenomenon in the sky suddenly dispersed like smoke. The gathered fire mana rushed out and left this place.

"She failed…" Julianne muttered.

The three envoys felt their hearts beating rapidly. As Earth Mages, becoming a Heaven Mage was their greatest dream. Seeing someone attempt to become one gave them a powerful motivation to do the same.

Many of the Earth Mages in the continents' empires had never seen an Earth Mage become a Heaven Mage. Usually, only the three great clans could train Heaven Mages.

This resulted in the Earth Mages fumbling their way without any idea of what to do. Though, powerful emperors could learn a thing or two. It still wouldn't be enough unless they had amazing talents.

Ember opened her eyes with a creased eyebrow. She was upset at her failure. It was so close, but she couldn't become one.

"There's a next time, Ember," Lawrend said to console her.

"Hmph."

Ember ignored him. She didn't want to hear any consolation from him the most. After all, she wanted to become a Heaven Mage because of him. It simply made her feel inadequate.

Lawrend scratched his head at her. He was reminded of his frustration with women. Sometimes, you just couldn't understand them.

'Master, I will tell you something I had always thought about,' Valentina said.

'What?'

'I don't think you can fight a Heaven Mage as an Earth Mage.'

'Why? Is the difference that big?'

Lawrend had never fought a Heaven Mage and definitely never saw one attack. He could only speculate how much more powerful they were.

'Yes. The difference between the two is the difference between heaven and earth. It's a gap you can't surpass no matter how many tricks you have,' Valentina explained.

'I see… I guess I was wrong then. I still can't make a magic formation that can kill Heaven Mages,' Lawrend replied while his voice sounded a little bit sad.

'It may be possible if you can turn a whole empire into a single large formation…'

Lawrend raised an eyebrow after hearing her words. It made him rethink how he imagined formations. Maybe it was really possible.

"I might make one and leave it as my legacy for my empire," Lawrend murmured.

After that short disturbance, Lawrend continued giving his lesson to the mage army. They were still confused by the sudden phoenix phenomena, but they quickly forgot about it with Lawrend's entrancing lesson.

After a whole night of lessons, they continued on their journey. The whole day Lawrend meditated once again. This time, he thought about the magic formation he should leave for his descendants.

And during the next night, he continued teaching the mages his Elemental Storm Army Formation.

Just like that, three days passed by. They still weren't at Tropical City, but they were halfway through Startail Forest.

Lawrend let the mage army sleep for the whole morning to afternoon. Because of the shades under the trees, it wasn't that hard for the mages to fall asleep.

…

"Form the Elemental Storm Army Formation!" Lawrend shouted.

His voice reverberated for kilometers(miles). The mages were already awake, and they formed the Elemental Storm Army Formation as they were taught.

"Wrong! You! Move several meters(feet) to the left!"

Lawrend spent the next few hours correcting every single defect he found. The mages were nervous the whole time. His serious face scared them, and they wanted to perform well in front of him.

Some of the mages even corrected someone beside them, only to be scolded by Lawrend. After that, no one dared to recklessly correct others anymore.

By nighttime, Lawrend finished correcting them. It became faster a few hours in because the mages learned to efficiently follow his words.