Legendary Soul Art

"How are you feeling?" Number One questioned as he let Nami and Luna rest their heads on his thighs.

"I feel like my head was hit by a train," Luna replied while covering her face. "I'm sorry for earlier…"

Luna gave in to her emotions which showed she still had a lot to learn. There would be many times in the future when they would have to face tough opponents and the best they could do was stay composed.

"Don't worry, we will work on that," Number One assured as he wiped Luna's ears with his sleeve and checked on Nami just the same. They were both still in shock and the healing pills needed a moment to work.

Such immense pressure applied to their head could severely damage their brain which wasn't that easy to recover. If Blood Maiden was just a bit stronger, it wouldn't just end on a short loss of consciousness and their brains could even turn into mush.

"We are fine already, you can go," Luna suggested as she tried to get up but Number One pushed her back down with no hesitation. She received a stern gaze and he began caressing their cheeks.

Blood Maiden was watching them from another room but Number One stopped paying attention to her. He had been nothing but respectful and she broke the integral rule which destroyed any kind of future with them. He would be willing to lower his pride if she only targetted him but the moment she touched his women it was all over.

Number One waited a minute to let the girls recover and then helped them up. Leon happened to be going down the stairs as they were getting up and he stared at them in confusion. "What happened? I felt the floor bending."

"You can ask your wife about that. She was the one who attacked us," Number One responded coldly while turning towards the exit. "My offer for you still stands but we don't want anything to do with your wife anymore. Goodbye."

Leon was taken aback and immediately rushed down the stairs while searching for his wife. "Wait, why did she attack you? Elina! What happened?!"

"It's not that big of a deal. They were playing on my nerves so I punished them a little," Blood Maiden replied calmly before calling after Number One. "If you leave now, you can forget about improving your Soul Energy. You will forever be a White Talent who can't master any Soul Arts."

Number One paused in front of the door which caused Blood Maiden to snicker, "Come. You will let me study the Artifact in your chest and if I'm satisfied, I will—"

Blood Maiden's speech was cut off by White Soul Energy that burst out from Number One's palm. He formed his Soul Sword and slashed the lock on the door. "I told you not to threaten people you don't know. That was your first and last mistake."

Number One didn't wait for a response and they left right after. Although he really wanted to improve his talent, he had his bottom line. He finally had someone he cared about and would never let them suffer for his own benefit.

The three of them thought that was it for now but then they heard a crisp slap from inside. They couldn't help but turn around and saw Leon's palm raised while Blood Maiden stared at him speechlessly. She reached to her face to cover the red mark Leon created and stared at his back with an open mouth.

"Did he just…" Nami muttered dumbfounded as they watched Leon come out to face them. She knew exactly how he felt as she had many similar situations with her older sister.

"I apologize for my wife," Leon announced with a bow and showed a disappointed expression. "I invited you into my home and I failed the trust you put in me. I should have known this could happen and stayed behind to watch. I will now talk with my wife to resolve this conflict."

Number One couldn't imagine that Leon had it in him to take over the initiative and nodded, "It's not your fault but thank you."

"No, it is my fault because it already happened in the past. I thought I could leave her alone with you after she promised not to hurt you but I was wrong," Leon commented regretfully. "Give me some time and I will resolve this. You have my word."

"Alright then. Take care for now," Number One agreed while shaking Leon's hand and they finally departed under everyone's gazes.

No matter if Leon had any influence on Blood Maiden or not, Number One still achieved his goal. Although it got much more complicated with how she attacked them, he never thought of showing her the Legendary Artifact this easily. He only wanted to increase her curiosity and leave right after so the end results could still be the same.

"Do you think he will make her apologize to us?" Luna wondered as they flew above the city. "I thought she was the one in control yet he didn't hesitate to slap her. I like him even more now. He doesn't tolerate betrayal."

"Let's hope she doesn't retaliate against him. He is a good man and it's clear she was manipulating him their whole relationship," Nami pointed out as she looked back. "I wonder what she is hiding…"

Number One took a deep breath and stayed realistic. "We are no match for Blood Maiden so maybe this outcome wasn't that bad. If there is anyone who can affect her, it's definitely Leon. She wouldn't stay with him for thirty years if she disliked him so he might be able to help us."

They weren't able to force Blood Maiden to reveal her secret and she could easily get what she wanted with her strength. She wouldn't even need to honor their trade as there was nothing they could do to her.

"On another note, how was she able to do that? I never heard of such powerful Soul Art," Luna pointed out with a complicated expression. "I don't even know how to counter it. Unless my physical strength can handle the pressure, I wouldn't be able to reach her. She can first immobilize me and then finish me off when I am unconscious. That's not even a matter of skill but rather defense."

Number One had no idea either so they both turned to Nami who gave them a vague idea. "I think I heard about this Soul Art. Artifact Crafters can manipulate the space with their Soul Energy and then compress or expand it within the Storage Rings. The same process is used within the Soul Training Rooms but I never heard of anyone using it in an offensive setting. Maybe that's why Headmaster Blake was wary of her."

"So the training rooms are like giant Artifacts which manipulate the pressure inside the room. Would it be possible to have a portable Artifact that could counter the pressure by reversing it back to normal?" Luna pointed out in wonder.

"I think it could be possible using a formation but it requires a huge amount of Soul Energy to pull off. It is easier to simply become an Artifact Crafter and learn the Space Manipulation Art," Nami suggested. "Unfortunately it's one of the hardest professions and it would take years to master it. What Blood Maiden did was even more impressive as expanding space within a stable Essence Stones is so much easier than manipulating the space in the open."

Number One couldn't help but think about his golden crystal and how much space it had inside. The way he could grow more clouds using the Soul Crystals already told him there were similar mechanisms in place. He wouldn't be surprised if the third door surprised him with crafting knowledge but he didn't expect anything.

"I will think of a way to strengthen our bodies so the same situation won't happen in the future," Number One informed as he already planned for that in the future. He was confident he could resist the full force of Blood Maiden's pressure if he was just a bit stronger.

———

While Number One and the ladies set off to the Winged Soul Academy, Leon was busy replacing the broken lock on the door. It was completely silent in the store as Blood Maiden remained standing in the same position as she watched her husband work.

Only when he was done did he approach his wife and reached to caress the red mark on her cheek. It was already lightened since he didn't use too much force but he still felt awfully bad for his actions. "Does it hurt?"

"No, but I can't believe you actually hit me," Blood Maiden replied while grasping Leon's chin to stare into his eyes. "Do you realize what you have done?"

"I do. You broke your promise and I punished you in the only way you would understand your mistake," Leon pointed out with no fear. "I wouldn't care if it was anyone else but they came here with me and you still hurt them. I don't care how strong you are, I will not tolerate it. Don't make me lose the trust I put in you."

Blood Maiden stared back into his eyes and instead of lashing out at him, she actually smiled in adoration. "I don't think I understood my mistake. You need to slap me again. This time do it harder."

"..." Leon paused while taking a step back. "You liked it...?"

"I liked when you became so dominant all of a sudden. I didn't think you have it in you," Blood Maiden explained which caused Leon to stare at her speechlessly.

"If that's the case then I'm not going to do it again unless you apologize to them," Leon spoke out and left upstairs. "You can also forget about sleeping with me tonight."

Blood Maiden immediately paled and rushed after him. "W-wait! You cannot do this to me! I waited all week!"