Let's Train Heroine

Maris crossed her arms, her gaze steady on the spirit before her, who had introduced herself as Meri. "So, all the previous Saints, including you, have been working to break this barrier," she said slowly. "You all want to free humanity and remove the limits on their power?"

Meri nodded. "You're correct. This barrier was created to protect, yes, but it also shackles humanity. Saints throughout the ages have seen it as a cage."

Maris sighed, brushing a hand through her hair, her expression contemplative. "I feel the same. This barrier... it feels like a leash. But I need to know," she said, glancing sharply at Meri, "what's to stop the Evil Magician from becoming even more powerful if the barrier falls? Nothing could hold them back.

And this time, we're dealing with two of them."

The last part made Meri frown deeply. "Two?" She paused, her face twisting with worry. "What happened? Why are there two? There should only be one in any generation."

Maris raised an eyebrow, detecting genuine surprise in Meri's tone. "I thought you'd know. Aren't you all-knowing Saints supposed to keep track of these things?"

Meri sighed, looking both frustrated and thoughtful. "I know much, but I am not all-knowing. The knowledge of Evil Magicians and the divine beasts is ancient, even to us."

"You mentioned all previous Saints," Maris continued, "but aren't all of you dead? What benefit does helping me even bring to you?"

"Dead in body, perhaps," Meri explained, "but we exist in a form of... continuity, you could say. We persist as souls, bound by our commitment and lingering power."

Maris's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "I get it now. All past Saints, existing in soul form."

"Yes, but how could there be a second Evil Magician? The will of the seven divine beasts could create only one. Give me an hour." Then, with a final nod, she vanished, leaving Maris standing alone in the room, surrounded by an eerie silence.

In another space—a shadowy, liminal void—Meri reappeared before a figure cloaked in darkness, its form nearly indiscernible save for two glowing, crimson eyes that watched her intently. Meri sat gracefully.

"The current Saint is exceptional," Meri began, her voice carrying a note of awe. "She's strong, and young as she is, I believe she might be the third most powerful Saint of our line."

The shadowy figure's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "If that's true, then our plan may finally succeed this time."

Meri nodded, though a hint of hesitation crossed her face. "But there's something troubling. This generation, there are two Evil Magicians."

A silence fell over the space. The shadow remained silent for a moment, processing this news, before it finally spoke. "Two Evil Magicians? That should be impossible. Only one can exist at any given time."

Meri nodded, then spoke softly. "I thought the same. But it seems a second one has emerged. There must be another way for one to become an Evil Magician."

The shadow was silent for another moment, but then, in a low, almost reluctant voice, it said, "There is… one way. It is exceedingly rare and nearly impossible, but if someone were to absorb the blood of all seven divine beasts, or the blood of beasts descended from them—any powerful beast born from their bloodline or that era—they could become an Evil Magician."

Meri tilted her head, intrigued yet wary. "Absorbing the blood of the seven divine beasts… But that sounds dangerous and nearly impossible."

"It is," the shadow confirmed. "Not only would they need to absorb the blood, but they would also require an immense reserve of dark mana to sustain the process. And they would need over a thousand years for the fusion to stabilize. Only then could they awaken as an Evil Magician."

Meri nodded, absorbing the information thoughtfully. "So, someone managed to gather the necessary resources and was willing to pay the price. The current Evil Magician was created by some extraordinary means… or a being who managed to gather such rare resources and wait all those years."

The shadow's eyes glinted, perhaps with a mixture of curiosity and concern. "The likelihood is slim, but we may be facing an unprecedented threat."

Meri nodded, her expression resolute. "Then I'll find out more. Perhaps the current Saint will be able to learn of their identities and motivations."

The shadow seemed to consider her words. "We will need every bit of her strength, and information about the Evil Magician."

Meri rose, dipping her head in respect. "Understood. I'll return with any further information." With that, she vanished, leaving the black shadow.

After an hour, Meri reappeared in Maris's room, expecting to continue their discussion alone. But as she entered, she noticed a young man standing beside Maris. He was tall and calm, with an enigmatic aura about him, and his gaze, dark and intense, rested quietly on Meri as she approached.

Meri frowned, her ethereal form radiating confusion. "Who is this?" she asked, looking from the young man to Maris.

Maris glanced at Lucan, her expression softening before she turned back to Meri. "This is Lucan-sama," she said gently. "He's the one who found me when I was a child and raised me. He recognized me as the Saint before anyone else did."

Meri's frown deepened. "Maris… did you tell him about what we discussed?"

Maris nodded, her gaze unwavering. "I did. He knows everything, Meri. I trust him completely." She paused, and then, with a seriousness that made Meri's translucent form almost flicker, she added, "There's something else, too. Lucan… he's an Evil Magician."

Meri's eyes widened, her spirit flickering with shock as her voice stammered, "An… Evil Magician?" She looked from Maris to Lucan, disbelief clear on her face. "But how? How could he become one?"

Lucan, who had remained silent until now, lifted a hand. The air around them shimmered faintly, and words appeared in front of him, written in a deep, shadowy script: "It wasn't easy. The process was difficult and required ancient, forbidden artifacts."

Meri's gaze sharpened, the shock giving way to fierce curiosity. "Explain."

The words dissolved and reappeared in a steady sequence as Lucan continued. "First, I had to find the Seven Ancient Beasts. Each one of these beasts contained a drop of blood from the original Seven Divine Beasts. Collecting these blood fragments was the first step in the transformation."

Meri's gaze grew intense. "The Seven Ancient Beasts… Yes, I remember... Those beasts were weak but stayed in their territory and didn't cause harm to humans, so all Saints left them, not bothering them. But to think they have divine beast blood... This is something no one knew."

Lucan's response appeared, dark letters forming once again. "Yes, but I found a book that had most historical records. There, I found the Seven Beasts had divine blood, and then what I lacked was immense dark mana and time. That's when I found the Eye of Obsidian."

Meri's eyes flickered, barely able to contain her amazement. "The Eye of Obsidian? Something an Evil Magician dared to use in the past but instead lost his life to the Eye of Obsidian."

Lucan inclined his head slightly, acknowledging her words. "The Eye granted me immense dark mana. But even then, it would have taken centuries to complete the transformation. I needed something to hasten it. That's when I found the Heart of Eternity."

Meri's expression was one of utter shock, her spirit form flickering wildly. "The Heart of Eternity? Lucan… this is beyond anything I ever imagined. To gather all of these… the blood, the Eye, and the Heart… and actually use them to become an Evil Magician…" She seemed lost for a moment, overwhelmed by the revelation. "This is unbelievable.

You must have incredible knowledge and determination to even know where to look."

Lucan nodded.

"But... Why do you know how to become an Evil Magician, and why did you become one?"

"I can't tell why I know this, and as for why I became one, it's to protect Maris. There are two Evil Magicians, and I thought Maris couldn't handle it alone, so I became one to help her. Becoming an Evil Magician is the only way for me to get strong."

Meri nodded. "Don't you feel disgust and an urge to destroy humanity?"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"No. I don't feel anything. In fact, I'm just as normal as I was before, just more powerful."

"I see. The Evil Magicians we have fought for centuries feel disgusted by the Saint's aura and have an urge to kill all humans. You became an Evil Magician by yourself, not by the will of the Seven Divine Beasts. So, there is a possibility that the second Evil Magician is also self-made, and might not be our enemy."

Maris and Lucan looked at each other. Yes, there was also this possibility.

"But, the question is, how did the second Evil Magician appear? You took away the seven divine beast blood, so where did the second Evil Magician get the blood?"