Alene bowed to Yiernoshi.

"I have come to assist thou in thy training."

Yiernoshi blinked.

"Alene! Are you feeling better?"

She nodded.

"Thanks to Boss's medicine."

Sam cleared her throat.

"This is the second step of your training, sparring. If you knock out Alene, you pass."

"Wait! Whaddya mean knock out-"

"Here we go, then."

Alene shook a pill out of a bottle and swallowed it. Almost immediately, a blue flame began blazing on her forehead.

"I request a match."

Sam turned to Alene.

"Go ahead and beat her up as much as you want."

"Yes."

Yiernoshi freaked out.

"Wait! I'm fighting someone with a dying will?! I'll be killed!"

"Don't worry. You passed the first step of training. You'll be amazed at yourself."

"Wait!"

Sam raised her gun.

"You have tons to learn from Alene. Now, die."

Bang.

"I'll defeat you with my dying will!"

Alene smiled.

"I wish thou all the best."

Yiernoshi raised her lollipop.

"Here I come!"

Alene blocked the blow easily.

"Thou is willing to die too much, Lord Yiernoshi. Thou only needs the will to die for a short moment."

She sent Yiernoshi flying into the cliff wall.

"RAWR!"

Yiernoshi jumped up, and tried again.

Alene dodged every blow swiftly.

"Lord Yiernoshi, thou can only battle for five minutes in the dying will mode because thou always release thine spirit to the maximum. Control thy spirit and try to stay in dying will mode for a longer time."

This said, she rammed Yiernoshi into the cliff again.
-----
"Hey, Claire. Before fighting today, I want to tell you about the ring."

Claire sniffed.

"It's fine. I'm not interesting in anything other than beating you up."

Mun sighed.

"Geez, you're troublesome."

"Look. If you don't fight me seriously, I'll throw this ring away."

"Wha? Wait! How about a trade? If I beat you in a serious battle, you'll have to join Yiernoshi's family."
-----
"Hey, Rachel, what's this?"

Se Ern dangled the bazooka-shaped pencilcase Rachel had given her on one finger.

"Hmm? Oh, that's the ten-year pencilcase. It switches the places between you and your ten-year-later self for five minutes."

"Cool!"

"Okay, let's train!"

Rachel picked up her honeypot-shaped cannon, and fired it at a boulder. It smashed into smithereens.

"Now you try breaking that rock."

Rachel indicated a rock as big as the one she had smashed.

"Okay! The cannon, please!"

"Nope! This one's mine. You do it with Meeko. Use those knives you used yesterday."

Se Ern withdrew a sickle-shaped knife, and boomeranged it at the rock.

Rachel raised a small pistol, and fired a shot at Meeko. Meeko began blazing all over with a yellow flame.

When Meeko landed on the seal, the rock smashed.

"Cool!"
-----
At home that night, Yiernoshi could barely stomach her food.

"I'm really tired."

Sam looked up.

"Eat well. You're going to be training like this for another week or so."

"What?!"
-----
The next day, Yiernoshi and Alene were at it again.

Sam stood by, watching.

"Six minutes have gone by."

Alene caught Yiernoshi's lollipop with both hands, intending to stop the blow. Yiernoshi kicked her in the stomach, sending her flying into the rock wall.

Alene grinned.

"Well then, it shalt be my turn next. Allow me to go at my fullest."
-----
"Hit harder, Victoria!"

Meiling had created tornadoes, and Victoria was supposed to hit her balls through the winds, and blow up the targets beyond. So far, she had managed to blow a target up only once.

She gritted her teeth. She was going to keep trying.
-----
Marian gazed at her mirror.

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, am I not the fairest one of all?"

"Of course not."

Christine raised an eyebrow, watching as Marian grew furious with her mirror. After a few seconds, the fury would convert Marian into SuperMarian, for about five minutes. Then, they would fight.

Finally, Marian's newly-acquired cape stopped billowing, and she headed for Christine.

Christine raised her gloves, and punched.

Marian dodged the range of attack by flying up into the sky.

"Hah! Missed me~"

Christine scowled, and punched towards the sky.

"Missed me again~"

Punch.

"And again~"

Punch.

"You keep missing 'cuz you're just not elegant enough, you know~"

"Shaddap!"
-----
Carmen screamed.

"OW! You're giving me a headache!"

"That's the point! Try using your handbags while in pain!"

"Okay..."

"Argh! This headache is too much! Stop!"

Carmen stopped, sighing.

"We still have quite a long way to go..."
-----
"Urgh..."

Yiernoshi stood panting. Fighting Alene when she was serious was a lot harder then she'd thought.

"Will the next blow end this?" Sam mused.

Alene jumped, punching Yiernoshi on the cheek.

"RAWR!"

Yiernoshi whacked Alene in the face with all her might.

Both fell to the ground, flames disappearing one after the other.

Sam smiled.

"It seems like the moment you were punched, you controlled you dying will and decreased the amount of damage you received. And purely out of instinct too. You've passed the second stage."

"I'm at your mercy, Lord Yiernoshi. That was impressive."

"Finally, we move on to the third stage of training."
-----
Two figures in black leather jackets stood on top of a building.

"So this is the city."

"Yeah."

"If Chip wasn't lying, this is where the half Carbonara rings were taken to."

The taller figure nodded.

"Hey, Seet, can I ask you to check out where the Cloud ring wielder is?"

The other figure nodded.

"Since it's an emergency, I don't see why not. You owe me one, Hini."

Seet chirruped to the bird on her shoulder. It flew off into the night, returning shortly after.

Seet listened to the bird-talk.

"Hm, she's close. 205 meters south, then 801 meters west, and heading this way.

Hini nodded.

"Let's go get the ring wielder. Anyone who interrupts will be eliminated."

"Roger."