Clang! Clang!
The sound of construction works reverberated in the background as Legolas' vision was slowly brought to life by the wonderful architects of the Landmark Construction Company, they were doing a good job.
Even as the professional architects directed the work, the menial carpenters and other workers did the grunt work as the construction continued.
The works of the menial workers were supported and augmented by the powers of the construction superhumans.
These superhumans who were contracted to the Landmark Construction Company were mostly those who did not have the talent to make it on the battlefield, or simply didn't have the courage to fight in the battlefields.
So, instead of risking their lives in battles that they mostly saw as meaningless, they rather worked in this company where they were paid handsomely, few normal humans earn as much as they do.
With their superhuman expertise, the work progressed at a brisk pace.
At a certain corner, a female Earth Elementalist was focused as she worked on mass-producing and strengthening bricks for the building construction.
With her proficiency with the Earth Element, she could manipulate the earth inside the bricks, making them stronger and more durable.
At another part, a Wind Elementalist was hard at work transporting different construction tools and materials from one place to the other at an efficiency that could not be matched by any normal human's endeavors.
While all these happened and as the headquarters slowly came to life, on top Leo, Christensen supervised everything with a satisfied look on his face.
On top his beast, Christensen could not help but rub Leo's white fur affectionately as lots of thoughts and memories flowed through his head.
"Awoo?" Leo questioned.
Christensen smiled. "I've changed and grown a lot".
"Deciding to become Legolas' student was really the best decision of my whole life, it literally turned my situation around in ways I never expected".
"Look at me now". He looked at the ongoing construction. "Supervising the creation and execution of a project this big, who would have thought?"
"Back when I was still a Prince, all I remembered was destroying things, asking for more fancy toys, and ruining my parent's projects".
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"Thinking back now, I was so foolish Leo".
"Awoo!" Leo nodded in consent.
Christensen laughed. "Master changed my life".
"Look at me now, a Grade C Superhuman, who could have thought?" He chuckled to himself as his eyes suddenly narrowed on seeing a familiar sight.
A few kilometers away from where he and his beast strolled where the Pugilist branch of the headquarters was being built, his junior apprentice brother walked alongside a beautiful and extremely mature lady.
"Those too…" Christensen muttered suspiciously.
Blade turned to look at Eleanor with a bright smile on his face.
"Your efforts in the past few days have really paid their weight in gold more than I expected, there are already over a thousand Pugilists under my wing".
A few days ago, as the construction efforts started, Eleanor finally decided to pull in her authority and influence. Through her connections, thousands of Pugilists all across the planet became aware of the ongoing construction.
Before its fall, as one of the 3 most dominant main organizations and influenced by Jon Stones, the Pugilist Academy was well-known among the Pugilist circle. Not only did it have a lot of members, it also had lots of fans.
When Jon Stones died, the Pugilist Academy literally withered from its roots. Even when the news circulated that Jon Stones now had a successor, most didn't believe it until Eleanor finally took action through her connections.
Once it was confirmed that a new Pugilist Academy was being built, thousands of Pugilists, including the die-hard loyalists trooped back.
Now, they all helped in the construction work to bring the Pugilist Academy back to it's peak of power at a gradual pace.
Blade did not hesitate in praising Eleanor and giving all the credits to her.
From praising, he engaged in different conversations with the powerful warrior lady about different topics relating to the future of the Pugilist Academy.
After minutes of conversation, Blade finally changed the subject.
"So, what about you?"
"Me? What about me?" Eleanor was taken aback.
Blade sighed. "Since my mentor's death, though you've always tried to mask it, I am a pure Pugilist, I can still notice the guilt and sadness in your heart".
"You feel that you should have been there for him".
"You feel guilty that you should have done more to safeguard him".
"You feel that even if you couldn't save him, perhaps if you were there, you would have received the opportunity to die with him which is your ideal version of a perfect happily-ever after ending".
"…" Eleanor frowned without saying a word.
"Well let me tell you this, my mentor never wanted any of these from you".
"From heaven, I know that his soul is screaming desperately for you to move on and become the cheerful woman that you were before".
She scowled. "You have no idea what is happening to his soul".
"I do". Blade's expression became sad. "I actually do".
"You don't know him!" Eleanor's tone increased, sounding defending.
Blade sighed. "It seems you still don't know what happened. As Jon Stones died, he transferred everything that he had to me, including his life experiences and his outlook of life. Through it, I learned much more about him".
"Even in his last moments, my mentor never wished you bad".
"All he wished for you was to live a better life without him".
"All your life since knowing him, you loved him without him ever reciprocating your love. It took until he died once to acknowledge your love".
"Even with that, he still saw himself as inadequate for you".
"Inwardly, my mentor thought he didn't deserve you".
"He was too noble and risk-taking for your liking but he can't change, not even for you". Blade's face radiated even more sadness. "That is the sacrifice that we Pugilists at the top pay for power".
"We become narrow-minded and firm in our beliefs, few things can change it and unfortunately, not even you could change his sensibilities".
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"You know his death wish?"
By now, Eleanor's eyes already turned watery as she clenched her fists. "No".
"He hoped you don't wallow too much in mourning after he died".
"He hoped you could move on fast".
"He hoped you could find the real love of your life and get peace".
"That was what he sincerely wished for you".
Eleanor covered her face to hide her tears. "I can't love anymore".
"You can!" Blade walked closer to her.
"There are many candidates out there not worse than my mentor, a prime example is Core Protector Shanks, he will be our very first President in a short time and he is still single, you can be his wife".
"I believe my mentor's soul will truly rest at peace if you do that".
Eleanor didn't reply for a long time, she simply let her tears flow freely until they could no longer flow. She finally raised her head to look at Blade.
"Thank you…" She forced a chuckle. "I can really see much of him in you now".
Without saying another word, Eleanor turned and left.
Blade sighed. 'I wish you luck'.
He turned and looked at the gigantic building that was slowly taking shape to become the next sanctuary of Pugilists.
Even as the construction process continued, Legolas remained in the Void Dimension even as the National Dominator Cup tournament continued, ramping up more excitement every day.
Version 1's sequel was slowly drawing to an end.
*****
For the beast illustrations, go to my discord server through this link
https://discord.gg/cMgee6s8