BAM!
BOOM!
BAM!
Each sound shook the ground like thunder. Ethan and Caesar clashed again and again, their swords meeting in bright sparks that lit up the air. The shockwaves from their strikes tore through the battle arena, cracking the stone floor and sending chunks of debris flying in every direction.
The barrier surrounding the arena flickered under the pressure, glowing faintly as it absorbed the impact of their blows. Without it, half the spectators might've been thrown off their seats already.
Even though the fight looked fierce and wild, the king and Cassandra could clearly see that neither of them was going all out yet. It was more like a test of strength — a warm-up before the real fight began.
The king leaned forward slightly, a faint smile on his face. "To be honest, I didn't expect him to last even a minute against Caesar. But this is impressive."
Cassandra didn't reply. Her cold, unreadable eyes stayed fixed on the arena, following Ethan's every move.
Down below, Caesar stopped moving and raised his sword. His deep, dark blue eyes glimmered like a stormy sea. "I never thought I'd have to get serious against a student," he said calmly. "You have my praise."
A moment later, his entire body began to glow with a deep, eerie blue light. His aura burst forth — cold, heavy, and suffocating. The sheer force of it cracked the arena floor even more and sent ripples across the barrier. It was the aura of a true Rank A awakened.
The pressure hit Ethan like a hammer. His breathing turned rough, his knees trembled, and his vision blurred for a moment. It felt like the air itself was trying to crush him.
Then Caesar clenched his right hand into a fist. "Soul Crush!"
Instantly, Ethan's body was lifted into the air, twisting in agony as an invisible force crushed his chest. He gasped for breath, feeling like his heart was being squeezed by something unseen. There were no physical wounds, yet the pain tore through him.
Caesar's haunted aura flickered like a dark flame — the mark of a soul-path awakened, His mastery in soul attacks was truly remarkable. He was attacking Ethan's very soul, not his body.
Watching from above, the king exhaled softly. "I guess it's over," he said.
Cassandra's calm voice cut through the silence. "Over? The match has just begun."
At that moment, the air inside the arena changed completely.
A soft, golden light shimmered around Ethan's body, spreading outward in calm, gentle waves. The suffocating weight of Caesar's aura was suddenly pushed back. The atmosphere that had felt so dark a moment ago now filled with warmth — peace — hope.
The king's eyes widened in disbelief. "This…!"
Ethan stood back up slowly, his golden aura glowing brighter with every breath. His pain vanished completely as the light wrapped around him like armor.
The haunted blue aura around Caesar clashed violently with the golden light, the two forces pushing against each other in a battle of pure will.
But it was clear which one was stronger. The golden light — the Righteous Aura, also known as the Aura of Hope — was slowly overpowering Caesar's haunted power.
The king leaned back, stunned. He already knew Ethan possessed the Righteous Aura, but the strength of it.
It wasn't the aura of a mere student anymore.
It was almost… at the level of a Rank A awakened.
"Tch!" Caesar clicked his tongue and bit his lip in frustration. He already knew that many of his soul-based attacks would be useless against Ethan's righteous aura.
Normally, he could weaken his opponent's soul with a wave of dark energy, making them lose courage and fall into depression and unmotivated. Or, he could twist their emotions, making them overly excited and reckless enough to dig their own grave.
But none of that would work now.
The righteous aura completely nullified those kinds of skills. It was the natural enemy of soul path and dark path awakened.
Caesar tightened his grip on his sword. "Then this shall be it," he muttered, his tone sharp and focused. "I'll win by sheer force!"
He unsheathed his weapon, the sound of steel ringing across the arena.
"Wolf Stealth," Ethan whispered.
In an instant, his body vanished from sight.
Caesar's eyes darted around, his senses sharpening, but he couldn't see or sense Ethan anywhere. The faint sound of running wind circled around him, fast — too fast.
"Trying to hide from me?" Caesar smirked. "Soul Eyes!"
His dark blue eyes glowed again, and suddenly, he wasn't looking at the world of bodies anymore — he was seeing the world of souls. Normally, no one could hide from him like this.
But before he could locate Ethan, a voice echoed right next to his ear.
"Gigantification."
BAM!
Ethan's body expanded in an instant, growing over three meters tall. His massive fist came crashing down, slamming Caesar's head into the ground with tremendous force. The earth cracked, dust shot up, and for a second, it looked like the fight was over.
But then Caesar's body turned transparent — hollow — before fading away like smoke.
"Just a clone," Ethan muttered.
The real Caesar appeared ten meters away, smiling coldly. "Soul Piercing Arrows!"
Dozens of glowing blue arrows formed behind him, sharp enough to pierce through the soul itself.
He had used rank B soul piercer essence stone to use it, the same essence stone that Esdeath had but he could only make arrows unlike Esdeath who modified it into an killer move–Oblivion Nova with the help of ZK-20.
He fired them all at once. The air howled as the deadly arrows flew straight toward Ethan's huge body.
But in that very moment, Ethan's form shrank.
Within the blink of an eye, the tall giant turned into a six or seven-year-old child, and the arrows flew past him harmlessly.
Then, using his tiny form's speed, he dashed forward like a bolt of lightning. His feet cracked the ground with every step as he blurred in and out of sight.
From the ground, thick vines shot up, trying to trap Caesar's legs. At the same time, lightning flashed across the arena and water bullets whistled through the air, all attacking from different directions.
Caesar quickly raised a barrier, blocking the water bullets that were aimed straight at his head. But the barrage didn't stop; the ground itself seemed to move with Ethan's attacks.
And before Caesar could even understand what was happening, Ethan was already beneath him, back in his normal form.
"Hundred Elephants Strength!"
Ethan's muscles bulged, veins popping across his arms.
BAAAAAMMMM!
His punch connected with Caesar's chest, sending the commander flying like a ragdoll. The shockwave shook the entire arena, cracking the ground even more.
Caesar rolled several meters before stopping, his armor dented, his breath heavy. "How… does he have so many different types of essence stones? How can he use them so freely?" he thought in disbelief.
But the truth was something even he couldn't imagine — Ethan's constellation granted him new skills whenever he defeated strong monsters. Some were useless, but others were incredibly useful. And unlike normal awakeneds, he wasn't limited by elemental affinity for using the skills.
With a loud thud, Caesar's body crashed onto the shattered ground, sending a cloud of dust into the air.
King Augustus almost stood up from his seat, his eyes widening in shock. For a moment, worry crossed his face — but he quickly forced himself to sit back down. "No… Caesar wouldn't lose or get serious damage just from something like that," he thought, gripping the edge of his throne tightly.
And just as he expected, Caesar stood up again. His expression was cold, but a few drops of blood trickled down from the corner of his lips, landing in his open palm.
He froze for a second, staring at the red stains on his hand. That sight — his own blood — burned like humiliation. A mere academy student had managed to wound him.
His jaw tightened, and his aura flared violently. "SKELETONNNN!" Caesar roared, his voice echoing across the entire coliseum.
The ground beneath Ethan began to rumble.
CRACK!
A giant, bony hand burst out from the earth, its fingers wrapping tightly around Ethan's body like a massive spoon scooping him up.
Then another hand emerged, and another — soon the entire arena floor broke apart as an enormous skeleton began to rise, dragging itself out of the ground with deafening cracks. Dust and stones flew everywhere as the monster's hollow eyes glowed with eerie blue fire.
"Crush him!" Caesar bellowed, his face twisted with rage.
Ethan gritted his teeth, his body straining under the pressure. But his eyes burned with determination.
"Azurelion Sword Style—Second Form: Sword General!"
A burst of lightning surrounded him. His hair turned pure white, and electric sparks danced through every strand. His muscles tightened as power surged through his veins, and a faint blue sword aura shimmered around his body like a blazing flame.
With a roar, he flexed his arms — and cracks spread through the skeleton's massive hand.
BAM!
He broke free in a single motion, sending shards of bone flying through the air. Instead of dropping to the ground, Ethan hovered in midair, his sharp red eyes locked on Caesar below.
He could feel it. Caesar was no longer holding back.
Down below, Caesar spread his arms wide, his voice deep and echoing like a chant from another world.
"Genesis… Aria… Harmony… Arianna… Lucia… Maya… Natalia… Callie… Clara… Serenity… Symmetry…"
He called out name after name — eleven in total. Each name felt heavy, cold, and filled with despair.
And then—
SHAAAAA!
Eleven ghostly figures appeared behind him, their presence thick and suffocating. Each one had a humanoid form twisted into something monstrous — one held its own head, another had several arms, and others carried scythes and daggers dripping with black energy. Their faces were distorted with agony and hate, their whispers echoing like cries from the underworld.
The audience — what little of it was still awake — trembled in fear. The air itself grew colder, and even the barrier around the arena began to flicker.
Caesar stood in the middle of them, his aura blending with theirs, making him look like the ruler of the damned — a true Lord of Wrath.
Ethan floated above him, sword aura pulsing like a heartbeat. His expression hardened.
"Azurelion Sword Style—Third Form: Sword of Death!"
The sky above him crackled with raw energy as he raised his sword, ready to strike.
But before either of them could make a move—
"STOP!"
A powerful voice thundered across the arena. Both Ethan and Caesar froze.
Their eyes turned toward the source — King Augustus, standing from his seat, his face pale but his voice filled with authority.
"I said stop! This is not a death battle!" he shouted, pointing toward the ground. "Just look around you!"
Both Ethan and Caesar blinked and finally took a proper look at their surroundings.
The barrier protecting the spectators was shattered. The ground was full of massive cracks and smoking holes. Most of the audience had either fainted, vomited, or lay unconscious from the pressure of the two's battle. The once beautiful battle arena now looked like a war zone.
Realizing the destruction they had caused, Ethan descended quietly and dropped to one knee, lowering his head. Caesar followed immediately, bowing deeply.
"I got carried away, my king," Caesar said in a low, guilty tone. "I should be punished."
Ethan also bowed. "I apologize for the trouble, Your Majesty."
King Augustus exhaled a long, shaky breath, wiping the sweat off his forehead. He gave them both a long look, then turned toward Cassandra.
"Now I understand what you meant earlier," he said with a faint smile. "This level of power… this talent… it even surpasses Lortell's. He's a genius born once in a ten thousand years!"
He clapped his hands together, excitement lighting up his face. "Very well then — it's your win!"
"Now tell me what you want me to do! I'm ready to invest — anything you ask!"
Cassandra slowly kneeled and bowed her head. "Just leave it to me, Your Majesty. I'll guarantee its success. But we shouldn't speak here… even walls have ears. We should move somewhere private."
"Fine, fine! Whatever you say!" King Augustus said quickly, his grin wide. "We'll eradicate all evils together!"
Cassandra's vibrant blue eyes flickered with a strange light as she looked up at him, her expression calm but her thoughts dark.
"Eradicate evil?" she thought silently. "As if I don't know what kind of evil you've done, old pervert. Just wait. Let me deal with my sister first… your turn will come next."
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[author]
Ahem ahem...About Ethan's talent surpassing Lortell's, No one is beating my blood queen, She was as strong as an S rank when she was just fourteen.
She just decided to be an Official S rank at starting of her third year, While ethan just awakened at around thirteen year old.
Even Kailith who is about to be an S rank ain't beating Lortell's record.
NO ONE CAN!!!!!!
Selene be like :- Hold my icecream...
[/author]