Danial slept through the entire night like a stone, his breathing calm and steady, unaware of the storm brewing both inside and outside the academy walls. While he lay still, recovering from the brutal fight, the entire academy was alive with tension.Participants of the tournament, disciples of the academy, and even hidden sect operatives staying incognito within the Capital buzzed with anticipation. The final stage of the Tournament of Sovereign Might loomed like a heavy cloud, and nobody wanted to be caught unprepared. Throughout the academy, isolated training halls flickered with energy. Some participants meditated in silence, while others rehearsed their signature techniques for the hundredth time. Each held onto a single thought: tomorrow decides everything.In one of the isolated training halls, Egbert stood with his blade raised in front of him, eyes closed, deep in concentration. A hum of power reverberated through the air as crimson energy began to swirl around his sword, ti
The medical team burst through the infirmary doors, wheeling in Danial’s barely conscious body. His clothes were torn and singed, and blood still oozed from the wounds scattered across his frame. Gloria ran alongside, her palm pressed firmly against his chest, her healing light flickering like a flame in a storm. She looked pale, beads of sweat rolling down her temple, but her hand never faltered.“Clear the path!” one of the medics shouted as they reached the emergency bay. Danial was carefully transferred onto the main healing slab, and the room immediately filled with the hum of enchanted medical equipment activating.Pavan and Crystal arrived moments later, panting, their faces ashen with worry. “Danial!” Crystal shouted, rushing forward—only to be gently pushed back by a medic.“Wait,” Gloria said breathlessly. “He’s stable… but barely. I need a moment.”Sophie arrived right after, her face streaked with tears she didn’t even realize had fallen. She stood frozen at the doorway, h
Zyler spat out another clot of blood, the crimson liquid sizzling slightly as it touched the burning arena floor. Yet, despite the state of his body, his grin widened, unnerving everyone watching. “Seems like I have to end this battle soon,” he muttered with a hoarse chuckle. “Danial, I’ve enjoyed playing with you.”Danial’s expression turned grim as his gaze flicked to his left arm. The burns and damage from earlier were mostly gone, but more importantly, he noticed something else. His eyes narrowed slightly as he thought, His attacks... although powerful, they're not poisonous. That information mattered. He had been too cautious before.He exhaled slowly and flicked his sword out to the side. Flames instantly coiled around the blade like a living serpent, and within seconds, the familiar, deadly aura of the Hellfire Sword returned—its crimson and black flames licking at the air, warping the space around them.Zyler snorted in disdain and launched forward without hesitation. His grot
Danial stood upright, body trembling, yet his eyes never wavered from Zyler. Blood still dripped from the gash on his side, and his broken right arm hung weakly at his side. But he refused to let go of his sword.Then, without a word, Danial raised his left hand and placed it over his broken arm. A faint green glow began to emanate from his palm, rippling with soft, healing energy. His fingers trembled as the light surged gently through the cracks in his bones, mending tissues, reinforcing muscle fibers, and slowly stitching flesh back together.The crowd gasped. Even amidst the brutal spectacle of the tournament, such a healing technique was rare—especially one that worked mid-battle.In the VIP section, voices rose in stunned whispers.“Did he just use… a healing art?” muttered of of the God of Wars, Astra Skyreach, narrowing her eyes behind his glasses. “That kind of regeneration mid-combat is no joke.”Catherine Lancaster leaned forward. “It’s refined and stable. That isn’t some c
Danial’s eyes snapped open.There was no trace of fatigue or frustration in them anymore. Instead, an intense sharpness cut through the air like a blade. His pupils seemed to narrow, not in fear, but in focus—pure, honed focus. Predatory—that was the only word Zyler could muster to describe them. For the first time in the entire fight, Zyler took a cautious step back.He didn’t understand why… but something primal stirred inside him.Danial’s body didn’t move, but the Aura Blade in his hand began to surge, resonating with a cold, refined power. The space around it wavered like heat distortion—yet there was no heat, only pure cutting energy. It hummed with lethal intent.Zyler’s momentary fear melted into a wide, twisted grin. His chest heaved with excitement as he flicked his right arm, and the tendrils writhed violently, twisting and condensing into the shape of a grotesque, fleshy sword—black, pulsing, and jagged like a spine ripped from a monster. With a delighted chuckle, he flick
Danial pointed the Hellfire-cloaked sword toward Zyler, his body now surrounded by embers that shimmered like a tempest waiting to burst.Zyler scoffed, arms crossed beneath the grotesque armor that pulsed with sickly energy. “Just because your fire’s changed color… you think I’ll be afraid?”Danial didn’t reply.He raised his hand, and a torrent of fire erupted from his body. The flames whipped and spiraled, wrapping tighter around him like coiling serpents until they formed a blazing dome. Gasps rose from the audience as the structure pulsed like a living heart, casting flickering shadows across the arena. The heat it radiated was suffocating, almost surreal.Inside the inferno, Danial stood unburned—his calm, collected form emerging slowly from the wall of fire, a faint smirk on his face.Zyler tilted his head, amused. “These are flashy tricks. They won’t work against me.”Danial’s smirk deepened. “Let’s find out.”With no warning, he dashed forward. The dome collapsed into sparks