Ray let out a long, heavy sigh, closing his eyes for a brief moment before whispering, "That’s enough."
Beside him, Shane watched the tendrils of darkness curling around his fingers.
He could see it for himself—the energy had
become significantly purer and denser than it had been only a few days ago.
Ray looked at him with a sharp, serious gaze.
"You’ve awakened the 'Darkness Core' deep within you, and that is what has granted you this pure energy.
But you still lack true mastery.
Only rigorous training will transform this raw power into a weapon you can actually command.
Shane nodded in silent, obedient agreement.
The two of them exited the training room, only to be met by the resounding voice of
the referee echoing across the academy grounds:
"The twenty-third match has concluded! The victory goes to Dekanis! And now, for the twenty-fourth match: Noxianch versus Gravis."
Ray offered Shane a faint, encouraging smile—choosing to call him by his true name, Shane.
"This is your moment, Shane. Don't let me down, and don't let yourself down."
Shane replied with palpable excitement, "Don't worry, Master. I promise I’ll make you proud."
Shane stepped out onto the arena floor. Gravis was already waiting there, his crimson hair catching the sunlight like
flickering tongues of fire, his blood-red eyes tracking his opponent with intense focus.
Shane climbed onto the platform with a calm, steady composure.
The moment the referee shouted, "Begin!" Shane decided it was time to test the gap in his newfound strength.
In the blink of an eye, Shane manifested five shadow swords simultaneously, launching them toward Gravis.
The boy didn't flinch; he immediately activated his "Gravity Field."
Gravis was momentarily surprised to see that the swords weren't affected by the
gravity as he had expected, forcing him to ramp up to "three times gravity" just to
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slow their trajectory enough to narrowly dodge them.
Amidst the chaos, an idea sparked in Shane’s mind, a subtle smirk playing on his lips.
He lunged into a "Shadow Step." His personal version was far more precise and consumed less mana than Dekanis’s.
In an instant, Shane appeared directly in front of Gravis, his fist cloaked in dark energy, driving toward the boy's face.
Before the punch could connect, Gravis activated "five times gravity" and jerked his
head to the side, evading the strike by a hair's breadth.
Shane’s pulse began to race. He had always been a long-range fighter; he never
expected close-quarters combat to be this exhilarating.
He kept the pressure on, throwing punches as Gravis dodged, aided by the immense gravity pressure.
Despite the suffocating weight, the pure darkness enveloping Shane's knuckles lent
his fists unnatural speed and crushing force.
His power is clear, his style is exposed, Gravis thought to himself.
But if this match drags on, something irreversible might happen. I must end this.
Meanwhile, Ray watched from his seat beside Archion, who was completely lost in shock: How did Noxianch become such
a proficient close-range fighter? What kind of transformation is this? Ray noticed the
sheer bewilderment on Archion’s face and offered a cold, satisfied smile.
Gravis finally spotted an opening in Shane’s rhythm and hammered a heavy blow into his stomach.
However, Shane managed to condense his dark energy in the nick of time, creating a
protective shield that guarded his midsection.
Shane skidded back, thinking, Close combat is fun, but I’m still an amateur here
—my opponent is waiting for exactly this kind of opening to strike back.
Suddenly, he chuckled to himself: He thinks he can exploit this to hunt me? Hah!
Shane snapped his fingers, and black shackles erupted from the ground, binding Gravis.
He surged forward, roaring, "Time to return the favor!" as he buried a powerful fist into Gravis’s stomach.
Gravis gasped in agony, howling with frustration.
He had no choice but to activate his "Berserker Rage"—a technique that
boosted his combat capabilities by 50% for three minutes, though it would leave
him in a state of severe exhaustion afterward.
Veins bulged on Gravis's neck; he shattered the shackles and lunged to throw a punch that could have shattered a
skull, had Shane not activated "Shadow Step" to retreat just in time.
Gravis continued his violent assault, but Shane slammed his palms against the
ground, flooding the arena with shadows to disrupt Gravis's movement.
Shane realized that if the match continued any longer, his mana would be completely drained. It was time to end it.
He condensed a massive sword of shadow, but instead of throwing it, he
gripped the hilt and detonated the shadows beneath his own feet to boost his lunge.
In that split second, Shane remembered Ray’s stance when he used the "Twilight Blade."
He mimicked the posture with startling accuracy, unleashing a strike infused with his darkest power.
The blow slammed into Gravis’s chest, halting him instantly and forcing him down onto one knee.
The referee signaled the end of the match, declaring Shane the winner.
But as soon as the result was announced, the blade dissolved in Shane’s hand, and
he collapsed onto his knees, gasping for breath.
He hadn't expected the technique to drain him so violently.
Ray smiled to himself, thinking: I didn't expect him to try and copy me.
And even though his attack was just a
pathetic, amateur version of the technique, the mere fact that he could pull it off at all
speaks to a rare, innate talent for the blade.
Across the arena, Archion remained lost in his thoughts: In my previous life, Noxianch
wasn't this strong—he was strictly a long-range specialist.
What changed? Wait... this variable... this transformation.
He looked over at Ray, who wore the satisfied, gloating expression of a man who had just hit the jackpot.