Chapter 641

Book 1 Chapter 641

641.

“……”

The issue concerning the 4th and 5th graders wasn’t merely a dispute over collective coordination.

A fundamental disparity separated the current 3rd graders from the 4th and 5th graders.

‘These individuals lack the obsessive drive to stand at the absolute peak.’

It was an unavoidable reality.

The 3rd graders possessed Leo.

Conversely, the 4th and 5th graders possessed Elena and Lil.

The critical distinction lay in the fact that Leo had initially journeyed alongside his contemporaries.

Furthermore, he perpetually compelled them to gaze upon his advancing figure.

This ensured that regardless of the distance he placed between them, they never abandoned their ultimate objective.

Consequently, the 3rd graders refused to yield, even when confronted with an immense gap that rendered him invisible to them now.

At this very moment. Even across an immense stretch of time, they remained unable to overtake him.

‘Yet one can never be entirely certain.’

No immutable law dictated that they would fail to draw close and seize his back in the future.

However, Elena and Lil had never journeyed alongside their peers.

For this reason, the 4th and 5th graders relinquished the pursuit of Elena and Lil entirely.

By instinct, they established Elena and Lil as their definitive boundaries.

They were not to blame.

Distinct from Leo, the pair were sufficiently youthful to disregard the progress of those surrounding them.

“They will likely achieve the status of heroes regardless.”

Securing a place within the Hero Record.

Such is the ultimate aspiration for all hero candidates.

Yet…

“That marks the absolute boundary of their journey.”

‘Remaining on this path, the conclusion is entirely predictable.’

Leo understood this truth.

He recognized the exceptional capabilities of these hero candidates.

His predecessors would never turn away from the calamities destined to unfold ahead.

‘They will stake their existences to combat the impending chaos.’

Even so, could they endure that tempest?

‘The likelihood remains high that they will be offered as sacrifices for their period, mirroring us… mirroring the Heroes of the Great Opening.’

Such a fate was not incorrect.

Indeed, it represented a profoundly noble and magnificent destiny.

Yet…

‘If given the choice, I would prefer to survive and witness the days to come.’

Throughout the Era of Disaster, Leo had never permitted himself to envision tomorrow.

Even now, he discovered genuine pleasure and contentment within this current epoch.

Consequently, a profound weight pressed upon his consciousness.

The experience would possess far greater joy and fulfillment had they shared it together…

‘Had they been restored to life in my stead, their sentiments would align perfectly with my own.’

Thus, Leo harbored the desire for succeeding lineages to experience a different outcome.

He earnestly wished for those he cherished to advance into the emerging world as a collective group.

The profound yearning for subsequent generations to inhabit a superior reality.

‘For that is the obligation of an adult.’

Accordingly, Leo resolved to maintain a rigorous demeanor.

‘The precise instant you acknowledge your own boundaries… the journey truly concludes.’

Yet the approaching era loomed near.

The theater of conflict where they must stand was no benign environment where individuals bounded by the limitations of Elena and Lil could hope to endure.

Human capability expands in proportion to what is observed.

The loftier the objective.

Even when it rises so spectacularly high that it vanishes from perception, individuals only genuinely shatter their constraints when they extend their grasp toward that distant apex.

‘It is highly probable the upperclassmen can no longer break free through their own volition.’

Their internal structures had hardened.

Following their departure from the academy, the boundaries they self-imposed would fortify further, binding them securely.

Even if they managed to surpass those limits, the process would demand extensive time, or perhaps remain unachieved throughout their existences.

‘And I believe we lack the luxury of such an extended delay.’

Therefore…

“What precise view of tomorrow do you behold?”

Leo offered a smirk in response to Runba’s inquiry.

“Are you eager to discover it?”

“……”

“In that case, I shall reveal it to you.”

Goooooooo-

An ash-colored energy emanated outward from Leo’s form.

He could not guide individuals destined for destruction onto the theater of war.

‘Consequently, fracturing them completely is the sole remedy. To a degree that defies simple mending.’

That stood as the solitary method to shatter the casing of their restrictions.

Should they find the strength to stand once more after sustaining such a devastating blow… only then would they claim their entitlement.

“Demonstrate it.”

“Pardon?”

“That you as well are figures of merit worthy of this emerging epoch.”

Luke shut his eyes, centering his internal awareness.

Whirrr-! Bang!

“Ah!”

The agonized cry of a fellow warrior student echoed nearby.

Luke gripped the blades in both hands, reflecting upon the statement Chen Sia/Chen Xia had delivered moments prior.

‘I happen to be the most formidable among the 3rd graders within the concealment of shadows, with a solitary exception, you see?’

As if demonstrating that her assertion was no idle claim.

Chen Sia commenced her assault upon the 2nd graders, systematically isolating them.

‘The terrifying aspect regarding senior Sia… involves her complete imperceptibility in the dark.’

Regardless of how intensely the 2nd graders deployed tracking sorcery, summoned spirits, or sharpened their sensory awareness, locating Chen Sia proved impossible as she shrouded herself within the veil of obscurity.

Yet…

“Haap!”

Pwahahahak-!

Habidun directed a strike toward Chen Sia as she advanced upon him.

Chen Sia evaded Habidun’s offensive with seamless, flowing grace.

Kiiing-! Kwaang-!

Accompanying a massive detonation, Ju-eun, shielded by the protective circle of warrior students, discharged a concentrated mystical projectile.

Sasha’s mystical entities closed in on Chen Sia, launching a coordinated strike.

Practitioners of summoning are generally categorized into distinct paths prior to elementalists and mystical entities.

Aggressive summoners who call forth formidable entities to bolster them.

And tactical summoners who control vast legions of minor entities.

Sasha explicitly belonged to the latter designation.

Sasha, having manifested a hundred entities through her immense spiritual capacity, directed the mystical creatures.

A constricting ring, resembling a net devoid of openings.

Nonetheless, Chen Sia navigated the perimeter as smoothly as fluid, vanishing once more into the obscurity.

“Her movements mirror an elemental spirit of water!”

“Exquisite…”

“Is this truly the moment for such praise?!”

Ju-eun ground her teeth together, raising her voice.

Yet Chen Sia’s presence possessed a grace so profound it appeared entirely disconnected from the violence of the encounter.

The watery garment enveloping Chen Sia’s form fluttered elegantly, resembling fine fabric with every sudden manifestation.

Executing an Aura Step with bare feet, she skimmed across the terrain like an elemental entity traversing a still lake.

The subtle elegance of her offensive maneuvers.

In truth, even Luke found himself struck by her refinement.

She exhibited such poise and beauty that any onlooker would naturally be filled with respect.

Yet…

Kwaang-!

“Ugh!”

The sheer violence behind the strikes originating from her fingers was exceptionally severe.

Chen Sia, manifesting directly behind Aina, extended her hand and delivered a strike to Aina’s back.

Mimicking the eruption of a pressurized aquatic burst.

Aina dropped to one knee, enduring the immense fluid force through sheer willpower.

They remained incapable of striking Chen Sia while she lingered in the shadows.

Even utilizing illumination sorcery, the entire woodland remained cloaked in deep shadow, and that realm belonged entirely to Chen Sia.

However, Chen Sia was forced to expose her position during the precise moment of an assault.

The 2nd graders sought to exploit that fleeting window, attempting to restrain Chen Sia.

Yet Chen Sia effortlessly evaded their counter maneuvers and dissolved away.

They were systematically picked apart without a means to retaliate.

Remarkably, no panic manifested within the expressions of the 2nd graders.

“Duration works to our benefit!”

Sasha remarked, obscuring her expression with her folding accessory.

The logic was sound.

The passage of time favored the 2nd graders.

It remained undeniable that Chen Sia had incapacitated numerous 2nd graders.

It was equally true that they currently lacked an effective strategy.

Nevertheless, Chen Sia continued to expend her internal reserves.

Concealing one’s presence within the shadows continuously drained one’s energetic reserve.

Naturally, the same principle governed her offensive strikes.

The quantity of 2nd graders Chen Sia faced numbered in the hundreds, rather than a mere handful.

Should the conflict persist, fatigue would inevitably claim Chen Sia.

At that point, victory would be theirs.

As the 2nd graders maintained this perspective and committed fully to a defensive posture.

A radiant silver energy surged from Luke’s form as he remained focused with closed eyes.

‘Transcendence.’

Luke’s distinctive capability that permitted him to step beyond his conventional constraints.

Luke, transforming into a silver streak, lunged directly at Sasha.

“Eh? Eeh? Kyaaaak!”

“My apologies!”

Sasha cried out in alarm at the brilliant radiance reflecting off Luke’s blade.

Luke, who had narrowly avoided striking Sasha directly, offered an earnest expression of regret.

“That is considerably preferable to Aina! She offered no apology whatsoever!”

A startled Sasha uttered a sharp exclamation.

Luke, recognizing that the action was deemed acceptable, permitted himself a brief smile and went in pursuit of Chen Sia, who had just materialized.

“Impressive focus.”

Chen Sia offered a pleasant expression and executed an Aura Step.

Her pale feet created a sharp splash-! upon contacting the moisture, gliding onward.

Astonishing velocity.

Yet Luke maintained absolute faith in his own quickness.

‘I have her! Cornered….’

Luke’s gaze sharpened as he attempted to sever a portion of Chen Sia’s attire.

In that identical instant, Chen Sia deflected away from Luke’s sweeping blade.

‘What?’

The explanation for Luke’s weapon failing to find its mark was straightforward.

Chen Sia possessed greater quickness than Luke.

Yet…

‘For what reason?’

Luke’s features twisted into an expression of total bewilderment.

Luke ranked among the swiftest individuals within the second-year group.

He was widely considered to possess a distinct advantage over Chen Sia regarding raw velocity.

Assuming he failed to perceive her trajectory beforehand?

Previously, he had been unable to track Chen Sia due to an inability to decipher her path.

Now, however, the circumstances differed.

He had successfully forecasted Chen Sia’s positioning and countered her strike.

Under those parameters, intercepting Chen Sia should have been entirely feasible.

Yet he found himself outmatched by Chen Sia’s velocity.

‘Had senior Sia been concealing the true extent of her capabilities?’

While Luke’s expression mirrored his deep confusion, Aina and Habidun were already executing synchronized blade strikes from flanking positions relative to Chen Sia.

Chen Sia extended both palms outward in opposite directions.

Kwaang-!

The discharged aquatic energy collided directly with the force exerted by Aina and Habidun.

Aina and Habidun were propelled backward by the sheer magnitude of the collision.

“Ugh?!”

“Hold on! Her raw power has escalated…?”

Aina and Habidun’s expressions registered shock.

Chen Sia had already dissolved into the shadows once more.

‘Greater speed… accompanied by greater power?’

Luke stared unblinkingly at the space where Chen Sia had just lingered.

Her transitions remained undisturbed and effortless, resembling a continuous current.

‘A continuous current…?’

“Ah…!”

Suddenly, Luke uttered an exclamation of realization.

“What is the matter, Luke?”

Aina inquired with a look of confusion, to which Luke responded.

“The current! It concerns the current!”

“What are you implying?”

As Sasha tilted her head in confusion, Luke spoke with great urgency.

“Observe our surroundings! Despite senior Sia launching multiple strikes, there is not a single wet patch anywhere!”

Just as an area impacted by incendiary energy shows signs of burning.

A location subjected to aquatic energy becomes saturated with moisture.

Yet no such evidence existed here.

“Senior Sia’s energy never dissipated! It remains circulating directly around her form!”

The expressions of everyone present hardened as the realization dawned.

If an incendiary force intensifies the more it consumes. A gale amplifies the quicker it circulates, and terra reinforces the denser it becomes.

Correspondingly, water intensifies the more it accumulates.

Ordinarily, aquatic energy does not remain localized around the practitioner.

Once deployed, the fluid disperses outward.

Consequently, the striking potential of an aquatic user possessed an inherent limitation relative to other elemental types.

Yet what occurred if that fluid maintained its circulation around the user continuously?

The current would grow increasingly turbulent, swifter, and more substantial.

“Duration was never working to our benefit!”

With every passing moment, the destructive capacity of her energy would escalate dramatically.

Precisely as Luke concluded his statement.

“That is entirely accurate.”

Chen Sia materialized from the shadows, her arms fully extended.

“Retaining the fluid current around my form represents the defining trait of my energy.”

Chen Sia provided a soft smile.

“However, should the current be disrupted, the fluid will scatter.”

The disruption of the current.

That implied an adversary’s strike successfully engaging the fluid.

Yet within the absolute dark, an adversary’s strike could never reach its target.

For this reason, Chen Sia could state with absolute certainty.

‘That I stand as the most formidable presence within the dark, save for Young Master Leo.’

Chen Sia closed her fingers into a fist.

Kuguguooh-!

The massive concentration of aquatic energy swirling within Chen Sia’s hand began to churn like a violent tempest.

“An individual operating within the dark is entirely unpredictable. They might establish a deceptive snare, or assemble a definitive asset precisely like this. They will act entirely outside the boundaries of your expectations without hesitation.”

Chen Sia stepped forward deliberately.

“For that reason, numerous heroes fell victim to betrayers operating within the shadows, and why shadows have historically shielded heroes.”

Chen Sia offered a subtle smile.

“Were this an actual engagement to the death, I could have ended all your existences.”

Those words bore no resemblance to empty posturing.

Chen Sia’s current manifestation was, in the most literal sense, thoroughly dismantling the tactical understanding the 2nd graders had held until this moment.

“Therefore, the moment has arrived for a correction, my underclassmen.”

The 2nd graders were immediately overwhelmed by Chen Sia.

Remaining alone upon a stone outcropping, Chen Sia smiled subtly while making minor movements to dislodge the soil from her boots.

“On the subsequent occasion, perhaps I shall construct a snare?”

Within the woodland, which appeared as though a massive wave had torn through it.

Chen Sia’s pleasant expression carried an underlying sense of menace.