Chapter 188: The Skill Of Dark Power!
The crowd stood in silence for a moment.
An uneasy silence swept over Ground One as every student stared at him.
Kael slowly rose to his feet. The aura spilling from the sword curled like smoke around his body, wrapping him in a cloak of shadow.
His hair clung to his sweat-damp face, his lips curved into something between a grimace and a snarl.
Darius’s smirk faltered for the first time. He took a step back, his grip tightening on his own sword.
Kael flexed his fingers around the hilt, the dark weapon humming in his hand as though it recognized him—no, as though it claimed him.
(So this is it...)
The realization struck him like lightning.
The weight of the blade no longer burdened him, it flowed with him, responding to his will.
And in his mind, he realized:
(The sword doesn’t want strength. It wants blood.)
His gaze dropped briefly to the darkened weapon, its aura licking at his skin like fire that did not burn.
The moment his blood touched it, the sword awakened.
Kael’s lips parted, his voice low but steady.
The crowd recoiled at the eerie calmness of his tone. The red glow in his eyes sent shivers down their spines.
Jin’s fists clenched tighter as he stared down.
"Kael..." he muttered, half in awe, half in dread.
Veyla’s hand gripped his arm. "That’s not normal. Look at him—the sword... it’s changing him."
On the ground below, Kael raised the blade.
The aura flared, spilling outward in a wave that forced even the second-year students to step back.
Darius grit his teeth, masking the unease rising in his chest.
Kael’s breath came out heavy, ragged, his chest rising and falling like a beast that had just been let loose.
It was the power that came from the sword he was using.
Then, with a roar that shook the very ground, Kael lifted the sword high above his head.
"ASTRAL SEVERANCE!", he shouted.
He swung the weapon down in one devastating arc.
The air seemed to rip apart a little bit as a black wave of energy surged outward, sweeping across the training ground.
The grasses of Ground One were shredded instantly, torn from their roots as the energy roared forward.
The wave didn’t stop there—it slammed into Darius with an impact so violent that the second-year swordsman had no time to brace himself.
"Wha—?!" Darius said, raising his sword in desperation.
The single-sword style he had trained in, precise and firm, seemed so small in front of Kael’s overwhelming strike.
He tried to block, but the moment his blade connected with Kael’s attack, the shockwave sent him flying like a ragdoll.
His body slammed into the ground, skidding across the dirt.
From the air, Jin and Veyla had just arrived and could only stare in shock.
"He... he’s changing," Jin muttered.
"That’s not normal strength."
Veyla, hovering beside him, felt a chill.
"That sword... It’s feeding off him."
On the ground, Kael didn’t stop. His grip tightened around the blade, the aura swirling thicker, wrapping around his arms and chest.
He lowered the sword to his side, his body was still trembling. His blood was boiling, his mana surging to levels he had never touched before.
He clenched his free hand, drawing in everything he had left—mana, strength, and fury.
"I’ll end this... here and now!" Kael growled. His voice no longer sounded like his own; there was an undertone, something deeper, darker, as though another presence was there.
He stomped forward, shaking the earth with each step. Then he pulled back his sword and slash down on the ground and he gathered energy.
"ASTRAL PUNCH!"
He drove his fist forward with all his might.
The size of the energy that burst out was enormous—far larger than his body, a colossal projection of his strength.
The punch roared through the air like a comet, tearing straight toward the half-recovered Darius.
"NOOOO!" Darius screamed, raising his sword again, but it was useless. The sheer pressure of the attack sent cracks spiderwebbing across the ground beneath his feet.
The moment before impact—
BOOM!
The entire training ground erupted. Dust and energy blasted outward in all directions.
But when the cloud cleared, Darius was still standing—not because of his own strength, but because someone else had intervened.
A tall person stood between Darius and Kael’s devastating punch, one arm raised casually, blocking the massive projection as if it were nothing but a gust of wind.
The energy dispersed harmlessly around him, leaving only a faint crackle in the air.
Kael’s eyes widened. "Wh-what...?"
He slowly lowered his arm, his presence alone silenced the entire crowd of onlookers.
His uniform was crisp.
And It was Kayle Virehart.
One of the strongest second-years—already recognized as a genius swordsman, far above Darius.
Unlike Darius’s hot-headed arrogance, Kayle was calm, disciplined, and utterly merciless toward those who broke rules.
"First-year student... you dare to make a mess in Ground One?"
The murmurs around the arena rose instantly.
"It’s Kayle Virehart!"
"He’s one of the top-ranked!"
"Kael’s done for... he shouldn’t have gone this far."
Darius, still stands behind Kayle, gasped for breath and pointed a shaky finger.
"T-take him down, Kayle... he’s dangerous!"
Kael tightened his grip on the shadowed sword, his blood dripping onto its blade again, making it pulse with a darker glow.
Jin and Veyla descended quickly, landing on the edge of the ground. Veyla called out, "Kael! Stop! If you keep going, you’ll lose yourself!"
"That sword isn’t just metal anymore—it’s consuming you!"
But Kael, with his bloodied face and trembling hands, looked only at Kayle Virehart. The weight of this confrontation was unlike anything he had faced so far.
Kayle rested his own hand on the hilt of his sword, a long and polished blade gleaming at his side.
"I don’t know what trick you pulled to gain this power," Kayle said slowly, "but you’ve crossed the line. This isn’t about your pride, or Darius, or even your class. You’ve endangered Ground One itself."
The murmurs grew louder. The other second-year students were almost cheering, they had faith in Kayle.
Kael’s lips curled into a faint, bloody grin, even as pain gnawed at his body. "Crossed the line, huh...? Maybe. But if you think I’ll back down now... you’re wrong."
His grip tightened, and the shadowy aura around the sword surged once again.
(My strength... is almost exhausted.. I only know three skills and if i use more, i wont be able to last long... maybe i will strike with full power one last time), Kael thought.