ONLINE: Blades of Eternity

The moment Kaelen's liquid mana erupted, the entire pocket dimension trembled.

Like a roaring tide, his overwhelming aura surged through the battlefield, washing over everything and everyone in its path.

And in that instant—he became the center of it all from both in the pocket dimension and out of it.

High above the massive, ancient tree, Kent floated effortlessly, a handful of the multicolored fruits in his grasp.

He had just finished plucking another one when he felt it.

The sheer pressure.

"Hah..." he exhaled, his usual carefree demeanor vanishing.

"Well, well... this just got interesting."

His emerald eyes gleamed as he gazed downward, watching Kaelen's liquid mana flow around him like an unstoppable force of nature.

"He's stepping into dangerous territory now."

A small, amused smirk crept up his lips as he plucked another fruit off it's tree.

"I wonder... will he survive it? Although, that isn't my concern right now."

Meanwhile, a fierce battle was raging below the tree, where Forbes had been fighting two students from the Dawning of Magic Academy over a small cluster of the rare fruits.

But the second Kaelen's presence expanded, Forbes froze in place.

So did his opponents.

They all turned their heads toward the disturbance.

The fight? Completely forgotten.

Forbes narrowed his eyes, watching as Kaelen's aura coiled around him like a living entity.

"Heh. That guy…"

A mix of surprise and impressed admiration flickered across his face.

"I must admit. That was fast."

Most people struggled for years to reach this stage.

Yet Kaelen—a mere student—had already stepped into it.

"Tch. He's really climbing higher, huh?"

Forbes cracked his knuckles, his fighting spirit igniting even more.

"I'll have to crush him one of these days."

Meanwhile, Morris Grey was already on the move.

His boots dug into the ground as he sprinted across the battlefield, his gaze locked onto Kaelen.

His heart pounded.

Not just from the shock of Kaelen's rapid growth—but from something far more dangerous.

"This idiot..." Morris muttered through clenched teeth.

He could already see it.

The moment Kaelen unleashed his liquid mana, he had painted a target on his back.

Every major player in the pocket dimension felt his presence.

And now—they were all watching.

Some with curiosity.

Some with fear.

And others... with deadly intent.

Morris' fingers tightened around his scepter.

"If I don't get to him fast…"

His legs moved faster.

Because if there was one thing he knew—

Kaelen was about to become the biggest scapegoat in this trial.

Back in the area that everyone is now looking upon, Althea stood frozen in horror.

Her limbs numb.

Her breath shallow.

Her heart racing.

Kaelen's blade gleamed, the killing intent in his eyes unwavering as he raised his sword, prepared to end her existence right there.

But then—

"Kaelen! Look out!"

Lila's urgent cry sliced through the air.

"Huh?"

Kaelen's eyes widened.

But before he could even process what was happening—

BOOM!

A devastating impact crashed into his side, sending him flying like a broken arrow.

He smashed through several boulders, leaving a deep crater in the ground as he skidded to a halt, blood trickling down his lips.

Lila's expression darkened.

"Damn it..." she muttered, her body instinctively tensing as she turned toward the attacker.

And then—the ice that bound Althea shattered.

The air grew heavier.

A sinister pressure weighed down on the battlefield.

And from the shadows of the trees, a figure emerged.

A man— or rather, what appeared to be an aged, withered husk of a man.

Despite his elderly appearance, there was something unnatural about him.

His back was not hunched, nor did he have the frailty of an old man.

Instead, his aura was monstrous.

Althea's eyes lit up with recognition and relief.

"Sir Varian..." she exhaled.

Lila's hands tightened into fists.

She knew this man.

Varian Dragonyx.

Despite his aged appearance, he was no older than 18.

But that was due to a secret technique—a forbidden method that allowed him to borrow power beyond his years at the cost of his youthful vitality.

"A monster in human skin…" Lila murmured grimly.

She had fought against him before in the first stage of the convention, and it had taken everything she had to hold him back.

And now—he was here.

Her instincts screamed.

Varian's dark yet sharp pupils lazily drifted toward Lila.

Then, to Kaelen, who was slowly rising from the rubble.

And finally—he cracked his knuckles.

"How disappointing."

His hoarse voice sent a chill through the air.

"I had expected the heir of the fallen traitors to be worth more than this. But it doesn't matter now, because i will personally remove the stain of the family"

Kaelen wiped the blood from his lips, his gaze burning with defiance.

Lila shifted closer, her mana flaring, preparing for the worst.

Because this man—this Dragonyx monster—

Was someone only a few in the entire convention could match.

Lila took a sharp breath, her gaze never leaving Varian as she got closer to Kaelen.

"Kaelen, listen to me," she said urgently. "That man is a monster."

Kaelen wiped the last bit of blood from his lips. "I figured. I can sense the use of liquid mana around him."

"No, you don't understand." Lila's voice was deadly serious. "He was already stronger than me back in the first stage, and that was before he even got serious."

Kaelen's brows furrowed.

"Then we take him down together."

Lila nodded.

"Exactly. If we don't work together, we're as good as dead."

Kaelen's grip tightened around his sword. "Then let's do it."

But before they could even think about their first move—

"How amusing."

Another figure stepped forward.

The last remaining Dragonyx member.

He was a tall, broad-shouldered young man with raven-black hair and cold green eyes. The insignia of the Dragonyx clan glowed faintly on his chest plate.

"What a pitiful sight," he sneered. "A couple of strays thinking they stand a chance?"

His gaze flickered to Althea and Varian.

"We should put these two out of their misery."

Varian simply chuckled.

Althea wiped the dust off her clothes. "I have no objections."

The air around them grew heavier.

Kaelen and Lila braced themselves.

The battle was about to begin—

But before anyone could make the first move—

BOOM!

A curtain of lightning suddenly crashed down from the sky, slamming onto the Dragonyxs.

The ground cracked. The air boiled with electricity.

Althea clicked her tongue, summoning her chaos energy to disperse the lightning.

Varian simply raised a single finger, his aura alone nullifying the bolts before they could reach him.

The third Dragonyx deflected with a barrier, though his arms twitched from the sheer power behind the attack.

Kaelen and Lila blinked.

Then, from above—

A figure descended.

Golden hair.

Fierce yellow limpid eyes.

A confident smirk.

"Now, now, you two," Morris teased as he casually stretched his arms. "You weren't planning to leave me out of this, were you?"

Kaelen let out a breath. "Took you long enough."

Morris grinned. "Well, I just couldn't resist when I saw how much fun you two were about to have."

Lila scoffed. "This isn't a game, Morris."

Morris' eyes sharpened.

"I know. That's why I'm here."

His lightning crackled around him, illuminating the battlefield.

Kaelen, Lila, and Morris—against three of the strongest Dragonyx heirs.

"Now then," Morris said as he rolled his shoulders. "Shall we begin?"

"Off cause" Kaelen replied with a confident smirk as his confidence has shoot through the roofs since Morris is now joining the fray.

The moment Kaelen moved, he vanished.

A blur of pure speed, his form cut through the battlefield like a phantom, closing the gap between himself and the three Dragonyxs in an instant.

At that very same moment—

"Mana Domain: Ice World!"

Lila's voice echoed through the battlefield as an icy-blue mist spread out, freezing everything within a hundred meters.

Her mana domain took form.

The temperature plummeted.

The Dragonyxs' movements slowed.

Then—

"Frostbind: Shackles of the Fallen!"

Morris followed up, summoning chains of pure ice, reinforcing Lila's domain to further lock their enemies in place.

A perfect combination.

Their goal?

To give Kaelen an opening to strike.

And for a second—

It worked.

Althea gritted her teeth, struggling against the frozen restraints.

The third Dragonyx heir tried breaking free, but the combined strength of Lila and Morris' spell held firm.

It was almost a checkmate.

But then—

"Pathetic."

A calm voice.

Liquid mana suddenly swirled around Varian's body, coating him in a dense, eerie glow.

Then—

BOOM!

In a single moment, the restraints shattered.

The frozen mist evaporated.

The chains of ice crumbled into nothingness.

Varian broke free.

"If you want to restrain me..." His eyes gleamed. "You'll need far more than that."

And then—

Varian dashed forward—his speed equal to Kaelen's as he met him head-on.

And in the next split second—

BOOM!

The collision of their attacks shook the battlefield.

A massive shockwave erupted, sending violent gusts of wind in all directions.

The trees nearby were uprooted.

The ground split apart.

The sky trembled.

Kaelen and Varian were locked in combat.

Their movements blurred, trading blow after blow, each strike releasing another shockwave that sent the land itself into chaos.

It was fierce.

It was relentless.

Neither of them held back.

And as their battle raged on—

Morris and Lila readied themselves.

Because they knew—

This fight had only just begun.