Magic Energy coalesced in his Core as his aura rippled out. Despite not having a powerful Magic Perception anymore, Ten Dawn Iris felt the waves of energy coming from the young man. She was stunned. She knew better than anyone else what this kind of energy and concentration meant. Did he really intend to break through into Condensed Drop here? How reckless was this! She could understand if this were a minor Core Level between Gaseous Fog, but this was a major Core Level to Condensed Drop! They were already losing in this battle. Failing would have severe consequences! The woman wanted to talk some sense into him, except he already began, and interrupting him would be bad. She had no choice, but to pray he succeeded. Meanwhile, Elizabeth was grinning despite herself. Like how Freon trusted her, she trusted him. He was not a fool. Since he dared to try, then he must have the confidence to succeed!
For years, Freon tried his very best to catch up to his sister's lonely shadow. He wanted to stand in front of her, shoulder her burden, and say that everything was alright. He wanted to restore her smile. It was such a simple wish, yet it remained out of reach. He stagnated at Low Gaseous Fog. The trash of Firecast, they called him. How could the older brother of such a supreme prodigy be so worthless? It defied common sense. Everyone scorned his existence, and there were even those that tried to separate them like Ten Dawn Rosemary… His life seemed to be one big joke. This only began to change once he met Elizabeth, Benedict, and Shirley Although their journeys together were anything but easy, they pushed him to the very limit, forcing him to awaken his Bloodline Ability early and advance to Medium Gaseous Fog. Then, when he reunited with his uncle and discovered his true heritage, he fully awakened his Bloodline and became a High Gaseous Fog. And now… finally, he stood here at the gateway of Condensed Drop.
His aura began to fluctuate wildly, jumping from very weak to extremely strong the next second. Everyone could feel the changes in the air. The key to breaking into Condensed Drop was in the name, to focus all the scattered Magic Energy in a Gaseous Fog Core into a single point to create a single droplet of dense Magic Energy. That was Condensed Drop Core Level! However, the challenge was clear since very few people could make it. No… He could not fail. He would not fail. He would succeed! For the sake of winning this battle, for the sake of ending this war, for the sake of everyone, and for the sake of himself… He would do it! His concentration sharpened again as he fully committed everything. Whenever happened next would happen! Magic Energy poured towards his Half-Condensed Drop with increased fervor like a whirlwind until finally… Boom! His aura shot to unimaginable heights, briefly eclipsing everyone on the battlefield. Ten Dawn Iris, Elizabeth, and everyone were shocked. Today, Freon became the newest Condensed Drop Arcanist! His name would finally make history!
On the other side, Benedict slowly opened his eyes. He felt like he recovered from a very long dream, so long that he forgot where he was or what he was doing. The soft grass brushed his cheeks as a gentle wind blew through. How comfortable it was… He felt completely at peace. He was happy lying there for the rest of his life. Sadly though, that peaceful silence was shattered by a horrendous scream. The sounds of battle soon entered his ears, rousing him from his stupor. That was right! This was no time to be lazing around. What about Shirley? Where was she? He panicked. Despite his injuries, he pushed himself up. He was expecting a big burst of pain to accompany his wounds, but… nothing came. He felt oddly fine. This thoroughly confused him. What about his broken bones or cuts? What about his torn muscles or lost blood? Had he gone far enough that he lost his sense of pain too?
Benedict was a little scared inspecting his body. His limbs, bones, organs, and even clothes were fine… How was this possible? Had he dreamt everything up? Although he considered the possibility, he ruled it out quickly. There was still lingering blood from his wounds on the grass. There was no way he dreamt it up! In that case, someone must have helped him. He immediately thought of the Featherwind Sect since they performed a similar stunt in the Battle of Liguang. With their abnormal powers, surely, they could accomplish this much. However, what he did not realize was that the five elder birds were currently too weak to perform a miracle on that scale. It had likely exceeded them, even at their peak strength! In other words, this recovery method came from a Rank 3 King or greater! Benedict might not realize it, but his true savior was Elizabeth's teacher, the spirit Rena.
He found Shirley laying nearby, except she was as stiff as a corpse and showing no signs of life. Blood drained from Benedict's face. Although a recovery method sounded omnipotent, it had its limits too. It could not revive someone from the dead. Assuming Shirley died before their savior arrived then… He fell to his knees in disbelief. How could he let this happen? Tears began to stream down his face as he sobbed quietly. It was then that he was smacked in the face. The knight recoiled from the sudden hit and looked at the 'corpse' with rounded eyes. Shirley yawned and stretched her body casually, feeling the popping of her joints. She was actually having the most wonderful dream until she was rudely interrupted. The girl gave Benedict a cute pout, unaware of the shock she caused.
Benedict chuckled awkwardly, feeling both relieved and embarrassed. "Are you alright?"
Shirley looked over her body. "I think so… Did you heal me?"
"I didn't. We woke up like this."
"I recall we were surrounded by enemies and a Perception Realm Expert. Things were getting dire, so I had to use World Energy and my martial technique to break through. What happened after that?"
"I grabbed you and fled… Or, at least, I tried to, except that Lord Xu chased us down. No matter how I tried, I couldn't shake him off my tail. He almost killed me." His voice shook towards the end. It was clear how terrifying this experience was to him. "Thankfully, I became a Perception Realm Novice at the last second and used my remaining strength to escape. Otherwise, I think both of us would have died."
"You're a Perception Realm now? That's incredible! Congratulations!" Shirley smiled from the bottom of her heart.
"I was just lucky. That was all," he smiled shyly. To be honest, even he could not believe it. He became a Perception Realm, a status equal to legends, just like that? It did not feel real. However, when he closed his eyes and focused, he could feel how strong his senses had grown. If his Fundamental Realm was like being blind and his Mock Perception was like a blurry picture, then his Perception Realm was like a clear picture! The difference was truly enormous. There was no mistaking it. He had really become a Perception Realm!
The girl leaned in close and frowned. "Why are you always so modest? This is your accomplishment! You should be proud! We're going to celebrate after this!"
"Celebrate, huh?" Benedict replied wryly. "First, we need to survive before we can celebrate."
Shirley turned serious. While she might have acted carefree before, she had not forgotten where they were. Her hands were curled around her halberd, ready to retaliate in an instant. The previous conversation was her way of lightening the mood after their abysmal defeats. After all, a battle was an emotional game, as well as physical, and mindset was just as important as ability. It was important to remain calm and level-headed. From this, it could be seen how wise Shirley was.
"What should our next move be?" she asked. "I know we wanted to help the people here, but we almost died. We might be tempting fate if we decide to go back."
"…No, you're right. Although we've recovered and I became a Perception Realm, we might be facing thousands of enemies. Not to mention, I could sense a few Perception Realm Experts mixed in with them. We could barely handle Lord Xu, so getting surrounded by them would be death sentence." Despite finally becoming a Perception Realm, he kept a level head. He did not overestimate himself.