Elias gritted his teeth as a sharp pain stabbed through his ribs. His hands were trembling as he struggled to his feet, determination filled in his eyes. The timer of the system continued to mercilessly tick down in his peripheral vision.
[Remaining time: 15 seconds]
He clenched his fists, forcing the last of his Beastial Qi to surge into his core. The sigil on his hand flared, illuminating the entire Astral Realm with a brilliant golden light. The mysterious energy raged in him like a river breaking its dam, pushing his body to its limits.
"You're right," he spat, wiping the blood from his mouth. "I am weak. But weakness is temporary."
Celestia cocked an eyebrow, mildly amused by his sudden determinations. "Words are cheap, Elias. Show me something real."
Elias smirked; raw energy vibrated from every particle in his body. "Gladly."
With every one of the last seconds left over, counted down from Starpower Infusion, Elias channeled every last shred of remaining power into one last fatal attack.
His hands were clasped together as if in prayer, and the sigil on his palm was glowing in response. The air around him rippled with waves of Beastial Qi as a huge sphere of golden energy formed between his palms. It flickered- unstable, yet full of power, with an ancient, wild energy, the unmistakable energy of a Beast Lord.
[ Beep…
Host has activated skill: Photon Manipulation
-200 Beastial Qi energy.
Remaining Beastial Qi balance: 0/5000]
[ Warning…
The host is out of Beastial Qi.
Immediate Action required:
'Please replenish Beastial Qi']
Elias stared at the bright red notification hovering in front of him. His face turned serious as a wave of exhaustion washed over him.
Without enough Beastial Qi, a beast tamer was no stronger than any ordinary human.
"This is it!" he sighed, looking at what was in his hands.
"It's do or die!" he shouted, releasing his grip on the sphere and turning to Celestia.
Celestia's smirk wavered for the first time; for the first time, her stance turned into a tense state– a defensive state.
"Interesting," she whispered, eyes narrowing. "But can you control it?"
[Remaining time: 5 seconds]
Elias roared, releasing the grip on the ball and pushing the sphere forward with all his might. "Take this!"
Like a meteor, it shot towards Celestia, ablaze with a fierce, light-tracing tail behind. The strong power of this attack distorted the surroundings in the whole Astral Realm around it, tearing its way across a bright, star-filled sky.
Celestia's face hardened. She raised her sword, made of her silver Astral Energy, bracing for impact. As the sphere neared her, she swung the blade with precision, cleaving the energy in two. The resulting explosion was deafening, a supernova of light that engulfed them both.
When the light finally subsided, Celestia stood unscathed, her sword glowing faintly from the energy it had absorbed.
Elias looked at her sword and then at her face, mumbling, "You're seriously overpowered! That sword of yours can even soak up energy!"
She looked down at Elias, who was on his knees, gasping for breath. The sigil on his hand dimmed, representing the last remnants of his Beastial Qi had been spent.
A moment of silence hung between them.
Then Celestia smiled-a real, rare smile. "You've got guts, Elias. I'll give you that."
He let out a weak laugh, falling onto his back. "So…did I pass?"
Celestia jumped down the ground and knelt beside him with an appreciative look on her face. "You didn't win. But you didn't quit, either. That's more important than victory right now. Besides, your speed of getting strong has already surprised me!"
Elias closed his eyes, absorbing what she said. It was not like he didn't overpower her; he managed to prove in some manner to himself that at his limits, at this height of disadvantage, he could press on.
"Rest now," Celestia instructed, her tone firm and full of warmth. "Next time, I expect a lot from you! We have more to do!"
As she stood up and walked away, Elias allowed himself a small smile. He was battered, bruised, and completely drained, but for the first time in what felt like an eternity, he felt something he hadn't: hope. A hope that he could surprise overpowered real deals of the universe!
Of course, the trial fights were giving him hope, too, but to a person like him, assigned as the next Beast Lord, that amount of hope was not enough.
Lying on the ground, he watched the distant stars of the Astral Realm shimmer as if they had acknowledged his resolve.
—
Two dark-robed figures, tattered black robes torn to rags, limped into a dimly lit chamber with a large table in the middle filled with maps, bearing various severe injuries: one clasping a bleeding side and the other supporting a broken arm hanging on his side, indicating its worthlessness. With each step taken, there came a faint trail of blood upon the polished floor.
Standing at the far end of the chamber was Bartholomew Stark, large and towering, cloaked in shadow. His piercing gaze cut through as they knelt before him, trembling. "You have failed," his voice sliced through the silence like a blade.
The shorter one threw back his hood, showing a face marked by bruises and blood. "We underestimated him. The boy… he's stronger than expected. His powers… it just destroyed all my defenses, with just an energy beam!"
Stark's eyes narrowed, and with a click of his boots against the floor, he moved a step forward. The oppressive weight fell on them, and the wounded assassins flinched away from him. "Stronger than expected?" he repeated in his calm, yet ominous tone. "You actually think I sent you to kill him because it was easy?"
The taller one tried to say something, his voice shaking. "His powers. different from anything we've faced. Though he was weak, his powers just condemned every rule of the power of darkness we used!"
An awkward silence filled the air. Turning his back to them, his hands clasped behind him, as an ominous aura of a high-level Beast Tamer exploded from him. The assassins didn't move, with their senses warning them about the killer energies boiling around him.
"You've not only failed me," he said, stepping closer, "but you've exposed your incompetence. Now he's figured out he's a target, so he's definitely going to be more careful now, and then… Stark slowly turned back to them, shouting, "THEN I'LL LOSE MY SHOT AT SNAGGING THAT SIGIL FROM HIM!!!"
His voice echoed as chaotic waves of Beastial Qi slammed against the room's walls, pulling everything inside into a swirling vortex of energy: maps, furniture, and all.
The man stuttered, "W-we can still fix this. Give us another chance—"
"Enough." Stark raised a hand, silencing him. "You've wasted your chance. And you know there is no such a thing like ' failure' in the Void Syndicate."
The chamber darkened as the atmosphere of the room became dangerous with lethal energy.
The two assassins knelt in front of him, utterly defeated by the fear of dying. Stark's eyes, aglow with a dangerous intensity, seemed to pierce right through them. They could feel their breaths getting heavier, each one filled with a rising tide of anxiety.
"Tell me," said Stark, and his voice was low and almost a growl. "What power did he wield?"
The man gasped, trying to catch his breath. "It wasn't ordinary light or flame," he stammered. "It was… from the Astral Realm."
The air seemed to thicken at the mention. Stark's jaw clenched, his eyes narrowing. The Astral Realm-the one power that could challenge his own. It was an energy he had once sought to understand, but it had always eluded him.
The tall man, shaking, spoke up. "We didn't know, Master. If we had known—"
"You didn't know? You failed to understand with whom you were dealing? You were sent to kill him and you bring me this report?" And in a hushed voice, it seemed to vibrate within the room with the weight of what was said.
The assassins exchanged a panicked look between them as the pressure in the chamber grew.He took a step forward, the dark energy around him swirling, sharp and deadly, before saying, "You have shamed my name, and the power of the Astral Realm is dangerous. Now Elias has it, and he's a threat to all I have built."
"Master, please," the man pleaded, his voice shaking. "Give us another chance. We will take him down."
Stark's eyes gleamed bright with his anger. "Another chance? You don't deserve it."
With just a flick of his wrist, a dark spike burst from the floor and impaled the man through his chest. He shrieked as the dark energy coursed through his body, then crumbled into dust.
The short one screamed, falling back. "Master, please! I-I can still-"
Stark didn't let him finish. Shadows surged from the walls, binding his limbs and lifting him off the ground. He struggled, eyes wide with terror as the shadows pulled him apart, ripping through his body until he was left in a heap of lifeless fragments.
The silence that returned to the room was heavy and oppressive. Stark did not move, taking a deep breath to calm himself. The traces of dark power that were around him dissipated, but his eyes remained cold and unyielding.
"The Astral Realm huh," he whispered, "Interesting. I don't know how you came across that power, but it means one thing for me." His eyes flashed red as he muttered, "You can't live in the same world as mine!"