Chapter 51: One Hour in Hell (2)

Asterion stood and approached.

“I told you. This is the only way to learn. From now on, Moon will drain you until you can no longer continue. You will go to the priests afterward to heal… then return the next day and repeat the process.”

He spoke without emotion.

Revealing a training method that had driven away all who had witnessed it.

“Moon is the only one who mastered my sword style,” he continued.

“Because she possesses the Phoenix Blessing, which heals her wounds and allows her to endure.”

His smile widened faintly.

“But unlike her…”

“You do not possess such an advantage.”

“You have no choice but to endure ..until your body collapses.”

He gestured toward Moon.

“And understand this. You are placing your life entirely in her hands.”

“If she makes a mistake… if she cripples you… or delivers a fatal wound…”

His voice remained calm.

“You may never wield a sword again.”

“Or worse…You may die.”

Ethan’s expression darkened gradually.

He understood now.

Why Asterion had no disciples.

Why no one had inherited his sword and why only Moon had succeeded ..

And even she, only because of the Phoenix Blessing.

To learn Asterion’s violent style ..

Blood was required.

And even if one survived, this hellish training would drain the body so completely that nothing else could be done for the rest of the day.

’Impossible conditions…’

Ethan thought.

Then slowly ..

A smile spread across his face.

Surprising both Asterion and Moon.

’Impossible conditions… for ordinary humans.’

’Not for someone like me.’

Gripping his sword once more, Ethan raised it and pointed toward Moon.

His voice was steady.

“Let’s continue.”

Seeing that Ethan had neither surrendered nor faltered ..

Asterion sighed.

“At least you have courage,” he muttered.

“As you wish.”

He gave Moon a serious look.

“Do not hold back.”

Moon gave a small nod.

But there was hesitation. Only for a moment.

Then the cold mask returned to her face.

She stepped forward .. And within seconds ..

The battle resumed.

The same outcome repeated.

Ethan received the blows once more.

His blood soon painted the ground in greater quantity than before.

Watching from afar, Asterion returned to his seat, boredom evident on his face.

’Ethan Heart… I truly enjoy your company.’

’But I’m sorry.’

’You cannot learn my sword style’

The old man observed silently.

’Many have come to this decaying building. Strong knights with talent and potential.’

’But after crossing blades with me… they all disappeared.’

’Some lasted a day.’

’Some, two.’

’One endured for a week.’

’But none remained until the end.’

Asterion’s sword style was merciless.

Pure aggression.

Relentless pressure.

It required talent. Strength. Endurance. Patience. And luck.

All at once.

“I wonder how long that smile will remain on your face,” Asterion murmured quietly.

“How long will you endure… before you turn away, just like the others?”

He was completely certain of the outcome.

Though he had accepted Ethan on a whim..

Not for a single second did he believe .. that this cursed boy would endure to the end.

Normally, the first training session ended quickly—within less than ten minutes—when the trainee collapsed under the weight of their injuries and their inability to endure.

That was what usually happened.

But not today.

Five minutes passed.

Then ten.

Then fifteen.

Asterion’s eyes slowly began to widen.

Twenty minutes.

Twenty-five.

Half an hour.

A frown formed clearly across the Uncrowned Emperor’s face. He leaned forward, watching with far greater attention now.

Thirty-five minutes.

Forty-five.

Fifty.

An entire hour passed.

That was when Asterion stood.

All traces of his usual indifference vanished.

What remained was pure, absolute seriousness.

His mouth hung open in unconscious shock ..

For the first time in many years .. He began to doubt what his eyes were seeing.

“This is impossible…” he whispered, stunned.

Because of what stood before him.

An entire hour had passed.

Moon stood at the untouched side of the training ground.

Her cold composure had completely collapsed, replaced by unmistakable fear and concern as she stared at her opponent.

Her blade had turned crimson ..

Dyed by the sheer amount of blood it had spilled.

She had tried to stop the fight several times.

Tried to end this madness.

But her opponent refused.

With trembling eyes, she stared at him, unable to bear the sight any longer.

Her side of the battlefield remained clean.

But Ethan’s side…

There were no words for it.

He stood barely upright.

The ground around him was soaked in an ocean of blood.

So much that anyone who walked in would think a massacre had taken place.

But the most horrifying sight was not the ground.

It was Ethan himself.

Using his sword as a crutch, stabbed into the earth, he struggled to breathe.

From head to toe, his body was covered in wounds.

Deep cuts carved by the blade.

Injuries too numerous to count.

Blood continued to drip from him with every passing second.

His human arm trembled violently.

His legs barely supported his weight.

Even breathing had become a battle.

Each time his chest rose to draw air, his wounds sent sharp waves of agony straight into his head.

At the beginning, Ethan had screamed pathetically with every strike.

But as time passed ..

The screams diminished.

As the blood increased.

His screams became groans.

Then silence.

A bitter silence.

His trembling eyes alone revealed his suffering.

And finally ..

After one full hour ..

That silence turned into laughter.

Ethan laughed weakly.

His face twisted into something unhinged.

Something insane.

Even though he could barely stand ..

He showed no desire to stop.

But Asterion intervened.

He ended the blood-soaked training session by force.

“That is enough. We are finished here.”

The Uncrowned Emperor stepped between them.

He turned toward Ethan.

Ethan did not respond immediately.

It took him a moment to understand.

“Haha… I see… so we’re done…”

he murmured.

Then he collapsed.

Moon moved instantly, catching him before he hit the ground.

Seeing her ..

Ethan laughed harder.

There was irony in it , Because she was the very one who had brought him to this state.

His body was destroyed.

Yet he had not lost consciousness.

He kept laughing until the very end.

Asterion stepped closer.

His sharp eyes locked onto him.

“Do you not feel pain?” he asked.

Ethan laughed louder.

“Pain? Of course it hurts!”

“I’m living in hell right now!!”

He laughed.

And in that moment ..

They understood.

“He no longer knows how to respond to pain… so he laughs instead of screaming,” Asterion said quietly, astonished.

“I have much to say… especially about that strange body of yours…”

“But this is not the time. You will die at this rate.”

He turned to Moon.

His words were an order.

“Take him to the priests. Use my name if necessary. Ensure they treat him immediately.”

Moon nodded repeatedly.

She supported Ethan’s weight.

After everything that had happened ..

She looked regretful.

Regretful for offering to help him.

Even she had never believed he could learn her grandfather’s sword.

She had only wanted him to learn the basics.

To fight properly.

But she had underestimated him.

His will.

His inhuman endurance.

As she prepared to carry him away ..

Ethan lifted his head one last time.

He looked at Asterion.

“It is… my fate…”

“To become stronger…”

“To keep growing…”

“Without stopping…”

His voice was weak.

His consciousness fading.

But he finished his words.

“So do not stand in my way…”

“…Uncrowned Emperor.”

With those words ..

Ethan lost consciousness.

Moon carried him away on her back, running toward the priests.

Asterion remained behind.

He stared long after they had disappeared.

Long after he was alone.

A strange feeling stirred within him.

Something he had not felt in a very long time.

Something burning.

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