Chapter 393: The Beginning Of The End [LV]

Aestrea vanished from where he stood and appeared directly in front of her.

He stepped in and slammed the flat of Midnight straight into her trident.

BAAAAAAAAM!

The impact shattered the water weapon completely, the trident exploding into mist and waves that scattered across the arena.

Vanya’s eyes widened.

Before she could even reform it, Aestrea drove his shoulder forward.

Thud!

It struck her chest.

“KURGH!”

The force launched her backward like a cannonball, water exploding behind her as she skipped across the blood sea. She barely managed to stabilize herself by forcing a massive wave up beneath her feet.

She landed hard, knees bending deeply as cracks spread across the sea’s surface under her.

“Tch!” She spat out blood, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

“You’re not holding back anymore.”

Aestrea walked forward, his sword held loosely at his side.

“…I just added a little more power.”

Vanya snarled and raised both hands.

FWOOOOOOOOM!

The blood sea screamed.

Every drop of water within the domain surged upward, forming towering waves that closed in from all sides.

The pressure spiked sharply, the air itself feeling heavy and wet as the ocean tried to crush Aestrea from every direction.

“I WON’T LOOOSEEEE!!!” Vanya shouted as she forced her authority forward, veins visible on her neck.

The waves crashed inward.

Aestrea lifted Midnight.

Fwip!

He slashed once.

The black arc of power ripped through the sea, carving a clear path straight toward Vanya. The waves split apart violently, collapsing uselessly to the sides.

Aestrea stepped through the opening.

Vanya reacted fast, pulling the water beneath him into a spinning drill that shot forward, aimed directly at Aestrea’s torso.

Aestrea twisted his wrist and brought Midnight down.

The drill shattered on contact.

SPLASH!

He closed the remaining distance in a blink and struck again, this time with a diagonal slash that tore across Vanya’s body.

Splurt!

Blood sprayed into the sea as she was sent spinning sideways.

“UGHHH!”

She crashed into the water and sank.

The blood sea churned violently, waves colliding as she struggled beneath the surface.

Aestrea stood above the water, his sword raised slightly, his eyes calm and cold.

A moment later, Vanya burst out of the sea again, gasping for breath.

Her body was covered in cuts and bruises, water failing to keep up with her injuries. Her grin was completely gone now, replaced with a strained, stubborn glare.

“…F-fucking shit…”

She raised one trembling hand.

The domain responded weakly, the blood sea rippling without its former strength.

Aestrea stepped forward and appeared right in front of her. Then, he raised Midnight one last time at her head,

Vanya looked at the blade, then laughed softly.

“Guess… this is it.”

Swip!

Midnight came down.

FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The impact slammed her into the sea, the water exploding outward as her body hit the surface and sank motionless beneath it.

The blood sea lost cohesion instantly, collapsing into harmless water that drained away as the domain shattered.

Silence fell over the arena.

The barrier faded.

Vanya lay unconscious at the center of the platform, her breathing faint but steady.

Aestrea straightened and lowered his sword.

For a SECOND, nobody spoke.

Then the profesorr’s voice echoed through the arena, loud and clear to the point of directly shaking the stands.

“THE WINNER IS AESTREAAAAA!”

For half a second, the arena was silent, but right after, it exploded.

“What the hell did we just watch?!”

“She’s ranked 100th! She’s been on the Heaven’s List for a whole year!”

“And she still couldn’t force him to go all out!”

“Did you see his face the whole time? He wasn’t even breathing hard!”

“No way… even the weakest of the Heaven’s List couldn’t bring out his full power?”

The noise rose higher and higher, waves of disbelief rolling through the stands.

Some gods were shouting, some were laughing nervously, and others were just staring at the arena with blank faces.

At the professors’ platform, several of them swallowed hard.

One of the older professors stepped forward, his voice amplified across the arena.

“Enough,” he said, though his tone carried clear amazement. “The results are undeniable.”

He glanced toward Aestrea, who was already turning away from the center of the platform.

“As agreed beforehand, today’s challenges end here,” the professor announced. “Aestrea has officially entered the Heaven’s List. Further challenges will resume tomorrow.”

The crowd erupted again.

“Tomorrow?! He’s continuing?!”

“He’s really going for first place!”

“I almost feel bad for whoever’s next…”

Aestrea didn’t look back.

He stepped off the platform as the barrier fully dissolved, the noise fading behind him as he walked with calm, steady steps toward the waiting area.

Near the edge of the arena, Kael and Tyrian were already standing.

Kael’s mouth was wide open.

“…Bro,” he finally said.

“You just bullied the Heaven’s List.”

“And you didn’t even look tired,” Tyrian added before letting out a deep breath.

Aestrea stopped in front of them, his crimson eyes looking calm as ever.

“Let’s go.”

Kael snapped out of it immediately and threw an arm around his shoulder. “Yeah, yeah, before the whole academy starts following you.”

Tyrian nodded and turned as they started walking together, his gaze following the still-buzzing arena behind them.

“Tomorrow’s going to be much worse,” he stated calmly, “But seriously… how many people are you planning to challenge?”

Aestrea answered without stopping.

“As many as they’ll allow me to challenge.”

Kael snorted at his words.

“That’s not even a number! Well… that does sound like a threat though,” he mumbled.

“I’m serious!” Tyrian continued, adjusting his pace.

“You’re already inside the Heaven’s List. Challenging too many in one day will draw attention from people who don’t just want your rank.”

“They already want my head. Rank doesn’t change that.” Aestrea shrugged his shoulder.

Kael laughed loudly at his casual comment.

“He’s got a point. Also…” his stomach growled loudly, cutting him off.

He grabbed his belly with a dramatic groan. “I’m starving. Fighting gods all day makes me hungry, and I wasn’t even the one fighting.”

“You were sitting and shouting.” Tyrian sighed.

“That actually burns a lot of calories.”

They turned down the main hallway leading toward the cafeteria, the noise fading as other students split off into excited groups, all still talking about the fights.

Just as Kael started listing everything he planned to eat, the air suddenly shifted.

The hallway grew quiet.

Step, step…

Footsteps echoed.

A familiar presence settled heavily over the three of them.

Kael froze mid-step.

Tyrian stopped immediately.

Both of them straightened at once.

Standing a short distance in front of them was a woman with long hair and sharp eyes, her posture straight, her presence cold and heavy like winter air.

The Student Council President.

“Student Council President!” Kael blurted out instantly.

“President Lunara!” Tyrian bowed his head slightly, his tone respectful.

“Good afternoon! Very nice weather today! Haha!” Kael added a second later, standing both awkward and stiff at once.

Lunara ignored both of them.

Her gaze was fixed on Aestrea, without blinking or saying anything.

She just stared.

The silence stretched.

“Why do I feel like we’re about to be executed?” Kael glanced sideways and whispered to Tyrian.

“Don’t breathe too loudly!” Tyrian murmured back.

“Haaah…”

Aestrea let out a deep sigh.

“I’ll… be going, guys. See you later.”

Kael’s eyes widened in complete surprise.

“Wait, now?”

Before either of them could say more, Aestrea stepped forward. His expression softened slightly as he raised his hand and gently caressed Lunara’s cheek with his thumb.

Kael’s soul left his body.

Tyrian’s brain stopped working.

“Shall we go?” Aestrea asked calmly.

Lunara’s cold expression cracked a little

“…Um,” she replied, smiling lightly.

That alone was enough to shatter reality.

Before Kael or Tyrian could make a sound, both Aestrea and Lunara vanished together, disappearing down the corridor in a flicker of light.

Silence returned.

Kael stood frozen, his mouth hanging open.

Tyrian didn’t move either.

Several seconds passed.

“…Did… did she just smile?” Kael muttered.

Tyrian blinked once.

“…Yes.”

“Gulp!” Kael swallowed.

“Did… did Aestrea just touch her?”

“On the cheek.” Tyrian nodded stiffly.

Kael’s knees buckled slightly as he instantly grabbed Tyrian’s arm for support.

“The man-hating ice queen. The same woman who made a senior cry by looking at him.”

“She didn’t stab him,” Tyrian added weakly.

“Or freeze him.”

“She smiled,” Kael whispered in disbelief.

“SHE ACTUALLY SMILED!!!”

Both of them stared at the empty hallway.

Kael suddenly shook Tyrian violently.

“ARE WE STILL ALIVE?”

“Calm down.” Tyrian pushed him away.

“How am I supposed to calm down?! Our friend just casually walked off with the scariest woman in the academy like it was a date!”

“At this point, I think we should stop asking questions.” Tyrian exhaled slowly.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah! I don’t think I want answers anymore.” Kael nodded vigorously.

Growll…

He paused, then groaned again and clutched his stomach.

“But I still want food.”

Tyrian glanced toward the cafeteria and then back at the spot where Aestrea had disappeared.

“…Tomorrow really is going to be much worse,” he muttered bitterly.

Kael nodded lightly.

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