Chapter 396: The Beginning Of The End [LVIII]

The next day, Aestrea returned to the arena to continue his climb through the Heaven’s List. Unlike yesterday, there would be no sweeping through dozens of ranks at once.

From now on, he could only challenge them one by one.

That meant his first opponent for the day was the 99th-ranked student.

The arena filled quickly, though the mood was different from before.

There was less chaos, less disbelief, and more tense curiosity. Everyone wanted to see how long this climb would really last.

The professor raised his voice.

“Now… Aestrea, the 100th-ranked student in the Heaven’s list, versus Arch, the 99th-ranked one!”

A man with short black hair stepped forward.

His build was lean, his posture low and ready, and in each of his hands rested a curved dagger that gleamed faintly with dark light.

Slowly, the barrier formed, confirming the beginning of the duel.

Fwoop!

The instant the signal ended, he shot forward, his body blurring as he crossed the distance in a heartbeat.

Both daggers slashed toward Aestrea’s neck and waist at the same time.

Clang!

Aestrea drew Midnight and intercepted the strike, sparks flying as steel met steel. The impact pushed him half a step back, the ground cracking under his heel.

Aestrea twisted his wrist and infused the blade with mana.

A silver energy gathered along the edge before he swung once, releasing a crescent-shaped wave that tore forward through the air.

Arch’s eyes narrowed.

Just before the slash reached him, his body dissolved into mist.

The attack passed straight through.

A moment later, the mist reformed behind Aestrea.

“…Predictable,” Arch muttered as he raised both daggers.

He struck.

CLANG!

Aestrea turned sharply, blocking the cross strike at the last moment. Before Arch could pull back, Aestrea shifted his stance and drove his shoulder forward.

BAAAM!

The force sent Arch flying across the arena. His body crashed into the barrier wall with a heavy impact, cracks spreading through the barrier as he slid down, groaning.

“Urgh…”

Before he could recover, Aestrea appeared in front of him with his sword lowered at his side.

“I apologize, but I have twenty more opponents today,” he uttered coldly.

He looked down at him coldly.

“So I’ll need to end these fights quickly.”

Arch clenched his teeth, forcing himself upright despite the pain in his chest.

“Tch, don’t get arrogant!!!” he snarled.

“Domain of S—”

He never finished as Aestrea dove forward.

His elbow slammed into Arch’s chest with crushing force.

BAAAM!

The sound echoed through the arena as Arch’s ribs cracked under the impact.

Blood burst from his mouth as his body lifted off the ground, then collapsed backward, sliding limply across the floor before coming to a stop.

“KURAGHH—”

His eyes rolled back, and then he passed out instantly.

The barrier slowly faded.

The professor let out a slow breath.

“…The winner is Aestrea!”

There was no surprise left in his expression.

After witnessing Aestrea’s strength firsthand, this outcome was expected. Still, as he looked at the unconscious student, his gaze turned serious.

The Heaven’s List existed for a reason.

The rules had been created so students could fight daily, gain experience, refine their control, and grow stronger through controlled combat, not to be overwhelmed by power they couldn’t even respond to.

Unfortunately, rules were rules.

And only the top ranks were truly prepared for monsters like Aestrea.

The professor raised his voice again.

“Next match…! Aestrea versus Norcht, the 98th-ranked student!”

Slowly, Norcht stepped onto the arena.

He was tall, broader than Arch, with ash-gray hair tied back and eyes that carried a faint metallic sheen.

Thick bands of runes circled his arms and neck, pulsing faintly as soon as the barrier finished forming.

Unlike Arch, he didn’t rush.

He rolled his shoulders once, flexed his fingers, and looked straight at Aestrea without fear.

“So you’re the one tearing through the list. I won’t make the same mistake as the others,” Norcht said calmly.

’…Peak 5✯ True God… the level is indeed increasing,’ Aestrea thought inwardly.

But of course, even that level was far from Aestrea’s power.

He simply raised Midnight slightly, the black blade reflecting faint traces of mana.

The signal was given.

BAAM!

Norcht slammed his foot into the ground, and the arena floor rippled outward like disturbed water.

Pillars of stone surged up in a wide arc, forming uneven cover while waves of compressed mana rolled through the field.

The air grew heavier, pressure bearing down from all directions.

Aestrea felt it immediately.

’…A God of Gravity, huh?’

Norcht didn’t waste the opening.

He lifted his hand, and the pillars collapsed inward, breaking into dozens of jagged chunks that shot toward Aestrea like cannon fire.

Aestrea moved.

He stepped forward instead of back, precisely weaving between the fragments.

Fwip!

Midnight flickered, and each time the blade moved, stone shattered cleanly, reduced to dust before it could touch him.

Norcht’s eyes narrowed.

He raised both arms, the runes on his skin blazing brighter.

The remaining debris halted midair, then reversed direction, converging from all sides in a crushing sphere meant to trap Aestrea completely.

“Fuu…” Aestrea exhaled slowly.

He placed one foot forward, rotated his wrist, and drove Midnight into the ground.

A wave of silver energy surged outward.

The stone sphere exploded apart, fragments pulverized into nothingness as the shockwave carved a clean ring into the arena floor.

Norcht staggered back a step, boots grinding against the stone as he absorbed the backlash.

“Fast,” Norcht muttered, then smiled faintly.

He vanished.

Aestrea felt it a split second before it happened and twisted sideways as a fist slammed into his ribs.

The impact carried crushing force, sending him sliding several meters across the ground before he stopped himself with a planted heel.

Norcht didn’t let up.

He appeared again, knee rising toward Aestrea’s face, mana packed densely around the strike.

Aestrea caught it.

His forearm locked under Norcht’s knee, muscles tensing as he held the blow in place. For a moment, the two stared at each other at arm’s length.

“…Dumbfuck,” Aestrea cursed.

THUD!

Then Aestrea headbutted him.

The crack echoed sharply.

“AAGHH… you damn fucker!” Norcht reeled, blood spraying from his nose as he stumbled backward.

Before he could recover, Aestrea closed the distance again, sword sheathed mid-motion as his elbow smashed into Norcht’s jaw.

BAM!

Norcht crashed into the ground, skidding across the arena floor.

“D-dammit…” He groaned, rolled, and forced himself up, breathing heavily now. The runes on his arms flared violently as he spread his hands.

THRUUUM!

The arena shook.

Gravity intensified sharply, pressing down like an invisible weight.

Several students in the stands gasped as cracks spread beneath Aestrea’s feet, the stone sinking under the pressure.

Norcht clenched his fists.

“Try moving now.”

Aestrea felt the pull, felt the weight straining against his body, muscles resisting the crushing force. Midnight hummed quietly at his side.

He straightened anyway.

The ground shattered beneath his feet as he stepped forward.

Norcht’s eyes widened.

Aestrea crossed the distance in an instant, ignoring the pressure entirely.

He drove a punch into Norcht’s abdomen, the impact sending compressed air bursting outward like an explosion.

“KUGH—!” Norcht’s breath vanished from his lungs.

His body folded, lifted off the ground, then slammed back down as Aestrea seized his collar and dragged him upright.

One sharp knee to the ribs.

A second to the chest.

Norcht coughed violently, blood spilling from his mouth as his control slipped. The gravity field collapsed instantly, the pressure lifting from the arena.

Aestrea finished it with a clean strike.

He drove his palm into Norcht’s sternum and released a burst of mana at point-blank range.

BAAAM!

Norcht flew backward, smashing into the barrier wall and sliding down limply, unmoving.

Silence fell over the arena.

“…Winner is Aestrea,” the professor said slowly, rubbing his temple.

Aestrea turned calmly, already lifting his gaze toward the professor.

“Next—”

The words never came.

The air behind him distorted.

Mana pressure flooded the arena without warning. The professor stiffened, his eyes widening as cold sweat formed instantly on his back.

Then, a figure stepped out of the distortion.

A familiar figure… with an aura so dense it made the barrier tremble.

“Student Council President—?!”

The students exclaimed in surprise.

Lunara raised one hand calmly.

Her sleeve slid down slightly, revealing the faint glow of an authority crest along her wrist. With a simple flick of her fingers, space rippled in front of her, and a massive scroll unfurled in midair.

It was old, its surface lined with golden runes and layered seals that radiated an undeniable pressure.

The moment it appeared, the entire arena fell silent.

Even the barrier hummed uneasily.

Lunara grasped the edge of the scroll, her voice clear and cold as it echoed throughout the arena.

“By direct order of the Headmaster of the Academy,” she began, eyes briefly scanning the text, “the current challenge structure is to be adjusted.”

A low murmur spread through the stands.

She continued without pause.

“Due to the vast and proven disparity in power, combat efficiency, and authority control demonstrated by Student Aestrea, he is hereby granted special permission to bypass the lower tiers of the Heaven’s List.”

She turned the scroll slightly, letting several glowing lines brighten.

“Effective immediately, Aestrea is authorized to challenge the twentieth-ranked student directly and continue upward from there.”

The murmurs exploded into open shock.

“He’s skipping seventy-six ranks?!”

“That’s insane!”

“They’ve never done that before!”

Lunara rolled the scroll closed with a sharp snap, the seals locking back into place as the light faded.

“So,” she declared evenly, “the next challenge will no longer be against the ninety-seventh-ranked student.”

Her gaze swept across the arena before settling briefly on Aestrea.

“It will be against the twentieth-ranked.”

A wave of noise surged through the crowd.

The professor stood stiffly for a moment, then exhaled and gave a respectful nod toward Lunara.

“I acknowledge and accept the Headmaster’s decree,” he said formally.

Turning to Aestrea, his expression shifted to something almost resigned.

“Student Aestrea, do you wish to proceed with a challenge against the twentieth-ranked student?”

Aestrea didn’t hesitate and nodded firmly.

“Yes.”

The professor nodded back.

“Very well. As before, there will be a fifteen-minute break to formally summon and prepare the twentieth-ranked student.”

He paused, then added, glancing at his records.

“Before the break… do you wish to issue any additional challenges beyond the twentieth rank today?”

Aestrea considered it briefly, his eyes narrowing as he calculated the strength of the next students, and since the 98th was already a peak 5✯… the 20th could even be a 7✯.

After a moment, he shook his head.

“Only the twentieth for now.”

“…Understood.”

With the formalities complete, the professor raised his hand to signal the break.

As the arena settled, Aestrea turned toward Lunara.

She was already stepping back, her form beginning to blur. Just before vanishing, she met his eyes and winked at him.

Then she disappeared.

Aestrea let out a quiet breath, the corner of his lips lifting slightly.

“…It’s good to have a girlfriend with that much authority.”

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