Class Eight, morning lesson period.
Instructor Janice Corbin stood before the crystal-black board, a silver spirit ruler in one hand and her other hand on her hip. Her posture was commanding, her voice cool and resolute:
"—The origin of the 'Apocalypse Panel' is a core topic that appears in every year's Combat Energy Assessment. Who will recite it?"
In the first row, a petite female student with twin ponytails quickly rose to her feet. Her tone was crisp and powerful:
"A thousand years ago, the divine wills of the Seven Prime Gods awoke once more upon Blue Star. The Earth God reshaped the crust, expanding the landmass a thousandfold; the Goddess of Creation bestowed the 'Apocalypse Panel' upon all humankind, giving birth to the cultivation system; the Goddess of Forging rained down countless sacred relics.
Only the Fallen Goddess betrayed the Divine Alliance. She tore open the void, casting forth 'Dungeons' and 'Rifts', guiding monsters to invade, seeking to overthrow the order of the Prime Gods and devour the entire Blue Star along with its Six Gods.
To survive, mortals awakened their bloodlines and called upon divine gifts, engaging in a thousand-year war against the monsters—a conflict recorded in history as the 'War of Shattered Realms'!
From that moment on, awakened mortals were given a name: Godslayers!"
Janice nodded in approval and pressed further:
"Then, what is the difference between dark creatures and monster-kind?"
The girl straightened her back:
"Monsters are born of the Rifts, creations of the Fallen Goddess; while dark creatures hail from beyond the star domain, pure beings of the void—Star-Devouring Swarm in essence—origin unknown, undying and indestructible!
They first appeared two hundred years before the Star Era and have now reached the edge of Blue Star's orbital boundary. At that time, all awakened across the races joined forces to build the Star-Ring Great Wall, and the Human Federation was founded.
Level 100 powerhouses stepped into the star sea, forming the Star-Crown Expeditionary Force, waging war without end to this very day.
This campaign is known as—the Godslayer War!"
—The entire class sat in solemn silence.
At that moment, seated in the back row, Alex found his mind wandering.
The steel-feather pen in his hand spun idly between his fingers as his gaze lingered on the graceful figure standing at the lectern.
Janice Corbin—only twenty-six years old, a Level 61 Godslayer-tier, once concealed her identity to serve as an instructor at Fifth High.
In his previous life, Alex had paid her little attention. It wasn't until he later joined the Expeditionary Force that he learned Janice was from the royal cadet branch of House Corbin in the northern royal city of Abyssal Depths.
That was a lineage as formidable as the Elliott family—perhaps even overshadowing it in certain aspects.
But why had she left her homeland, traveling thousands of miles to the small border city of Abyssal Edge, hiding her name to serve as a mere grassroots instructor?
Alex's eyes narrowed slightly. In his mind, she was now marked with both caution and curiosity.
…
Two class periods passed in the blink of an eye.
The midday bell rang, and a tide of students surged out of the academic building, heading eastward across the campus—toward the Hall of Divine Appraisal.
This was the place where newly awakened God-chosen underwent "Talent Appraisal" and "College Entrance Registration."
Every year at this time, the Hall swarmed with people. In addition to the awakened registering their talents, crowds of onlookers gathered, eager to see if anyone would emerge whose gifts could astonish all of Blue Star.
Walking shoulder to shoulder, Alex and Gregory made their way forward. The two had completed their awakenings the day before; today, they would naturally undergo official certification and archiving by the Federal Divine Appraisal System.
From a distance, the Hall's centerpiece came into view—a towering black altar. Atop the high platform, a sacred, moonlike spiritual sphere floated in midair—
[Artifact Name]: Pearl of Communion
[Rank]: Mythical
[Type]: Appraisal Artifact
[Passive Ability]: When touched by a Godslayer, it automatically analyzes their awakened talent and records it in the Federal Divine Register.
The pearl radiated holy brilliance. Standing beside it on the ceremonial dais was a middle-aged envoy in a sharply tailored suit, presiding solemnly over the entire registration process.
Alex arrived just as a senior from Class Seven of Grade Twelve stepped down, having completed his test.
He placed his hand upon the Pearl of Communion. The sphere flickered with a faint violet light, and in the air appeared a line of glowing runes:
[Class Seven · Cadwell · Level 3 · Awakened Talent: C-rank · Battle Roar]
The middle-aged envoy read aloud in a calm, official tone:
"Meets the standard for the College Entrance Examination. Record permitted."
The student instantly let out a long breath of relief, his face lighting up with excitement. Though only C-rank, it was enough to qualify for the exam—and enough to answer to his family.
The onlookers, however, quickly lost interest.
"Another C-rank… boring."
"I heard the strongest awakening this year is only B-rank?"
"You still hoping for an S-rank? Think this is the Imperial Capital's Divine Academy?"
"Word is, no other school has produced an S-rank this year. In a backwater like ours, there's no chance."
Alex and Gregory caught every word.
Gregory's grin could no longer be contained.
"Alex, you hear that? I'm an A-rank! Today, I'm going to shatter their jaws in awe!"
"That'll depend on whether your performance is dazzling enough," Alex replied with a smile—though in his heart, he already knew the real showstopper today would be someone else entirely.
From his past life, he remembered well—on this very day, a girl from Fifth High had awakened a rare S-rank talent, sending the entire city into an uproar.
Her name… he had already recalled.
Just as they were about to step onto the platform for their test, two familiar figures appeared quietly outside the Hall of Divine Appraisal.
Brown and Leon—those persistent, vengeful scions of power.
"He's here," Leon muttered, his expression dark.
"Awakening successful?" Brown's eyes narrowed, sharp as blades.
"He's Harley's son!" Leon's voice dropped lower. "What if he awakens an SS-rank?"
Brown fell silent.
After a long moment, he ground his teeth and said in a low voice:
"The bowstring's already drawn—there's no turning back. No matter how strong he is, we'll crush him. As Young Master Manfred said—he'll never rise."
Their faces twisted with malice as they stepped into the crowd.