The next morning arrived rather late, as though even the sun understood that the day ahead would be a long one.
Outside the residence, the birds of the Land of the Sun People sang among the trees, their calls drifting through the open windows and filling the otherwise quiet rooms. The morning breeze carried the scent of grass and fresh earth, while sunlight spread across the residence in warm golden patches.
The Black Sun Syndicate was already awake, though none of them seemed particularly eager to leave their beds.
After everything they had endured in the Lost Forest, the group had earned the right to enjoy a few more moments of peace before their final stage of training began.
Dova eventually sat up, stretching his arms before looking around the room. His body still carried the lingering fatigue of the previous day's battle, but the prospect of facing David had begun to awaken his competitive spirit. He decided that a little warm-up would help him shake off the remaining stiffness.
Meanwhile, Isly, Tina, and Stellar were already dressed, sitting at the edges of their beds. Their expressions were calmer than they had been the previous evening, although each of them understood that the upcoming training would likely be more demanding than anything they had experienced so far.
Kaelus jumped out of bed and immediately turned his attention toward his Tempest Blade, which rested beside him. He picked it up, unsheathed it, and carefully wiped down the blade, checking its surface with the familiarity of someone who had spent countless hours maintaining and wielding the weapon. The steel caught the morning light as he moved the cloth along its length.
Alucard, on the other hand, began his morning with a yawn. He got out of bed, washed his face, and dried it with a towel before getting dressed. His movements were unhurried, but his attention occasionally drifted toward the others as they prepared themselves.
Two members, however, had yet to join them. Rein Clark and Eryndor Nasarik were still asleep. Darius, who had already risen, glanced toward their beds. He initially assumed they were simply enjoying the opportunity to rest after their exhausting battles. However, as he turned his attention toward them, something caught his notice…Their auras. Darius paused.
The familiar energy surrounding Rein and Eryndor had changed. It was not merely a difference in intensity, nor was it the residual pressure of their recently awakened Authorities. Something fundamental had shifted within their existences, creating a depth that had not been there before.
He focused more carefully, allowing his soul power to perceive what ordinary senses could not. The result made his expression grow serious. "Why are they still sleeping?" Darius wondered aloud before examining their auras more closely. "Guys, do you feel that?"
Kaelus turned his head toward the two sleeping figures.
In the next instant, he had already crossed the room, his attention fixed on Rein and Eryndor. The wind around him stirred slightly as his senses reached out, allowing him to recognize the extraordinary change in their presence. His eyes widened a fraction. "They did it…"
Stellar had noticed it as well. She looked toward the two men, her expression settling into quiet understanding. "I noticed it too. They finally crossed the threshold and stepped into the realm of a High God." The realization spread through the room.
Although the group had expected Eryndor and Rein to eventually reach that level, witnessing the breakthrough so soon after their battles was another matter entirely. They had awakened their Authorities in the Lost Forest, and the transformation had carried them beyond the limits they had previously reached.
Isly glanced toward them, recalling what Sera had explained about their advancement. "Sera did say something about them advancing while they awakened their Authorities." Darius nodded slowly. "Yes… you are right." Before anyone could say anything else, the room became quiet.
Rein and Eryndor opened their eyes at exactly the same time.
For a brief moment, neither moved. They simply stared ahead, allowing their awareness to settle back into the physical world. The transition from their mental domains to their sleeping bodies had ended, and the difference between their previous state and their current existence was already becoming apparent.
Eryndor sat up first, his expression carrying the faint satisfaction of someone whose suspicions had just been confirmed. "So you guys also felt it?" Kaelus immediately looked at him with a mixture of amusement and disbelief. "Eryndor, you dog… you finally did it." Eryndor smiled. "Yeah, I did."
He climbed out of bed and began getting dressed, taking his time despite the excitement surrounding his breakthrough. There was no reason to rush. The change had already happened, and he would have plenty of opportunities to examine his new power once David's training began.
Stellar then turned toward Rein, who had just sat up and was beginning to get ready. "Congrats, you're now a bigger muscle brain." Rein's expression immediately soured. "Shut up, Stellar." The room filled with laughter.
Even Rein, despite his irritation, could not entirely suppress the change in his expression. The atmosphere had become considerably lighter, and the group's earlier fatigue was gradually giving way to anticipation.
Two of their members had reached the High God level. The others had awakened their Authorities and now, the final stage of their training awaited them. A few minutes later, the Black Sun Syndicate was ready.
They left the residence together and began walking toward David's chambers, their footsteps carrying them along the familiar path through the Land of the Sun People. The surrounding trees swayed gently in the morning breeze, and the sunlight filtered through the branches, casting shifting patterns across the ground.
Yet the closer they came to their destination, the more their attention focused on what lay ahead.
They had already fought world-class monsters as god candidates. They had stormed Atlas when they were low deities, challenging a territory ruled by a High God. They had survived countless encounters that would have overwhelmed beings of comparable rank.
Now, they were approaching the individual who had been watching their progress from the beginning. David. The First God of the Sun…The Freer.
Two High Gods and seven mid-level deities were about to face him in their final training session. The group reached the enormous tree that housed David's chambers. Its massive trunk rose above them, its ancient presence stretching into the sky. For a moment, they stood before it, waiting.
Then the surface of the tree began to change.
The bark shifted and separated, gradually forming a doorway within the trunk. The newly formed entrance opened, revealing David as he walked out from within the tree. Once he had stepped beyond the threshold, the door closed behind him, leaving the massive trunk looking as it had before.
David regarded the assembled group.
Their presence was noticeably different from the last time he had stood before them. The soul power they had learned to perceive had sharpened their awareness, and the Authorities they had awakened gave their auras a depth that had previously been absent.
Eryndor and Rein, in particular, carried the unmistakable presence of High Gods.
David's expression brightened with a small smile. "It seems you're all fired up for the last training." Without waiting for a response, he reached out and grasped the space around them. His hand moved through the air in a simple, almost casual motion.
Reality shifted. The surroundings vanished. In the next instant, the Black Sun Syndicate found themselves standing in an entirely different location, far away from the forest and the Land of the Sun People's settlement.
An immense expanse of open grassland stretched toward the horizon. There were no trees, no buildings, and no visible structures interrupting the landscape. Only grass, earth, and the vast sky above them. The sudden change in location was accompanied by a brief sensation of displacement, but the group quickly regained their bearings.
David stood before them, his posture relaxed.
"This is where your final training will take place."
The members of the Black Sun Syndicate looked around, assessing the terrain. The open land provided an enormous amount of space, with nothing nearby that could obstruct their movements or interfere with the use of their abilities.
Alucard glanced across the empty grassland.
"I didn't plan to slam trees anyway."
Isly smiled as she examined the wide-open surroundings.
"Isn't it perfect for Chaos?"
The first signs of their power began to emerge.
Rein's eye glowed faintly gold as Dominion energy stirred within him. The golden radiance was subtle at first, but its presence carried the weight of the laws he could now impose upon reality. The air around him seemed to acquire an invisible order, responding to the quiet awakening of his Authority.
Farther away, lightning flashed across the distant sky.
One bolt appeared, followed by another, their pale illumination briefly revealing the growing mass of clouds gathering above the grassland.
The weather began to change.
Dark storm clouds accumulated overhead, spreading across the sky as the sunlight gradually weakened. The wind shifted direction, sweeping across the open land and bending the grass beneath its force.
Darius's shadow stretched beneath him.
At first, it was little more than a dark shape cast across the ground. But as the sky grew darker, the shadow expanded, its boundaries reaching farther across the grassland. The darkness beneath Darius seemed to deepen, responding to the growing presence of his Authority.
Beside him, Dova raised his hands.
White Entropy energy illuminated his palms, producing a pale glow that stood out against the increasingly dark surroundings. The energy remained concentrated around his hands, its presence suggesting the destructive potential he could unleash when he chose to release it.
Tina summoned her Soul Sword. The green blade appeared in her hand, its surface radiating a distinct spiritual presence. She held it steadily, her attention fixed on David as the sword's energy settled around her.
Kaelus unsheathed Tempest.
The instant the blade left its scabbard, the wind began to intensify.
It swept across the open land toward their direction, growing stronger with each passing moment. The grass bent beneath the pressure, and the air around Kaelus began to move in countless subtle currents. His Wind Fractal Authority responded to his intent, allowing the surrounding atmosphere to become an extension of his awareness.
Stellar rose several inches above the ground.
A thin veil of frost escaped her mouth when she exhaled, and the temperature around her began to drop. The change spread outward, gradually transforming the grass beneath her into a frozen surface. Ice formed across the ground in delicate patterns, while the cold air mingled with the powerful winds blowing through the area.
The temperature fell below zero. Frost spread farther.
The wind carried tiny particles of ice across the grassland, creating a cold current that moved around the members of the Black Sun Syndicate. The storm clouds above them continued to gather, swallowing more of the sunlight with every passing moment.
One after another, their powers began to overlap.
Dominion energy glimmered faintly in Rein's eyes. Darius's shadow stretched across the darkening earth. Dova's white Entropy energy shone between his hands, while Tina's green Soul Sword remained steady at her side. Kaelus stood with Tempest drawn, surrounded by increasingly powerful winds, and Stellar hovered above the ground as frost spread beneath her feet.
Isly's Chaos began to stir. Alucard stood ready, his body relaxed but his attention sharp.
Eryndor remained among them, his presence connected to the growing storm overhead. The two High Gods stood alongside the seven mid-level deities, their newly elevated existences adding another dimension to the group's combined power.
Above them, the dark clouds finally spread across the entire land.
The sun disappeared behind the enormous mass of storm clouds, and the grassland grew darker until the silhouettes of the Black Sun Syndicate became difficult to distinguish from the surrounding shadows.
For a moment, it seemed as though the nine deities had vanished into the darkness. Then…a lightning bolt struck the ground directly in front of them.
The impact illuminated the entire area in a sudden flash, destroying the ground where it landed and sending a powerful shockwave across the grassland. The light reflected across their faces, revealing their expressions for the brief instant before the darkness returned.
David stood before them, still smiling. "Your final task is to try every means necessary to land a meaningful hit or attack."
By the time his words reached them, the Black Sun Syndicate was already moving. All nine had closed the distance. They stood directly before David, at point-blank range, their attacks beginning to converge from every direction.