All the audience remained inside the coliseum, which now resembled more of a fortress than a festival ground. As fate would have it, most of Stoneford's villagers were already here for the Awakening Ceremony. Only a handful were outside when the alarm was raised — and they were quickly being herded back in by the outer guards.
The coliseum itself was secure. Elite guards ringed the arena, their polished armor gleaming beneath the midday sun. Each one stood with grim expressions, hands tight on their spears. Though not cultivators of renown, they were all Fourth to Sixth-Stage Warriors, more than capable of crushing low-rank beasts.
Ordinary creatures from the forest would not breach them so easily.
Inside, the air was heavy. Even the participants — youths who had just moments ago been basking in dreams of glory — now sat stiff and pale. None dared to move. And why would they? It would be foolish to rush outside. They had awakened elements, yes… but without cultivation, without the ability to truly circulate spirit energy, they were little more than children holding sparks in a storm.
The chiefs and elders had already departed, leading their forces toward the forest's edge. Even Elder Eleice, whose presence had silenced the coliseum earlier, had disappeared in an instant. The weight of her aura had vanished completely, leaving behind only unease.
And in that chaos…
Leon moved.
While every gaze was fixed on the panic around them, he slipped silently through the side passage of the contestants' row. His steps carried no sound, no trace of presence. The eyes of the guards slid over him without recognition, as though he didn't exist.
For Leon had mastered something none of them could comprehend.
An ancient-grade movement technique born in forgotten times. His figure blurred faintly, merging with the sunlight and shadows as he weaved between pillars and corridors. To anyone watching, it was as though the air itself had shifted.
The guards never turned their heads. Even the sharpest among them, warriors at the Sixth Stage, could not sense the faint ripple of spirit energy that concealed his form.
Like a ghost between breaths, Leon slipped past the gates unnoticed.
The midday air struck his face as he emerged outside. The bright sun hung high above, but its warmth was drowned by the distant tremors rumbling through the earth. The Stoneveil Forest loomed ahead, its sprawling treeline alive with chaos. Faint echoes reached his ears — the guttural roars of beasts, the shrieks of birds scattering, the thunder of claws tearing through soil.
Leon's obsidian eyes narrowed, his steps quickening. His blood burned hot with purpose.
Where the villagers huddled in fear, he ran straight toward the storm.
Though Leon moved swiftly, he deliberately chose a different path — a longer, winding route that led away from the main roads. He had no intention of crossing paths with the chiefs or the elders. Remaining unseen was more important than speed.
By the time he reached the edge of the Stoneveil Forest, the scene before him made even his obsidian eyes widen.
Beasts.
From the smallest hare-like creatures with glowing eyes to massive boar-like monsters the size of carriages, all of them were surging out of the woods in a frenzied tide. Their roars and cries blended into a cacophony that shook the ground itself. Dust rose in thick clouds as hooves, claws, and talons pounded the earth.
Leon's sharp gaze caught what others would have missed.
These weren't beasts attacking out of hunger.
They were running. Fleeing.
From something deeper inside.
Most of them radiated the aura of First-Stage Warriors up to Middle-Stage Generals, their power enough to devastate ordinary villages. And yet — their eyes were wide with primal terror, their movements frantic, as though the forest itself was vomiting them out.
Something far more terrifying had awakened.
Leon's breathing steadied. Without hesitation, he darted forward, Phantom shadow Steps carrying him smoothly between the stampede. His black robe fluttered behind him as his blade danced, swift and merciless.
Shhhk!
Splat!
Every beast that lunged toward him was cut down like grass before a scythe. Carcasses fell in his wake, crimson staining the soil. His movements were sharp, efficient, almost casual, as though he were cutting vegetables rather than lives.
But then—
ROOOOOOOOOAR!!!
The sound tore through the air like a thunderclap.
It came from deep within the forest, so loud and vast that the earth quaked. Birds scattered in droves, smaller beasts collapsed in fright, and even the sky itself seemed to tremble under the weight of it.
The aura carried by that roar was suffocating. It spread outward in all directions, crashing against Leon's chest like a mountain of iron.
Even standing at the very edge of the forest — kilometers away from its origin — Leon's body shivered uncontrollably. His spirit core trembled, his breath caught, and for the first time in months, raw fear scraped against his bones.
"Stupid master!" Veile's voice shrieked in his mind, her usually smug tone replaced by genuine panic. "If you don't want to die, don't take another step forward!"
Leon staggered slightly, his grip tightening on Veile's hilt. Don't go further…?
"What? Why?!" he demanded in his thoughts, his voice sharp with disbelief. "What beast has that kind of roar?"
Veile's voice came again, sharper, cutting into his mind like a whip.
"Hmph! To me, it's lower than low — trash beneath trash! But for you… it's enough to crush you in seconds! That roar you just heard…" Her tone deepened, and even her arrogance couldn't mask the weight in her words.
"…belongs to a Spirit Beast at the Fifth Stage of the Grandmaster Realm."
Leon froze. His obsidian eyes widened in shock.
Grandmaster… Fifth Stage…
His mind raced. That was three whole small realms above even the purple-haired woman from Astralis Academy. The one Veile had warned him about. The one whose aura alone made the coliseum suffocate.
And deeper inside this forest… lurked something far stronger.
"I'll just… check it from afar. I won't get close," Leon muttered under his breath, his grip tightening on Veile's hilt.
"Hmph! I've warned you," Veile snapped inside his mind, her crimson voice sharp with irritation. "If you die, don't you dare blame me."
Leon gave a bitter smile but didn't slow down. His body blurred, Phantom shadow Steps carrying him deeper into the forest. The deeper he went, the heavier the atmosphere grew — the air thick with beastly aura, the earth trembling faintly with every roar that echoed in the distance.
For nearly twenty minutes he ran, cutting down wave after wave of panicked beasts. Wolves lunged, boars charged, serpents hissed — all fell like wheat beneath his blade. Their claws and fangs couldn't even slow his advance.
And then he saw it.
His breath caught.
A massive beast stood before him, towering above the trees. Its hide was dark brown, glimmering faintly like hardened stone. Jagged scales covered its colossal body, and its long, thick tail cracked the earth wherever it lashed. Twin horns curved from its skull, and its golden eyes burned with primal fury.
Its very presence warped the air around it.
Leon's obsidian eyes widened.
"A… dragon?"
Veile's voice cut him sharply. "Not a true one. Don't flatter it. This is an Earth Dragon, a subspecies. Strong, yes, but not divine. If it were a true dragon…" Her tone darkened. "…you'd already be dead. Its aura alone would have erased you the moment you stepped foot in this forest."
Leon's throat tightened. He swallowed hard, forcing down the lump of dread that rose in his chest. Even if it wasn't a true dragon, the sheer weight of its aura was enough to suffocate him. Every instinct screamed at him to flee.
But then his eyes caught something else.
Movement.
A figure stood between the Earth Dragon and the clearing's edge. Tall, elegant, calm in the face of overwhelming might.
For a moment, Leon thought his eyes were deceiving him. But no — the violet hair cascading down her back, shimmering like amethyst in the sun, the flawless, ethereal face that even the coliseum couldn't forget…
It was her.
Elder Eleice.
Her robes of deep purple rippled gently in the dragon's oppressive wind. Her expression was calm, almost indifferent, as though standing before a Grandmaster-ranked spirit beast was no different than breathing.
Leon froze in stunned silence.
The woman who had effortlessly silenced the coliseum, whose single word had shaken chiefs and elders alike, was now standing before a creature whose roar alone had nearly broken his spirit.
And she wasn't retreating.
She was preparing to face it.
Thirty minutes before…
At the edge of Stoneveil Forest, the battlefield was chaos.
Dozens of beasts poured from the trees — wolves with crimson eyes, horned boars the size of carriages, serpents that slithered through the underbrush, all radiating bloodlust. Their auras ranged from First-Stage Warriors to Early Generals, enough to overwhelm an ordinary force.
But here, they were being cut down.
Chief Robert stood at the front, his long spear drenched in blood. Each thrust skewered through multiple beasts, his aura steady and commanding. His expression was grim, his eyes sharp.
Beside him, Chief Harren of Greenhollow swung a massive axe with brute force, cleaving through creatures in halves. Chief Varkas of Ironhill fought with a greatsword, his swings wide and brutal, shaking the earth with every strike. Chief Malric of Windvale fought differently, weaving with surprising agility for his bulky frame, twin blades flashing as he cut through necks and tendons like a predator.
Their strength was formidable — for village chiefs. Against this tide, they were like rocks against waves, steady but strained.
Then came Eleice.
While the chiefs and Amelia fought with effort, Elder Eleice's movements were… effortless.
She lifted one slender hand. Spirit energy surged, weaving into arcs of violet force that rippled outward like waves on water. With each motion, a dozen beasts simply collapsed, their bodies torn apart as though reality itself had sliced them open.
Not a trace of exertion touched her flawless face. Her violet eyes remained calm, almost disinterested, as though swatting away these creatures was no more difficult than brushing away dust.
To those watching, it was a reminder. She was not like them. She was Astralis Academy's elder — a being standing far above their world.
Unlike the arrogant elders Amelia had once whispered about, Eleice's bearing carried no scorn, no superiority. She fought alongside them without hesitation, her strength cutting down threats before they could reach weaker guards. And yet… her presence alone reminded everyone of the gap between mortals and giants.
Then it came.
ROOOOOOOOOAR!!!
The sound tore through the battlefield like a thunderclap.
The ground shook violently, birds exploded from the treetops in terrified flocks, and every beast froze mid-charge before scattering in blind panic. The roar carried with it an aura so immense that even the chiefs — hardened warriors of decades — staggered where they stood.
Chief Harren's axe slipped slightly in his grip, his face paling.
Chief Varkas clenched his jaw, his greatsword trembling faintly despite his iron grip.
Chief Malric cursed aloud, his bravado stripped by raw fear.
Even Robert, calm and composed as ever, tightened his fists around his spear until his knuckles turned white. His expression hardened, but the faint tremor in his stance betrayed his unease.
The village elders reacted no better. Elder Selene's lips thinned, her auburn hair whipping in the surge of aura as her face drained of color. Elder Kaelen's hand froze on his beard, his eyes widening in disbelief. Elder Roderic grunted sharply, teeth bared, while Elder Mariel pressed a trembling hand to her chest, her spirit energy flickering unsteadily.
Amelia staggered a step back, fire flickering uncertainly in her palms. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as her heart pounded. The weight of that aura pressed against her bones, making even breathing difficult.
Because this was no ordinary beast's cry.
It was the roar of a predator that stood above them all.
A roar so vast it crushed courage itself.
Only one figure remained unmoved.
Elder Eleice stood still, her violet robes fluttering in the waves of aura. Her beautiful face did not change, her gaze locked on the trembling treeline. Calm. Cold. Watching.
As though the earth itself could shatter, and she would still remain unshaken.
Thanks for reading.....