Several days passed as Saruto and Lucian practiced the Asterazine technique, until the day of the test arrived. The ten heirs of the families gathered in the training arena, each surrounded by a thick aura. The master struck his staff on the ground, causing the hall to tremble, and declared in a solemn voice, "A full week has passed since you began training in the Asterazine technique. Now… it is time to see who among you has mastered its use."
Silence fell, broken only by the frantic beating of hearts. The master continued, "I will personally observe each of your formations, measuring their power, stability, and duration. Let the first heirs begin!"
The princesses of the five kingdoms took their turns. Each achieved a conjuration time of 9 to 10 minutes.
Then it was the male heirs' turn, beginning with Rhyn, who was surrounded by a dark red aura. A half-dragon, half-human form materialized around him, breathing flames so intensely that the other students covered their faces. "Well done, Ryan! You've broken a new record. A full fifteen minutes!"
Ryan raised his chin proudly and looked at Saruto with a mocking smile. "I don't think anyone will break this record easily."
It was Kyle's turn. He unleashed a thunderous lightning storm, and a formation resembling Zeus, the ruler of thunder, formed around him, holding thunder hammers. "Perfection time. Twelve minutes."
Next came Lucien's turn, who enveloped the hall in an air of chill that froze the air. A knight with lances formed. "Perfection time. Twelve minutes."
Finally, all eyes turned to Saruto. He rose slowly from his seat, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Go on, Saruto," Ryan said, laughing confidently. "Let's see if you can break my record."
"Only fifteen minutes?" Saruto responded with a short, mocking laugh. "Is that all you've got, Ryan?"
He stepped to the center of the hall and closed his eyes. For a moment, there was silence, then suddenly the ground beneath him erupted in a monstrous black aura. The entire hall shook, and some of the heirs recoiled from the sheer force of the pressure.
Asterazine began to form around him, a knight-like shape with a dragon-head helmet, covered in dark scales and violet eyes. The professor raised his eyebrows in a surprise he hadn't shown in a long time, and said in a low voice as he watched the measuring device, "Energy increasing… Stability complete… Time exceeds fifteen minutes… Eighteen… Twenty… Twenty-two minutes!"
The entire audience gasped, stunned by the number Saruto had achieved. "Impossible… He broke my record… easily!" said Ryan in a hushed stunned silence, clenching his fist.
Saruto finally switched off his skill, and the asterazine vanished into a swirling cloud of shadows, leaving Saruto surrounded by a slowly dissipating black vapor. "Twenty-two minutes…it looks like you'll need some extra practice, Ryan," he said with a calm smile.
The professor chuckled softly, then said as he took notes, "This year's results are already decided. Well done, even I wasn't expecting these results."