The instant Atticus's fingers touched the hilt of his katana; Astrion immediately felt danger. It was a feeling he had never felt before in his life, the kind of feeling that baffled him to his core.
He had faced numerous Expert ranks, especially those who considered themselves geniuses in the human domain, and even then, he had never felt this way before.
But now he was feeling this way for a child? Astrion immediately dismissed that absurd thought from his head. It was impossible!
In response, he intensified the emanation of his aura, expanding the boundary of the previously distorted space from a mere 10 meters to an astounding 30 meters.
The air within 30 meters around him crackled with intensity. Vorlock, already noticing Astrion's increased aura, had started moving even further away, he had no intention of being caught in the crosshairs!
After receiving this power from only God knows where, Atticus felt like many things had opened up for him. It was a surreal feeling. It was as if everything he had been doing before was wrong. The way he walked was wrong, even the way he breathed.
As he was about to use the first art, he immediately felt something was wrong. His movements, stances, everything— they were unnecessary.
The first art was simple, a swift, unerring slash from one point to another. That burst pattern wasn't needed; the stance wasn't needed. Only three large, rapid bursts were needed: one for his leg, one for his arm, and one for his blade.
In the span of a second, Atticus effortlessly constructed pipelines, connecting his mana core to his body.
It was a stark contrast to the minute it had taken him to achieve this previously.
His right hand poised on the katana's hilt, the very air around Atticus began to shift.
He released three colossal bursts in rapid succession, each one causing the earth beneath him to tremble.
And then, with an almost telepathic speed, he blurred and moved. The ground upon which he had stood moments ago shattered, leaving a substantial crater in his wake.
Atticus appeared in front of Astrion in the air with teleportation-like speed, crossing the space that should've affected him with unimaginable speed, as if it wasn't even there.
His gleaming razor sharp katana appearing at Astrion's neck in the blink of an eye.
Astrion's surprise was palpable. 'What?' he uttered in bewilderment as Atticus's blade hovered dangerously close to his neck.
But his question was met with silence, only the chilling, cold gaze of Atticus's cerulean eyes.
Astrion immediately felt a danger the likes of which he hadn't felt before. He knew, he knew that if he didn't move, he'd die!
Immediately, as fast as he had ever acted before, he summoned his space bloodline. And before Atticus's sword could cleave his neck, he suddenly disappeared, reappearing far away from the scene.
Atticus's razor-sharp slash cleaved through the empty air, parting the clouds forward for a few kilometers.
Astrion appeared 200 meters away from the scene, his expression still in disbelief. "I… I ran away?" he muttered incredulously.
But then, his senses sharpened as he felt a trickle of warmth upon his neck. He touched it, examining the red liquid staining his fingertips, and the grim reality settled in.
"No, it can't be," he muttered, attempting to deny the undeniable, "I was injured by a child?" As if reality bore down upon him, he realized.
"Surge!" Vorlock, who was initially a few meters from Astrion, reacted and yelled, his voice slicing through the night.
Vorlock was shocked at the strength Atticus had shown. He didn't even see Atticus move! His survival instincts had immediately kicked in, and he knew he had to attack Atticus first before he could disappear again.
Immediately, his entire body set ablaze with an eerie purple flame, its menacing presence saturating the surroundings.
His cloak caught fire as the fire immediately devoured his cloak, revealing his hairless features. His head was bald, with no eyebrows or any hair on his face.
With a thought, the flames surged and gathered behind him, taking on a sinister form, materializing a 15 meters big, grimacing face with a wicked grin.
The grotesque visage opened its mouth, and a malevolent purple glow gathered, shooting forth with incredible velocity toward Atticus, who remained suspended in the air.
Atticus remained unfazed, his expression still as icy as ever. With a mere extension of his left hand, an orb of burning fire condensed and crackled with contained power.
The small flame orb appeared as though it was on the brink of eruption, waiting for the right moment.
In the blink of an eye, it exploded into a massive and ferocious fire storm, dwarfing Vorlock's attack in both size and intensity.
A huge wave of fire covered Vorlock's view, brightening the entire forest. The cataclysmic collision unfolded in the air, and Atticus's flames devoured and extinguished Vorlock's like a merciless tide swallowing a flickering candle.
The impact sent shockwaves resonating through the forest, creating a blinding spectacle of fiery power that stretched for kilometers.
As the relentless assault continued its high-speed advance towards its intended target, Vorlock's eyes widened in sheer horror. Swift as a shadow, he propelled himself away from the devastating attack.
Atticus's flames continued onwards, landing on the forest floor, creating an effect that was nothing short of apocalyptic, as an earth-shattering eruption sent shockwaves rippling through the forest.
The verdant trees, once standing tall and proud, were reduced to nothing more than smoldering remnants.
By now, most of the trainees were already awake. Even Ember and Aurora watched the fight with bated breath. Only one thought echoed in their minds: 'Is that really Atticus?'
