Pain became time. Time became sleep. At some point, none of them could tell when they stopped fighting against the agony.
The divine power flowing through their bodies had continued reshaping them long after they collapsed. Their souls had evolved first, their God Cores had stabilized second Their bodies had simply been trying to catch up.
Every breath felt like molten metal.
Every attempt to move felt like forcing mountains through veins.
Hours passed. Then more hours. Eventually the pain became distant.
Eventually consciousness disappeared and darkness claimed them.
When Eryndor opened his eyes again, the first thing he noticed was warmth.
The kind that soaked into your skin slowly.
Golden light. His eyes adjusted.
Above him stretched the endless canopy of colossal trees. Sunlight streamed through the leaves.
For a moment, he simply stared. Then realization surfaced, He was awake.
Nearby came a familiar voice.
"You guys finally woke up."
Eryndor turned.
Sera sat cross-legged in front of them beneath one of the giant trees, casually resting her cheek against one hand as if she had simply been waiting.
Eryndor blinked then frowned.
How long…
He pushed himself upward And suddenly his stomach dropped.
His body moved too easily. His eyes widened.
"Huh?"
The forest below him looked… lower.
Too low. He looked down. He wasn't standing.
He was floating. Several meters above the ground.
The others slowly opened their eyes one after another.
Eryndor looked at his own hand.
Then instinctively Wind gathered beneath him.
The movement happened naturally.
No focus. No activation. No command. The air obeyed.
Slowly, he floated downward.
His feet landed softly….Crack.
The ground beneath him shattered.
A spiderweb of fractures spread outward.
Eryndor stared.
"…Seriously?"
Nearby Rein sat up while holding his head.
He leaned against a tree.
The tree groaned.
Then fell over. Rein froze for a moment then slowly turned.
Looked at the fallen tree.
Then looked at his hand.
"…I barely touched it."
Sera finally stood.
Her black hair moved gently in the wind.
Her smile carried amusement.
"You all have now reached the rank of Mid-Level Deity."
Several members looked over. Sera pointed.
"Except Rein and Eryndor."
Eryndor raised an eyebrow.
Sera continued.
"You both already crossed that threshold."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"You simply haven't completely grasped your authorities."
Her golden eyes landed on them.
"When that happens…"
She smiled.
"You'll reach the rank of High God."
Then she looked toward Darius.
Her expression shifted.
"As for Darius…"
Darius blinked. Sera folded her arms.
"You cannot be measured normally."
The air became quiet. She pointed upward.
"You share a domain…The Black Sun."
She looked at Eryndor. Then Darius.
"A being connected to another god's domain isn't classified normally."
Her smile deepened.
"You are what is called a High Exarch."
Darius stared..so from a Exarch to High Exarch. She nodded.
"You still stand at Mid-Level Deity strength."
"But your existence itself is abnormal."
Darius looked away.
"…That sounds troublesome."
Sera laughed.
Then her expression softened.
"The reason all of this feels strange…"
She gestured around.
"…is because none of you ever truly learned control."
The group looked at her.
She continued.
"You were always suppressed."
"Planet Nohr limits you."
She looked at them quietly.
"But here…"
Her smile widened.
"You get to experience your true strength."
The atmosphere shifted.
Her eyes sharpened.
"The strength of a god."
Silence.
Then Sera clapped.
"Now that your bodies have adapted…"
She smiled.
"You're ready for the next stage."
Everyone immediately became alert. Then Sera pointed at herself.
"But first."
Her smile became suspicious.
"Come spar with me again."
Several expressions became blank.
Sera nodded proudly.
"You need to get used to your newfound strength."
She raised one finger.
"And remember to control your breathing."
Eryndor stared at her for a moment then smiled.
He folded his palms together.
"Third Sun Goddess."
Sera looked over.
Eryndor's smile widened.
"You just want to beat us up again."
Sera blinked, then smiled innocently.
"Nonsense."
The moment she finished speaking Rein moved.
One step forward His body vanished from where he stood.
Even he looked surprised because he was too fast.
The ground behind him detonated and a straight line of shattered earth tore through the forest.
His right fist drew back as he crossed the distance in an instant.
He drove the punch directly toward Sera's face.
Sera didn't move her feet.
She simply raised two fingers and caught the strike in front of her.
BOOM.
The shockwave burst outward in a ring.
Trees bent away from them. Several exploded apart.
Rein's eyes widened.
Then Lightning flashed across Sera's left flank.
Eryndor appeared beside her at shoulder level, using Rein's attack as cover.
His body moved like a streak splitting the air.
Sera smiled.
She shifted half a step. Twisted Rein's trapped arm.
Rein's momentum carried him past her and sent him spinning overhead.
At that exact moment Eryndor rose from below her guard going for an Uppercut.
Sera caught the strike with her palm.
She rotated her hips and kicked toward his ribs But Eryndor vanished backward before her foot reached him and reappeared several meters away.
Then sera saw Ice.
A spear formed in front of Sera's eyes from her blind spot.
It was Stellar.
A golden shield appeared between them at the last instant.
Crack…The spear shattered against it.
But Sera noticed something.
A tiny microscopic fracture spread across the shield's surface before repairing itself.
Her eyes brightened as she smiled.
Interesting.
Wind exploded.
Kaelus descended from behind while Sera's attention remained forward.
At the same time Alucard transformed and rushed from the front.
With tiger hands and his bestial eyes.
The two attacked together from opposite directions.
Punches, Kicks and Continuous pressure.
Sera closed her eyes.
Then simply moved.
One step left, A slight tilt and A turn of her shoulders.
Alucard's claws passed in front of her.
Kaelus's kick swept behind her. Every attack missed by centimeters.
She flowed through the gaps between them.
Then Dova entered.
He came in from the side and entropy distorted the space around each movement. The pressure increased.
For a moment…Their formation tightened and they boxed her in from every direction.
The entire Syndicate pressed forward. Then Sera disappeared.
She reappeared above the encirclement.
A hand reached for the back of her head. Fast and Silent.
Sera caught the wrist without turning.
Then spun and threw the attacker downward.
She smiled.
"Nice one, Tina."
Tina landed in a crouch below. Her expression remained calm.
Then a voice said: Black fire - Amaterasu.
From behind the group, Isly fired the beam upward through the opening Tina created.
The black flames swallowed everything around Sera.
Golden light erupted inside the inferno.
The flames vanished..extinguished. Then Darkness came.
Darius stepped forward from the rear. His eyes glowed.
"All shadows…are mine."
Darkness spread across the battlefield.
Every shadow stretched, merged and expanded. The sun vanished.
Sera disappeared inside absolute darkness.
The world turned black.
The shadows wrapped around her position.
Bound her.
Blocked every direction of escape. Then Darius emerged from the darkness behind where she had been trapped.
Reached forward.
His fingers almost touched A voice came from behind him.
"Good attempt."
Darius froze.
Sera stood several steps behind him Smiling.
Then….CRACK.
The darkness shattered.The entire domain collapsed. Light returned and Silence followed.
Sera looked at them and nodded. Her smile held satisfaction.
"Your teamwork improved."
She turned.
"Go get some rest."
She glanced back.
"Before the second training."
No one argued. For the first time they actually listened immediately.
The Black Sun Syndicate quietly walked away and beneath the golden evening sky the Second Training waited.