Within a few days, the children adapted to their harsh reality and began their training. The grounds were brutal—a barren expanse of dust and shadow where weakness was hammered out before dawn. Mantra stood at the far edge of the grounds, her dark, calm gaze scanning the exhausted youths as demon instructors barked harsh orders.
Her eyes locked onto a young boy named David. Despite his bruised skin and trembling limbs, the boy's stance was solid, his eyes burning with a silent, unbroken grit that set him apart from the rest.
Mantra gestured to a nearby demon standing guard. "Where is he from?"
"America," the demon murmured in a low, raspy tone.
Mantra hummed thoughtfully, watching the rest of the grueling session unfold in silence. When the training finally ended, she walked over to the shivering, sweat-drenched children with a faint, gentle smile.
"You are all doing wonderful things."
Twenty-five years passed on Earth in what felt like a quiet blur.
Kael stood in front of a full-length mirror, staring at his reflection in complete confusion. He traced his smooth, unblemished jawline, trying to make sense of what he saw.
He turned toward Sara, who was casually leaning against the doorframe behind him. "My official age is forty-three... so why do I still look like a nineteen-year-old boy?"
Sara smirked, crossing her arms as she leaned back against the wall. "I look nineteen too, you know. You aren't special."
"Is there an actual reason for it?" Kael asked, frowning at his reflection.
Before Sara could answer, the temperature in the room dropped instantly. A thick, ink-black mist poured out from Kael's chest, swirling rapidly around the room before taking a solid, physical form beside him. Azune stepped out from the shadows, his expression calm and unreadable. He gave a quiet nod.
"All void souls possess the power of slowed aging," Azune said smoothly.
Kael's eyes widened. "Really?"
Before he could ask anything more, the dark mist swirled again, and Azune vanished into thin air just as quickly as he had appeared.
Sara tilted her head, a playful spark igniting in her eyes. "Since you've been cultivating all this time, why don't you show off your powers?"
Kael turned around, shifting uncomfortably. "A practice fight?"
Sara laughed, her tone sharp and mocking. "Do you actually think you can beat me?"
"Yeah."
"Prove it."
Kael raised his hand, expanding his aura outwards. The space around them cracked and shifted, warping as he manifested an Infinity Room. Within seconds, the room dissolved into a vast, open grassland stretched out under a bright blue sky and a warm, golden sun.
"Impressive illusion," Sara smirked, putting a hand to her chin as she looked around the endless field. "Let's test you out."
Kael summoned a crimson blade into his hand, the metal humming with raw energy. Sara didn't bother drawing a weapon; she simply raised her bare hands with a broad grin.
"Don't hold back," she warned. "This room heals us automatically."
Before Kael could even set his stance, Sara blurred out of sight.
She reappeared directly in front of him, landing a brutal punch straight into Kael's stomach. The sheer force sent him flying across the grassland like a cannonball. He slammed into the dirt, tumbling several times before regaining his footing.
Wiping a line of blood from his mouth, Kael vanished, teleporting directly behind her to strike. He swung his crimson blade with everything he had, aimed straight for her neck.
Clang!
Sara hadn't even turned around. She effortlessly caught the razor-sharp edge of his sword between two fingers, holding it completely still.
Kael didn't panic. He instantly teleported backward to switch tactics. He slammed his sword down into the ground, forcing his energy into the metal until it shattered into a glittering cloud of red dust. Two glowing magic circles flared to life at his sides. Reaching into the Luminous circles, Kael pulled out a pair of heavy, jet-black scythes and hurled them straight at her.
The heavy blades cut through the air, spinning violently. But just inches from Sara's face, both scythes instantly froze mid-air, locked in place by an invisible force.
"Tiny weapons won't work on me," Sara smirked, her eyes amused.
Taking advantage of the split second, Kael closed the distance at light speed, bypassing her vision and driving his fist straight into her core. The impact exploded through her body. Sara skidded backward across the dirt, coughing up a mouthful of blood. But before the blood even hit the grass, her wounds healed instantly without leaving a scar.
She wiped her mouth, her grin turning wild. "Now this is fun!"
She retaliated instantly. Her counter-strike moved so fast that the violent air pressure created a localized sonic boom. The deafening blast shattered the air, making Kael's ears bleed on the spot. Sara drew her own sword from thin air, swinging it with terrifying, lethal speed.
Kael teleported behind her to counter, swinging his blade toward her shoulder—only to freeze. Sara had effortlessly drawn a second blade behind her back, blocking his strike without even looking around.
As Sara spun her main sword to deliver a finishing strike, Kael reacted on instinct, activating a shimmering Infinity Barrier around his body. Her blade struck the barrier, sparking violently as it stopped her strike cold.
Sara's grin widened even further. "Not bad, yeah?"
Kael pushed off the barrier, jumping back to put as much distance between them as possible, landing far across the open field.
Sara tilted her head, watching him from afar. "Now you will go far away from me?"
Kael didn't answer. He straightened his body and pointed his sword blade straight upward toward the sky. The bright atmosphere of the Infinity Room suddenly twisted. The clear blue sky turned pitch-black, dark clouds rolling over the sun in seconds. Thunder rumbled violently above, and a massive lightning strike fell from the sky, hitting the tip of his sword with a blinding flash.
Coated in white-hot electricity, Kael sprinted directly toward her, moving so fast he became a blur of light. He delivered a sharp, violent swing of his sword as he passed right by Sara.
Silence fell over the plains.
Kael landed on one knee behind her. His hands were wet with cold sweat, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He slowly looked down at his sword—and his heart sank. The blade was completely broken, leaving only a jagged stub near the hilt.
He turned around slowly to look at Sara.
Sara turned to face him, casually juggling the broken top half of his sword in one hand like a toy.
Kael stepped back, his voice strained. "How did you do that?"
She smirked, catching the broken blade piece in her palm. "I just held your sword when you swung on me."
The absolute gap in their power hit Kael all at once. He fell straight onto the ground, sitting heavily in the grass. "So it means I can't beat you."
Sara smiled softly and walked over, kneeling beside him to ruffle his hair playful. "By the way, you forced me to use thirty percent of my power. Quite impressive, huh?"
Kael murmured under his breath, looking up at the fake sky. "Now how can we get out from this room?"
Sara heard his murmur and chuckled. She kneeled down, placing her hand flat against the endless grass. She flexed her palm, and the entire Infinity Room shattered around them like a brittle sheet of glass, snapping them back to reality.