The training grounds of the Hydro Palace felt small as Techyon stood at the starting line. Alya gripped his waist, her knuckles white.
"You will run around the entire perimeter of the Hydro City ten times," Neweland commanded, his thumb hovering over a high-precision chronometer. "When you cross this line again, I will calculate your true velocity."
Techyon took a deep breath, his White-Blue aura crackling like a trapped nebula. "I'm ready."
"3... 2... 1... wait, this watch is broken," Neweland muttered, shaking the device.
The entire group—Lapis, Alya, and Elisa—fell over in a classic "anime-style" slump. "What?!" they shouted in unison.
"My bad," Neweland said, pulling out a backup enchanted watch. "Now. 3... 2... 1... GO!"
Neweland's thumb clicked the watch instantly.
Elisa blinked, looking at Techyon still standing at the starting line. "What happened, Techyon? Why didn't you go? Did the 'Overheat' kick in already?"
Techyon wiped a single bead of sweat from his forehead. "What are you talking about? I already came back."
Elisa's eyes widened, her heart skipping a beat. He went and came back, and I didn't even see the air move?
Neweland looked down at the watch, his face turning pale. "The circumference of the Hydro City is 798 kilometers. Ten laps is 7,980 kilometers. You covered that distance in... 0.10 milliseconds."
Techyon let out a confident laugh, his Sapphire Blue eyes glowing. "That means I'm the fastest there is, right?"
"No," Neweland said, his voice cold and serious. "You are still slower than a Z-Rank or higher adventurer."
The silence that followed was deafening.
"What?" Techyon's smile vanished. "Slower? I just outran the light!"
"If you don't believe me," the Arcon said, gesturing toward the boy in the goggles, "ask Lapis."
Techyon turned to his rival. "Lapis... was I slower than you?"
Lapis adjusted his Honoured Eyes , his expression unreadable. "Physically? No. You are a monster. But I can Teleport. In a race from Point A to Point B, the one who occupies the space instantly always wins. So yes, you're slower than me. And compared to a Z-Rank Speedster who has mastered their Level 3 Passive? You're still a child crawling in the dirt."
The sun dipped below the spires of the Hydro Palace, but the courtyard was still alive with the crackle of White-Blue lightning. Techyon was a blur of motion, his feet tearing into the stone as he pushed for a speed faster than 0.10 milliseconds.
Alya moved like his shadow, always there with a canteen of mystical water or a plate of energy-dense food. "Drink this, Techyon. Your mana circuits are fraying," she whispered, her voice full of a quiet strength.
Neweland watched them from the high balcony, his arms crossed. He wasn't looking at a student anymore; he was looking at a memory.
He is just like his father, Neweland thought, his eyes softening. When I see Techyon and Alya together like that... I see the shadows of Arax and Shogun. The same stubborn heart. The same unbreakable bond. They were the storm that protected this world... and now, a new storm is rising.
The moment of peace was shattered as the heavy balcony doors burst open. A palace guard, his armor singed and his face pale with terror, fell to one knee.
"Forgive the interruption, Great Arcon!" the guard gasped. "But the Blue Dragon... Rax has returned!"
Neweland's blue eyes turned into freezing ice. "Where?"
"The Southern Energy Sectors, my Lord. He isn't just attacking—he's draining them. He's consuming the city's power source. If he finishes, the Hydro Shield will collapse!"