"You don't mind if I kill you, do you?"
Arthur's question hung heavy. Purple broke out in a cold sweat, struggling to force words from her throat.
The oppressive aura Arthur emitted had Scar and Julien paralyzed.
What was happening? That wasn't Arthur.
But for a brief moment, Arthur let go of Purple's neck and began laughing. "Would you kids calm down?"
Purple quickly backed away from Arthur, though she knew distance was meaningless against him. Scar and Julien tensed as well.
The atmosphere had settled, Arthur appearing like his usual self again, yet none of them could shake their wariness.
Arthur clicked his tongue. "Ease up on your defenses. What I demonstrated is precisely what I want to teach you."
He intentionally backed away a little, giving the kids breathing space.
"I've already said it: the Blessing is everything. The red energy the moon emits is all around us. That's what I drew on just now."
He gazed into the distance and indicated a fallen dummy from Julien and Purple's earlier practice.
"Take the dummy as your target and begin by enhancing your legs the way you enhanced your fingers a moment ago.
"We'll start with something easy. Try jumping first and land exactly on the dummy. Just don't break it."
Arthur's presence now radiated power. He was Scar's uncle, yet it seemed impossible that this immature man could transform into death incarnate within moments.
Soon enough, they had no choice but to believe it. Not that it made the situation any less surreal.
Scar volunteered to go first this time. Thanks to his previous experience with the Blessing, the technique came naturally. He focused on timing his jump correctly and cleared the 20-meter distance on the third attempt.
Purple was visibly affected by Arthur's actions, but her determination overcame her fear. After exchanging a few words with Arthur to verify her suspicions, she completed the task in just two attempts. Julien came next, clearing the distance in three.
When they finished, Arthur became a one-man audience, cheering for them enthusiastically as though he were their biggest fan. Then he quickly transitioned to the next phase.
"Instead of jumping, try compressing the Blessing and releasing it in a short explosive pulse. Keep your legs just a few inches above the ground."
Scar gulped. He didn't need to test it. Simply imagining the technique made clear how taxing it would be.
Arthur waved dismissively over his shoulder, yawning as he perched on a bench, exhaustion already visible on his face.
"Scar, are you sure he's Arthur? He looks younger than he should… and something about him feels wrong." Julien leaned toward Scar and whispered.
Scar shrugged.
Arthur had to be at least as old as Isaac, who'd been eighty-three at death. Possibly older.
But even before Arthur's aura began shifting and his wrinkles disappeared, the man had never looked anywhere near his 80s. Either he had some anti-aging technique, or his Inheritance explained it.
"I don't know what you want to hear, Julien, but that's my uncle, Arthur. I doubted him just moments ago… but now I'm certain." Scar said, his eyes fixated on Arthur, who looked as though he hadn't slept for ages.
Julien exhaled in relief, "If you say so, bro. Let's finish this. I have a feeling I have a duel tomorrow, and it's going to be ugly."
For a while, they worked diligently, attempting to apply what Arthur had just shown them.
Hours passed. The total of their progress was managing not to collapse while they wheezed and struggled for air.
"This is worse than hell. What the heck is this?" Scar muttered, watching Purple continue relentlessly, as if the words 'never give up' were carved into her soul.
"So this is your vengeance? At this rate, you wouldn't even last against Amell, much less Adisa. How shameful." Purple teased.
"Don't rub it in, Purple. A little delusion goes a long way. He might actually pull it off." Julien doubled down on the assault.
Scar had his mouth parted in confusion. "You're lying around with me, and you're still talking like you're Purple?"
Tsk.
"Besides, you should be working harder than me—you're the one who plans to defeat Quagmire."
For a moment, everyone paused to talk before resuming training.
They were clearly using Scar as a pretext for rest. It was transparent to him. He didn't understand why they bothered lying to themselves.
Yet Scar internalized their mockery. Revenge for his parents wouldn't come from weakness. Arthur was guiding him toward strength, even in sleep, apparently. He had to capitalize on this chance.
Besides Adisa, another threat loomed: being the seventh wielder of the Flames of the Unknown meant the Ruler of Zeus was hunting him. Time was limited.
How he'd survived this long was itself a mystery. The Ruler of Zeus counted the Precognition of Fate among their allies.
With such foresight at their disposal, Scar should have been tracked down already. But more than a month had passed since his awakening without any sign of the Ruler. Not that it made him drop his guard.
As the sun gradually rose, neither Scar nor his team had succeeded in performing what Arthur had demonstrated.
They had just a few hours to rest before training resumed that night. But when they returned to the academy grounds from the Rover estate, the day's first duels were announced before they could even catch their breath.
"I told you. I had a feeling that I would be fighting today." Julien lay on his bed facing the ceiling, unusually calm given his circumstances.
Scar wanted nothing more than sleep. His entire body ached for rest. But it wasn't an option. They were all running on fumes, Julien included.
"I knew this was coming, but I'm still terrified for some reason," Julien said, forcing a smile.
Scar frowned thoughtfully.
Julien had committed to never losing a duel at this academy, if he recalled correctly. But after all this brutal training, could he really uphold that vow?
The door flew open violently. Purple barreled into the room, panting heavily.
"Julien, stand down. You will forfeit. That is an order."
Huh?