CHAPTER 188: BREAK THE VEIL

The clash rang out like thunder, steel and fire colliding with explosive force. Sparks burst where mana bit into mana, scattering like meteors across the training field. Students flinched back instinctively, shielding their faces.

The impact was enough to throw dust into the air, the ground cracking in jagged lines beneath their feet.

Sun held firm, his stance steady, his swords locking against Jae’s flaming blade. His lips curved faintly in disdain. "Too reckless."

He pushed forward, twin swords weaving in a precise, elegant arc. His movements were sharp, honed, the kind of training born not just of skill but of birthright.

He twisted one blade to deflect Jae’s, the other darting forward in a sudden stab meant to pierce past the fire.

Jae pivoted, blade ready, but then the Sovereign Veil surged outward. It slammed into him like an invisible wall, folding over his body with crushing force.

His chest seized, his breath caught halfway. It was as if iron bands had wrapped around his shoulders, his arms, even his legs, pressing him toward the dirt.

Pain sparked in his muscles, not sharp but grinding, the kind that made every joint feel ready to split. His knees bent against his will, the ground tilting under him as his balance slipped. He clenched his jaw, refusing to give Sun the satisfaction of seeing him collapse.

So this is the veil. He though to himself.

Slowly, he tried to push up against it. His body trembled, veins straining, sweat beading instantly along his forehead.

I must fight it, I can’t let him win.

Every inch of movement cost him, lifting his arm felt like dragging a mountain. The Veil bore down without mercy, heavier the more he fought back.

Gasps rippled through the onlookers.

"That’s the Sovereign Veil."

"His Highness’s birthright."

"It’s almost impossible to break free. Even a lot of full-blooded nobles can’t resist it."

Sun’s voice carried, cold and confident. "Kneel. It’s all you’re good for."

Jae grit his teeth, muscles tensing. For a moment, his limbs felt like stone, as if invisible hands had wrapped around them, pinning him to the spot.

The weight of the Sovereign Veil pressed down, heavy and unyielding, dragging at his shoulders, squeezing his chest, and bending his knees against his will.

The pressure was relentless, intimate in the way it locked him into place, and it carried an almost mocking certainty: this was what he was meant for, to falter beneath it.

And yet, deep in his core, something stirred. Not pride, not stubbornness alone, but the raw coil of dragon mana twisting through his veins, refusing to bow to invisible chains.

It moved within him, a living thing, and for the first time in that suffocating moment, Jae could feel the tiniest shred of leverage against the Sovereign Veil.

The molten glow across his skin surged brighter, a visible pulse responding to the defiance inside him. Heat rippled outward in waves, not roaring flames but a tangible, radiant energy that bent light around his form, like cracks of molten stone across the surface of armor.

The pressure that sought to immobilize him met resistance, cracking against the sheer will pulsing from his limbs. Flames licked outward in response, a shimmering barrier that pushed against the invisible grip, tiny sparks of rebellion bursting from his wrists and ankles.

He drew a deep breath, lungs filling and exhaling in slow, deliberate motion, letting the smoke of exertion curl around him.

The Veil shuddered under the unexpected defiance, the weight straining and splintering as if it had never expected resistance. And then, with a sharp, echoing crack, it fractured.

The sound split the air like glass, a sharp, almost physical vibration that left the crowd collectively inhaling.

Sparks scattered into nothing, fading into the dirt of the training field, leaving behind stunned silence that grew louder with every passing heartbeat.

"Impossible..."

"He broke free?"

Even Sun faltered, eyes narrowing as his carefully maintained composure cracked. His hands tightened on the hilts of his twin swords, yet his body shifted minutely, betraying the surprise he refused to show outright. For the first time that day, he was on the back foot, and his jaw clenched tightly against it.

Jae straightened, rolling his shoulders in a slow, measured motion that carried the weight of triumph without arrogance. "Your fancy veil doesn’t mean much," he said evenly. His red eyes glinted sharply, reflecting the molten glow as though it were a shard of liquid fire. "Want to try something else?"

Rage darkened Sun’s expression, a storm breaking behind his otherwise polished demeanor. He surged forward, twin swords cutting arcs too fast for anyone untrained to follow.

Jae met him, blade for blade, molten heat and steel clashing with calculated ease, sparks scattering into the air as if the world itself recognized the intensity.

The impact of each strike rolled across the field like muted thunder, kicking up dust and loose dirt in waves.

Small stones ricocheted, scattering across the edges of the arena, catching the light as students leaned forward, barely able to track the blur of fire and steel.

Sun pressed harder, Sovereign Veil strengthening, its invisible weight bearing down again as his swords began to glow faintly with reinforced mana.

The air thickened, almost tangible, a pressure that bent the edges of vision as Jae twisted low, sidestepping, grounding himself against the unseen weight.

His movement was precise, calibrated to counter both the Veil’s pressure and the lethal arcs of Sun’s blades.

He spun with the flow, embedding energy into each strike, the Dragonfire Blade slicing in long, hot streaks of molten light that forced Sun to block repeatedly.

Sparks flew with each contact, a rhythmic percussion against the gasps and murmurs of the watching students.

The impact of a particularly vicious downward slash sent a shockwave outward, dirt and debris scattering as screams rose from the sidelines.

Byun sprang into action, twisting shadows into a protective barrier around Elise.

The wall shuddered and warped under the blast, but held, the blond boy grinning despite the strain in his arms. "Alright, alright, don’t get yourselves hurt now!" he called, teasing even as sweat dotted his forehead.