CHAPTER 62: FLASH STEP UNLEASHED

Chapter 62: Flash Step Unleashed

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The world seemed to pause.

Nathan’s wooden blade arced downward in a killing blow, his grin wide with vicious triumph. The students gasp in anticipation, their cheers a tidal wave of noise.

But Arios did not falter.

His left hand flared with a faint shimmer of blue light, the mana coursing like molten steel through his veins. In a single, practiced motion, he funneled that energy across his body, slipping it into the already materialized Azurine Blade with a motion so subtle the untrained eye might miss it.

The runes within the sword activated in response.

For an instant, the weapon shimmered faintly— something like a heartbeat, no more— and then the world snapped into clarity.

Flash Step.

A surge of force ripped through his body. The stage warped around him, the air bending as if reality itself could not keep pace.

To the crowd, one moment Nathan’s blade was crashing down on Arios— the next, Arios was gone.

A blur and something akin to a phantom. A flash of azure light streaking across the stage.

Nathan’s strike slammed into empty air with a thunderous crack! splintering the wooden floor beneath his feet. His grin vanished, as confusion began flooding his eyes.

"What—?!"

Before he could finish the word, pain exploded in his side. Arios’ blade struck him from nowhere, the force of the blow sending him staggering backward.

Class 1-D students gasped in unison, as they couldn’t comprehend what just happened.

"Did you see that?!"

"He definitely vanished!"

"No, he was there— then he wasn’t—"

"Impossible... that speed—"

Arios did not wait. The mana within him burned bright, his body surging with azure energy. He vanished again, reappearing behind Nathan in a blur of dark blue. His blade struck the back of Nathan’s shoulder, a clean and punishing blow that made the boy stumble forward.

Nathan spun wildly, eyes wide, fury and confusion mixing. "What the fuck is this?!"

"This must be some kind of trick," Nathan said, a deadly look on his face.

Arios’ voice was calm, quiet, cold. "Not a trick, just simply a difference you can’t match."

And then he was gone again.

Flash after flash, strike after strike— Arios blinked across the stage, too fast for the eye to follow. One moment to the left, then the right, then behind. His blade struck like lightning, each blow sharp and precise, each one hammering Nathan further into desperation.

The smug grin was gone. The arrogance was gone. All that remained was panic.

"Stand still, damn you!" Nathan roared, swinging wildly, his blade cleaving through air, never touching flesh. His eyes darted left and right, trying desperately to follow the blur, but Arios was always just out of reach, always one step ahead.

The commoners within Class 1-D, they whispers shifted from mockery to awe, quickly from laughter to disbelief.

"This is insane—"

"Pureheart—he’s moving like a phantom!"

"No common technique could—"

"Is that even allowed?!"

The nobles leaned forward, eyes alight with pride and triumph. The commoners, who moments before chanted Nathan’s name, now stood frozen, their mouths agape.

The judges exchanged sharp glances, their faces a mixture of disbelief and confusion. How could they not be? Arios was easily using spatial manipulation, a top-tier advanced element. For a student to use such a skill, they would need the Weaverake bloodline or cultivate at the Void Break realm and beyond.

"Such Extraordinary speed..."

"That was no simple burst of agility."

"Professor Vaelian— what do you make of this?"

But Vaelian said nothing. His gaze was locked on Arios, sharp and measuring, his silence more dangerous than words.

*I see no treasure, not even a glimpse with this my keen sight,* Professor Vaelian thought to himself.

Using a series of hand signs, Professor Vaelian immediately manifested an eagle made of purple mana. It began soaring above the hall, its purpose clear: to spot any faint sign of Arios using any kind of treasure.

Arios took note of the eagle and let out a small smirk. What he needed to overcome just took a huge step. The eagle was now another hurdle, one he needed to suppress to truly refine his technique.

[Ding! Flash step reached level 2.]

[Ding! +20 to agility]

The system notifications flashed in Arios’s vision, an internal confirmation of his growing power. He could feel the change immediately. His muscles felt lighter, his limbs more responsive, as if gravity had loosened its grip on him. This sudden boost in agility made his Flash Step trick even faster and smoother than before.

It wasn’t just about his legs moving quickly; it was about his entire body reacting to his will with unprecedented speed. He could now execute the technique with a flick of his wrist, the subtle mana transfer a microsecond faster than before. The eagle in the sky could look all it wanted; his movements were now so instantaneous and efficient that there was no treasure to be found, only a testament to his own relentless training.

Nathan stumbled, sweat pouring down his face, his swings slower, sloppier with each passing second. Arios darted in again, striking his leg, his ribs, his shoulder. Each blow chipped away at him, carving his pride apart piece by piece.

"You thought strength alone was enough?" Arios’ voice was low, each word punctuated with another strike. Crack! "You thought arrogance would carry you?" Crack! "But strength filled with despise is nothing." Crack!

Arios’ words were meant to taunt Nathan, to goad him into reacting even more aggressively. Arios had now seen this duel as nothing more than an amusement.

Nathan screamed, both in rage and pain, swinging desperately. "SHUT UP!"

But Arios was gone before the blade could reach him, a streak of light reappearing behind Nathan. His final strike slammed into Nathan’s back with such force that the boy dropped to his knees, gasping, the fight beaten out of him.

The hall quickly went silent.

No cheers, no jeers, just stunned silence at what they had witnessed.

Nathan’s body trembled, his wooden blade slipping from his fingers and clattering against the floor. His voice cracked, hoarse with fury. "This... this isn’t possible... you... you cheated...!"

Arios lowered his blade slowly, chest heaving, sweat dripping down his face. His body screamed in protest from the strain of channeling mana so quickly, every muscle on the edge of collapse.

But his eyes were calm, cold and unshaken.

"I didn’t cheat," he said evenly, loud enough for the hall to hear. "I simply refused to lose."

The silence broke. Nobles erupted into wild cheers, their voices thundering with renewed pride.

"Pureheart! Pureheart!"

"He turned it around!"

"Incredible!"

The commoners didn’t shout back. They just nodded in acknowledgement of Arios’ skill, something a minor noble shouldn’t be capable of. Like them, he didn’t have any special bloodlines.

Nathan roared, staggering to his feet, rage consuming him. "I won’t accept this! I won’t accept defeat from you!"

He charged recklessly, his blade raising high, aimed at Arios.

But Arios did not move. He simply lifted his own weapon, sidestepped with effortless motion, and struck Nathan across the chest with a clean, decisive blow.

The impact knocked the breath from Nathan’s lungs, his body collapsing to the ground. He lay there, gasping, unable to rise.

Professor Vaelian stood, and quickly announced.

"The duel is over."

"Victory: Arios Pureheart."

The hall erupted once more, nobles chanting his name, commoners divided between awe and disbelief.

It’s seem this Arios boy is truly talented, Professor Vaelian thought.

Nathan’s eyes burned with hatred as he stared up at Arios from the floor. "You’ll regret this... I swear it..."

Arios gazed down at him, his expression unreadable. But within, one truth gnawed at him: this victory had bought him more than recognition. It had bought him suspicion—from other students and, more importantly, from the academy administration. But he seemed not to care anymore. He was exhilarated, his heart pounding after the overwhelming ride.

Arios turned to find Elisa Ravenscroft, who was in utter shock. She had seen him training with the technique before, but she couldn’t have believed he could execute it so flawlessly, especially against someone like Nathan, who cultivated at the fifth stage of Mana Refinement. Finally, Arios’s gaze met Kyousuke, who seemed the least impressed. Arios knew that this show wouldn’t move Kyousuke that much, but at least he had made himself known to him—something he took as his true victory.