As Haein gripped the spear, his eyes closed—and his body slumped forward, completely collapsing.

Thud.

Sion swiftly reached out and caught him.

His full weight fell into her arms, his warmth trailing up along her arms as he leaned into her completely.

“...”

Sion quietly swallowed.

Jeong Haein, completely drained, had fallen unconscious in her arms, leaving behind nothing but warmth.

His chest rose and fell softly with each breath.

Carefully, she laid him down on the coat she had taken off earlier.

She brushed aside the strands of hair that had fallen across his forehead and gently stroked his cheek.

“...Adorable.”

To trust her this much... and to leave himself so defenseless. Sion inhaled slowly, quietly.

Her heart felt like it was floating.

With a fluttering heart, she slowly stood up.

It felt like the moment right before unwrapping a Christmas present.

She walked to the door of the training room.

Raising her hand, she looked at the device attached to the wall.

With firm pressure at her fingertip, she pressed the button.

Thump! Thump!

With a deep mechanical rumble, the training room doors slammed shut.

A metal shutter slowly descended.

The glass window connected to the control room was completely covered, cutting off all outside view.

It was a mechanism used when her grandfather or other Vanquisher members entered closed-door training.

Now, this space was completely sealed off from the outside.

Whatever happened in here, no one outside would know.

With light footsteps, Sion made her way back to Jeong Haein.

He was still sound asleep atop the coat she had spread out.

It had been a month since they enrolled in Gaon.

During that time, Sion’s inner frustration had steadily built up.

Because of some crazy woman who had messed up the class placement, she was forced to be in a different class from Jeong Haein.

Originally—

They would’ve spent nearly every moment together, just like back when they lived here.

But day by day, she felt herself drying up inside.

“...Heehee.”

It was time to recharge.

She slowly inhaled and lay down beside Jeong Haein.

Her spot was always right here—by his side.

She gently leaned in.

The moment their skin touched, warmth seeped into her.

Sion reached out and softly caressed his cheek.

So warm.

A completely unguarded moment—something he allowed only her to see.

Slowly, she inched closer. Sion’s eyes grew hazy and heavy.

She pressed the tip of her nose against the side of his neck.

That scent, uniquely his, that put her heart at ease. Her head grew light and fuzzy.

Not enough.

Just breathing it in wasn’t enough to quench the thirst.

Without hesitation, she pressed her body against his.

Wherever their skin met, a faint heat bloomed.

Sion felt her head spin.

Her leg shifted quietly, naturally wrapping around his.

One hand moved to rest over Jeong Haein’s chest.

The other hand drifted downward, grazing over her own chest... her stomach... then lower.

Just before reaching her destination, her heartbeat subtly quickened.

But—

Her fingertips hesitated. And in the end, she shifted course, letting her hand glide away as if slipping from a seductive heat.

Instead, she moved slowly along his warm body, and gently cradled his cheek again.

In that moment, black flames flared softly from her fingers.

The gentle fire glided along Haein’s body and wrapped around his weapon.

Warm yet foreign—utterly harmless flames.

With this, his ordeal would become a little easier to bear.

“...Mmh.”

A quiet sigh escaped through her slightly parted lips.

Just sharing warmth was enough to fill her to the brim.

This was enough for now.

The parched feeling she had endured for the past month was finally starting to fade.

She closed her eyes.

This moment—

No one could interrupt it.

***

I opened my eyes.

A massive cave, thick with humidity.

I had been here once before.

Carefully, I sat up.

Something moved slowly in the darkness.

Thoom...

A deep echo reverberated from somewhere within.

As my eyes adjusted to the gloom, I came face-to-face with the massive figure seated before me.

The very air was crushed beneath its presence.

I slowly raised my ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ gaze.

It stared down at me with sharp, penetrating eyes.

“I’m here,” I said, straightening my posture.

Just its existence alone was enough to weigh me down.

Then—

Clang!

A spear embedded itself in the floor.

I tilted my head just slightly, dodging Catastrophe as it came flying at me.

“What, had a change of heart?”

I smiled as I spoke to the enormous dragon before me.

The ordeal required to draw out Catastrophe’s full power.

I had already passed the first spiritual trial.

But the second one... I had failed.

“Any chance you’ll just lend it to me?”

Absurd.

Of course not. Because the second trial—

Required me to deal a direct wound to Aldebaran.

Its outer shell wasn’t just a barrier—it was something akin to a fortress wall.

Countless heroes in the past had hurled their might at it, but not one had managed to leave even a scratch.

Not then, and not now.

No one had ever truly killed this being.

Last time, I had swung my spear at it again and again.

Even though it was weaker now than during its era as a world-ending calamity beast, every one of my attacks had been deflected.

And so, I had been mercilessly driven out of its domain—its internal world.

Since then, I had kept wondering why I was cast out.

How could I pierce that armor?

====

[Authority: Fragment of Harmony]

① Destroy Evil, Reveal Justice

— Break what is wicked.

② ???

③ ???

====

Destroy Evil, Reveal Justice.

The essence of this power is to destroy what is wicked—what is considered evil.

Then this creature before me, Aldebaran... while technically a dragon, isn’t it, at its core, a demonic being?

In other words—a wicked existence?

I tightly gripped the spear embedded in the ground.

The solid weight of metal pressed against my fingertips.

I slowly pulled it free with force.

I raised the spear.

Closed my eyes. Reached deep within.

Summoning the buried power inside me.

The energy of Demon-Slaying.

A strange, cold jade-green mana surged to life.

It wrapped around the spear, stirring up a fierce, cutting wave.

“Here I come.”

With all my strength, I charged at Aldebaran.

BOOM!

A deafening crash.

The world before my eyes twisted.

***

“Ah, fuck.”

I panted for breath.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Lying flat against the cold stone floor, I stared up at the glowing blue ceiling of the cave.

Failure.

I had found the clue.

Even the direction wasn’t wrong.

It was different from last time.

This time, it hadn’t been completely ineffective.

And yet, I still couldn’t break through.

Aldebaran’s outer shell remained unshaken.

Even though the spear tip had touched it—there wasn’t even a scratch.

Why?

Clashing head-on, I could finally feel the reason.

It was power.

An absolute lack of output.

Just a sliver. A two-percent shortfall.

It had almost worked.

Just slightly—ever so slightly—not enough.

What else could I blame but lack of training?

I let out a bitter laugh and rose to my feet, gripping the spear tightly.

“...Hoo.”

As I summoned Destroy Evil, Reveal Justice again—

Just then.

Another energy traveled through my body from somewhere else.

Black flames.

They surged to life like a living thing, rippling like crashing waves, and slowly melded into my jade-green mana.

The black flames and jade mana twisted together.

The black fire approached obediently. The jade mana welcomed it without hesitation.

And the two powers completely merged.

The spear began to vibrate.

A heavy pressure spread from the grip.

Vrrrrrr...

The two forces—perfectly synchronized—finally created a new wave.

Black fire and jade mana wrapped around each other, forming a massive current.

I clutched the spear.

The pressure in my fingers was far more intense than anything before.

Hohhh...

Aldebaran narrowed his eyes, intrigued.

That deep gaze grew heavier, sinking into me.

I drew in a slow breath.

And then—

“Here I come for real.”

Planting my feet, I launched myself into the air.

The strongest technique I possessed:

Catennaccio.

But—

Catennaccio was a technique where summoned clones attacked the target’s close-range zones simultaneously.

That wouldn’t work here. Not on Aldebaran.

The moment the attacks split, it lost all meaning.

What I needed—

Was Single-Point Strike.

A powerful thrust focused entirely on one spot.

While airborne, I weaved several clones.

Each one appeared with a spear in hand.

Black flames and jade mana cloaked their bodies.

All of them pointed their spears at Aldebaran.

But that wasn’t enough.

One point.

I had to strike a single, focused point.

From above, I gathered all the clones into one formation.

They lined up behind me—perfectly in sync.

At that moment—

All of their energy compressed into one.

Multiple spears merged into a single, massive spear.

Phalanx (Φάλαγγα).

The colossal spear floating in midair.

Jade mana swirled violently, and black fire surged like a furious wave.

This spear existed for one purpose only: to destroy a single target.

I—

Drove it downward.

CRAAAAACK!!!

The spearhead struck the shell.

A deafening metallic crash shook the entire cave.

The recoil jolted through my arms, traveling from fingertips to every nerve in my body.

A massive force crushed me under its weight.

Craaaack...

“!”

A fracture began to spread.

I clenched my teeth. I couldn’t stop now.

I raised the spear again.

The glaive's edge glinted, as the black flames and jade mana flared even more violently.

I drove it down again. And again. And again.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

The shock rattled through my bones, numbing my joints.

But I didn’t stop.

“Come on!!”

BOOOOM!

The final blow struck.

A thunderous explosion erupted, enough to shake the entire cave.

The fracture spread.

No—

It pierced through.

The center of the shell cracked, and finally—

CRACKKK.

A massive fissure opened.

The once-impenetrable wall shattered, and a deep, unmistakable wound marked Aldebaran’s body.

The second trial—

To wound this creature.

I gasped for air, eyes locked on the fractured armor.

“Success...”

All my strength had been poured into that final strike.

And at that moment—

My body gave out.

I plummeted from the sky.