The Grand Martial Arena of the Capital Academy was packed to absolute capacity.The multi-tiered amphitheater, constructed from reinforced spiritual granite, hummed with the collective murmurs of thousands of spectators.High-society reporters from every major tabloid in the Capital lined the press boxes, their floating recording lenses hovering like mechanical flies above the central combat stage.A match between a primary scion of the rising Cross Corporation and the notoriously dormant Prime Heir of the Sovereign Vance Clan was the biggest scandal the academic elite had seen in a decade."Is it true that Austin Vance hasn't drawn a weapon in two years?"a reporter from the Capital Financial Daily whispered, adjusting his optical lens."If Harrison Cross shatters his core today, the Vance Clan's stock index will drop by at least fifteen percent before the markets close.""He’s a fool for invoking the Heir Intervention," an older student from a secondary house sneered from the upper t

The abyssal monstrosity moved with terrifying, unnatural speed, its four elongated limbs blurring across the cracked stone.Acidic black slime hissed where its claws touched the floor, eating through the reinforced white granite in seconds.The front rows of the arena dissolved into screaming chaos as thousands of spectators scrambled over seats, desperate to escape the suffocating Tier-4 nightmare pressure radiating from the creature. "Protect the spectators! Clear the lower ring!"the academy guards shouted, their weapons trembling as they pulled back. Austin didn't take a single step backward.As the mutated Harrison lunged for his throat, its unhinged jaw opening wide to expose rows of needle-like chitin teeth, Austin inhaled slowly.The air in his lungs transformed into pure, refined Aetherial energy.He reached deep into his dantian, calling upon the dormant force of his forty-year-old soul. Sovereign Domain: Absolute Suppression.An invisible, golden wave of kinetic weight bu

Rain poured from the shattered glass dome above the Grand Martial Arena, washing the residual ash of the mutated parasite into the cracks of the floor.The stadium was dead silent.Spectators hung over the upper balconies in stunned disbelief, their eyes glued to the center ring where Austin Vance stood alone.Before the remaining security could clear the arena floor, a heavy brass gate slammed shut with a deafening metallic screech. "Halt right there, Austin Vance!" Vice-Principal Thaddeus Cole marched down the central stairwell, flanked by thirty heavily armored, Tier-4 enforcers wielding suppression pikes.Cole’s face was twisted into a scowl of righteous fury, his silk robes fluttering as his Tier-6 pressure rolled out across the arena floor."By the authority of the Capital Academy Board, this venue is now under total lockdown!"Cole boomed, his voice amplified by a speech array so it reached every camera lens still broadcasting live."Austin Vance! You have committed unpardonab

The air above the Vance Clan estate violently distorted. A split second after the heavy iron gates crashed into the courtyard in a cloud of dust and flame, the atmospheric pressure above the driveway plunged.Before the lead breacher could bark a second command, a blinding streak of golden light tore through the smog, slamming into the center of the courtyard with the force of a falling meteor. BOOM! The shockwave blasted the incoming mercenaries off their feet, cracking the paved stone path for fifty yards. As the smoke cleared, Austin Vance stepped out of the shallow crater.His dark combat attire flickered with residual Sovereign Resonance, his eyes glowing with a lethal, predatory calm that made the surrounding mercenaries involuntarily step back. "Three minutes,"Austin said, his voice terrifyingly quiet against the crackle of burning debris."You broke into my home. You pointed weapons at my family." He raised three fingers. "That gives you three seconds to pray." "Fire!

The moment Austin’s hand touched the cold Black-Star alloy, the iron box flared with a brilliant, blood-red light. The microscopic runes carved into its surface didn't just glow—they moved, shifting like miniature golden serpents across the metal.A single droplet of Austin’s blood was drawn from his palm, sinking directly into the central mechanism. CLACK-THUD. The ancient lock disengaged with a heavy sound that echoed in Austin’s soul.The heavy lid swung open slowly, releasing a dense, golden mist that smelled of thunder and ancient ozone. Floating in the center of the box was not a weapon, nor a scroll.It was a single, obsidian dragon scale, hovering above a pool of liquid Aether.The scale was etched with crimson light that pulsed in perfect synchronicity with Austin’s heart. "The bloodline seal..." Patriarch Arthur gasped, taking a step back as the raw, ancient pressure filling the study forced the mahogany desk to groan under the weight."It really recognized you..." Aust