ONLINE: Blades of Eternity

As the gruesome three-way battle continued in the arena, the tension in the spectator stands was equally palpable.

Lockwood, the Chancellor of the Dawning of Magic Academy, observed the battlefield with an amused smirk before leaning back in his seat.

Then, in a mocking, condescending tone, he remarked,

"How fascinating. The Pacesetters and the Valen Military Academy have actually decided to work together against us… and yet, even with their combined efforts, they're still struggling. How pathetic."

His words cut through the air like a sharpened blade.

Immediately, both Lysander and Castaneda turned their gazes toward him.

Their expressions darkened.

Cold.

Icy.

But—

They had no words to refute him.

Because—

It was true.

Despite both academies directing their attacks at the Dawning of Magic, the deadlock remained unbroken.

And Sylphie, along with the rest of her team, was still holding their ground effortlessly.

A sense of unease settled over the grandstand as Kael suddenly remarked in a playful tone. "Ouch, now that is gonna sting."

—

Meanwhile, seated right next to the Magi, a different figure had her attention elsewhere.

Elena.

Unlike the others who were focused on the battle as a whole, her gaze was locked on Rafaela.

Her brows furrowed slightly.

Her sharp eyes flickered.

Something was off.

Rafaela's movements were calculated, her defense flawless, her magic overflowing with power.

And yet—

Something was wrong.

A subtle shift.

A strange undertone of unpredictability in her spellcasting.

A lingering weight in the air.

Elena's fingers tapped lightly against the armrest of her seat as a pensive thought crossed her mind—

'This… isn't normal.'

And as she continued to watch, that feeling of unease only deepened.

Back in the arena, as Sylphie's calm, chilling voice suggested raising the stakes, the arena trembled.

Then—

A burst of mana erupted from her, its sheer pressure causing the ground beneath her feet to crack open.

The very air distorted.

The sky darkened.

And then, the entire coliseum fell into an eerie silence as a divine yet ominous phenomenon unfolded behind her.

"Mana Domain: Heaven's Judgment."

The moment those words left Sylphie's lips, a storm of golden mana surged upward—

And in the next instant, countless massive bows—each three times the size of her own—materialized behind her, their strings drawn taut, ready to fire at will.

Kelvin and Kaelen's expressions hardened.

Their instincts screamed.

They knew.

If they didn't act immediately, they would be wiped out.

So—

Kelvin let out a breath, his gaze turning cold and ruthless.

BOOM!

His mana domain exploded forth.

"Mana Domain: Unending Darkness."

A pitch-black abyss consumed the space around him, swallowing light itself.

Dark tendrils of chaotic energy surged like raging beasts, twisting, devouring, and distorting everything they touched.

A realm of absolute darkness.

An abyss where nothing could escape.

But Sylphie remained unfazed.

Her golden eyes gleamed as she pulled back her bowstring, and the heavens wept golden destruction.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Enormous golden arrows rained down like divine lightning, piercing through the very fabric of space as they hurled toward the battlefield.

—

At the same time—

'No.... I won't be outdone this time'

Kaelen gritted his teeth as he forced his body to its absolute peak.

His armor of the Eternal Guardian pulsed violently, its defenses pushed to the limit.

But he didn't stop there.

His swordplay shifted.

His movements turned—ethereal.

Formless.

Boundless.

He wasn't just relying on his armor.

He incorporated everything—

His system boons, his Formless Swordplay, his armor's passive enhancements—everything he had access to at the very start of this battle—

And in that instant—

Kaelen's aura skyrocketed to an entirely new level.

Kelvin noticed it.

Sylphie noticed it.

Even the spectators felt the shift.

But before anyone could react—

"GO!"

Kaelen surged forward.

Kelvin followed, his orb of chaos twisting and swirling in tandem with his dark magic, forming a barrier of void-like energy around them as they charged through the golden storm.

And then– Chaos Erupted.

Sylphie's divine barrage intensified, her bows firing nonstop, each golden arrow possessing the destructive force of tribulation lightning.

Kaelen and Kelvin barely kept up.

Kelvin's Unending Darkness and Kaelen's Formless Eternity allowed them to deflect, dodge, and endure, but—

They knew.

Deep down, they knew.

If this continued for too long—

They would fall.

After a considerable amount of time went by, Kaelen's breath became ragged, his vision narrowing as he pushed his body beyond its limits. The golden storm of destruction continued to fall upon them, its divine might tearing apart the very fabric of the arena.

Kelvin's Unending Darkness was weakening. His barriers were on the verge of collapsing.

They were both one step away from being completely overwhelmed.

And then—

Kaelen's eyes burned with unshakable resolve as he muttered resolutely.

"No."

It wasn't over yet.

His battle spirit skyrocketed, his aura boiling like an unchained inferno.

This was it.

A moment of absolute desperation.

A moment where he either broke through—or fell.

'DO OR DIE.'

Kaelen's voice echoed in his mind, and without hesitation, he stepped forward—

His body, mind, and spirit converging into a single strike.

Then—

BOOM!

A royal blue radiance erupted from his sword, surging outward in a terrifying wave.

"Divine Sword Move."

It was a technique he had been struggling to stabilize for weeks.

A technique that remained untamed.

Yet—

In this instant—

He unleashed it.

And then—

The impossible happened.

Sylphie's barrage—nullified.

The golden arrows, each holding the destructive force of tribulation lightning—

Vanished.

Erased.

As if they had never existed.

The coliseum fell silent.

"Huh...?"

Sylphie's eyes widened, her composure momentarily shattered.

Even Kelvin—who had been preparing a counter—froze.

'What… was that?!'

But Kaelen wasn't paying attention to their reactions.

Because in the next moment—

'Shit, am screwed'

A shocking pulse ran through his sword.

And then—

The Blade of Eternity's disguise shattered.

WHOOSH!

The royal blue light surged, and the once-hidden Blade of Eternity was revealed for all to see.

A weapon that pulsed with an ancient, godly aura.

A weapon that commanded the very concept of the sword itself.

A weapon of legends.

And in that instant—

The coliseum erupted into chaos.

"The Blade of Eternity?!"

"Impossible! That's…!"

"Kaelen Dragonyx… has that sword?!"

In the sub-VIP and VIP sections, an uproar exploded as countless powerful figures recognized the blade instantly.

Among them—

King Alexandria.

But as murmurs of shock, speculation, and greed surged, the King raised a hand.

His voice was calm, yet absolute.

"Silence."

And just like that, the coliseum hushed before King Alexandria continued calmly.

"The convention is not over yet."

That simple statement alone was enough to remind everyone—

It was not time for debates.

Yet—

Among those in both the VIP and the sub VIP section, Chancellor Castaneda, Vice Chancellor Reeves, General Cao, and Marel all exchanged nervous glances.

They knew.

Once the convention ended, the real storm would begin.

But none of that mattered to Kaelen.

Because at that very moment—

A screen appeared before him, one that only he could see.

—

[Divine Sword Move Stabilized]

[Divine Sword Series Unlocked]

—

His heart pounded.

Not only had he stabilized the move—

He had just unlocked an entirely new sword series.

His lips curled into a determined smirk.

This fight wasn't over just yet.

As the last remnants of Kaelen's Divine Sword Move faded into nothingness, the once-roaring coliseum remained in shock-induced silence.

Then, amidst the quiet, a calm voice broke through the tension.

"The Blade of Eternity, huh?"

Kaelen's gaze snapped forward.

Sylphie stood there, completely unfazed by what had just transpired.

Her piercing eyes locked onto his sword, the faintest glint of amusement flickering within them.

"To think that you're the one who wields such an elusive blade," she remarked, her voice smooth yet edged with intrigue. "I'll admit… that was quite the surprise."

Kaelen, however, barely gave her words any thought.

He simply snorted, his grip on his sword tightening as he replied with a provocative smirk.

"Is that admiration I hear? Didn't take you for the type."

Sylphie's expression didn't falter.

Instead—

She smirked.

A sharp, knowing smirk that sent a chill down the spines of even the most experienced spectators.

"Admiration?" she echoed, tilting her head ever so slightly. "No… just acknowledgment. Although...."

Her gaze darkened, her stance shifting.

Then—

"It's time to take things quite seriously."

FWOOOM!

A pulse of pure mana erupted from her, sending a gust of wind sweeping across the battlefield.

Before Kaelen or Kelvin could even react—

A new bow materialized in her grasp.

It was larger, sharper, and far more intricate than the one she wielded before.

The design alone exuded a presence so overwhelming that even the audience could feel the weight of its existence.

Its frame was woven with celestial engravings, as if forged by the hands of something beyond mortal comprehension.

And the mana it radiated—

It was immense.

But Sylphie wasn't finished.

Because in the next instant—

FWOOOOOSH!

"Mana Domain: Heavens Judgement"

Her mana domain returned.

And this time—

It descended with a devastating force that nearly suffocated the entire arena.

The very air shuddered, crackling with golden tribulation energy as the sky above them darkened.

"Woah..." Morris exclaimed in shock as his spells were all nullified in an instant while he was sent a few steps back.

"What sort of a monster is she?" Ethan who has now appeared beside them said with a grim look on his face. At this point, sneak attacking her was impossible due to her mana domain.

"Kaelen...." Lila muttered in worry as she turned her gaze to where Kaelen stood.

As for the bows from before—

They had multiplied.

Their size had increased.

Their power had doubled.

Kaelen and Kelvin, despite their own overwhelming strength, felt their hearts tighten.

"Did her domain… just get stronger?" Kelvin muttered, his scythe trembling in his grip.

Kaelen's eyes narrowed.

"It's the bow," he murmured. "She's not just switching weapons. That thing… is amplifying her mana domain itself."

Sylphie exhaled lightly, testing the string of her new weapon with a faint smirk.

Then, she glanced at the two of them, her gaze holding the calm confidence of an absolute ruler.

"Well?"

She lifted her bow.

"Are we continuing, or are you just going to stand there?"