Chapter 435

"Just a little more!" Aru shouted from the edge of the cliff.

Tak—!

Barely managing to place her hands on the cliff's edge, Aru gritted her teeth and pulled herself up.

Her aura was sealed, and an immense weight had been placed on her body. Because of that, she had to squeeze out every last bit of strength to climb the sheer cliff.

"Huff—huff…"

Lying flat on the ground after reaching the top, Aru panted as she gazed up at the sky.

"Good job."

Hearing a voice beside her, Aru turned her head. Leo was sitting on a rock, looking at her.

"You cleared it faster than I expected."

"Heh, don't underestimate me, Black Rab—urk?"

Aru suddenly covered her mouth, as if nausea had hit her from overexertion.

Leo, watching as she barely avoided a disaster, spoke. "Lunia and Drianna just cleared it too."

"Heh, that means I'm first, then?" Aru smirked.

"Well, you did it solo, while Lunia and Drianna worked as a team."

"…What?!" Aru's eyes flared with competitiveness.

Aru's goal is to follow in the footsteps of the Brave Hero and become a great hero herself.

From that perspective, Lunia and Drianna were rivals who shared the same ambition. Of course, each of them walked different paths toward different destinations. But because Lunia and Drianna sought to become the successors of Aaron's comrades, Luna and Dweno, Aru saw them as strong competition.

Just as Aru stood up and turned to look down the cliff…

Tak—!

Two hands simultaneously grabbed the cliff's edge. Celia and Duran, snarling at each other, climbed up. Eiran followed shortly after. All three were panting heavily.

"Good work, everyone." Leo smiled at them.

"For someone waiting at the top, you're oddly polite." Duran scoffed as he clutched his trembling legs and stood.

He really is the embodiment of competitiveness and sheer grit.

Looking up at the blazing sun, Leo spoke. "So? The instructors are waiting for us. Want to rest first?"

"Then let's take a little bre…"

"What kind of question is that?! Of course, we're going now!" Aru huffed through her nose, arms crossed.

Celia, drenched in sweat, brushed her hair back. "Let's go, Leo."

"What's there to wait for, Leo Plov?" Duran looked just as ready to move.

Seeing her group's reactions, Eiran drooped her ears. "Let's go now…"

At her words, Leo nodded, pulled out a magic scroll, and tore it. A Warp portal formed.

Leo stepped in first, and the others followed.

"Ah! It's Leo!"

On the other side of the portal, Chelsea, who had arrived first, waved excitedly. Chen Xia, her hands tucked into the wide sleeves of her traditional Eastern attire, also greeted Leo warmly.

But as soon as she saw who followed behind him, the two girls reacted differently. Chelsea stuck out her tongue at Celia and Duran, while Chen Xia smiled brightly.

Aru and Eiran arrived next. Chelsea immediately clung to Eiran, chatting away happily.

Aru crossed her arms. "From Azonia, there's Dion and that dumb tiger. From Seiren, it's Eiran. From Lumene, it's Celia Zerdinger, Duran Moira, Chen Xia, Chelsea Lewellin, and Black Rabbit."

After checking the group, Aru tilted her head. "Who's the next instructor?"

"Heh. It must be Instructor Jamua from Lumene," Borman declared confidently. "That honed physique! A man among men!"

"You always say human bodies look weak."

"My opinion changed when I saw Lee Jamua! There is much to learn from him! Don't you agree, Lumene students?"

"Senior Jamua? If he's the instructor, that's not great news."

"He's just going to work us to death with physical training. We literally just finished climbing a cliff."

Chen Xia and Celia shook their heads in dread.

"Doesn't matter who it is." Duran scoffed, arms crossed.

"Actually, why am I even here? This place is overflowing with knights." Chelsea sighed, clearly displeased. She was the only mage present.

At that moment…

Rustle—

The sound of footsteps on grass.

Aru's ears twitched, and she sniffed the air.

"This scent…! This footstep pattern…!"

Aru's eyes sparkled. "It's him! Aaro—!"

"Aru, it's Instructor Akan." Eiran quickly corrected.

"Instructor Akan!"

Aru immediately dashed into the bushes.

"Kyahhhhh?!"

A terrified scream followed.

Aru clung to Aaron's leg, her eyes wild, her breathing ragged. "Huff! Huff! I respect you! Huff! You're amazing!"

"St-Stay awayyyyyy!" Seeing Aru's crazed state, Aaron recoiled in horror.

The students who had run over to the commotion stared in disbelief.

Leo grabbed Aru by the tail, trying to pull her off, but Aru only clung tighter, wrapping her arms and legs around Aaron's leg.

"Uh, what do we do?" Eiran, trying to help, hesitated as she pulled on Aru.

Leo sighed. "Subdue her."

"S-Subdue?! But how? If I use too much force, Aru will get hurt…!"

"Do it cleanly, without hurting her."

"Cleanly…?"

After a moment of thought, Eiran placed her hands on both sides of Aru's head and jaw.

Crack—!

"Kegh?!"

With a swift movement, she snapped Aru's neck.

Foaming at the mouth, Aru collapsed, unconscious.

Leo handed her limp body to Dion, who dragged her off to the side.

Peeking out from behind Leo, Chelsea whispered to Eiran. "Sis, you're scary."

"That was… intense."

"Hmph. She may have an innocent face, but she's still Seiren's second-ranked student. Ruthless." Duran smirked.

"N-No, I just… I read about it in a book, and…"

"Wow! That was amazing. Have you learned assassination techniques?" Chen Xia clapped in admiration.

"I-I've never learned anything that scary!"

While the Lumene students playfully teased Eiran, she flailed in protest, her eyes tearing up.

Meanwhile, Leo pulled Aaron forward to face the students.

Aru regained consciousness. Though her body twitched slightly, she resisted the urge to pounce again.

As the instructor stepped up, the students' expressions tensed.

A moment ago, he had seemed a little… pathetic. But this was the instructor personally invited by the Dragon Queen.

Akan… I've never heard that name before.

Why did Aru freak out like that?

He doesn't seem all that charismatic.

Aaron has appeared in this era? Could it be… a miracle like Luna and Seiren?!

Aaron! Aaron! Aaron! Aaron!

While various thoughts filled the students' minds, Akan cleared his throat nervously. "Ahem. Nice to meet you. My name is Akan. It'll be brief, but I'll be acting as your instructor."

Borman raised his hand. "Instructor Akan."

Aaron tensed slightly as the tiger beastman, who was bigger than him and had a fierce expression, called out to him. "Yes?"

"Are you a graduate of Azonia?"

Aaron shook his head. "No."

Borman nodded.

Aru let out a chuckle, thinking of the Grand Warrior Azonia—the founder of their school and the one hailed as the Brave Hero's successor.

Would Azonia have ever imagined a situation where someone asked Aaron if he was a graduate of her school?

Next, Chelsea raised her hand.

Aaron felt a bit relieved to see Chelsea, the smallest and youngest among the students, speak up. "Yes?" he asked.

"Instructor, I'm a mage, so why was I grouped with aura users and sent here?"

"I heard that even though you're a mage, you fight on the front lines."

"Yes."

"I've heard a lot about you from Leo. He said you're really fast."

"Hehehe." Chelsea scratched the back of her head and smiled happily.

"The ability I'm about to teach will definitely be useful for you too."

"Even though it's an aura skill?"

"It is, but it can also be adapted for mana use."

Aaron had modified Hyper Perception so that it could be used with mana, inspired by the breathing techniques developed by later generations. Of course, it wouldn't reach the level of Hyper Perception as Aaron himself used it, but even just stepping into the realm beyond normal senses could change the tide of battle.

That talent is truly exceptional.

With the development of aura techniques, countless new applications had emerged that didn't exist in the Age of Calamity. The Brave Hero's Breath was the pinnacle of techniques, a fusion of modern aura theory and Aaron's breathing techniques.

Even though it had originated from Aaron, even Leo himself couldn't fully grasp it at once. Yet Aaron not only understood modern aura theory instantly but even adapted his own skill, Hyper Perception, to derive an entirely new technique.

"What is this ability?" Borman asked with interest.

"It's called Hyper Perception."

"Hyper Perception?" The students looked puzzled.

"It's a technique that sharpens your senses beyond their limits."

"How is that different from just using aura to enhance perception?"

The concept of pushing one's senses to the extreme was already well known. From the moment they learned aura, all warriors trained in this fundamental technique.

Seeing their reaction, Aaron tilted his head.

"Well, it's about sharpening your senses even further… It's hard to explain in words. Hmm… Oh, I know. That should work." Aaron looked at Leo. "Leo, can you use magic to block my sight, hearing, and sense of smell?"

Leo nodded. As the students exchanged bewildered looks, he cast a spell that sealed off all of Aaron's senses except for touch.

Walking to the center of the clearing, Aaron spoke. "Why don't you all attack me at once?"

"Excuse me?"

Everyone except the three who knew Aaron's true identity looked bewildered. Even the most skilled knights and warriors would find it dangerous to fight with all their senses cut off.

"Don't hold back. Attack me."

At Aaron's words, Borman replied, "In that case, I won't hold back."

"I told you to attack, didn't I?"

"Oh, right, you can't hear me."

Scratching his head, Borman lowered his stance.

Kwak!

Then, without hesitation, he charged at Aaron.

Whoosh!

"…!"

Aaron lightly leaped and dodged Borman's attack.

"Hmm. Then how about this?" Borman started throwing rapid punches.

Aaron dodged every single one.

Whoosh—!

With a fierce gust of wind, Borman swung his arm.

Tap—!

Aaron landed lightly on top of it.

That was when Dion joined the attack.

Whoosh—!

Dion's sharp kick barely missed Aaron.

Grab—!

"Ugh?" Aaron caught Dion's foot and pulled him forward.

Thud—!

Losing his balance, Dion toppled over. Aaron smiled and turned toward the other students. "Are you just going to stand there?"

"Is he really blind, deaf, and unable to smell right now?" Chelsea looked unsettled.

That was when Aru lowered her stance.

Bang!

Like a bullet, she shot toward Aaron at incredible speed.

Whoosh—! Grab—! Rumble—! Crack—!

Aru's kick was stopped by Aaron's palm. The ground around them cracked, but the spot where Aaron stood remained firm.

Aru's eyes gleamed.

As expected of Aaron!

He had perfectly dispersed the impact.

Aaron grabbed Aru's ankle and effortlessly tossed her upward. Eiran swiftly drew her sword and slashed at him without hesitation.

"Chelsea, attack!"

At Celia's command, Chelsea used magic to close the distance between herself and Aaron.

Even with his senses sealed, Aaron blocked or deflected every attack from the hero candidates with ease.

Celia's eyes widened as she observed him.

It's not just that he lost his sight, hearing, and smell. His movements themselves are terrifying!

Every movement sent chills down her spine.

Minimal effort, maximum efficiency. It was the path that every master of the blade aspired to.

Until now, only one person had ever unsettled Celia this much with their skill—her cousin, Leo.

No, this person… is above Leo!

Leo and Aaron were different. Leo possessed unfathomable depth, while Akan, the instructor before them, possessed an overwhelming height.

As Celia struggled to calm her shock…

Whoosh—!

Aaron caught her sword between his index and middle fingers and deflected it.

Thud—!

"Haaah! Haaah!" Chelsea gasped for breath, nearly screaming. "This guy's a total monster!"

Aru, Eiran, Celia, Duran, Chen Xia, Dion, Borman, Chelsea. Even with all eight attacking together, Aaron hadn't taken a single step back. Even though they had used aura and magic, he had predicted and deflected every single attack.

"How can he read our movements even with all his senses blocked?"

"So this is Hyper Perception?"

Dion and Borman caught their breath.

Step—step—

"This is a little tricky." Aaron scratched his cheek and murmured, "You never do anything halfway."

Leo chuckled and whispered, "I was curious to see how close I've gotten to you."

Shing—!

Leo drew his sword. "I'm counting on you."