"Where the fuck am I…?"

Azel's voice echoed in the dark.

The last thing he remembered was the Infirmary… Sebastian grinning and then a flash of pain to his chin.

Now he was lying on cold rock.

He sat up with a wince. "Fuck… he just knocked me out even with my bones at max density."

His jaw throbbed like hell.

His bones weren't broken, but they hurt enough to make him curse under his breath.

'Damn that guy packs a punch,' he thought as he stretched his neck.

The air smelled of minerals, and light from somewhere above cast strange shadows across jagged stone.

He extended his senses and there was someone above him.

"But what the hell am I doing in a cave?"

"Oi!" a voice called, followed by laughter. "You're awake. That's really nice, I thought you'd be taking your beauty sleep."

Azel looked up and nearly choked.

Sebastian was hanging upside down from the ceiling with his arms folded and a cocky grin stretched across his face.

"You sure do sleep like a woman," Sebastian said. "Imagine waking up two hours after getting knocked out."

Azel glared at him. "Pretty sure that's average, old man. And I thought you were hurt."

"My body heals quick." Sebastian shrugged… he was still upside down. "So you said you wanted to learn my technique, right?"

"I remember saying if I could learn it, I would," Azel replied flatly. "But I'm busy. It's not every day I get time off. I was going to buy some fish skewers and rest."

Sebastian dropped from the ceiling, landing lightly in front of him. "That does sound like a good idea," he said, dusting his hands, "but you're here now."

"Yeah, and you can't force me to learn something I don't need," Azel shot back. "Learning new techniques takes time, and between juggling classes and extra-curriculars, I don't exactly have much free time."

"Ah." Sebastian laughed, his voice booming in the small space. "You just don't get it yet. You only need one day to learn this style. And I'm not suggesting it, kid."

Azel's eyebrow twitched. "You're serious."

Sebastian pointed at him. "Plus, we'll sharpen your martial arts too."

Azel reached for his storage ring… but nothing happened.

He frowned and looked around sharply. "Wait. Where the hell are we?"

"Oh, that?" Sebastian gestured at the cavern around them, smiling as if he'd been waiting for that question. "We're in a mental domain."

"A what now?"

"I pulled some favors from a third-year professor who owes me," Sebastian explained casually. "This domain lets us train without physical limitations. You can't escape. And if you die here, she just revives you. Perfect training zone, don't you think?"

Azel stared blankly. "You made a death simulation… and think that's training?"

"Exactly."

"My question is," Azel said slowly, "why the hell are you doing this for someone you met, like, two days ago?"

Sebastian smirked.

"Because I have a feeling something big's coming for the Academy soon. And you…" He pointed at Azel. "…you're going to be right in the middle of it."

He folded his arms. "Also, that Saintess candidate… Rain, was it?... told me you're the Hero. Can't have the Hero walking around with weak martial arts."

Azel sighed. "So this is Rain's fault, huh?"

She really was something else… sending people into hell without warning. Besides she was really acting strange these days.

"Now," Sebastian said, straightening his stance, "my technique is called Aura Breathing. It uses aura to circulate through every part of your body… your blood, your heart, your organs."

"I've done that before," Azel interrupted.

"Yeah, sure, every aura user thinks that," Sebastian said. "But that's not the real thing."

He tapped his chest. "To expel aura outside the body, there are specific points like hidden gates. They're pressure knots inside us that limit how much aura we can release. Loosen them, and your aura output multiplies."

Azel frowned. "So… it's like unlocking limiters."

"Exactly. Loosen the first point, your aura doubles. The second multiplies by four. The third—" Sebastian smirked, "—kills you."

"That's comforting," Azel muttered. 'Wait, is this basically the Eight Gates?'

"The first pressure point," Sebastian said, ignoring him, "is in your chest. A knot of aura flow near your sternum. Close your eyes, circulate your aura, and find it."

Azel hesitated but did as told.

He closed his eyes and let his aura move through his veins. It was like sending liquid light through his body.

And then he felt it.

A tight knot, twisting in the center of his chest. It was small, but once he found it, he could feel it resisting the flow like a damn valve.

'What the fuck… there's really something there?'

"It seems you've found it," Sebastian said, laughing as he crouched. "Now all you need to do is loosen it."

Azel focused, using aura to push against the knot.

It budged… barely.

His aura moved sluggishly, like it was pressing against stone. The knot slowly began to unravel, but each movement made his chest tighten painfully.

"Damn, this thing's annoying," he muttered, sweat beading on his forehead.

"Haha! Look at your face!" Sebastian said, his laughter echoing through the cave. "Takes a lot of time to loosen it! But guess what… time's something you don't have right now!"

Azel's eyes snapped open. "Wait, wha—"

Sebastian launched himself off the ground. The air cracked around him as he shot down like a meteor.

Azel instinctively backflipped away, landing several meters back just as Sebastian slammed into the stone where he had stood.

The impact shook the entire chamber and shards of rock were flying.

'He's insane!'

Before Azel could steady himself, Sebastian was already on him.

He moved like a blur… faster than anything Azel had seen since fighting Skinbutcher.

Azel tried to block, but the punch hit dead center in his stomach.

The air was forced out of his lungs.

"Guh—!"

The blow sent him flying, his body crashing into the wall.

Stone cracked behind him, and he slid down the wall with a cough.

"What the hell, man?!" Azel wheezed.

Sebastian cracked his knuckles and grinned. "Try to loosen it while I'm attacking you!"

"Are you crazy?!"

"Probably!" Sebastian's grin widened, his aura exploding around him in a shimmering golden wave that made the entire cave tremble. "Now stop whining and focus!"

"I'm sure you just want to kill me."

Azel moved right and dust exploded beneath his boots.

Sebastian appeared exactly where he had been and threw a side kick forward.

The sheer wind pressure shot like a cannon blast, slamming into the far wall of the cave and splitting the stone open with a violent rumble.

"Killing and training are two different things," Sebastian said, landing lightly. He spun once through the air and came down heel-first toward Azel's head.

Azel barely had time to react.

He raised both arms, catching the kick between his forearms.

The force still sent a jolt through his bones, shaking his entire body.

"I'm doing this for your own good…" Sebastian grinned.

Azel used the momentum to shove himself backward. His boots skidded against the rough floor before he coughed hard and blood splattered on the ground.

"What the fuck…" He staggered, clutching his chest.

The pain inside felt like his ribs were folding inward. But even through the agony, he could feel it: the knot was unraveling faster.

Sebastian crossed his arms.

"You can either remove the knot slowly or quickly. Slowly's the safe way. Quickly…" He tilted his head. "That's for masochists. Hurts like hell. Might even make you bleed."

Azel wiped the blood off his lip, breathing raggedly. "Great… thanks for the warning."

He didn't wait any longer.

Closing his eyes, he forced his aura to faster. The knot in his chest twisted violently, burning from the inside out.

His heartbeat roared in his ears.

"Come on…" he muttered through clenched teeth. "Move… damn it!"

Then, with a sharp snap, the knot burst apart.

A surge of raw energy flooded through him, making the air ripple around his body. His aura flared.

Blood trickled from his nose, but his eyes lit up.

The force of his aura doubled instantly.

Sebastian whistled.

"Oh wow… You really are a masochist, huh?" He smirked. "I wanted to bully you a bit more."

Azel ignored the comment and bent his knees slightly, aura swirling around his fists. He took a deep breath and looked up at the older man.

"Hey… Since I've done it already, mind if I try something?"

Sebastian shrugged. "Feel free."

The bones in Azel's legs hardened and his aura coated them like armor. The rocky ground beneath his feet cracked.

He kicked off, vanishing from sight.

In a blink, he was in front of Sebastian.

"Fuck you!" Azel shouted, driving his fist forward.

The punch collided with Sebastian's face with an echoing BOOM.

A blinding shockwave burst outward, shaking the entire cavern. Dust and shards of stone exploded in every direction as the impact pushed both of them back.

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