(Soron's Castle, Leo's POV)

Leo thought about Soron's lesson for a long moment before eventually nodding in understanding, as he cupped his fists together and bowed deeply before him, the gesture sincere and unforced.

"Thank you for the lesson," Leo said as he straightened slowly.

Soron nodded in acknowledgement, his expression unchanged, calm and distant as ever, as if the entire exchange had been no more than a passing conversation, before he turned slightly, clearly intending to end the day there.

"Sect Master," Leo called out.

Soron paused.

Leo hesitated for half a heartbeat, then scratched the back of his neck lightly, an awkward gesture that felt strangely human in the presence of a God.

"While I do appreciate the philosophical lesson," Leo said, choosing his words carefully, "I still want to exchange blows with you just once."

He requested as Soron glanced back at him, one brow lifting faintly.

"Just one chance," Leo continued. "Not to win. Not to prove anything. I just want to know how wide the gap truly is between us."

For a moment, Soron studied him in silence, then a low chuckle escaped his lips, warm and genuine.

"Why not," Soron said easily, amusement flickering in his eyes as he turned fully to face Leo again, the wooden dagger once more resting properly in his grip.

"Do you want me to go easy on you?" Soron asked calmly, "or do you want to see my true strength…"

He asked, as Leo answered without hesitation.

"Your true strength,"

"I can only understand the chasm between us if you don't hold back.

Though I know if you release your peak strength from the start, I probably won't even be able to move….

So at least let me make the first move."

He requested as Soron considered him for a brief moment, then nodded once.

"Very well," he said simply, gesturing for Leo to prepare, as Leo drew in a slow, deep breath before stepping back, his mind clearing as he replayed Soron's words from earlier, the lesson still echoing loudly in his thoughts.

'Creativity.'

He thought as he steadied his stance, daggers hanging loose at his sides as his aura began to unfurl, no longer compressed defensively but spread thin across the arena, while mana surged through his circuits in a deliberate, unfamiliar pattern.

'I should use that move,' Leo thought, eyes locking onto Soron's unmoving form as his grip tightened imperceptibly around his daggers, his focus narrowing until the rest of the arena faded into the background.

The God did not shift.

Did not brace.

Did not react.

He simply stood there, relaxed and open, honoring his promise as if what Leo was about to attempt was not even worth acknowledging, his posture loose, weight settled evenly, the wooden dagger resting idly in his hand as though combat had already ended.

'He hasn't even assumed a battle stance, but I still see no opening….'

Leo thought, as Soron's calm unsettled him more than any visible hostility could have.

Something about it felt wrong, as if the world itself was waiting for a cue it had already missed, as Leo drew in a breath and began circulating mana more aggressively, his aura unfurling outward in response as his muscles coiled in preparation.

He moved.

Only half a step.

Just enough to begin closing the distance.

And Soron disappeared.

Not in a blur.

Not in a burst of speed.

Simply gone, as the space directly in front of him emptied without transition, his eyes still clinging to Soron's outline for a fraction of a second longer than reality allowed, as if his perception itself had been left behind.

'Where—' he wondered, confusion flashing through his mind as his instincts screamed too late.

Something touched his stomach.

At first, Leo did not register it as pain, as the sensation arrived muted and dense, like a heavy pressure being applied all at once, compressing muscle and breath together, as though an invisible weight had been pressed into his core.

Then the pressure sank deeper.

Air tore violently from his lungs as his diaphragm seized, his breath leaving him in a broken, soundless gasp as his vision warped and folded inward, the arena tilting sharply as the sensation spread outward in slow, merciless waves.

Pain followed a heartbeat later.

Not sharp.

Not explosive.

But consuming.

It bloomed outward from the point of contact, crawling up his ribs and down his spine, flooding his limbs with weakness as he dimly realized that his feet were no longer touching the ground.

"PAH—"

His body lifted.

Not thrown.

Displaced.

The world rotated sideways as the force finally caught up to his awareness, stone blurring beneath him as balance was ripped away entirely, his muscles refusing to respond as his thoughts began to fragment under the sheer wrongness of it.

'What just happened…' he thought weakly, as the question dissolved before it could fully form.

'Why were there no intent lines behind his attack? Why did I see no openings or attack path?'

He wondered, as his aura, which he had spread thin and wide across the arena in preparation for his attack, vanished in the same instant, not torn apart or crushed, but blown away completely, peeled off the space around him like fog before a roaring wind, leaving him suddenly exposed.

He felt it retreat.

Felt the hollow absence where it had been, as the emptiness terrified him more than the pain.

'I'm still too far off to even understand what the peak looks like….'

He thought, as the darkness crept in from the edges of his vision and his consciousness faded.

*THUD*

His body landed hard on the stone floor, his eyes having already rolled to the back of his head, as Soron stood above him with a gentle smile on his face.

"So this is what father must have seen everyday when I challenged him at the Monarch tier…."

He muttered, as old memories flooded him.

Memories from when he was just a weak Monarch, and his father was the God, as he bent down and closed Leo's eyelids before turning to leave.

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