The Blazing Demon Lion King saw the bear and froze.

Its arrogance shattered instantly.

The flames around its body extinguished, its mane dulled, and it skidded to a halt before collapsing to the ground. It rolled, crawled, and whimpered, tail tucked between its legs, crying pitifully.

Ray stared, stunned.

This… is the thousand-year Blazing Demon Lion King?

Before the Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear, the mighty lion was nothing more than a frightened kitten. Every lioness flattened herself against the earth, trembling in submission.

The bear didn't even glance at them.

Its cold, predatory gaze never left Ray.

A dark-golden flash filled Ray's vision.

He raised his right arm instinctively and yanked hard on the Silverfalls Vine, swinging himself away at the last possible moment.

Behind him, the bear's claw descended.

Everything vanished.

Trees, bushes, soil—ripped apart without sound, without resistance.

Duskgold Dreadclaw…

That claw could tear dragons apart.

The massive bear leapt, its body soaring through the air with terrifying grace. In a blink, it overtook Ray.

Then—

Ray's eyes blazed gold.

I'll risk everything!

He poured every drop of soul power into his right arm. Golden scales surged forth, and the Golden Dragon Claw manifested in full.

Compared to the bear's claw, it was tiny.

Yet Ray swung it with all his might.

Even as he attacked, he twisted his body, keeping his head away from the bear. If his body was torn apart, it didn't matter. If his head was destroyed instantly, the mental backlash would be far worse.

He had made this choice for one reason.

If he didn't test the true power of the Golden Dragon Claw now, he would regret it forever.

Clang!

Golden Dragon Claw collided with Duskgold Dreadclaw in an explosive clash.

In that instant, Ray felt his soul power ripped from him. His blood roared. A burning sensation flared between his eyebrows as a faint golden light flickered there.

The bear's claw swept past.

It missed his head.

It missed his upper body.

But the Golden Dragon Claw vanished, shattered by the impact.

And then—

The Duskgold Dreadclaw tore through him.

Raziel Phoenix had been split vertically.

Ray was cut in half horizontally.

The last sensation he felt was his lower body separating from his upper half.

Cold numbness spread.

Darkness swallowed everything.

"Hurry! Go save him! Does this child not recognize a Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear? Why didn't he press the ejection button?!"

An anxious voice echoed inside Ray's mind.

Cold numbness ebbed away as consciousness returned. The sensation of being torn apart vanished like a bad dream, replaced by a dull heaviness.

Scrrrk—

Metal slid aside. Light flooded his vision.

I'm back. I'm fine.

Those were Ray's first thoughts. Then confusion followed close behind.

Why… do I feel fine?

He clearly remembered being cleaved in two. That kind of death should have left powerful aftereffects. Trembling, pain, lingering terror. Yet aside from a faint mental fatigue, his body felt perfectly intact.

"How are you feeling?" Alfred's face appeared above the metal pod.

Several Spirit Tower staff members leaned in as well, prodding his limbs with a rod that looked suspiciously like an oversized popsicle. "Are you conscious? Do you feel cold? Dizzy?"

"Yes," Ray answered honestly.

"He's awake already?" one of them muttered in disbelief. "And responsive? That's… unusual."

Ray gripped the edge of the pod and sat up. A brief wave of dizziness washed through his mind, like mental exhaustion after staying awake too long, but it faded quickly.

"Teacher, I'm fine," he said after checking himself over. No tremors. No pain. Nothing.

He climbed out of the pod.

Nearby stood Volt, Barbara, and Lily. Lily had been watching his pod without blinking, and only after Ray stood steadily did she finally exhale.

But the pod beside his was surrounded by staff.

Raziel Phoenix.

Ray's heart clenched. "How's Raziel Phoenix?"

Alfred replied calmly, "He managed to avoid having his head destroyed at the last moment. The backlash is severe, but he's conscious now. He'll need rest."

As if on cue, a weak voice drifted over. "I heard that…"

Ray released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding and hurried to Raziel Phoenix's pod. Raziel Phoenix lay pale and trembling, his muscles twitching uncontrollably. That kind of involuntary movement was a classic aftereffect of dying in the spirit ascension platform.

But Ray wasn't twitching at all.

Why am I different?

Alfred was asking himself the same question.

"As long as everyone's alive, that's enough," Alfred said flatly.

"Ray…" Raziel Phoenix muttered weakly. "Thanks."

"Thanks for what?" Ray forced a smile.

Raziel Phoenix grimaced. "Your Thousand Refined Cloud Titanium vest. I wore it over my shoulders. It blocked part of the strike and bought me enough time to twist my head away. Otherwise… yeah. I'd be in much worse shape."

Only then did Ray understand. The vest hadn't saved Raziel Phoenix completely, but it had saved what mattered most.

Come to think of it… I dodged too.

When the bear struck him, Ray had instinctively twisted his body as well.

"You cheated."

Alfred's cold voice cut through the moment. He was holding a vest in his hand. Raziel Phoenix's vest.

Ray flushed. "Teacher, that shouldn't count as cheating. I made it because I didn't want anyone to end up like Volt did before."

Alfred handed the vest back. "The craftsmanship is decent. You can Thousand Refine now?"

"Huh?" Ray froze.

"Yes."

Alfred continued, "For the first part of the final exam, everyone gets full marks. Except you."

Ray's heart skipped. "Me?"

"You're the captain. You cheated and encouraged others to cheat." Alfred paused. "Final score: ninety-nine."

"What?"

Ninety-nine?!

Barbara instantly cheered, "Long live the Teacher!"

Alfred shot him a glance. "Don't celebrate yet. There's still another section. Pass that, and you pass the exam."

Raziel Phoenix was hooked up to a stabilization device that sent mild electrical currents through his body to ease the backlash. It took over an hour before he could sit up properly.

When everything settled, Ray approached Alfred and lowered his voice. "Teacher… I still have a rebellion period entry card. Can I go in again?"

Alfred looked at the card, surprise flickering in his eyes.

"The Blacksmith's Association gave it to me," Ray explained.

Alfred shook his head. "No need. The rebellion period is escalating. If you go back in now, you won't last long. Save it. Or sell it. It's worth a fortune."

Ray nodded, chastened.

"Teacher, I had an idea about the spirit energy we absorbed—"

Alfred's hand snapped up and covered his mouth. His eyes flicked toward the nearby Spirit Tower staff. "Not here. We'll talk after."

Ray immediately understood and nodded.

On the way back to the academy, Ray carried Raziel Phoenix on his back. Raziel Phoenix's movements were clumsy and uncoordinated, though the staff assured them it would pass within a day.

"I'm fine," Raziel Phoenix said confidently. "Why would I be scared?"

Ray smiled faintly. "Good."

Raziel Phoenix grumbled, "Still unfair. We both got sliced up. Why are you perfectly fine?"

Ray shrugged. "No idea. Maybe my body's tougher. You should start morning runs with me."

Raziel Phoenix grinned. "Sure. I can meet that senior sister with you."

Ray nearly tripped. "What senior sister?!"

Lily's gaze snapped over instantly. Barbara and Volt leaned in with interest.

"It's nothing," Ray said quickly. "Lots of people run in the mornings."

But in his heart, a calm, gentle face surfaced.

Uriel.

"Rest well," Alfred ordered when they arrived. "We'll review everything tomorrow. Ray, come see me later."

In Alfred's office, the teacher spoke quietly. "Remember this. Never discuss your ideas inside the Spirit Tower. Wait until you're back."

Ray nodded. "Understood. But… why? If there's a flaw, shouldn't we report it?"

Alfred's eyes sharpened.

"Because," he said slowly, "not every flaw is meant to be fixed. Some are… doors."

Ray fell silent.

Alfred spoke slowly, his voice calm yet heavy with meaning. "You're still young. There are things you don't need to understand yet. Just remember what I tell you, and you'll be fine. The Spirit Tower doesn't think the way you do. They possess power so vast that even the Federation treads carefully around them. More than that, the Spirit Tower's influence doesn't stop on this continent alone."

Ray froze. "Other continents?"

His mind immediately leapt to the names he had only heard in passing. "Llyne… Arcana?"

Alfred nodded faintly.

"Teacher," Ray asked, unable to suppress his curiosity, "have you been to those continents before? Are they very different from ours?"

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