Kazuki stood outside the Duke’s office balcony now, the winds brushing against his cloak as he looked over the capital. The sky above seemed peaceful, but after the Duke’s revelation, he knew that peace was a fragile illusion.

  The orb… one of five fragments of Kairyuuha’s power… was now in the capital.

  Kazuki clenched his fist.

  “Even sealed, he overpowered me,” he muttered, voice devoid of emotion. “And he’s only begun reclaiming his strength.”

  ---

  Later that day, Kazuki walked to the training grounds—not the usual sparring arenas but far beyond, near the edge of the cliffs where the atmosphere thinned and mana twisted unnaturally.

  He stood alone. The air cracked with pressure as he activated his training field: a sealed space where gravity could be multiplied.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  “Level: x10,” Kazuki murmured.

  A crushing weight dropped onto his body, but he stood tall. Then he moved.

  Push-ups. Sit-ups. Weighted squats with summoned boulders. Every repetition surged with mana, forcing his body beyond its limits. His muscles tore and healed rapidly under the pressure of [Regenerative Surge], one of the upgraded passive traits he’d honed since his return.

  At x20 gravity, even standing took focus. Sweat dripped, but his face remained cold. Unmoving. Determined.

  From a distance, Elara, Garron, Rinara, and Drake watched silently.

  “…What’s gotten into him?” Elara whispered.

  “He’s… different now,” Garron muttered. “Stronger. Scarier.”

  “He was already strong,” Rinara added, folding her arms. “But now he’s acting like his own life depends on this training.”

  Drake didn’t say anything. He just kept watching.

  Kazuki pushed through another set of explosive punches, lightning and dark flames flickering from his fists. Every move cracked the earth, forcing the training field to auto-repair itself.

  Then—he stopped. Breathing steady.

  He looked toward the sky, beyond the clouds, toward the place where the demon realm sat in silence.

  “Kairyuuha…” he muttered.

  ---

  That night, Kazuki returned to his room. As he sat down, a strange pressure filled the air. A message—telepathic—was being delivered directly to his mind.

  “Still training?”

  It was Kairyuuha’s voice.

  “The gap between us is vast. But train all you like, Kazuki. I hope you grow strong enough…”

  Kazuki closed his eyes as the message continued.

  “…strong enough to watch everything you care about burn.”

  The message cut off.

  Kazuki didn’t react.

  He simply stood up again and walked back out toward the cliffs, his aura flickering like a dying star reigniting.

  “Then I’ll train until I burn brighter than you.”