Arayn steadied his breath and let his aura flow, not forcing it, but allowing it to move as naturally as air filling a room. Then, he leaped. The ground beneath him pulsed with the lingering weight of his aura, but he carried none of it with him. His presence had vanished, yet the echo of his power remained.

  As he landed at spot B, he repeated the process. Another leap—his aura stayed behind, clinging to where he had stood, while he moved forward untouched by it. The moment he arrived at spot C, a shift occurred. From spot A, where it had all begun, a surge of destructive energy erupted. It tore through the air, racing toward spot B like a force awakened from slumber.

  [Progress in mastering Calamity Step: First Form - Destructive Mirage: 40%]

  Arayn stood still, replaying each step in his mind. His movements had been silent, his aura had manifested with force, yet something was missing. There were gaps—flaws he couldn't ignore.

  His presence still lingered when he moved. That needed to change. True silence wasn’t just the absence of sound; it was the absence of existence itself. He had to erase himself completely, leaving nothing for the senses to grasp.

  Speed was another issue. He wasn't slow, but he wasn't fast enough. If he wanted this technique to be flawless, he had to move like a shadow slipping between flickering torchlight—seen one moment, gone the next.

  Then there was the final piece. The destructive aura. It was powerful, but crude. He needed to refine it, to shape it into something more than just raw force. If he could mold it into an afterimage, something that lingered like a ghost of his presence, he could turn deception into a weapon.

  There was still work to be done, but that was fine. Perfection was never immediate. It was built, refined, sharpened, and carved into something undeniable. He needed to be patient and diligent.

  Arayn took a slow breath, centering himself. This time, he would refine one flaw—erase his presence, move faster. No wasted movement. No lingering trace.

  He let his aura flow, guiding it downward, pooling it at his feet. The moment it gathered, he pushed off. His speed surged. The ground blurred beneath him. Faster. Lighter. He landed at spot B and leaped again, momentum carrying him toward spot C in an instant.

  [Progress in mastering Calamity Step: First Form - Destructive Mirage: 50%]

  Something was wrong. His presence still clung to the air. Even as his body moved like the wind, the weight of his existence remained. He hadn't erased himself; he had only grown faster.

  It wasn’t enough. Not yet.

  Arayn stood still, deep in thought. There had to be a way to move without leaving a trace—without existing in the eyes of his enemies. But how? Before he could delve further, Tyras approached.

  "Look above you," Tyras said. "Do you see that bird?"

  Arayn glanced up. A massive demonic beast soared through the sky, its wings stretching wide like the sails of a warship. Its body was lean but powerful, with razor-sharp talons and a long beak.

  Tyras exhaled. "I'll give you one last chance to observe my movement."

  Arayn's eyes sharpened. He activated [Corlust Eyes of Demonic Arsenal], his vision shifting as intricate patterns of energy traced themselves across the world. He would not miss a single detail.

  The bird suddenly plummeted. A gash had already opened across its neck. Blood sprayed, its body twitching midair. Yet, Tyras hadn't moved.

  Then, in a blur, he leaped. His hand traced the same wound, a second slash forming over the first. In the next instant, Tyras exploded.

  Arayn frowned. His senses stretched outward, trying to grasp what had happened. Then, his breath hitched. Tyras was beside him all along. Not in the air. Not where the explosion had been, but standing right there, as if he had never left.

  Tyras glanced at him. "Can you comprehend that?"

  Arayn’s eyes widened as realization struck him like a hammer to the skull. His breath came sharp, his mind racing through every step he had taken until now.

  “I’ve been approaching this in the wrong order,” he muttered, then clenched his fists. “I shouldn’t have focused on erasing my presence first. That was a mistake. I need to refine the afterimage first—make it so perfect, so convincing, that my real presence fades on its own.” After saying that, the system window appeared, as if approving his idea.

  Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

  [Progress in mastering Calamity Step: First Form - Destructive Mirage: 60%]

  A low chuckle came from beside him. Tyras smiled, arms crossed. “Correct.”

  Arayn exhaled slowly, clearing his mind. He let his aura flow—not just from his feet, but through every part of his body. It seeped outward, spreading evenly, until his form shimmered with raw energy.

  Then, he willed it to change. The aura darkened, twisting into something more volatile. Destructive aura. He molded it, sculpting its shape until it no longer drifted aimlessly—it took form. His form. A perfect afterimage of himself, lingering where he once stood.

  At the same time, he guided a portion of his aura downward, concentrating it at his feet. Just for a moment. Then, he leaped.

  The instant his feet touched the ground again, something clicked. The answer was there, right in front of him.

  This was the way.

  If he left his presence within the afterimage, people's attention would be drawn to it. They would see it, sense it, mistake it for him. However, it wasn’t enough. Misdirection alone wasn’t the goal. This technique wasn’t just about confusing the enemy. It was about disappearing entirely.

  To master it, he had to go beyond deception. He had to erase himself from sight, from perception, from existence itself.

  He wasn’t there yet. Not fully. However, he had the key.

  Arayn pieced it together in his mind—the correct way to use the footwork. It had to be separated into three distinct parts.

  First, creating the afterimage.

  Second, vanishing from existence.

  Third, increasing speed.

  He had already mastered the first and third. His destructive afterimage was flawless, and his speed had increased significantly, but the second part—the most crucial one—remained unfinished.

  Vanishing from existence wasn’t just about turning invisible. It meant erasing himself completely, not just from sight but from all senses. No one should be able to hear, feel, or even perceive his presence. A true disappearance.

  First things first. He pushed everything else aside. The afterimage, speed, destruction—none of it mattered now. There was only one goal.

  Turning invisible.

  He had already analyzed the footwork with his [Corlust Eyes of Demonic Arsenal]. He knew how Tyras did it. He understood the way aura had to flow, the way it had to bend around him rather than radiate outward. Now, it was time to apply it.

  He controlled his breath. Cleared his thoughts. Focused. Then, in a single attempt, he turned invisible.

  [Progress in mastering Calamity Step: First Form - Destructive Mirage: 70%]

  Arayn steadied his breath, pushing himself deeper into the art of erasure. Turning invisible was one thing, but true disappearance required more.

  Now that he had succeeded in vanishing from sight, he had a hint—an instinct—on how to erase his presence entirely.

  He curved his intent, suppressing it instead of letting it radiate outward. No killing intent, no hostility, nothing that could alert a keen observer. Then, he controlled his breathing, slowing it until it was imperceptible. Finally, he used his aura to manipulate his body’s heat, dispersing it so no one could detect him through warmth alone.

  One attempt. That was all it took.

  In that moment, Arayn wasn’t just unseen—he was nonexistent.

  Then, with a single breath, he released it. His presence returned.

  [Progress in mastering Calamity Step: First Form - Destructive Mirage: 80%]

  Tyras clapped his hands once, a smirk tugging at his lips. “Not bad,” he said. “To do it in one try… As expected of your Corlust Eyes.”

  His expression soon turned serious. “But don’t get ahead of yourself. There are still two things left. First, you need to attack while vanishing. And second, you must combine everything into a single, seamless footwork.”

  Tyras raised his right hand. “Start with attacking while vanishing. You may target my palm.”

  Arayn vanished from existence. His presence, his heat, his intent—all erased, but the moment he moved, the effect broke. His existence returned as if he had never vanished at all.

  He exhaled slowly and focused. Again.

  This time, he moved with careful precision. Step by step, he maintained the state of erasure. Success. He could now move while vanishing, but when he struck out, aiming for Tyras’s palm, he reappeared.

  Failure.

  He tried again and again. Each time, the same result. The moment he attacked, his intent radiated. Even if he suppressed it before moving, the act of striking made it surface. However, stopping wasn’t the solution. If he hesitated, the technique would be useless.

  He kept going. Over and over, he threw his fist at Tyras’s palm. Again. Again. Again.

  Tyras remained still, his expression serious. He didn’t yawn, didn’t sigh, didn’t get bored. He took each blow patiently.

  Hours passed. Arayn lost count of how many times he failed. Dozens? Hundreds? It didn’t matter. He kept going. Then, his fist connected.

  Tyras’s palm stopped his strike, but this time, he had remained vanished. No presence. No intent. Nothing.

  [Progress in mastering Calamity Step: First Form - Destructive Mirage: 90%]

  Tyras smiled. “Well done.” He lowered his hand. “People at your level wouldn’t be able to perceive your attack.”

  Arayn gasped for breath, sweat dripping down his face. “Still… you perceive me.”

  Tyras chuckled. “Of course. I’m the strongest. I stand at the peak of the pyramid. If you want to reach my level, don’t get impatient. Climb a level at a time.”

  "Sure," Arayn said, exhaling.

  Tyras raised an eyebrow, smirking. "I thought you'd say something like, 'I'll definitely reach your level' or 'I'll surpass you.'"

  Arayn met his gaze, unbothered. "Saying that would be foolish. Why state the obvious?"

  Tyras chuckled, shaking his head. "And here I thought you'd finally learned how to be humble."

  Arayn frowned. "I don’t think I was being arrogant this time."

  Tyras’s smirk widened. "So you don’t set it as a goal because you think it’s something natural." He paused, considering. "Interesting. Then, as your master, I shouldn’t be a hindrance to your growth."

  He turned, stretching his arms. "Come on. You still need to master the last step—combining all the parts into a perfect footwork. Come with me with all you have gotten. The last part isn't as simple as the previous parts!"