Chapter 68 : Growth

Yuna had just ended a call, as a faint smile rested on her lips. "It’s going to be a lot of fun."

The words had barely left her mouth—

BOOOOM.

A violent shockwave tore through the mansion. The floor lurched, windows rattled violently in their frames, and the ceiling groaned like something massive had just slammed into the ground outside, sending a dull tremor through the walls.

Another impact followed—stronger.

BOOM.

Then another.

BOOM.

Each one carried weight. Intent. Power.

A vein pulsed on Yuna’s forehead. "The hell are those two at again...? Even after I told them to stop these meaningless fights..."

She didn’t wait.

Her steps were sharp, fast, controlled—but irritation built with each stride. The faint echo of her heels tapped against the polished floor as she moved through the halls and shoved open the back doors.

The moment she stepped outside—

Her expression froze. Then twitched.

The training ground was unrecognizable. The earth had been torn open, deep craters overlapping, some still smoking faintly. Entire sections had collapsed inward, leaving jagged ridges of broken soil and scattered debris.

Training equipment was scattered like debris—metal frames bent, wooden constructs shattered, weapon racks splintered beyond repair.

Several maids lay unconscious across the field, their uniforms coated in dust, some barely stirring.

Yuna inhaled slowly. ’Am I running a mansion... or babysitting natural disasters?’

Then her eyes locked forward.

Arthur and Julia.

They weren’t sparring.

They were colliding.

Arthur stepped in. Julia matched him—

BOOM.

Their fists met, and it wasn’t a clash—it was a detonation.

The ground beneath them imploded, cracking outward as a shockwave blasted debris into the air. Arthur’s arm trembled slightly from the impact, the force rippling through his muscles.

Julia didn’t move an inch.

Their auras flared. Arthur’s surged wildly, like a current that refused containment.

Julia’s—

Cold. Silent. Oppressive.

It didn’t explode.

It erased.

The space around her felt thinner, emptier, like something had been removed from reality itself, leaving behind an unsettling absence.

They pushed off, sliding backward across shattered ground, carving trenches beneath their feet. Small fragments of rock scattered as distance formed.

Silence followed.

Julia exhaled slowly. "Infinite Void Art... First Form:

Zero State

."

Everything stopped.

Not physically—but perceptually.

Her breathing slowed to nothing. Her presence erased itself. No killing intent. No aura. No tension. No sound.

Even the drifting dust passed through her like she wasn’t there.

Arthur’s grin widened. "Seriously... no matter how many times I see it... it still amazes me."

He rolled his shoulder once. "If I screw up even a little... she’s ending this."

He closed his eyes. His breathing steadied.

’Come on... think...’

The battlefield mapped itself in his mind—broken ground, shattered trees, airflow, pressure shifts, subtle movements of debris.

’Where are you coming from... Miss Ogre...?’

Nothing.

No signal. No disturbance. Not even instinct reacted.

Seconds passed.

Arthur opened one eye. "Yeah, no." He opened both. "Fuck it. I can’t find her. Those anime main characters are really built different."

WHAM.

A fist materialized out of nothing and slammed into his ribs. "GHH—!"

His body folded sideways before launching across the field. He tore through a tree trunk—

CRASH.

Wood exploded into splinters that scattered in all directions.

He hit the ground and skidded violently, carving a shallow trail behind him.

Pain flared. He forced himself up. "At least give me a ti—"

Another strike.

From above.

BOOM.

He was driven into the ground, then launched again, smashing through another tree with splintering force.

Yuna’s eye twitched. ’That was my favorite tree...’

Her gaze sharpened. ’But Julia... this level of suppression...’

Julia appeared again.

No buildup. No warning.

Each strike existed only at the moment of impact.

Arthur barely raised his arm—

CRACK.

The block failed as force slipped through and crushed into his shoulder.

He stumbled.

Another hit came from behind. He twisted—too slow.

The blow clipped his side—

THUD.

—and sent him spinning.

Dust erupted around him in a thick cloud.

Yuna crossed her arms. "Impressive..." A faint smirk touched her lips. "She’s erased even the intent behind her attacks..."

Then her expression flattened as she looked at Arthur. "And then there’s him... my disappointment."

Arthur got launched again—

CRASH.

Another tree snapped loudly.

That was it.

"HEY, YOU UNGRATEFUL BRAT!"

Her voice sliced through the battlefield.

Arthur froze mid-motion.

"If one more of my trees breaks..." her aura surged, crushing the air, "...I’ll throw you back on Ravira Island. And this time—I’m not bringing you back."

A chill ran down Arthur’s spine.

He shot upright instantly. "Nope. Not happening. Absolutely not."

Yuna pointed at him. "Then fight properly!"

Silence.

Arthur exhaled slowly. The grin faded. His posture shifted—loose, but controlled.

White energy ignited around him. Not explosive—flowing.

Qi surged through his body like a deep current beneath calm water. His muscles didn’t tense—they aligned.

His breathing synced.

The ground beneath him stopped cracking.

It stabilized.

’I hate saying move names... but whatever... she likes it.’

His voice dropped. "Celestial Dragon Flow... Second Form...

Flow Reversal

."

Julia struck.

Perfect angle. Perfect timing.

Her fist drove toward his blind spot—

Arthur moved at the last possible moment.

Not to block.

Not to dodge.

To receive.

His body rotated just enough. Her strike connected—but instead of resistance, it flowed.

The force traveled across his frame, down his shoulder, through his spine, into his hips.

Qi dispersed the damage.

Mana captured the excess.

Stored it.

Refined it.

Then—

Released it.

BOOM.

Arthur’s counter landed instantly.

Julia’s eyes widened—for the first time.

The impact slammed into her center, disrupting her breathing. Her structure collapsed mid-motion as her body lifted off the ground.

’What—? That... was my own force...?’

She was airborne.

Arthur moved—fast, but controlled.

He appeared above her, caught her arm mid-air, rotated his body, transferred momentum—

His leg extended—

CRASH.

The kick slammed into her torso with devastating force.

Her body shot downward like a projectile.

BOOM.

The ground caved in, forming a crater as debris erupted outward in a wide ring.

Dust swallowed everything.

Then slowly settled.

At the center—

Julia lay in the crater.

Her chest rose unevenly.

She coughed, a thin line of blood slipping from her lips.

Her fingers twitched against the broken earth.

’I Lost.’