ONLINE: Blades of Eternity

A new day had dawned upon Valoria Kingdom.

The grand city bustled with energy and excitement, as whispers of the upcoming final stage of the Battle Convention spread like wildfire.

Three days remained.

And yet, anticipation gripped the hearts of many, for this was no ordinary conclusion—

The Trials of Creation had not been held since the convention's inception.

Something unprecedented was about to take place.

Meanwhile…

Within the Soaring Dragons Pavilion, the section reserved for the Pacesetters Academy, a lone figure stood amidst the vast gathering hall.

Kaelen Dragonyx.

His royal blue hair flowed behind him as his blade—a weapon now feared and desired by many—rested in his firm grip.

The Blade of Eternity.

He had woken up a few days ago, only to be immediately informed about the storm surrounding him.

The revelation of his legendary sword had changed everything.

Enemies, allies, opportunists—everyone now had their eyes on him.

One misstep, and the blade could be taken from him.

One moment of weakness, and he would no longer be its wielder.

But at this moment—

None of that mattered.

For now, Kaelen was completely focused.

He shifted his stance, his breathing steady.

Before him, the air shimmered as waves of sword intent gathered.

The Divine Sword Series.

A sword art he had been refining in silence.

Three moves.

Only three.

But each one transcended mere techniques.

They were the embodiment of his sword dao.

With a deep breath, Kaelen gripped his blade tighter.

And then—

He unleashed the first move.

BOOM!!!

A devastating explosion of sword force erupted within the hall.

The very foundation of the pavilion trembled.

Walls shook, pillars cracked, and the air split apart as an invisible force expanded outward.

A few moments later—

The destruction settled, leaving behind a deafening silence.

Kaelen slowly exhaled, lowering his blade.

A frown formed on his face.

"…That was only the first move."

His grip tightened.

If the first move alone nearly brought the entire pavilion to the ground…

Then what would happen if he unleashed all three?

Kaelen stood in the center of the gathering hall, his fingers brushing against the Blade of Eternity's hilt.

His mind was deep in thought.

'Should I attempt the second move?'

He had already witnessed the sheer destruction of the first—

'Would the second be too much?'

But before he could decide, a voice interrupted his contemplation.

"Kaelen… what exactly are you doing in here?"

The voice was calm, yet laced with curiosity and mild exasperation.

Kaelen turned his head and saw Vice Chancellor Reeves standing at the entrance of the hall, arms crossed.

A wry smile spread across Kaelen's face.

"Ah… I was just testing out a new set of sword moves."

Reeves raised an eyebrow, then swept his gaze across the hall.

The faintly trembling floors, the disturbed flow of mana in the air, and—if he focused hard enough—the lingering pressure of Kaelen's sword intent.

It all made sense.

With a shake of his head, he chuckled.

"You're going to bring this entire pavilion down at this rate."

Kaelen could only offer a sheepish smile in response.

Reeves sighed before he said.

"Since you can't go outside to train because of your current… predicament, I'll help you out."

With a wave of his hand, powerful waves of reinforcement magic surged through the walls, floor, and ceiling.

Mana circuits etched themselves into the architecture, strengthening its durability threefold.

Now, no matter how powerful Kaelen's strikes were, they wouldn't destroy the pavilion.

At least, that's what Reeves thought.

Kaelen bowed slightly.

"Thank you, Vice Chancellor."

Reeves simply nodded, gesturing for him to continue.

And so—

Kaelen resumed.

Kaelen's aura shifted.

The air grew sharp, as if countless invisible blades filled the space around him.

He gripped his sword tightly, focusing all his intent into a single slash.

And then—

WHOOSH!!!

With a single step forward, he unleashed the second move.

"Divine Severance."

A blinding crescent arc shot forward, its sheer force tearing apart the mana in the air.

It collided with the reinforced walls.

For a moment, silence.

Then—

RUMBLE!!!

The entire pavilion trembled slightly.

Reeves' eyes widened.

'It actually shook despite my reinforcements?!'

He had tripled the durability of the structure, yet Kaelen's swordsmanship still caused a visible impact.

Kaelen exhaled, his muscles tensing as he prepared for the final strike.

'One more.'

'The strongest move.'

A deep breath then escaped his mouth.

His eyes sharpened.

This time, Kaelen wasn't just swinging his sword.

He was pouring everything into it.

Mana. Sword intent. Battle will.

All converging into the final, most destructive move.

He raised the Blade of Eternity high above his head.

And then—

BOOOOM!!!

The moment the blade came down, a golden storm of sword force erupted.

A concentrated burst of divine energy expanded outward in all directions.

The very space trembled.

Despite the reinforced defenses, cracks spread across the walls.

Reeves was left stunned.

His reinforcements… were breaking.

This was no ordinary sword technique.

This was something far beyond normal swordsmanship.

As the last remnants of golden energy faded, Kaelen finally lowered his blade. But just then, his system suddenly rang out in his head as a screen popped up right in front of his face.

[Warning:MP critically low!]

[Warning:MP critically low!]

'As expected' Kaelen thought with a bitter smile on his face while a thin layer of sweat covered his forehead.

His breath was steady, but his heart was already thrumming with excitement while he thought.

'The Divine Sword Series… is complete.'

He turned to Reeves, whose shocked expression still hadn't faded.

Kaelen smiled faintly.

"That was the last move—Divine's Wrath."

Reeves let out a deep sigh, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Kaelen… if you actually used that in battle…"

He didn't finish his sentence.

Because he knew.

If Kaelen unleashed Divine's Wrath in the Trials of Creation—

It will be too big an impact for it to be left unnoticed.

Meanwhile, a cold wind swept across the open field of Valen Military Academy.

In the center of it all—

Kelvin stood, his mana domain already unleashed.

Darkness curled around him like living tendrils, a suffocating aura distorting the air.

But even as his power surged—

He wasn't satisfied.

His mind replayed the battles he had witnessed.

Kaelen's dominance.

Sylphie's brilliance.

Kent's terrifying control over his elements.

Each of them—

Monsters.

Each of them—

Far beyond his current level.

His teeth gritted.

His fists clenched as he thought.

'At this rate, I'll never be strong enough.'

'Never be able to avenge my sister.'

'Never be able to destroy those who took her from me.'

His body trembled, but not from fear—

From rage.

'I refuse to accept this!'

He suddenly bit down on his thumb—

Drawing blood.

And with a deep breath, he forced the blood into his mana flow.

The moment it happened—

His domain changed.

"Unending Darkness: Blood Void"

A pulse.

A ripple.

The entire field darkened as if the sun itself had been devoured.

Kelvin stood at the center, his form drenched in ominous energy.

This wasn't just a domain anymore.

This was something beyond that.

But he wasn't done.

Not yet.

Immediately after, he closed his eyes as he focused internally. After a few moments went by, something came out of his chest

The Orb of Chaos.

A deep, black sphere pulsating with unstable power.

Something that should never be merged with a domain.

And yet—

Kelvin didn't hesitate.

He forced the Orb of Chaos into the Blood Void.

The instant he did—

Agony.

Unbearable pain.

His veins turned black.

His muscles felt like they were being torn apart.

Sweat poured from his skin, but he held on.

Because in that moment—

Something terrifying happened.

The Blood Void evolved.

The entire open field trembled.

The grass withered.

The air grew suffocating.

A deep, abyssal energy spread outward, creeping towards every corner of the battlefield.

Kelvin gasped for breath.

His vision blurred.

But despite the pain, despite the cost—

He felt it.

'Power.'

'Unimaginable power.'

This was it.

This was the darkness he needed to stand at the top.

This was the power he needed to crush them all.

—

As the final traces of the fusion stabilized, Kelvin looked up.

His irises, once cold—

Now burned with abyssal fury.

A dark grin crept onto his face as he thought.

'With this…'

'No one can stop me now.'

But unbeknownst to him, high up in the clouds which seems to be away from his senses, Alden and his lackey Griffo could be seen amongst the clouds as he observed Kelvin down below.

"Well I must say, it's quite admirable that he has gotten this far just for the sake of revenge since he seems to be pampered throughout his childhood" Alden suddenly said with a light smile on his face.

"Well it's expected Lord Alden since the person who pampered him throughout his childhood was the one that was taken away from him" Griffo said with an amused look on his face. "You're right, hahaha" Alden said as he laughed out in a strange way before he continued.

"But what am most expecting is when he finds out who he is truly up against"