Heretic Trainer: The Gym Is My Cultivation Method-Chapter 373: Breaking Light With Flesh

The Solmira Clan member rushed in again, sunlight bursting beneath his feet as he closed the distance.

This time, his lance angled low, cutting toward Rovric’s side.

Rovric saw it immediately.

"Too easy to guess," he muttered, lips curling into a smirk.

Just as Rovric shifted his weight...

The Solmira member suddenly changed his stance.

"Do you really think," he said sharply, "that I’d repeat the same move?"

His free hand snapped forward.

"[Light Bind]."

Chains of light burst out from the ground and air at the same time.

They wrapped around Rovric’s wrists and ankles in an instant, glowing tight and hot.

Rovric froze mid-step.

"...What?"

The crowd reacted immediately.

"He’s bound!"

Even some Solmira members straightened, surprised by the sudden change.

The Solmira fighter’s mouth curved into a confident smile.

"Got you," he said.

Light surged across his arms as he activated [Solar Edge].

The lance in his hand burned brighter, sharper, the glow coating its entire length.

"Now you’re finished."

He stepped in and thrust the lance straight into Rovric’s side.

The strike landed cleanly.

A sharp sound echoed.

The Solmira member’s smile froze.

"...What?"

The lance had cut Rovric’s skin, but only barely.

A shallow line of blood appeared, nothing more.

Rovric looked down at the wound, then back up.

"That’s it?" he asked calmly.

The Solmira member’s eyes widened.

"No way..."

He gritted his teeth and slashed again.

Then again.

And again.

Each strike was fast, precise, and coated with [Solar Edge].

Cuts appeared across Rovric’s arms, shoulders, and side, but none of them went deep.

Rovric didn’t even struggle.

He didn’t try to break the chains.

He just stood there.

And smiled.

"Huh," Rovric said. "You’re really going all out?"

The Solmira member stepped back half a pace, breathing harder now.

"Just what are you?" he demanded, his voice shaking despite himself. "How can I not injure you?"

Sweat ran down his temple, mixing with the light still clinging to his body.

Meanwhile, on the Solmira side of the arena, the reaction was immediate.

"What the hell just happened?"

"That should’ve pierced him!"

"Those were direct hits with [Solar Edge]!"

Several members leaned forward, eyes wide. Some had stopped circulating their mana without realizing it.

Sorien watched calmly, hands behind his back.

A small smirk appeared on his face.

"...Didn’t I tell you before?" he said. "Their path is a body-focused path."

A younger Solmira cultivator swallowed. "Even so... this is too much."

Sorien nodded slightly. "I agree."

He narrowed his eyes at Rovric.

"It’s strong," he continued. "But even I didn’t expect it to be this strong."

Sindral stood silently, fists clenched.

If this one is already like this... he thought, then what about Dahlia?

His gaze drifted toward the God Gym side.

Even if she was only the daughter of a maid... she was still Draconia blood.

His jaw tightened.

And to everyone’s surprise, she was a real genius.

He remembered the whispers.

The looks.

Because of her mother’s identity, many in the clan hated her.

His fingers curled tighter.

In the end, her mother died.

No one had expected what came next.

She ran.

That single act had shaken the Draconia Clan more than any defeat.

A genius princess disappearing overnight.

A Grand Clan that couldn’t even keep its own blood.

For a long time, the Draconia Clan had been quietly mocked for it.

Sindral exhaled slowly.

And now she’s here.

His eyes sharpened.

Walking a completely new path.

If Rovric is already this strong...

His thoughts trailed off.

Just how strong has Dahlia become now?

Back in the arena, the Solmira fighter staggered slightly, his breathing uneven as the pressure shifted once more.

Maintaining [Solar Edge] was becoming harder, even under the sunlight.

Rovric stood across from him.

His body was covered in cuts. Blood ran down his arms and side. His clothes were torn in several places.

But none of the wounds were deep.

None were fatal.

Rovric rolled his shoulder once, testing his movement.

"Man," he said, clicking his tongue, "you really went all out."

The Solmira member stared at him in disbelief.

"...Just what the hell are you?" he asked again.

Rovric smiled.

"Just a man from God Gym," he replied.

He planted his feet firmly on the arena floor.

"And now," he added, cracking his neck, "it’s my turn."

The chains of [Light Bind] were still wrapped around his wrists and ankles, glowing tightly.

Rovric looked down at them.

"Tch," he said. "Annoying."

He clenched his fists.

Muscles swelled instantly. Veins stood out clearly as his stance lowered. The ground beneath his feet creaked softly.

The chains began to shake.

"What..." the Solmira member started.

Rovric pulled.

Cracks spread across the light chains.

With a sharp sound, [Light Bind] shattered into fragments of glowing dust.

The Solmira member stumbled back, eyes wide.

"...Impossible."

Rovric didn’t rush him.

He took one step forward.

Then another.

Each step landed firmly on the arena floor.

"Now," Rovric said, his voice calm but sharp, "let’s see if you can take this one slash of mine."

He stopped a few steps away and raised his hand slightly.

"If you manage to withstand it," he continued, "then you win."

The words hit harder than any punch.

The Solmira member’s face twisted in anger.

"...Damn it," he growled. "How dare you pity me?"

His pride flared. His grip tightened around the fading lance of light.

Rovric only smiled.

"Still arrogant," he said. "Baby chick."

He shook his head once.

"I won’t waste any more time."

Heat surged around his arm.

A low hum filled the space between them.

Then, in Rovric’s hand, a blade formed.

A sword of flame.

The fire clung tightly to the shape of the blade, controlled and dense, burning hot without spreading.

Gasps rippled through the arena.

"A flame sword?"

"He condensed it that cleanly?"

On the Solmira side, several members stiffened.

Sorien watched closely, expression unreadable.

The Solmira fighter’s instincts screamed.

He immediately raised both hands.

"[Light Barrier]!"

A wall of glowing light snapped into place in front of him, thick and layered.

The barrier shimmered as it absorbed sunlight, reinforcing itself again and again.

The Solmira member planted his feet.

His arms trembled, but his eyes burned with determination.

"I won’t fall to this," he muttered.

Rovric drew his flaming sword back.

"This slash," Rovric said quietly, "is everything I’ve built since joining God Gym."