The next lightning strike engulfed Sel and the surrounding projections, as if the heavens were offended by his blatant defiance.

Experiencing such a phenomenon twice in a week would leave anyone more than shocked. A pillar of blinding white-gold lightning swallowed everything in its path, expanding outward in a violent eruption that distorted the very air around it. The sound alone was so unbearable; an endless, tearing shriek layered over a thunderclap so loud that many disciples clutched their ears, collapsing to their knees as blood trickled from them.

The heat... It was suffocating. It rolled across the sect like a living thing, pressing down on skin, burning lungs with every breath. Even those far from the epicenter felt it, their bodies drenched in sweat within seconds. For a fleeting moment, it truly felt as though the sun had descended upon them. And at the center of it all...

Sel vanished, swallowed whole.

"Sel!" someone shouted from below, their voice trembling. Even Bahamut’s smile faded slightly, his eyes narrowing as he leaned forward on the rooftop. Ren’s ears flattened against his head. "That one’s not normal..."

The lightning did not fade immediately. It raged, twisted, and tightened, compressing inward like a collapsing star. Whatever it was doing... it wasn’t good, but something pushed back. From within the blinding storm, a faint glow emerged. Green, soft at first, then it became violent.

The tree-woman projection flared to life.

Its vine-like hair expanded outward, each strand thickening into massive tendrils that lashed against the lightning, resisting, and enduring. Leaves ignited, burned to ash, only to regrow instantly, glowing brighter and stronger.

It tightened its embrace around Sel, protective and defiant. At the same time, the sword trembled. Cracks spread along its massive blade, glowing lines of white splitting across its silver surface. For a moment, it seemed as if it would shatter. But contrary to that, it moved forward and cut with a single swing. The swing was impossibly slow, but it was absolute. The lightning split. A jagged opening carved through the storm itself, sending arcs of electricity scattering wildly across the sky.

"It cut lightning..." Ren whispered, his voice barely audible.

"That’s more like it!" Bahamut’s grin returned, wider now.

Inside the storm, Sel’s body convulsed. His unconscious form reacted instinctively, drawn into the process. Energy surged into him violently, flooding his body, tearing through veins, muscles, bones. It was refining, breaking, and rebuilding him. The tree woman fed him, and the sword defended him, but the heavens were not done.

CRACK!

Another strike formed instantly with no pause in between. It slammed into the already raging storm, doubling its intensity. The ground below shattered in places, cracks spreading across the arena and nearby courtyards. Some disciples were forced to retreat, unable to withstand the pressure any longer.

"This is insane..." Elder Iset muttered, shielding her eyes.

Elder Silvia stood still, her gaze sharp.

"He’s holding..."

And he was barely. The tree projection began to wither under the strain, its glowing leaves falling like embers. The vines trembled, some snapping under the pressure of the lightning. The sword cracked further. Pieces chipped away, dissolving into particles of light, but still they held.

Sel moved slightly, a twitch, barely noticeable, but it was enough. The energy within him surged in response. Space itself reacted. A ripple spread outward from his body, subtle, but undeniable. Then it fractured not violently like before, but smoothly and controlled. A thin line appeared in the air beside him. Then another and another. Dozens of spatial fractures formed around his body, hovering like invisible blades. The lightning struck again, and the fractures responded. They redirected it. The incoming strike bent unnaturally, its path warping as it collided with the fractured space, dispersing across multiple points instead of concentrating on one.

The pressure lessened slightly, but it was enough to give Sel some breathing space. The tree-woman projection flared again, regaining strength. The sword steadied, and Sel’s body absorbed the energy faster now.

"He’s adapting mid-ascension," Ren said, disbelief creeping into his voice.

Bahamut laughed under his breath. "Of course he is." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The storm raged for what felt like an eternity, but after some time, it began to weaken, not because the heavens relented, but because Sel had endured. The final remnants of lightning crashed down in scattered strikes, weaker, unstable, fading. The massive storm shrank, collapsed inward, and vanished.

Silence fell..

Sel’s body hung in the air, completely still. The projections flickered. The tree-woman, now dim and fragile, loosened its hold before dissolving into particles of green light. The sword lingered a moment longer. It was cracked and broken, but it stood proud. Then it, too, shattered into glowing fragments that faded into the night.

Sel remained floating unconscious, but alive. And changed. A faint aura pulsed from his body, stable, powerful, and refined.

Tier 2.

For a moment, no one spoke. Then, the sect erupted.

"He did it!"

"Another one?!"

"Two in one week?!"

"This is madness!"

On the rooftop, Bahamut stretched his arms lazily, a satisfied grin on his face.

"Told you."

Ren stared at the sky, then at Bahamut, then back again.

"You two are a problem."

Bahamut chuckled.

"Not a problem."

His eyes gleamed faintly.

"A beginning."

...

On a small open balcony, four people sat with grim expressions around a round table. The first had long golden hair and blue eyes with long, sharp ears. An elf. Elder Derek. He wore his usual white and gold robes.

Beside him was Elder Caron, his black eyes seemingly glowing. He was, as usual, hooded and with a pale face. Next to him was a silver-haired beauty who sat with an arrogant air around her. Elder Sylna. Her clothes were a bit suggestive, and the elder beside her couldn’t help but look at her with his thoughts clearly written on his face.

He wore gray clothes and had a turban covering his head. Elder Karesh.

And they had gathered for one reason... Bahamut and Sel’s ascensions. Both of them had ascended in the same week. There was bound to be some suspicion, and of course, the person to be suspected was their master, Elder Silvia.

"Just what is Silvia feeding her disciples? This is a bit too much..." Elder Sylna commented with a dark tone.

"She must tell how she is doing it!" Elder Karesh exclaimed with an envious tone.

"Twice," she said, her voice low and cutting. "In the same week. Two ascensions. And not just ascensions... those kinds of ascensions." Her lips curled faintly.

"Defiance. Projection manifestation. Elemental convergence. Do you know how rare that is?"

"I do," Elder Caron replied calmly. His hood cast a shadow over his pale face, but his black eyes gleamed faintly beneath it, steady and unreadable. "And that is precisely why this is not something to be dismissed as a coincidence."

Elder Karesh clicked his tongue loudly, leaning forward with barely concealed agitation. His gray robes shifted as he placed both hands on the table.

"Coincidence?" he scoffed. "This is no coincidence! That woman is hiding something. There is no way two disciples under the same master ascend like that without interference." His voice rose.

"None!"

Elder Derek remained silent. He sat upright, composed, his long golden hair resting neatly behind him, blue eyes distant yet focused. Unlike the others, his expression wasn’t twisted by irritation or suspicion. It was sharp.

"Bahamut..." he muttered under his breath, almost inaudibly.

Sylna’s eyes flicked toward him. "You’ve been quiet."

"I’m thinking," Derek replied simply.

Karesh let out a frustrated breath. "Thinking about what? That boy? I’ve heard enough about him already."

"You haven’t heard enough," Derek said, finally turning his gaze toward them. His voice was calm.

"That boy is not normal." A brief silence followed.

Caron’s gaze sharpened slightly. "Elaborate."

Derek leaned back just slightly, folding his arms.

"His growth rate. His battle performance. His affinity results. His projection during ascension. Even his defiance was too natural, as if he was made to defy the heavens." His eyes narrowed faintly. Even Sylna’s expression shifted slightly at that.

Karesh’s face darkened. "That’s impossible."

"It’s not," Derek replied flatly. "We witnessed the result."

Silence settled again, this time heavier. Sylna clicked her tongue. "So what? A monster appears once in a generation. That doesn’t mean Silvia created him."

Caron finally leaned forward, his voice quieter now. "No... but it means she has access to something we do not."

That was the core of it: information, control... Advantage.

Karesh’s fingers tightened against the table. "Then she must share it."

Sylna let out a short laugh. "You think Silvia shares?"

"No," Karesh snapped. "But she can be made to."

Caron’s gaze shifted toward him slowly. "Careful."

"Careful?" Karesh scoffed again. "We sit here while she builds monsters under our noses, and you want to be careful?"

"She has always been capable," Caron replied. "She simply chose not to act."

"And now she is!" Karesh shot back. "Which is exactly why we cannot sit idle!"

Sylna leaned forward slightly now, her earlier arrogance replaced with a more focused intensity.

"He’s right about one thing... If Silvia is moving, then this changes the balance." Her eyes gleamed faintly. "And I don’t like being on the side that knows less."

Derek remained quiet, his fingers tapping once against his arm before he spoke.

"I want the boy."