Chapter 98: Old Hag

​"AHHHHHH!!!!"

​BOOOOM!!

​The air in the training ground didn’t just vibrate; it shattered. A blinding pillar of iridescent light erupted from Hitachi’s seated form, punching through the reinforced barrier and illuminating the night sky like a beacon of war.

​"Seems he finally broke through, becoming a God-rank fighter... But he’s only at Lv75," Zoginoi noted, his glasses reflecting the swirling mana. He squinted, his eyes scanning the jagged frequency of Hitachi’s aura. "The stability is... questionable, but the raw output is undeniable."

​"Good... He should use these five minutes to stabilize his new strength. He’s a genius; he can handle this little transition," Hayatobi said, his arms crossed as he watched the young Azul heir with a paternal sort of pride.

​Mirabella opened one eye, her gaze sharp. Unlike Hitachi, she had the System to act as a metaphysical shock absorber, smoothing out the violent surges of spirit energy that came with leveling up. Normally, a cultivator would use high-tier monster cards to anchor their soul during such a leap.

​’He isn’t using any monster cards. He’s forcing a breakthrough using nothing but raw awakening stones and pure spite...’ Mirabella thought, her respect for Hitachi ticking upward. ’This guy is a monster in his own right. I don’t think I could have pulled this off in my previous life without a safety net.’

​She wondered, briefly, how much the gap between them had narrowed. Hitachi’s eyes snapped open, his pupils glowing with a predatory crimson hue.

​"Finally," he hissed, his fingers digging into the stone floor.

​’I still can’t force the evolution of my eyes, but this surge... it’s a start. I must get stronger.’ He turned his gaze toward Mirabella, the air around him rippling with heat.

’Much stronger.’

​"Ok, now... Let’s get going!" Hayatobi clapped his hands, the sound echoing like a gunshot. He gestured to Mirabella and Hitachi.

​The two walked toward the Master Teacher, stopping ten feet away as the ground still hissed from the residual heat of the breakthrough.

​"Let’s go."

​Hayatobi placed his palms together, his expression turning terrifyingly neutral.

​"Ultimate Teleportation."

​There was no flashy circle, no chanting, and no tearing of the fabric of space. One moment they were there; the next, the air simply rushed in to fill the vacuum where three powerful souls had stood. Zoginoi was left alone in the silence, blinking at the empty floor.

​"OLD HAG!!!!!"

​A roar of pure, unadulterated spiritual pressure tore through the midnight silence of the Sword Empire’s capital. The sound waves were so physical they rattled the stained-glass windows of the dormitories.

​Dormitory lights flickered on in a wave. Guards in white plate armor scrambled from their posts, weapons drawn, but they froze the moment they looked up. Hovering a hundred feet above the central plaza were three figures.

​"Is that... Lord Hayatobi?!!" the captain of the guard stammered, his face draining of color. The sword in his hand suddenly felt like a toothpick.

"Why is a Master Teacher from the Dragon Empire initiating a confrontation here?"

​In the second-floor hallway of the elite dorms, students crowded the railings, their faces pale in the moonlight.

​"Wait, isn’t that...!" Ethan’s voice cracked. He gripped the railing, his knuckles white as he stared at the girl floating effortlessly beside Hayatobi. Cupcake sat on her shoulder, looking down at the academy with cat-like indifference.

​"Yes! That’s Mirabella!!" Miranda shrieked, her voice a mix of envy and disbelief.

​Ethan’s eyes burned with a toxic rage. "How did she get close to a Master Teacher? That slut... she must have used some disgusting trick to get that spot!"

​"Exactly! There’s no way a failure like her belongs up there," Alice added, her face twisted in a sneer.

​Angela, however, remained silent. She watched Mirabella—her former best friend—and felt a hollow pit in her stomach. She had been the one to sever the bond, convinced Mirabella was a sinking ship. Now, seeing her hovering in the sky as a God-rank entity, the reality of her mistake was starting to settle in. But her pride was a heavy shield; she wouldn’t beg for forgiveness.

​"Let’s just wait and see what’s happening. They won’t actually attack the academy... right?" Angela whispered.

​"Of course they won’t."

​The group turned to see a tall, composed young man walking toward them, flanked by two devoted followers.

​"Elite Student Andrew!" the students exclaimed, their postures immediately straightening.

​Andrew was the pride of the Sword Academy. An heir to the Sword Family, he possessed a rare anomaly: a Warrior bloodline that could somehow manifest and control fire. He was considered invincible among the student body.

​Andrew leaned against a pillar, his red hair partially obscuring one eye. "If they destroy even a blade of grass here, it’s an act of war between empires," he said, his voice calm but his gaze wary.

"The Dragon Empire wouldn’t risk that. We have more high-level combatants... but having Hayatobi here is... problematic."

​"Sister Jessica is the strongest," Miranda countered, looking for reassurance. "No matter how powerful Mirabella thinks she is, Jessica will humble her."

​Andrew raised an eyebrow, his gaze shifting to the third figure in the sky. His composure cracked instantly.

​"Is that... Yes, that is Hitachi of the Azul clan!!" he hissed.

​"Is he that dangerous?" Angela asked.

​"Dangerous?" Andrew laughed, though it sounded forced. "On the inter-empire leaderboards, he’s ranked Number 2. Jessica holds the top spot, and Number 3 is that nightmare of a girl from the Eagle Academy." He pointed a thumb at his own chest.

"I’m only Number 6 on that board."

​He exhaled, the gravity of the situation sinking in.

​"The Glory Flag competition starts next week. That leaderboard is about to be rewritten in blood. All of you need to be ready—especially the team leaders. This isn’t a schoolyard rivalry anymore; this is the world changing."

​He turned and walked away, his followers in tow, leaving the other students to stare up at the three gods-in-waiting hovering above their home.