Overwhelming Firepower

For a moment, the training yard was completely silent. The examinees could not help but stare at Alexander and the armor that was cut.

Several of the examinees looked at the armor, then at Alexander, and then back at the armor again as if their eyes had deceived them. Yet the line across the metal was undeniable.

What was even more dumbfounding was that Alexander actually apologized after doing something none of them were able to do.

Yet despite that, no one there thought he was being arrogant. The face Alexander showed was one of frustration; there was not a single action he did that seemed smug about what he had done.

It truly felt like he was actually agonizing that he was unable to cut the armor in half.

His brows were slightly furrowed, and his eyes lingered on the armor longer than anyone else’s.

To everyone present, the cut he left behind was incredible. Yet to Alexander, it seemed to fall short of what he believed he should have been capable of doing.

The silence lingered for another moment before the instructor finally spoke.

”Well done... Next examinee, step forward.”

The instructor, who was a knight at the fourth mantle, had praised the examinees. As everyone was still in a state of stunned silence, the final examinee stepped forward, it was none other than Cael Thornehart.

Unlike every other examinee, who was randomly called, Cael was actually told to be the last one to do the exam. The reason for doing so was not to discourage the other examinees, since the gap between him and them was quite significant.

Cael did not immediately walk to the weapons rack; instead, he approached Alexander.

Up close, Cael’s gaze felt sharper than before. His icy blue eyes stared at Alexander; his stoic expression made it hard to tell what he was thinking.

”What is your name?” Cael suddenly asked.

Alexander did not know what was happening right now, but even then, he decided to answer Cael.

”I’m Alexander Wyrd.”

Cael nodded his head and responded. ”You are a good swordsman. I’m Cael Thornehart. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

A lot of surprising things had happened in just a few moments, but this one was the most surprising of them all.

Cael Thornehart, second son of the Iron Duke, younger brother of the Ever-Victorious, and one said to be the greatest genius of the sword produced by the Thornehart family aside from the First Duke.

He was someone who barely spoke to anyone, and had ever only spoken when spoken to. No one has ever seen him initiate a conversation on his own. Yet here he was speaking to an unknown commoner, and even praising him as a good swordsman.

Several of the noble children stared openly at Alexander as if trying to understand what they had just witnessed.

Mina, who was standing behind Alexander, had her mouth slightly open. Nina, who was watching the scene, was glaring while gnashing her teeth in frustration.

On the other hand, Alexander, who was the one being talked to, looked a little embarrassed as he scratched his head.

”I’m not that good... I wasn’t even able to cut through the armor.” Alexander responded with honesty.

”That is not because of your skills; it is simply the limit of your current aura mantle. If you had been at the second mantle, you could have easily sliced through the armor.”

Not only was Cael Thornehart praising Alexander, but he was speaking to him in such long sentences.

Even when he spoke to other nobles, he would only respond with a word or two, but to have such a lengthy conversation was something they never expected to see.

”Is that so? Thanks for saying that.” Alexander smiled as he responded. ’

”There’s no need to thank me. I simply said the truth of what I saw.”

After saying that, Cael turned away as if the matter was already settled. He walked calmly toward the weapons rack without another word.

The examinees instinctively made space for him as he passed. No one said anything, but their attention followed his every movement.

Cael stopped in front of the rack and examined the weapons for a brief moment. Then he picked up a simple longsword.

Unlike the others, he did not test the weight or swing it in the air. He simply held it once, as if confirming something, before walking toward the mannequin fitted with the rune-engraved armor.

Everyone was pretty much holding their breath as they watched Cael, wanting to see how much better he would do.

Cael held the longsword with both of his hands, and unlike Alexander, who was pointing the sword upward, Cael was holding his to the side.

Cael then breathed in once as his aura mantle shone, but unlike everyone else, he did not envelop himself in it; he simply enveloped his sword in it.

Cael’s aura mantle was similar to his Father’s aura mantle, like frost. A faint chill seemed to spread through the air around the blade as the pale aura gathered along its edge. It clung tightly to the sword, thin and steady, like a layer of ice forming across still water.

The instructor and the examinees watched in silence. Nina was incredibly focused, not wanting to miss a single movement Cael made. Alexander and Mina were also watching with interest, though their reactions were calmer than the others.

Cael stepped forward. His movement was simple. There was no dramatic wind-up and no shouted cry. He merely shifted his footing and swung his sword horizontally, from one point to another.

It was such a clean and precise movement; it felt incredible to watch. There was no wasted movement, no overuse of one’s energy, just a simple slash that was all.

There was not even a sound of his blade hitting the armor. Cael then turned around and walked away.

Everyone except for the instructor watching was confused; there didn’t seem to be anything done to the armor. Did Cael Thornehart fail?

When that question popped up in their minds, something finally happened. A single line appeared.

It began where the sword had touched and spread slowly across the armor. The runes etched into the metal flickered violently before dimming.

A second later, the upper half of the armor slid apart and fell to the ground with a heavy clang.

The armor that most could not even scratch, and Alexander barely cut, was not sliced in half so cleanly.

For a moment, no one spoke. The upper half of the armor lay on the ground, the cut so clean that the surface of the metal looked almost polished.

Several of the examinees stared with wide eyes, unable to process what they had just witnessed.

”That... That’s impossible…”

”How did it even cut like that?”

”There wasn’t even a sound...”

Nina clenched her fists. She had expected Cael to do something impressive, but this result was far beyond what she had imagined. The difference between her strike and his felt almost insulting.

She couldn’t even use the excuse that Cael must have gotten better training than her because he was the son of a Duke. Seeing as someone like Alexander, a commoner, was able to perform equally well.

Was she going to say he also did a similar feat because he was the son of someone important? She could only clench her teeth in frustration.

The instructor slowly approached the mannequin. Unlike the other strikes earlier, he did not immediately inspect the armor. Instead, he looked at the sword still resting in Cael’s hand.

Then he glanced at the fallen piece of armor on the ground.

”... Clean,” he said quietly.

He crouched and lifted the upper half of the armor, examining the edge of the cut. The metal surface was smooth, the rune engravings separated perfectly along the line of the strike.

There was no distortion, there was no bending. The armor had not been crushed or forced apart. It had simply been cut.

This wasn’t about the strength of one’s aura mantle; it was about the skill one held the sword. The instructor can fully admit that, in pure swordsmanship alone, he was no match for the current Cael.

’As expected of a Thornehart. To think the Iron Duke would have two monstrous sons.’ The instructor sighed internally.

”Examinee, Cael Thornehart. That was a beautiful slash.”

Cael did not immediately respond to the instructor’s praise. It seemed like he was in deep thought; no one could tell from his stoic expression. After a second or two, he nodded his head.

”Thank you.” His voice was calm, neither proud nor humble. It was merely an acknowledgment.

He then returned the sword to the rack as if nothing remarkable had happened. The examinees watched him in silence as he walked back toward the line.

No one spoke, no one even dared whisper. The weight of what they had just witnessed still hung heavily in the air.

Cael did not move towards where he stood before; instead, he stood right beside Alexander and Mina.

”That was incredible! You were able to cut down the armor like it was nothing.” Alexander praised Cael.

”You would have been able to do that as well, if you were at the second mantle like me.”

Hearing Cael’s response, Alexander thought about it for a little while and responded. ”I’m not sure if that’s true or not, but thanks for the encouragement. I hope Mina and I passed the exam like you.”

”There’s no need to worry about that. The two of you are exceptional aura users.” Cael responded with his usual indifferent tone. Hearing Cael praise even her made Mina blush a little.

It was at this moment that the instructor had finished writing down something he had spoken. ”That is the end of the aura user test. Please come back this afternoon to see the results.”