Gol D. Ace In Coiling Dragon

Since the Necropolis of the Gods first opened, the group of seven had spent almost all their time together training. As such, each of them was well aware of how powerful Killian had become in that time.

Not only had he broken through to the mid-stages of the ninth rank as both a warrior and a mage without cultivating his battle-qi, his insights into the Profound Mystery of the Pulse of the World had also reached the level of a mid-staged saint. In fact, they were a hair's breadth away from that of a peak-stage saint.

Still, sighs of amazement escaped each of their mouths as they looked at their fellow classmates' tyrannical back.

With Ace and Amira no longer around, there was no longer anyone capable of overshadowing Killian.

It wasn't like they didn't understand that, in their class, Killian's talent and ability were second only to Ace and Amira, but with those two freaks always around, it was hard to pay attention to anyone else, but now, without even realising, Killian had become the makeshift leader of the group. A fact that was glaringly obvious from the lights that appeared in the eyes of Joel and the others as they looked at Killian.

The young, dark-skinned giant, though, wasn't paying attention to anyone else. His mind was focused on replaying his last attack over and over again, more specifically, his newly created movement technique – [Earth Shift]!

Although a truly impressive technique, Killian was far from happy with it. In his eyes, when using it against the average Early Stage Saint – such as the Deathgod Golem – it made him seem like a god among men; that was only because such experts were too slow to react.

If he were to use it against a peak saint or even those mid-staged saints who specialised in speed, he would only be asking for trouble. That was because, whilst it made his straight-line speed touch upon the levels usually only attainable by peak saints if he was required to change direction, it was simply impossible.

At present, the most he could do was calculate the distance he wanted to travel in advance and move there at top speed. He couldn't even stop early, not without causing the muscles in his legs to suffer from the backlash.

This was a technique that was still very much in its embryonic stages and was unsuitable for use in a proper battle against someone capable of rivalling his current power.

"Don't beat yourself up so much," Aiden voiced casually, having quickly seen through the youngster's concerns. "It's an impressive technique, and the fact that you're able to understand its pitfalls in advance means you're on the right track. Just take it one step at a time."

Killian nodded slowly as he made his way back to the group, ignoring the slowly arising and undamaged puppet.

"Now, who's next?" Aiden smiled, interested in seeing how much the others had improved.

Similar to Killian, Alissa didn't even wait for Aiden to signal for her to start. As soon as the golem had made it back into position, her lithe body vanished from position as if she was a spectre, instantly arriving at rear of the puppet, her twin daggers already in her dainty but callous filled hands, dancing through the air at incredible speeds.

The corners of Aiden's lips arced up, forming an appreciative smile as he watched Alissa infuse her blades with the concept of the wind.

Still, while both Aiden and Alissa both utilised the Concepts of the Wind, the only similarity between them was that both their attacks were unbelievably sharp, but whilst Aiden's glaivesmanship gave off a free-flowing and unfettered aura, Alissa's [Void Ripping Blade Art] seemed to focus on the silent aspect of the wind – as one would expect from a talented young assassin.

Each strike was simple, fast, accurate, seemingly untraceable, and above all else, deadly – or at least, they would have been had it been a living person instead of a Golem, with each of her strikes being aimed at vital points such as the eyes, the neck and the heart.

Although it took a while to explain, it hadn't even been two seconds before the Deathgod Golem had found itself on its back under Alissa's assault.

The enchantingly beautiful silver-haired assassin didn't even wait for Aiden to announce the results before her body flickered, appearing back by Killian's side, shamelessly sliding her palm into his with a gentle smile.

"Impressive," Aiden smiled.

Although the level of power Alissa just displayed had only reached that of a somewhat powerful early-stage saint, it had to be remembered that she was still only at the early stages of the ninth rank as a warrior, and more importantly, she was able to do that without using her bloodline transformation – becoming a Tigerstriped Warrior – an ability that would've allowed her to directly breakthrough to the early stages of the saint rank.

The next to go up was the young but ever-fearsome Kannal Meiron.

He had only just turned 17; he was still a year from being considered an adult. Still, the look in his eyes showed not even a hint of immaturity. Instead, they gave off a gentle and light-hearted tranquillity, but Aiden could see a hidden edge that hadn't been there when he last saw him.

Unlike Killian and Alissa, the 17-year-old swordsman with short brown hair stood calmly in the ominous Forest of Darkness, his fitted white robe billowing gently in the still air, patiently waiting for Aiden to announce the start of the battle before making his move. In fact, the young swordsman didn't make his move until the Golem was virtually on top of him; his aura remained steady and unfettered right up until the puppet entered striking range. 

Like a sheathed sword, Kannal seemed to only reveal his edge when he was ready for battle, his aura becoming peerlessly sharp as he drew his sword in a beautiful yet deadly arc. 

The air shifted around him as he infused the sword-draw with his profound insights into the Concept of Wind. The blade moved with an unhurried grace, appearing almost lazy, yet the speed at which it sliced through the air was astonishing.

At the same time, he took a graceful step forward, and in that moment, his body vanished, seeming to seamlessly merge with the wind, rendering him invisible to the naked eye.

With an unhurried grace, Kannal's blade sliced through the air, and he reappeared behind the Deathgod Golem. And as he did, the Deathgod Golem – an imposing figure in and of itself – appeared frozen in time, almost as if the universe itself paused to marvel at the profundities of the young swordsman's strike.

It was only after Kannal finished re-sheathing his sword that the suspended moment shattered, and the golem was sent flying through the air, crashing through a dozen trees before finally coming to a halt.

The profoundness of the sword draw was evident as it left no room for the golem to react. It wasn't a display of brute force or flashy techniques, but a simple, elegant stroke that embodied the essence of Kannal's skill.

"Good strike!" Aiden said sincerely.

Though he could appreciate the skill and power shown by Killian and Alissa, the level of skill displayed by Kannal had genuinely impressed him.

As an expert superior to the young Kannal in every way, who also focused on the Concept of the wind, he was able to glean a lot more from his display than the others. As such, he could appreciate just how impressive that strike really was.

Not only was he able to use the Law of the Wind's Profound Mystery of Wind Walking to improve the subtle mastery of his footwork, but his level of insight into the Concept of the wind had reached an incredible level.

Even though it couldn't compare to his own, it was far beyond the level he expected to see from any of them – at least at this moment in time.

In terms of power, Killian was without question the strongest of the group. As for Kannal, he wasn't even in the top three, with both Alissa and Joel still stronger than him overall. Still, when it came to the utilisation of "Concepts", Kannal was definitely number one – a fact that no one, not even Killian, would deny.

"Thank you," Kannal said humbly. "But my [Zephir's Sword Art] can't even be mentioned in the same breath as your glaive art."

Aiden merely smiled in response but didn't say anything further. Instead, he focused back on the remaining youngsters still to attempt the entry test.

"That's three out of three so far," Aiden continued. "Which of you four wants to go next?"

Of those remaining, none showed so much as an ounce of hesitation as they prepared to step up, but one managed to beat the others to the punch.

"That'll be me," Joel responded first as he stepped forward confidently. "I'll go next!"

-----------------------------------------

Story Complete!

Currently 141 chapters ahead!

Head over to the P atreon if you wish to read to the end uninterrupted!

P.atreon.com/AceInCoilingDragon