The difference between an intermediate-ranked and an advanced-ranked might not seem huge.
But it was.
Especially if someone like Azriel, lacking the experience, had to fight against a monster like Benson—someone who had remained at that rank for nearly his entire life.
Each mana core level, except for the dormant one, unlocked something unique, the same for everyone.
Once a human became Awakened, they unlocked their affinities—like Azriel, who had the rare dual affinities of ice and lightning.
But when someone reached the intermediate rank, the game changed.
They unlocked what was called [Soul Veins], a term self-coined by humans.
Strangely, it was as if the status screen every human relied on skipped the part where [Soul Veins] were mentioned—nobody knew why.
[Soul Veins] were something that, unlocked at the intermediate level, caused an internal mana burst that enhanced specific veins in the body. These veins increased mana flow, improved control, and sped up spell casting while boosting efficiency.
It made them obviously stronger than an Awakened.
But once a human reached the advanced rank, that’s when everything began to shift, as if preparing them for the higher levels.
[Soul Rebirth], named by the status screen, was something every human underwent upon reaching the advanced rank. It triggered a transformation of the physical body, drastically enhancing strength, agility, endurance, and durability.
Azriel hadn’t reached the advanced rank yet. He hadn’t gone through [Soul Rebirth] like Jasmine had.
With Benson’s experience and superior body, how could Azriel possibly win a duel against him?
Not even [Void Mind] gave him an edge in this fight.
At least he wasn’t facing someone of expert rank or higher.
Those who had unlocked [Soul Echo] were truly impossible for someone like Azriel to take on alone.
And a master-ranked individual—someone who had undergone a second [Soul Rebirth] to prepare for becoming a Grandmaster, who are capable of using [Soul Anchor]—would have been even worse. A Grandmaster could open void rifts and place anchors on both Earth and the Void Realm.
But in the end, none of that mattered right now.
What mattered most was that Azriel couldn’t win this duel against Benson.
*****
Azriel hit the ground hard, the impact sending shockwaves through his body. Searing pain shot through his skull, and the world blurred and twisted, a piercing ring echoing in his ears.
The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. He wiped his lips with the back of his hand, feeling the warm streak of it smear across his skin.
Each breath was a struggle, as if he were inhaling shards of glass that scraped at his throat.
“What was that term again… ah yes, a masochist! Brat, are you sure you’re not one of them?”
Azriel’s vision sharpened just enough to make out the figure—Leo’s mocking face standing in front of him. Hatred boiled inside Azriel, but he couldn’t do much. Barely parting his lips, he muttered.
“…Fuck… off.”
Before he could react, his vision tilted again. He was thrown closer to the giant gate.
“Ugh…”
“Cursing your instructor is an act of defiance, Prince Azriel.”
His head throbbed. He barely managed to turn and see Benson walking towards him.
“…Fuck… off.”
But Benson didn’t.
His lance flew straight at Azriel once again.
Azriel’s eyes widened—he wasn’t fast enough. The lance pierced his left shoulder, and he was thrown against the gate.
“Mngh!”
It hurt. A lot. Worse still, he had to avoid looking at the ruins, or his head might literally split open.
Benson reached him, pulling the lance from his shoulder. Azriel clenched his teeth so hard they nearly cracked, stifling a scream. His heartbeat pounded painfully through his body.
‘…Not yet.’
Sudden alarm bells rang in his head, his body tense with instinctual dread.
“Goodbye… I hope one day you forgive me, my prince.”
Benson loomed over him, raising the lance above his head. In a downward swing, he aimed to end it all.
‘No…’
If that hit, he’d die. He’d have to do it all over again, just to fail once more.
Azriel couldn’t allow that.
Out of sheer desperation, he gritted his teeth and kicked the ground.
The lance cut down, but Azriel shot forward, stumbling immediately. He fell behind Benson’s back.
And then—
“AARGH!”
A scream tore from his throat. Pain coursed through him like a relentless wave, consuming his senses.
He glanced to his side as he lay on his stomach. There, in front of him, was…
his hand.
His right hand.
“Haa… ha… haaa…”
He released a shaky breath, his vision blurring with tears. Blinking them away, he rolled onto his back.
Opening his eyes again, he looked toward where his right hand had once been.
“!!”
Blood poured from the severed stump, pooling on the ground like a dark stain spreading across the cold earth.
“Ah, fuck! Dammit, it fucking hurts!”
The words escaped without him even realizing. His eyes, now red from tears, stung with pain.
Summoning his ice affinity, Azriel quickly formed ice around the wound, stopping the blood flow.
For now.
“…I don’t understand why you’re prolonging your death, my prince. You’re only making yourself suffer.”
Azriel glared at Benson, who watched him with a stoic face.
‘Not yet…’
A twisted smile crept across Azriel’s bloodied lips before a wince wiped it away.
“I… I told you… I’m terrible at… dying.”
Every movement felt like his nerves were being slashed by a knife, but slowly, he picked up his severed hand, placing it in his storage ring. His body swayed, nearly collapsing again.
“Mm… indeed, you are.”
‘Now.’
With the last remnants of strength and mana, Azriel’s body crackled with lightning.
Then he ran.
Leaving a trail of red lightning behind, he bolted to the other side of the bridge—the entrance to the cave—far from the gate that led to the third floor, where Benson stood.
Benson didn’t chase him. He simply watched, disappointment flickering in his eyes.
“So, you’ve abandoned your pride for the sake of a few more seconds of life.”
The black shards crumbled from his left arm, rose, and began spinning.
Then they shot forward.
They pierced Azriel’s back and legs. He screamed in agony, tumbling forward and rolling across the cold floor.
He didn’t reach the bridge’s entrance, but he had gone far enough.
That’s all that mattered.
Benson jerked his hand, and the shards returned to him. Azriel rolled onto his back, coughing violently, his lungs burning as blood dripped from his mouth.
His back was bleeding now too, but using the last of his ice affinity, he sealed the wounds.
It still hurt like hell.
But it didn’t matter anymore.
It was over.
Azriel turned his head, looking at Benson, who stood still, watching him with a solemn expression.
Maybe Benson thought it was over too.
That might have been why he spoke, his voice echoing through the silent cave.
“…You asked me earlier why I did what I did.”
Benson closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again, but before he could speak further, Azriel interrupted.
“It’s alright, Instructor… I know.”
Benson’s eyes widened in surprise.
It hurt to speak, but Azriel endured.
“… I know why you did what you did. A former member of Neo Genesis, retired, but forced back into action for one final mission. You… got assigned as one of the instructors in charge of the class the Apex is in… and eliminate him, all while wearing a device that revealed your location to the other members of Neo Genesis…
who snuck in with the second group. They were waiting for you to make your move, making sure the first group was… gathered in one place.”
Azriel looked at the petrified Benson.
“Instructor Kevin and Instructor Alicia, one… of the few people you cared for the most… you planted those devices in their pockets without them ever noticing. One of them is gone now…”
Benson’s face darkened, but Azriel continued.
“…You had no choice. Your family was threatened. Kill the Apex, or your wife and kids die. You knew they would actually do it… but… there’s no point going into further detail.
What’s done is done…” freewebnoveℓ.com
“….”
“…If you knew, why didn’t you stop me?” Benson’s voice cracked.
“You… you could have prevented all of this! The cadets that might already be dead… the people on the surface! What were you thinking!?”
Benson’s composure shattered like broken glass, and he screamed at Azriel, tears streaming down his face.
“You knew everything from the start! And instead of telling anyone and stopping this madness, you led me here! For what? To die alone here? Did you seriously think you could win against me on your own!?”
Benson collapsed to his knees, wiping his tears away.
It was strange, seeing the normally stoic instructor break down. It revealed just how much he had been hiding all this time.
“Yes, my family would’ve died… yes, I would’ve been executed. But at least it would’ve ended there. No one else would have had to die..!”
Azriel painfully moved his head, staring up at the vault of the cave, a tired sigh escaping his lips.
“….”
“…I wanted to cut off its legs.”
“…What?”
Benson looked at Azriel, confused, his tear-filled eyes narrowing.
“I wanted to cut off the bird’s legs… that’s it. You and your family were just part of that… someone innocent, caught in a game you had no business being in. Like all the others that have died today… and will die.”
A faint, tired smile appeared on Azriel’s face.
“…The only time she looked at me was when I did things… I wasn’t supposed to. It was the only way I learned to get the attention of the person I wanted. Whoever had to suffer as a consequence didn’t matter to me.”
Benson stared at him, his lips tightly pursed, not understanding.
Azriel slowly turned his face toward Benson. Their eyes met.
“I’m sorry you had to suffer because of me, Instructor… If it gives you any consolation, when all of this is over… I’ll make sure your family gets somewhere safe.”
“…Safe?” Benson repeated, confused.
Why would Azriel be the one to send his family somewhere safe?
Suddenly, Azriel tapped his storage ring, and a small device appeared in his hand. It looked like a remote, with a single black button on it.
It started beeping.
“Honor, fairness, and pride… sometimes you can’t win with those things. Sometimes, you have to abandon them to come out on top.”
Hearing those words, the hair on Benson’s body stood on end. His heart pounded in his ears, and a cold wave of dread washed over him.
He stood up and ran.
But…
“Goodbye… I hope one day you forgive me, Instructor.”
It was too late.
Azriel pressed the button.
“…!”
The bridge beneath Benson detonated in a violent eruption, the shockwave tearing through the air like a thunderclap.
Chunks of stone were hurled skyward, spinning as they rained down in deadly arcs.
Azriel barely had time to react before the force slammed into him, sending him sprawling even more backward.
The ground beneath him trembled, groaning under the strain as his half of the bridge cracked and, some shards of stone breaking away and plummeting into the void below.
Then… silence fell once again.
Azriel’s half of the broken bridge was all that remained, except for the giant gate on the other side that stood without a scratch.
And…
in front of Azriel’s eyes was a severed hand, wearing a wedding ring.
Then…
after a few more seconds of silence, a wave of euphoria surged through his entire body.