The Blaze
Lu Yin switched on his gadget en route to the end of the assessment, finding that there were only a few cultivators that had made it this far. Many of the survivors they saw along the way were also desperate, their confidence broken by the situation. Passing through another winter and another heatwave, they finally saw the light beam that connected heaven and earth.
“That’s the end, it’s there!” Coco grew excited, a flush crawling up her face. Lu Yin’s own gaze was passionate; this was the Astral Combat Academy, the greatest institution in the universe where millions died just to enter. Only a select few could rise beyond the rest; just how strong were they? Expectations were high.
There were a total of three Sentinel paths, and at the end of one, the sun-baked the earth. A dozen Sentinels were rooted in place, staring dumbfoundedly at a giant beast. No, this wasn’t any beast; it was an enormous sylvan dragon!
Just like humans, the many races of beasts had galaxies of their own. Man and beast had fought for a long time, and sylvan dragons were a specific breed of dragon that had betrayed their own kind after one battle and defected to the human side. They had deer antlers, a snake’s body, rabbit eyes, oxen ears, and huge sharp claws. On both sides of the head were two enormous yet thin wings that were dark red, and at the tail was a sphere of flesh that was bundled up in tough armor. This dragon’s fearsome aura was radiating out for all to feel, making people shudder just from a glance.
“Wha-What is this thing?” someone shouted, quaking in fear. The others all stared blankly; this traitorous race of astral beasts lived in the Innerverse, so not many knew about them. And yet, the dragon’s terrifying aura ensured that not a single cultivator dared to step forward.
Two figures suddenly charged towards the light beam in a bid to circumvent the dragon, but the creature’s cruel gaze turned sinister as its enormous body split in twain. Bang! Bang! Both cultivators were sent flying back, one even staining the ground with blood as his body was cut apart. Everyone inhaled sharply; this was absolute speed. The beast seemed large, but it was also terrifyingly fast.
“This road is blocked, ants. Scram!” the dragon snarled, its huff creating a large storm, but the dozen Sentinels remained unresigned. They had endured the terrible climate, beast wave, and three invisible attacks to get here; they weren’t about to give up now.
“Everyone, charge together. That thing’s also a Sentinel, it can’t block all of us!” someone shouted. The next moment, everyone gritted their teeth and dashed towards the beam of light.
The sylvan dragon roared and its enormous body split into two, then three. Three giant figures completely sealed off the path towards the light beam, and a ground-shattering rumble accompanied the intense attacks that repelled the figures one by one. Any Sentinel that could get here had their own formidable battle techniques, but those were useless in the face of this giant beast. The sylvan dragon roared towards the sky, its sturdy claws stained with blood as it forced a retreat. The path was defended alone, allowing no one to pass.
“You shall not pass, humans!” the dragon proudly raised its head, scratching the ground with its claws as it stretched towards the Sentinels in front. However, a silver streak suddenly flashed across the ground, and before the stunned dragon could even react, a figure had stepped into the beam of light. Back turned, he waved goodbye as he vanished.
No one had expected someone to actually cross the dragon without a trace. They had only felt a wind blowing past the trees, but that had vanished by the time the leaves even moved. The sylvan dragon stared at the light beam and roared in fury; this was an utter disgrace, but the person had already left. Helpless, it turned and stared savagely at the rest to warn them against trying the same.
On the final Sentinel path was a man whose body was half-machine. He was Vanko of the Ross Empire, an Innerverse organization that claimed an inheritance of ancient technology. The Ross Empire aspired to combine man and machine to achieve eternal life; their powerhouses were cultivators with technology fused into their bodies.
The Sentinels opposite Vanko couldn’t cross him, either. He was even harder to deal with than the sylvan dragon, as he had guns everywhere to seal off the region. Each individual gun only had a Sentinel’s offensive power, so this didn’t even count as cheating. The Astral Combat Academy could do nothing to him. A purple energy wave sizzled across the earth and vaporized the surface, forcing the Sentinels back. Vanko had developed a defensive fort at the end, and used the suns to create a terrifying heat attack that would kill an average Sentinel upon contact.
“Give up, the Astral Combat Academy is not a place you Outerverse trash can reach,” Vanko remained haughty. This was the arrogance of the Innerverse; to those from within, the Outerverse was just a collection of nobodies.
The Sentinels all gritted their teeth and looked at the fortress of guns before them helplessly, but a figure high in the skies suddenly shot towards the end. They were standing upon a simple longsword and gave off a fearsome aura; Vanko initially planned to obstruct them, but his expression changed at the sight of that figure and he resisted the urge to attack. He let the figure pass through directly as he mumbled, “Someone from the Myriad Swords Peak? How did they come to Astral-10?”
Lu Yin’s trio also came to their path’s end and experienced the heat. He quickly learned of the wall called Archino that had blocked all the other arrivals and stared in amazement. The Blaze Realm? Why was one of the most powerful organizations of the Innerverse blocking their way? Did they not want anyone enrolling in Astral-10?
On the other hand, Lulu bumped her fists together and stared at him excitedly, “I never thought I’d bump into someone from the Blaze Realm here. Interesting, leave this to me!”
She leaped up and past the dozen Sentinels, barreling straight towards the youth and striking out with her fist. Archino was looking down on the Outerverse trash at first, planning to say something to show the power of the Blaze Realm, but a green silhouette suddenly sent a fist flying his way. He was enraged by the audacity of someone to challenge the Blaze Realm and showed no mercy, “Skyburning Flame.”
The Skyburning Flame was the Blaze Realm’s battle technique, and the scorching heat of the sun only multiplied Archino’s power. A simple upwards gesture spawned a sea of flames that spread all around, intent on destroying the surroundings.
Lulu grew excited at the sight of this blistering sea of fire that would strike fear in even Melders. She struck out with what looked like a normal punch, but the aftershocks ripped apart the flames and landed directly on Archino. While the youth was proud, he knew he wasn’t invincible and dodged the moment his flames were dissipated. The earth was shattered by the punch, and strong winds turned the blaze into a rain of fire.
Archino’s eyes narrowed at the sight of this thorny opponent, and he didn’t hesitate to erupt with full force. The ground burned once more, the fire spreading quickly to ten meters, a hundred, a thousand… There seemed to be no end to it, and all the watching Sentinels were affected, including Lu Yin and Coco who had to retreat together. Most of the people around were burnt in moments, some even to a crisp.
Lulu remained calm amidst the raging flames, her right fist smashing down once more. Her philosophy was that there was nothing one fist could not achieve; no matter how terrifying Archino’s flames were, this fist still brought him down and extinguished the boundless sea of fire. Archino’s body drilled so far down he couldn’t be sea, his breath stolen away by the attack.
Lu Yin was shocked at the terrifying power of Lulu’s fist. This was the power of the Mavis Family, a real behemoth whose descendants could crush opponents with a technique-less fist.
“How powerful,” Coco exclaimed in admiration, her eyes gleaming, “Even stronger than sister Zora, is she really a Sentinel?”
When Lu Yin pulled the girl over, Lulu looked down at the hole in the ground, “Was that overkill?”
“Let’s go, we’ve passed,” he replied.
Coco nodded and turned to admire Lulu, “Sister, I don’t think you should expose this strength if it isn’t needed, or you won’t be able to find a boyfriend.”
Lulu snorted, “I’m so beautiful, suitors would line up from the Innerverse to the Outerverse, it’s alright.”
Coco believed it and took out her giant syringe, “Sister, are you injured? How about a jab.”
Lulu immediately declined. Coco’s syringe was much scarier than Archino’s flames.