With that thought settled firmly in her mind, Aura Nova closed her eyes as she immediately fell inward, drowning out the surrounding chatter and noise as though it no longer existed.

Omniedit: Command: Overwrite Cascade: False Reality Layer

Her mana boiled violently within her core. It did not erupt outward in a destructive surge, nor did it leak into the surroundings. Instead, it thundered internally, compressing, folding, and reshaping itself as a new layer of reality bloomed within her consciousness, vast and expansive, like a newborn planet forming from nothingness.

Aura Nova appeared within this newly created layer of reality, standing alone beneath an empty sky. Within this domain, time flowed at a drastically altered rate. A single second in the outside world equated to an entire year within this false reality. It was here, within this accelerated pocket, that she planned to eliminate one of her most glaring weaknesses: hand-to-hand combat and other forms of close-quarters battle.

With a mere thought, a man manifested before her. He held a sword with practiced ease, his posture disciplined and lethal. Without hesitation, Aura Nova moved, and the two clashed instantly. Steel rang against steel as she began her training within this fabricated layer of existence.

Her plan was simple, brutal in its efficiency.

Within this false reality, she would battle every kind of martial artist imaginable. Every form of weapon master. Swordsmen, spearmen, brawlers, assassins, duelists. There would be no mana. No abilities. No Omniedit. No special skills of any kind.

Only pure speed. Pure strength. Basic technique. Reflexes sharpened through repetition. Battle experience forged through loss and victory alike. Combat intelligence and instinct.

Nothing else.

Whenever she finished acquiring these experiences, when her body and mind had been refined through countless simulated lifetimes of combat, she would transfer every single fragment of that experience back into her consciousness. In doing so, she would seal off yet another weakness entirely.

Aura Nova was not the kind of woman who discovered a flaw within herself and chose to ignore it.

Kingsley had identified it. Now, she would erase it.

She did not know how many years, how many decades, or even centuries, of combat experience Lucian, Anthony, and Aaaninja possessed. But it did not matter. She would close the gap, no matter the cost.

What she was doing was utterly ridiculous by every definition of the word. If others understood what she was truly accomplishing within that single moment of closed-eyed silence, they would curse the universe itself in disbelief and envy. After all, she was compressing what would take others decades, entire lifetimes, into mere seconds.

Her Omniedit ability was simply that absurd.

She had conceived this method on the spot, driven by the urgency of the situation. To her, there was no scenario in which Aaaninja, Lucian, or Anthony would not exploit her weaknesses during their spar. And she refused, utterly refused, to become a lamb on the chopping block.

Outside, everyone could sense the insane amount of mana Aura Nova was expending and burning. The pressure was suffocating, dense enough to make even veterans uneasy. Yet no one spoke. Her eyes were closed, her expression serene, and whatever she was doing was clearly important.

As for Kingsley, he too had closed his eyes.

He had slipped into his Sleep Training Mode, his consciousness drifting into its own disciplined state. Still, he planned to observe the next spar regardless. He only needed to test a few things before ending his Sleep Training prematurely.

"It seems the next match will be between us three," Anthony spoke with a smile. At this moment, the atmosphere was almost no different from the Starborn Tournament. The three of them, standing at the apex of their generation, against one another.

A grin spread across Aaaninja's face at Anthony's words. He, too, felt the rising anticipation coiling in his chest.

"How about the three of us just battle each other together?" Lucian suggested from the side, his calm smile unwavering as battle intent burned fiercely within his black eyes.

Neither Anthony nor Aaaninja responded.

They both knew that no one was going to take Lucian's suggestion seriously. There was already a system in place, and deviating from it now would only complicate matters.

"It seems the younger generation of this era has far too much energy to burn," Klaus mused as he observed the scene before him. His tone carried a trace of melancholy, as though memories of his own youth had resurfaced uninvited.

Amara glanced at her husband but said nothing. She already knew exactly what he was thinking.

"It seems it's finally our children's turn," Michael's voice came from the side. His gaze shifted toward Zachary and Riven. Beside him, Mitchelle's eyes moved toward Nyxss and Vespera. Just as Anthony, Aaaninja, and Lucian anticipated the coming clash, their parents felt that same quiet anticipation.

Only Collins remained calm, he stared silently at the screen hovering before them, displaying five glowing numbers.

"How about a bet?" Michael suddenly suggested.

Before anyone else could speak, Klaus cut in immediately. "I would advise us not to turn this bit of fun into something else."

The others nodded in agreement, not out of fear, but practicality. None of them were willing to part with their treasures or resources. A bet at their level would be catastrophically expensive.

Seeing Klaus intervene, Michael simply shook his head and said nothing more. All eyes returned to the floating screen. With a snap of his fingers, Klaus activated it. The numbers began to dance wildly, shifting rapidly between one and five.

Just because Aura Nova and Kingsley had sparred did not mean they couldn't be selected again. They could, just not against each other.

Eventually, the numbers slowed, then stopped, only two remained.

One versus three.

The moment those numbers appeared, several gazes snapped toward the chosen participants.

Anthony was number one.

Lucian Darkheart was number three.

Anthony smiled faintly before rising from his seat with deliberate ease. There was no urgency in his movements, no need to rush. With a single step, he launched downward, a sonic boom cracking through the air as he tore through the clouds. He appeared below moments later, his feet gently kissing the rocky terrain beneath him.

Lucian Darkheart smiled as well before standing. 'So I'm finally going to clash with the protagonist,' he mused internally. In the next instant, he blurred downward, landing a few meters away from Anthony.

The two stood facing one another like master swordsmen. Their katanas rested on the left side of their waists, hands relaxed yet ready, eyes locked onto one another with faint smiles that concealed battle intent.

"I just realized we never clashed during the Starborn Tournament," Anthony said lightly. "Instead, I had to fight Aaaninja twice."

"True," Lucian replied smoothly, "but at least we get to exchange attacks now."

Despite Anthony's reputation as the protagonist, Lucian had no intention of holding back. He knew how dangerous Anthony truly was. Holding back would be nothing short of stupidity.

From above, a single word echoed across the battlefield.

"Begin."

For an instant, the world stilled, then it shattered into madness.

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