NOVEL NEXT Chapter 112 – Them
The Taishin Dojo smelled of sweat, wood, and steel. Wooden dummies lined the walls, split from countless strikes, and the floorboards were grooved with the weight of generations. Lightning from the storm outside filtered through the slats, flashing across Juno Arkai as he stood before his master.
Juno's dark hair clung to his forehead with sweat. His shirt clung to his back. His bandaged fists trembled not from exhaustion, but from urgency. His sharp eyes burned with something he could no longer contain.
He dropped into a bow.
"Master… teach me that technique."
Across from him, Master Vince grinned lazily. His gi was torn at the sleeves, muscles cut like stone, his long hair falling in messy strands over his face. Behind the sunglasses, his hidden gaze seemed to weigh Juno with more force than any blow.
"You're too impatient, Juno."
The words struck him like a wall, but Juno refused to back down. His voice cracked, raw, desperate.
"I have to!! I'm still too weak—"
Images flashed in his mind. Veymorr's shadow falling across him. The crushing force of his enemy's Shinrei. The taste of blood in his mouth. His helplessness as others fought harder, shone brighter.
He clenched his fists tighter.
"I need to become much more… or I'll always be a burden."
Master Vince studied him in silence. His grin never faded, but his jaw tightened just enough for Juno to notice. He knew. He understood the storm raging inside his disciple.
At last, Vince lifted his hand and snapped his fingers once. The sound cracked through the dojo like a whip.
"Taishin."
Juno blinked, breath caught.
"…?"
Vince stepped closer, his aura heavy with raw, physical presence. His voice rolled like thunder, serious now.
"In order for you to know more about Taishin… you need to be formless."
Juno frowned. "…Formless?"
Vince's grin widened, sharp as a blade.
"Formless means no hesitation. No wasted movement. No ego. You don't chase strength—you become it. That's the essence of Taishin. And until you grasp that… every Gate you open will eat you alive."
The room fell silent except for the storm outside.
Juno's chest tightened. He understood the warning—but the fire in him refused to be quenched.
"(Formless… can I really do that? Can I let go enough? Or will I just… break?)"
His fists trembled. Then, slowly, he lowered them to his sides. His sharp eyes softened, not in weakness, but in resolve.
"Master… then teach me how to be formless."
Vince, his grin never fading.
"Heh. That's more like it. Guess it's time you start learning how to tear open your fifth Gate without ripping yourself apart."
…
Meanwhile — Rael Eluron
The training chamber hummed faintly with static, glowing runes embedded into the floor reacting to his restless Shinrei. Rael Eluron stood in the center, his combat suit glowing faint blue lines across his arms and chest, marking the rhythm of his exertion. Sweat beaded on his temple, his platinum hair clinging to his face.
His chest rose and fell, sharp. His jaw clenched.
"Tsk… not enough. I still can't catch up to them."
He spread his arms, veins burning with Shinrei flow. Lightning crackled at his fingertips.
"Echo Art: Lightning Strike!!"
The air split with a flash, striking the training dummy and shattering it into splinters. The chamber reeked of ozone, but Rael's expression stayed hard, unsatisfied.
"Damnit!!!"
Even with the Eluron bloodline flowing in him, even with Seraphis—the Verdant Mirror—enhancing his perception, his power felt hollow. Shallow. His Bloom Affinity was refined, his ability to copy arts unmatched, but none of it mattered. Not when others stood taller.
"(I can mimic… I can adapt… but I can't surpass. Not yet.)"
A voice cut through his thoughts, casual and heavy all at once.
"Too much tension in your shoulders. You're bleeding Shinrei like a rookie."
Rael spun around, emerald eyes narrowing. A figure stood leaning against the doorway, black hair messy, uniform loose, expression indifferent as if he'd just wandered in by accident.
Raiden Kurogami.
The Eclipse Vanguard.
The Thunder God.
Rael stiffened, swallowing. "…Raiden-sensei. What are you doing here?"
Raiden's eyes remained half-lidded behind his wild bangs.
"I saw your training."
Rael frowned, trying to mask his unease.
"…Why are you watching?"
For the briefest moment, Raiden tilted his head, then smirked faintly.
"So your sensei's not allowed to watch?"
Rael's face heated. "No… that's not what I meant."
Raiden chuckled softly, shaking his head.
"Relax, kid. I'm just joking."
The silence stretched for a beat. Then Raiden's voice dropped, calm but sharp.
"I'm here too because I heard… you fought one of the Seven Deadly Sins. The Lord of Wrath."
Rael's jaw tightened, his fists trembling.
"…Then you must have heard how pathetic I was."
For a moment, Raiden didn't answer. His eyes, half-hidden, studied the boy with quiet weight.
Raiden thought, "(This kid… he's blaming himself for weakness. Doesn't even realize. At thirteen, he's already standing shoulder-to-shoulder with seasoned Veinwalkers. With time, he could surpass them. In twenty years, I've never seen someone like this… except Kaen. But Kaen is something else entirely. Rael, though… Rael is a prodigy. And if I sharpen him myself—what could he become?)"
Finally, Raiden stepped forward, his boots clicking against the stone.
"I'll train you."
Rael blinked, stunned. "…What?"
Raiden's voice was calm, unshakable.
"You've hit the wall, haven't you? You're clawing at it, but you can't break through. What you need right now isn't more drills or copied arts. What you need… is to fight someone strong. Strong enough to crush you until you rise past yourself."
The words slammed into Rael's chest. His breath caught. His mind flooded with images, Khael standing in defiance, Kaen roaring with fire. The weight of being behind them. The shame of always being measured against others.
"(Me… fight this monster? Raiden Kurogami. The Thunder God. He became an Eclipse Vanguard at sixteen. He broke a Crimson Veinwalker at thirteen. Fighting him is suicide. And yet—)"
His emerald eyes sharpened, fire burning through the self-doubt.
"(He's right. What I need right now isn't safety. It's risk. If I don't face this… I'll always be beneath them. Always in their shadows. To surpass those bastards… to stand with them… I need this fight.)"
Rael raised his head slowly, fists clenching at his sides.
"…Then train me through battle. Make me break this wall."
Raiden's lips curved into the faintest grin.
"That's the spirit, golden boy. Let's see if your lightning can touch the storm."
To be continue