Supreme Hunter of Beautiful Souls-Chapter 177: Azalith has been attacked!

The sun was setting quietly over training grounds, and the light breeze made the golden leaves of the surrounding trees dance. It was a seemingly ordinary evening at the palace, with the typical sounds of witches and knights practicing magic, swords crossing, and shouts of command echoing through the courtyards.

In the center of one of the combat arenas, Kael stood in position, his chest heaving, his fists clenched, covered in thick steel bracelets that weighed like stones. His ankles, likewise, were bound by reinforced weights—part of Exelia's new training regimen.

She said the goal was simple: "If you can move well with this, without using mana or any magical amplification, you will be able to crush the world when you are free." It sounded like an exaggeration, but for Kael, the weight was unbearable. Each step was a Herculean effort.

From across the arena, Exelia approached unhurriedly. She carried a simple wooden rapier in her right hand, its hilt decorated only with a faded red ribbon. Her slender body and elegant posture contrasted with the brutality she was about to inflict. She wore light training clothes, without any armor or magical protection. She didn't even activate her body enchantments. This was her pure self. And that was enough.

"Are you ready?" he asked with a teasing smile on his lips.

Kael responded with a firm nod, even though he felt sweat dripping down his temples. He already knew what was coming, but he refused to back down.

The fight began with a cry of determination from Kael. He advanced with difficulty, the weight on his limbs making his movements seem slow and forced. He tried a straight punch, which Exelia dodged by tilting her body slightly to the side, as if avoiding a flying insect.

She didn't counterattack immediately. She just walked around him, analyzing his movements with a clinical eye.

"You're thinking too much. Are you trying to beat someone who's ten levels above you... with brute force? Stupid."

Kael tried another blow, a spinning kick, but the weights unbalanced him. Before he knew it, Exelia was already on his left.

THWACK.

The sharp sound of the wooden rapier hitting his ribs reverberated through the arena. Kael let out a low groan, staggering to the side.

Wasting no time, she slid in front of him and, with an almost lazy movement, touched the side of his knee with the tip of her weapon.

THWACK.

Kael fell to his knees, his body shaking from the light impact, but perfectly positioned to completely unbalance him. Still, he didn't give up. He tried to stand, supporting himself on one of his legs, even though it trembled under his weight.

Exelia waited. She watched, almost bored, as he gathered his strength. When he finally stood, she said in a monotone:

"You haven't learned yet... I'm not trying to beat you. I'm teaching you."

And then came the final attack. A quick snap, like the sound of a flag being shaken in the wind.

THWACK. THWACK. THWACK.

Three blows in succession, so fast they could barely be followed. One to the collarbone, another to the side of the abdomen, and the last to the foot, sending Kael falling backwards with a muffled grunt. He lay on the ground, panting, his eyes fixed on the blue sky that seemed to mock him.

Exelia stepped forward, placed the tip of her wooden rapier between Kael's eyebrows, and said calmly,

"You still fight like a spoiled nobleman trying to prove something. This is about technique, precision, and dominance. I didn't use force; I didn't use magic. And yet, you couldn't even touch me."

She crouched down beside him, resting her arms on her knees.

"Do you want to protect someone? Do you want to save the princess? Then stop thinking you're special because you're angry or because you survived some tragedy. Train. Learn. And most of all... accept that you're still nothing."

She stood up and walked away, twirling the wooden rapier between her fingers before tossing it aside like a broken toy.

Kael lay on the ground, panting, his muscles throbbing and his pride even more wounded than his body. But behind the pain, something was growing—not anger, not frustration... but the nagging spark of understanding. Exelia was crushing him, yes, but not for pleasure. She wanted to break down everything superficial in him so that something real could emerge.

And this... this hurt more than any blow.

They continued their training, kicking up dust as the countless attacks were blocked or parried, and Kael's body was hit.

This only lasted a few minutes.

The dust was still dancing in the air of the arena when hurried footsteps echoed through the stone corridors. One of Exelia's subordinates, Francine, staggered into the doorway. Sweat was running down her face, her eyes wide with panic, her body barely supporting its own weight.

She stumbled into the arena and fell to her knees, slamming her hand against the ground to keep from collapsing completely.

"C-c-captain… m-majesty…" She gasped, her breath coming in short gasps as if she had been running for miles without stopping.

Kael, still on the ground from his beating, saw the state of the woman. Without hesitation, he raised a shaking hand. His palm glowed gold, and he murmured softly, "Basic Healing."

A gentle stream of light enveloped Francine like a wave of heat on a cold night. The sweat evaporated, her muscles relaxed, and the numbness disappeared. Within seconds, she straightened, still panting but clearly refreshed—and visibly startled that she had been healed so easily by someone like Kael.

Exelia stepped closer, her voice as cold as steel.

"Say it, Francine." Her tone was a blade ready to cut through any hesitation.

Francine swallowed, trembling.

"A-Azalith is under attack!" she burst out. "A strange group… they were after Princess Sylphie! They knew she was there! Many injured, explosions in several places… and… and it looks like it was planned weeks ago!"

The world stopped for a second. Kael stood still. His eyes widened… And then, as if a dam had broken inside him, his body ignited—literally.

Scarlet flames burst from his skin. They weren't flames that burned the air, but a blanket of pure energy, alive and pulsing. His eyes glowed like live coals, and before anyone could say anything, he was gone in a red blur.

The ground cracked where he had stood. A trail of dust and fire marked his departure.

Francine recoiled, startled by the sudden explosion. Exelia was silent for a brief moment. The silence was not from shock but from analysis. She remembered all the times Kael had fallen, gotten up, and fallen again—and now she understood something that had previously seemed inconceivable.

"This boy…" she murmured, her gaze fixed on the trail of flames disappearing into the distance. "Was he just… holding on?"

A second later, she spun around and disappeared with a loud bang, even faster. A white aura of pure kinetic force exploded where she stepped. In a matter of heartbeats, she was chasing the boy, determined to catch him.

The blue sky above the arena now seemed paler.

The great obsidian door to the throne room opened with a muffled bang—not out of courtesy, but out of sheer force of will that pushed it open. Kael appeared, engulfed in embers, his body still steaming from the heat within. The flames that had enveloped him had long since dissipated, but the intensity in his eyes was like that of a living furnace.

Immediately, the two royal guards crossed their spears in front of him, blocking the way.

"Halt! You cannot enter without summoning the R—" They didn't finish their sentence.

Kael spread his fingers as if he were blowing a leaf in the wind. A purple glow escaped his nails—and before the warriors could react, their eyes rolled back, their bodies falling softly, unconscious, as if sleep had overcome them in an instant.

Without even looking at them, Kael moved forward, pushing the throne door open with a single hand.

The room was enormous, with spiraling golden columns and red velvet curtains fluttering in the wind that escaped from the open windows. In the center, Queen Eleanor walked in circles in front of the throne. Six kneeling knights were lined up in front of her, all in absolute silence, like statues ready to move at the first command.

"Go to Azalith now." The queen's voice was sharp and firm. "I want everyone who is not from the school killed. We are on red alert, do you hear? Anyone who is not recognized, kill immediately. Do not hesitate."

She then stopped in the middle of the room. She turned and saw Kael standing in the doorway.

"I am glad you have arrived." Her voice softened, but her eyes shone with authority. "Now, I will speak only once."

She raised her hand, and the gesture, though delicate, seemed to contain the weight of a continent.

"Come closer." Kael walked toward her without hesitation. The sound of his footsteps echoed in the silent room until he was standing before his grandmother.

Eleonor looked down at him, assessing her grandson as if she could see not only his body but also his soul burning within.

"You are no longer a student of Azalith." Her voice was sharp as ice. "You are going after the person you like like a man. So stop caring about morality. Forget laws. Forget limits. Bring Sylphie back—alive. And if anyone tries to stop you… destroy them."

Kael looked up at her, his expression firm, his fists clenched.

"Since when did I care about morality?"

Eleanor was silent for a moment… And then she smiled almost imperceptibly, more like a memory of a certain thing entering a certain place. Well, she was a little irritated that he had left her 'grounded.'

"Ah… that's true," she said, shaking her head slightly. "How did I forget?"

She stepped back and turned to the knights.

"His mission is top priority. You must not delay him. Understood?"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" they all replied in unison.