Grand Return System-Chapter 61: Beneath the Endless Yellow

Beneath the Endless Yellow

A few days later.

A lonely sound filled the air as gusts raced over the golden sands. Silence never stood a chance out there.

Heat had washed the sky white, leaving it empty above shifting dunes. Waves of sand moved slow, like something half-awake, never still. Far off, where ground met air, everything wavered - unclear, unstable. Breathing here took effort. Dying needed none at all.

Broken mounds of carcasses stretched over the dunes - twisted forms of creatures, some large, others small, sinking slowly into shifting grains. Dry air pressed down, sharp with a trace of iron from spilled blood. Not even breeze stayed long enough to whisper through.

Fog settled where words had failed. A weight stayed behind long after voices left.

A shiver ran under the broken desert floor. Out came a Red Fire Lizard, warm light humming along its skin. From buried stillness, it lifted its snout into open air. Watchful eyes, pale gold, moved across the empty land.

A moment before it raised itself up for air -

Falling fast, a blade came down from above.

Clean. Silent. Absolute.

A hush came with the strike, sharp as the edge that moved through silence. Then - just like that - the Red Fire Lizard’s head was no longer attached. It didn’t feel terror; awareness simply let go too fast for dread.

A flash of light hid everything else - just her there, dressed in white, sun blazing behind, steel gripped tight.

Then - nothing.

Da. Da. Da.

A hush fell with each step sinking slightly. Sand gave way beneath every quiet movement.

A second passed. Out of the shimmering air, shapes began to form - three of them stepping forward.

Wind tugged at Selena’s white robes while she moved ahead through the open dunes. Sand whispered over her boots on the way to where the creature lay still. Light danced along strands of her pale hair as it drifted behind like frozen threads unraveling. Stillness waited just beyond each step.

Her voice stayed silent.

Out ahead came Rias, moving into view. Bright red fabric of her robe stood sharp next to flat golden terrain stretching far behind. Down she went, crouching at the edge of what remained of the fallen creature. Her hand moved slow, fingertips tracing where armor once held tight on skin. From within the mass, a dim shadow lifted - thin, almost quiet - as if breath had left but refused to fade fully.

After observing carefully, she stood and turned toward Leon.

"Just as you suspected, Teacher," she said softly. "This Red Fire Lizard also carries that mysterious origin."

Her tone was calm, steady.

Ever since that night by the fire, something in her had changed.

The anxious princess who once carried hidden burdens had faded. Now she smiled more often—especially when she looked at Leon. There was ease in her movements. Confidence in her posture.

And when she stood beside Selena, there was no longer guarded tension—only sisterhood slowly taking root.

Selena descended lightly from the sky and landed near Leon, the sand barely disturbed beneath her feet.

In this past month, the desert had become their battlefield and their classroom.

Under Leon’s guidance, she had trained relentlessly. Endless sword drills at dawn. Mana circulation beneath the blazing noon sun. Real combat against berserk beasts at dusk.

Her efforts bore fruit.

She had successfully stepped into the Astral Realm—one star.

Even Leon had been quietly stunned by her speed.

But then again—

He himself had risen like someone breaking the rules of heaven.

Compared to that, her brilliance felt... natural.

Leon glanced at the corpse and nodded slowly.

"Mhm. It seems this riot is indeed connected to this strange source. It’s not a good sign."

His voice carried a thoughtful weight.

From the first day they arrived in the Yellow Desert, he had sensed something was wrong. The beasts were not simply restless—they were corrupted. A faint dark aura pulsed within their bodies, like a foreign force infecting their Mana.

After killing hundreds of ferocious creatures, the pattern had become undeniable.

The source was the same.

But the origin?

Still unknown.

Leon narrowed his purple eyes, staring at the fading black mist.

"What exactly is this..." he murmured.

Rias glanced at him, concern flickering in her red eyes. "Teacher, could it be something from the Forsaken Domain?"

Selena tightened her grip on her sword.

If this darkness truly came from there... then it was not something easily handled.

Leon did not answer immediately.

Over the past month, their days followed a ruthless rhythm.

Morning: investigate traces of corruption.

Midday: cultivation and sparring.

Night: silent reflection beneath cold desert stars.

They had grown stronger—but the truth remained hidden.

He exhaled slowly.

There was only one month left until the Seven Division Martial Meeting at Celestis Academy.

Time was limited.

Selena now stood firmly in the Astral Realm. Her Amethyst Mist Swordsmanship had reached perfection, refined again and again through real combat. Her movements were sharp, efficient—no wasted motion.

Combat experience? More than enough.

Leon’s lips curved faintly.

Shera... Shan...

That so-called genius from Secret Sword Summit.

With Selena’s current strength—

Defeating Shan should not be difficult.

When they returned to the academy, those who once overlooked her would probably stare in disbelief. The girl they once dismissed would stand radiant beneath the arena lights.

And regret would come too late.

As for Rias—

She had only just entered the Amethyst Summit Division. She had not yet formally begun learning Sacred Arts. But with the Divine Fire Bones fused into her body, her Mana absorption was astonishing.

In these few days alone, she had advanced to three stars in the Onyx Realm.

It was time.

Time to teach her real techniques.

"Teacher," Selena said quietly, breaking the silence. "What do we do next?"

There was something subdued in her voice.

Revenge for her household still lingered in her heart.

But even she understood now—

The source was too deep. Too vast.

Leon turned toward her.

He could see the faint tension in her shoulders. The unspoken frustration.

He placed a hand lightly on her head.

"You’ve done well," he said calmly. "Some things require patience."

Selena lowered her gaze slightly, then nodded.

"I understand."

Leon looked at the sky.

The sun was sinking, casting long shadows across the dunes. The desert transformed at dusk—the heat fading, replaced by a creeping chill. The sand shifted color from gold to deep amber, then to violet-gray.

Night would fall soon.

He thought for a moment.

"Hmm... before we know it, night is about to fall again."

He glanced at both of them.

"You should set up camp and rest. Tomorrow, we begin a new training plan."