Grand Return System-Chapter 82: A Sword That Answers the Heavens

A Sword That Answers the Heavens

After dealing with Vita Zain, Max did not dare delay another breath.

A sudden move brought him ahead, fabric fluttering like wings caught in wind. Tension shaped his face now, not vanity. Hands folded - not flat, but rounded like they held something fragile - as he dipped low near the girls. Respect lived in that gesture, quiet and unspoken.

"Ladies, I failed to discipline him properly and allowed this bastard to offend you. I hope you can forgive his rashness on my account. When we return, I will discipline him strictly. This will never happen again."

Not loud, his voice stayed tight - held back on purpose. People thought elders shouted with pride, but he spoke nothing like that. Each word felt picked slowly, as if one wrong step could cut him down. A quiet tension ran through how he formed sentences.

He recognized them right away, these faces from a familiar classroom. Their presence clicked into place like an old photograph slipping back into its frame.

A hush of wind slipped into the open yard, nudging pale grit along the flagstones. Dust skated sideways when the air shifted. Stones held the cool beneath scattered particles. The space breathed low, undisturbed except by motion at foot level.

Selena said nothing.

A hush hung around her as her pale hair drifted like mist in the breeze, touched by sun. Looking at Elder Max, her gaze stayed quiet - clear yet impossible to know. Not upset. Not happy. Just there.

Waiting, that was all she did.

Deep down, she’d settled on what to do. Pushing further at this moment wouldn’t help. Leon still wasn’t back, so rushing in might twist a small issue into a bigger mess. Instead of reacting fast, waiting felt quieter, safer - like holding breath beneath water.

Stillness filled her voice then. She did not speak.

Beside her, Rias eased into a new position. Yet she barely moved.

A strand of red hair fell forward as she turned her head, spilling past her collarbone like burning embers. Her mouth lifted at one corner - soft, teasing - but meet those red eyes and you’d feel it: a mind too focused to be fooled.

Forward she moved, one slow step at a time.

"Elder Max," she said lightly, her voice soft - almost teasing. "Is it really appropriate to dismiss us with just a few words?"

Her tone was gentle, but the meaning behind it was anything but.

Max’s heart sank.

For a brief moment, his mind flashed back to that day.

Leon’s sword.

That overwhelming pressure.

The suffocating weight of dominance that had crushed the air itself.

Max felt a faint chill creep up his spine. He did not want things to spiral out of control again—not here, not now.

He opened his mouth, about to respond—

But the two gray-robed elders standing behind him had already lost their patience.

Their expressions darkened.

One of them snorted coldly, folding his arms as he looked at the young women with open disdain.

"Hmph. An ignorant child," he muttered with clear irritation. "Just go with the flow."

"What more do you want?"

"Do you think my Sky Breaker Acedmy is truly afraid of your Celestis Academy?"

The moment those words fell—

Silence.

The air froze.

Even the broken bricks on the ground seemed to stop shifting.

"Interesting... is he declaring war on Celestis Academy?"

The surrounding crowd held their breath, eyes gleaming with morbid curiosity.

Rias’ playful expression vanished.

"What if I don’t?" she replied quietly.

Her voice was no longer sweet.

It was cold.

When Vita Zain insulted her earlier, she endured it. But now they questioned Celestis Academy. They questioned Leon.

Her teacher.

The man who treated her like family.

That was something she could not accept.

"Hah. Little girl, youth knows no fear!"

"Not to mention you—even your Celestis Academy’s Headmaster Mike must show me respect."

Rias’ fingers tightened.

Without hesitation, she slipped a hand into her sleeve and silently drew out a special royal communication talisman.

She had carried it since leaving the Drake Empire. A direct line to every military commander in Ashford City. One signal—and armies would move.

She had avoided revealing her identity until now.

But if they insulted her teacher—

She would not remain silent.

Just as she prepared to activate it—

A voice descended from the horizon.

"What arrogance... to dare threaten my precious girls."

The sound was distant.

Yet it landed in everyone’s ears as if spoken beside them.

Dominating.

Cold.

Absolute.

Everyone froze.

"Who spoke?"

The voice echoed like the Principal itself, reverberating through bones and blood.

Magnus’ heart trembled violently.

"He’s... a sage Realm expert..."

On the rooftop, the protector behind Rex Vine narrowed his eyes sharply. The two elders behind Fairy Fiona and Yasmin stiffened.

Their instincts screamed before their minds caught up.

"Uncle Jadis," Fiona asked softly, brows knitting, "is this person strong?"

Uncle Jadis’ face darkened.

"Yes. Very strong. His aura surges like a sharpened blade. It pierces straight through the soul."

Before another word could be spoken—

A white light split the horizon.

It streaked across the sky like a falling star.

No.

Like a judgment.

It tore through the air, the pressure so pure and terrifying that even King realm experts felt their knees weaken.

It was not an attack meant to test.

It was a warning.

The sword-light shot directly toward Magnus.

"Senior Brother, be careful!" Max roared.

Max and Mason moved instantly. The three of them joined forces, Mana surging outward as they erected layered barriers of protection.

Boom—

The explosion shattered the street.

Bricks flew.

Wooden pavilions collapsed.

Dust rose like a storm.

The sword intent ripped through their defense, forcing the three elders backward several steps before they barely stabilized themselves.

Their palms trembled.

Their chests heaved.

And in the sky—

A figure stood upon a flying sword.

Midnight robes embroidered with thin amethyst patterns fluttered in the wind.

Long black hair flowed behind him like ink spilled across the heavens.

Purple eyes, cold and vast, looked down upon the entire city.

Leon.

He stood as though the sky belonged to him.

Rex Vine’s expression shifted for the first time.

Not fear.

Interest.

The protector behind him whispered low, "Young Master... this man’s sword intent is terrifying."

Fiona’s aura stirred instinctively, the laws around her reacting as if in caution. Yasmin’s golden eyes narrowed, fingers tightening slightly around her sleeve.

"This is no ordinary sage Realm," Yasmin murmured.

Leon did not look at them.

Not yet.

His gaze moved slowly downward—until it found Selena and Rias.

The moment their eyes met his—

Their composure shattered.

"It’s Teacher! Teacher is back!"

Rias’ voice trembled with excitement.

Selena’s icy blue eyes shimmered faintly. Relief washed through her like thawing snow.

All the pressure.

All the fear.

Gone.

Leon had returned.

High above, his expression was calm.

But the air around him was sharp.

The entire Ashford City could feel it—

A storm had arrived.

Leon.