Imprisoned for a Trillion Years, I Was Worshipped by All Gods!-Chapter 517 - 73-Breakthrough – Tier-Bronze!

Atop the mountain, Alan gripped his staff-sword tightly, unleashing the fierce power of [Blade Spirit] as he clashed head-on with Borg.

Bolt, wielding a dragon-engraved staff like a heavy rod, swept through the air with explosive force. The staff, imbued with dense earth elemental energy, grew even heavier, delivering immense power with each swing.

But as his brute-force strike collided with the gleaming arc of Alan's sword, the thick earth energy surrounding the staff was sliced clean through, emitting a shrill metallic screech.

Alan stood as firm as a mountain, while Borg was pushed back several steps, the staff trembling slightly in his hands, his expression turning serious.

That strike had been more of a test than a full assault, but even so, Alan's explosive power had surprised him. Particularly Alan's control over [Blade Spirit]—its cutting edge felt as if it could cleave mountains and rivers.

Stomping heavily to stabilize himself, Borg triggered a spell—from beneath his feet, earthen energy crept up his body, encasing him in an unbreakable armor of stone, with swirling yellow sand surrounding him. A weighty, oppressive aura spread outward.

Then, with a rumble, he charged at Alan again, the ground trembling with each step.

Earth. Fire. Wind. Water.

Among the four elements, earth was known for its unparalleled defense and brute strength.

Knowing Alan wasn't easy prey, Borg activated his most powerful enhancement spell—

Earthbound Armor!

Alan's eyes narrowed. As Borg thundered toward him like a rhino, Alan unleashed a powerful cross slash.

The brutal impact struck Borg's armored body, carving two deep gashes into the rocky plating and blasting up clouds of yellow mist. Borg's advance was halted.

But it was only the beginning.

More sword strikes followed, raining down faster and fiercer, driving Borg back step by step!

At the foot of the mountain, beside Gayle, Stephen narrowed his eyes, gazing through the void to watch the battle above. He couldn't help but marvel:

"This Alan is fascinating. At such a young age, he's already mastered [Blade Spirit]. His foundation and combat instincts are top-tier—even in our Battle Department, he'd rank among the best."

"A pity he slipped through our fingers."

"Still, the geniuses of the Plantagenet Kingdom all come from Lioncrest Academy. Anyone who doesn't make it into our ranks… will amount to nothing more than a corpse."

Gayle snorted coldly.

"So all geniuses who don't join Lioncrest are doomed to die horribly?"

Stephen replied indifferently:

"You're either a friend or an enemy. That's the way of the world. I'll admit—you're quite resourceful to have gathered three such talented youths. But unfortunately, they chose to follow you."

Gayle scoffed.

"You were the ones who dismissed Alan as trash. You rejected him."

Stephen sneered:

"It's just Alan. We'll miss one wave of talent only to harvest another. Talents like him are just crops—we reap them over and over.

And besides… Alan won't survive for long."

Gayle simply stared at him.

Once, Sirius Academy had also been prideful—far more so than today's Lioncrest.

But times had changed. Now, the entire Plantagenet Kingdom no longer revered Sirius Academy. They laughed at it.

—

Back on the mountain, amidst a flurry of deadly sword strikes, Alan flashed forward, closed the gap, and brought down another fierce blow—

Borg's Earthbound Armor shattered completely, crumbling into yellow fragments that scattered into the wind.

Just as Alan prepared to follow up, a razor-sharp dagger suddenly pierced his back from behind!

It was like a dragon's fang—razor-thin, penetrating his clothes and stabbing into his flesh without resistance!

Sensing this, Gayle's expression turned furious. He glared at Stephen.

"You dare set up a sneak attack?!"

Stephen remained calm.

"Victory is all that matters. All you need to know is that your three little seedlings—will be erased."

Stephen turned to leave.

But then—

The dagger melted into liquid, flowing into Alan's body.

And in that instant, a surge of pure magic energy erupted from Alan's staff—

his aura exploded upward!

Tier-Bronze, Peak Stage!

Stephen was shocked.

He knew there were rare bloodlines in the world, but among the already rare magus, a bloodline wielder was even rarer.

And if a magus possessed a special bloodline, they were utterly terrifying.

At that moment—

Alan felt a complete transformation throughout his body.

His internal magic power nearly tripled, and his mind power surged, breaking past former limits.

His sensitivity to surrounding elemental forces sharpened to a razor's edge.

He could feel it—if he struck again, all his spells and attacks would be many times stronger.

Turning around, Alan saw the attacker—

A young man in a black robe, his entire body cloaked in shadow.

A shadow assassin.

Even with Alan's enhanced spiritual senses, he hadn't noticed his presence before.

Even now, standing before him, the assassin was barely traceable to Alan's mind's eye.

He was without question a prodigy possessing a rare bloodline, most likely the Shadow Body—a legendary bloodline infamous in the assassin world.

If not for Alan's staff being a Hellscape staff, which devoured the attacker's mutated dagger upon contact, Alan would have already been dead.

Staring at Alan's murderous eyes, the assassin was in disbelief.

"Impossible! Where's my Dragonfang Staff?!"

That weapon had cost him his entire fortune, plus heavy support from Lioncrest Academy.

Forged from the fang of a true dragon, it was deadly beyond measure and perfectly matched his bloodline's strengths.

And now—it was gone.

Alan's fury boiled over. He spat:

"Well, well… a fair duel, huh? This is what Lioncrest Academy is proud of?"

"Kill!"

In that instant, Alan became a volcanic eruption, his rage shaking the surrounding magical energy across dozens of meters.

A magus!

A grand magus!

Every Lioncrest Academy student present stared at him in terror.

The shadow assassin was utterly shaken—

Magus were already rare, but a grand magus?

As he reeled in disbelief, Alan struck—

One overwhelming sword slash sent him flying, a huge, bloody gash ripped across his chest.

Whoosh!

The sound of rushing wind—Aesop, who had been fighting Francis, zoomed in like a gust to block Alan's follow-up attack, then retreated, putting distance between them.

At that moment, Francis and Fort arrived at Alan's side.

Their conditions were dire.

Francis's clothes were in tatters, blood streaks from wind blades covering his body, turning him into a gruesome mess.

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Even Fort, with his sturdy metal-element body, was battered—his skin dented from punches, and the golden glow that usually shimmered over his form had dulled significantly.

Alan's heart sank.

In contrast, Aesop and Bolt seemed nearly unscathed.

Just then, Gayle's short figure appeared, blocking Borg's team from advancing.

Stephen followed, stepping onto the scene.

Gayle's voice thundered:

"You want them dead so badly? Then kill them right here in front of me!"

Stephen squinted. He could tell—Gayle had reached his limit.

If he dared make a move on the students now, Gayle would fight to the death.

Stephen and the academy leadership wouldn't suffer much—but the Lioncrest students here would be in real danger.

So, he didn't push further.

He looked at Alan with a calculating expression.

If it hadn't been for Alan's sudden transformation, he would already be dead.

"Alan, is it? I'll remember you.

When the Sky Ladder arrives next year—I'll make sure to save you a spot."

With that, he turned and left, leading the Lioncrest team away.

Watching their backs, Gayle turned to Alan and the others.

"Do you know who they were?"

The trio looked at each other and shook their heads.

Gayle gave a snort.

"Borg—top of the External Affairs Department's Five Prodigies.

The Windchaser, Aesop.

The Earthbinder, Bolt.

They're the three 'star students' of Lioncrest Academy."

"You should be grateful the third star didn't show up. If all three had teamed up, you'd have been dead for sure."

"And those two weren't even fighting seriously yet. They were testing you.

You, on the other hand, went all out."

"The gap between you and them is still vast.

If you don't catch up—if you don't surpass them—you'll be corpses in a year and a half."

"One more thing—these three aren't even Lioncrest's top tier.

The Dual Fangs of the Lioncrest, Eisen and Beatrice—they're the truly terrifying ones.

If the three of you fought them together, you'd have no chance."

Alan and the others wore grim expressions.

They knew Gayle wasn't trying to intimidate them—

He was stating facts.

Even with his breakthrough to tier-bronze, even with his strongest light sword spell, Alan only had a small chance of victory.

Yet these were just "star students."

They weren't even the Dual Fangs.

The pressure was crushing.

Previously, their training under Gayle had felt like torment.

Now, after today's events, they finally understood:

If they didn't work hard, they would die.

Possibly worse than that.

The Dual Fangs of Lioncrest—each one a match for Duke Alice.

Alan took a deep breath.

He had once promised Gayle that if Isabella could be saved, he would do anything.

Now, the grudge between Sirius and Lioncrest was something he had to carry.

Not just for that old promise,

but for his sister's survival.

One year and a half from now, when the duel comes—

He cannot lose.