The Atramentous Abyss

Ace took a deep breath in order to steady his breathing before standing up and leaving the VIP Room.

With an innocent look on his face, Leo contemplated whether to follow or stay behind.

Eventually, he decided to stay behind to give Ace some alone time.

As Ace emerged from the door leading to the terrace of the building where the VIP Rooms were built, his dark expression began fading.

Although he still felt the same way, [Indifference] assisted in maintaining his outward emotions consistent.

He was confused. Also, there was an emotion he did not understand inside of his heart, digging away.

Perhaps it was sadness.

No, it can't be sadness.

He had never felt sadness before.

In his previous life, he felt anger, irritation, and excitement while receiving a paycheck.

However, was this the first time he felt a type of sadness that ate away at one's conscience, eventually turning them into brainless robots?

He gripped the railing that separated the abyss from the building's terrace.

Below the abyss was where the events were taking place.

Several events had already taken place while Ace stared at the arena absent-mindedly.

The unimportant events had already passed, and one of the main events was about to begin soon.

This was the event where Ace would meet 'her'.

"Should I head home right now? Since I received the [Blitz Step] skill, I can return in around ten minutes."

He muttered to himself before deciding to do it after the first main event ended.

"Now, let's begin the event."

A melancholic smirk emerged on his previously indifferent face as he jumped down from the building, landing near the arena.

Some spectators were shocked by the sudden development, but the ones who knew about Ace Ambrosia filled them in on the details.

Some parents of the students who attended Academy 07 cheered when they saw that the King of Indifference had appeared.

The same was not the case for Leo Kadz, who was ignored and overshadowed by the presence of his best friend.

Not minding it at all, he walked towards the arena, where the next main event was going to take place.

Glancing at Leo, who glanced him back and at him while nodding, Ace entered the arena.

Behind them, Lily followed.

Since Melissa didn't specialize in speed, which was needed for this event, she stayed back.

Immediately, the students from the other Academies who were participating also entered the arena.

There, Ace saw the person he had wanted to fight for a long time after returning from the Spirit Realm.

Luna Govel.

A child of Genro Govel whose mother had accidentally been killed during the Conscientious Faction's surgical strike on the Iniquitous Faction.

Genro had raised her to be a vicious warrior, and there she was now.

In front of Ace.

Her dazzling silver hair fell down to her waist while her mesmerizing, pearly eyes filled with various colors shone down on whoever gazed at them.

Her jade-like light skin was perfect, containing no impurities whatsoever.

She wore a white tunic that hugged her bosom tightly, highlighting her curves, while carrying a white-gold scabbard on her waist.

Her expression was indifferent and her actions were elegant.

Others might have been in awe when they first saw her, but Ace gazed at her with fierce eyes, clearly yearning for a battle.

However, he predicted that they might only receive two chances of clashing: the Team Battle Royale, and the Duels.

In fairness, those two were the events that mattered the most due to them being purely combat-based.

Ace glanced at the other girl who stood beside her.

Grace Hernandez.

A child of one of the most prominent families in the Iniquitous Faction, rivaling the stature of the Yearning or the Kadz Family from the Conscientious Faction.

She was notorious throughout the lands as the troublemaker who used her staff's destructive capabilities to decimate everything in her path.

Despite that reputation, she was considered one of the most elegant and proper people at parties or functions.

Her light-brown hair that fell down to her shoulders, her grey eyes that seemed to contain the world in them, and the perfect body that every woman yearned for.

Moreover, support from Genro Govel and the Hernandez Family, which prompted her rapid growth to such levels.

Although weaker than Lily, her position and power were nothing to scoff at.

7 People were participating in this event.

Those were, Ryan, Anthony, Lily, Ace, Leo, Luna, and Grace.

Those were the top dogs from each academy that had been selected to take part in one of the main events of the Inter-Academy Tournament…

"The Race."

Felix's voice reverberated through the entire campus, piercing the hearts of everyone around.

Everyone's gazes were directed at Felix Edwards when he spoke.

"The Race is one of the supposed 'Main Events' of the Inter-Academy Tournament. One has to travel across the entire city of Bryxton, going through Layerwood Drive and the Gargoyle Station, and arriving at the academy once again. The time given is indefinite, but it is very important for the ranking of your respective academies."

As he concluded his monologue, Felix stepped down from the stage, returning to his indifferent expression.

Nodding slightly, the people participating in the event began lining up at the startling line.

Some hostilities were revealed as the students stupid side-by-side, facing the exit of the academy.

They had to travel throughout the entire city.

For Ace, it would take not more than 15 minutes, so he was pretty much guaranteed a win.

Bending down slightly to better his stance, his determined eyes gazed at Luna for a second, who gazed back.

He grinned inwardly, proud of himself for having peaked the interest of someone who was considered a princess.

Then, strengthening his stance even more, he used [Body Augmentation] and [Aura Manifestation].

Since Genro had noticed the aether flowing inside of his body, he refrained from applying aether on his feet until he really needed to.

"Now, 3."

"2."

"1."

"Go!"

Whoosh!

The cold breeze passed by the spectators as the participants of the events disappeared.

They all ran at inhumane speeds and exited the academy campus, stepping onto regular roads.

Due to their speed and power, the participants wouldn't be injured even if they get hit by a bus.

Thus, it was safe for them to be running around the entire city since they were all at least above the C- Rank.

Despite the air pressure interfering with their speed, the participants tore through the atmosphere itself, steadily increasing and decreasing their speed according to their needs.

Something that hadn't been mentioned was whether combat was permitted during the race.

And, yes–it was.

Despite the casualties the academies might face, they valued talented individuals more than losers who couldn't stand their own against more formidable foes.

Thus, combat had been permitted in the Inter-Academy Tournament since the 25th century.

The seven of them were currently evenly matched, either running at full speed or lowering their speed so that they could blend in with the crowd.

In such a match, one would try to increase their speed abruptly at a moment when their foe expects it the least.

"I've heard a lot about you, King of Indifference."

"Same here, Monarch of the Cold."

In the Iniquitous Faction, the Kings were called Monarchs.

The format was the same, but the name was different since it would be considered plagiarism to call them both Kings or Monarchs.

The Monarch of the Cold was Luna Govel, the daughter of Genro Govel.

"So, did you bribe the principal? No, you wouldn't have had enough money."

"What're you talking about?"

"Spill it, Ace Ambrosia. There is no way you could've become the #1 King of Academy 07 without bribing the authorities."

Luna spat on the ground, scowling at the black-haired individual beside her.

The others watched in interest as they scrutinized both Luna and Ace.

"You're talking like you haven't been a daddy's girl lately."

Ace scoffed, cursing himself inwardly for failing at making her lose composure.

He had said those words for her to lose composure so that she would make mistakes.

However, Luna hadn't even batted an eye at the insult and maintained her pace.

"How about we lose the slow runners now?"

Leo asked with a fake-gentle smile, which soon contorted into a devilish grin.

Ace, Lily, Luna, and Grace nodded simultaneously as they sped up, leaving Anthony and Ryan behind to fend for themselves.

Mana radiated off their bodies as it churned the wheels of their speed, powering their every step.

The soft sounds of the footsteps reverberated throughout town, reaching the ears of Noah, Genro, and Oliver very clearly.

Although the race was being projected on a screen so that everyone could view the match, the three heads of the Factions could hear the sounds without any devices.

It was like instinct to them.

"Aren't you getting tired, daddy's princess? Why don't we take a break and rough you up a little?"

Ace asked, attempting to break her verbal resistance.

"No, it's alright, cheater."

'Does she think she can piss me off with just that?'

Ace scoffed inwardly, increasing his speed yet again, forcing the others to try to catch up to him.

Grace and Lily were starting to get tired, their breathing becoming unsteady by the second.

Despite their confident demeanor, both of them were inexperienced in tempering one's body, as the former relied on a weapon, while the latter focused on destructive power.

Soon, the two of them were left behind as Leo, Luna, and Ace continued on, arriving at Layerwood Drive.

As they passed through Layerwood drive, the three of them concentrated most of their mana on their feet.

However, some of the mana was used to augment their bodies since the air pressure would have easily ripped them to shreds.

None of them had used a footwork skill since consistent use of those skills consumed a lot of mana.

Footwork skills were generally utilized in short bursts when one needed the agility to close the gap between them and the opponent swiftly.

Thus, the three of them were conserving their mana for later use, so that one wouldn't be ahead of another, and it'll still be equal.

"Only three of us are left."

Leo remarked, clicking his tongue lightly.

It was already clear to him that the final battle was going to be between Ace and Luna, and that he was just third wheeling.

Despite this, he didn't want to admit it.

Thus, he finally activated his trump-card.

[Horned Bull Footwork].

[Partial Gigantification].

Whoosh!

Like the cool breeze on a hut, summer day, the lanky-armed individual sped past his two competitors, leaving them behind in the dust.

However, unfortunately for him, his two competitors weren't pushovers.

Ace used [Blitz Step] to easily catch up with Leo in less than a second.

The latter, utterly stunned to see the former, fumbled with his perfect steps, causing him to fall down.

Finally did Ace notice that Luna was right on his tail.

'How has she not fallen behind? I already used [Blitz Step].'

He was confused about how a regular human could withstand the sheer speed and air pressure created by using [Blitz Step].

When used by a human, it could form ripples in the sky.

When used by a divine being at full strength, it would devour the atmosphere itself to create a path with no obstructions.

That, was the power of a Demigod.

However, a mortal without such a skill was keeping up with one who did.

Impossible!

'Unless, she has a skill of the same rank. I'm still a B- Rank, so I can't utilize the full potential of an EX Rank skill until I reach that level. I believe she's at the same or similar rank, so she has to possess an EX Rank skill to stay on par with me in terms of speed. Or maybe she just possesses a monstrous amount of mana due to her bloodline.'

Pondering what what could have caused her to gain such speed, he used 90% of his mana on [Blitz Step].

The more mana the skill received, the more useful it would become.

However, if 90% of her mana was going towards speed, his body would suffer a considerable backlash in the process.

He gritted his teeth as a fragment of his skin ripped off due to the air pressure one feels while traveling at such inhumane speeds.

Looking behind him, he was stunned by the fact that Luna was still on his tail.

Only, her skin was ripping apart in the process as well.

If they both continued this, their bodies would most likely be crushed in the process.

Now, the only choice would be to piss her off so that she makes a mistake, resulting in her disqualification.

However, he couldn't think of something that would make her lose her composure.

Even insults about her mother would only light up a spark of anger that she could utilize to crush him in the next event.

That was, if they survived this one.

To be a perfectionist, Ace was willing to give up everything.

He knew that if he failed once, he wouldn't be able to achieve his final goal, which was to defeat a Deity backed by the Outer Gods.

Thus, there was no way in hell he could afford to lose against a puny mortal girl like her.

Even if his power might be lacking to do so, he would try until he either dies or wins.

Whoosh!

He applied 95% of his mana towards [Blitz Step], causing his speed to increase.

However, the backlash was more severe than he had expected, since in less than a second, one could see his bones sticking out.

Luna was faring no better, as even though she had managed to catch up with Ace, she was almost dead.

Suddenly, both of them spotted something an opening in the distance decorated with countless jewel-like substances.

Ace was the first one to realize what it was.

It was the entrance of the academy he had been attending.

It was also what marked the end of the race.

If he could just reach–

Before he could finish his train of thoughts, his body was assaulted by a sharp pain in his upper-back.

It felt like his spine had shattered.

Looking behind him, he spotted Luna, whose droopy and lifeless eyes represented her current condition.

She right hand was was clenched into a fist and when he looked closely, he spotted blood.

He finally realized what had happened.

Since fighting was allowed, Luna had punched him on his spine with all her power, trying to force him down.

However, it had resulted in her losing all will to continue, since her power had depleted quicker than it normally would have.

This meant…

Both of them were currently on the ground, on the verge of death.

Ace hadn't even realized it, but he had already fallen to the ground, and his consciousness was getting hazier by the second.

He looked at Luna, who lay two feet away from him.

Her eyes had almost closed completely, and Ace couldn't hear her heart beating.

Soon, his own eyes became droopy, and he heard strange noises.

They were just like the noises he had heard when he first died in the Dungeon left behind by Larry.

'You don't have to continue, Ace.'

"Yeah, you can give up and just… sleep for eternity.'

'It feels much better to rest, right?'

'Just give up on those overwhelming and impossible dreams.'

Suddenly, a bright light emerged from the unrestrained darkness present in the field of his vision.

The light was shaped like a circle and radiated the warmth he had yearned to feel.

Looking closely, it wasn't light.

It was a ten-year-old child, maybe less.

His entire body was shrouded in blinding light, except his eyes.

His dark eyes seemed to contain the abyss, the world, and all of life and death itself.

No, it seemed like the abyss, the world, and all of life and death contained him.

The boy approached Ace's consciousness with a seemingly worried expression displayed in his eyes.

"Don't die like this ever again if possible."

The boy's hand touched Ace's non-existent forehead as the latter's vision was suddenly dyed white.

He lost track of time and all five of his senses.

Soon, he was floating in the seemingly endless abyss with hazy thoughts and memories occupying his mind.

Suddenly, a white light emerged from the abyss, swallowing him whole.

*

*

*

In the infirmary sat a boy with lanky arms, watching another boy with disheveled black hair sleep on a hospital bed.

Suddenly, the boy with black hair, who was Ace Ambrosia, moved.

His eyelids quivered as his hands spasmed.

He finally opened his eyes, only to see Leo's worried gaze directed towards him.

The latter's eyes suddenly lip up as he held the former's shoulders.

"You're finally awake!"

Leo shouted at the top of his lungs, receiving the dissatisfied gazes of many others.

"Y–Yeah. What happened?"

Ace only remembered a fragment of his memories from what had happened. However, the part where the boy shrouded in the light approached him was vivid in his mind.

The boy felt weirdly familiar, but Ace couldn't put a finger on it.

However, this was not the time to think about such things.

"Well, you and Luna passed out. Genro ran over to save Luna. Since Genro rescued someone from an event where death is permitted, the medic team had the obligation of saving you."

Nodding as if it all made sense, Ace felt his body, and realized that all of his wounds had been healed.

However, this wasn't possible in such a short amount of time.

"How much time has passed? Did the other events begin?"

"Well, yeah. But, the events you were participating in haven't started yet. It has been two days, by the way."

"I see. So, the mana control event, the accuracy event, the Team Battle Royale, and the Duel event haven't begun yet?"

"Yes."

Ace sighed in relief, getting up from his bed.

He tapped Leo on the shoulder and thanked him before leaving the infirmary.

Now, it was time to look for his parents.