Sensation of Death

"Where am I?"

The boy murmured, half asleep.

Slowly, his eyes opened to view a world filled with nothing but white scenery.

It was the ceiling of the room he was staying in.

After an intense battle near the abandoned dog shelter on Layerwood Drive, Ace fell unconscious due to the stress and wounds inflicted on him.

However, most of the wounds were those he inflicted on himself due to using too much power in his last attack.

Nonetheless, it proved he couldn't utilize Intermediate Level Mastery and Diagonal Devastation until he significantly raised his rank.

Sighing, he opened his status window to see any changes.

[Name - Ace Ambrosia]

[Age - 16 (25)]

[Species - Human/Spirit]

[Biological Sex - Male]

[Vital Status - Alive]

[Rank - B-]

[Legacy -

??? - ???

Deity of Enlightenment (Partial) - Left behind by the Deity of Enlightenment before his ascendance, this legacy allows the user to…]

[Stats]

[Strength - B]

[Agility - B+]

[Stamina - B]

[Mana - A-]

[Dexterity - A-]

[Skills]

[Sword Saint - SS]

[Indifference - SS]

[Mana Cultivation - D]

[Mana Manipulation - D]

[Aura Manifestation - D]

[Body Augmentation - D]

[Aether Manipulation - ?]

[Blitz Step - EX]

[Short Distance Teleportation - SSS]

[Self Fire-Affinity - A]

[Self Darkness-Affinity - S]

Noticing a change in the level of his dexterity, he nodded proudly.

However, it seemed his mana had reached the level of his dexterity, rendering it not as exceptional as before.

'Now, my dexterity can peak at S Rank when using Intermediate Level Mastery, which is one major rank and one minor rank higher than my current level.'

A few fragments of the memories of him battling Phantom remained, but the only ones he could remember were the ones of the excruciating pain he felt.

He felt faint pain in his temples, which he began massaging to alleviate.

Suddenly, a voice from the entrance of the room entered his ears, as he slowly turned his head to look at the speaker.

"You're finally awake."

It was a middle-aged man carrying a basket of fruits. His expression seemed to have brightened after confirming Ace had awakened.

"Yeah, principal Felix."

"You don't need to call me that. Just call me Felix."

"All right, Felix."

Nodding his head and delivering the fruit basket, Felix was about to leave when Ace asked…

"You didn't do anything to Leo, did you?"

Felix's footsteps halted as cold sweat formed on his face, his expression darkening by the second.

Ace knew Felix's personality like the back of his hand, having been tricked by the man in his previous life even though he was nothing exceptional.

"No, of course not! Why?"

Ace's gaze pierced through Felix's body, giving the latter goosebumps on his arms.

He swallowed his saliva while trying to hide the goosebumps.

"All right, but if I find anything of suspicion, I don't think anything is stopping me from reporting this to the Factions."

Felix, without answering, walked out while slamming the door shut.

'Little do you know, there are many assigned to stop you from revealing anything about the OTF.'

A devilish grin appeared on Felix's face as he walked towards his office, his hands tucked inside his pockets.

Inside the room, Ace clicked his tongue due to the suspicious nature Felix was revealing.

He couldn't discern whether it was deliberate or not.

'Well, Leo should be fine as long he's with the Kadz Family.'

Sighing in relief, he quickly stood up and headed towards Felix's office.

Despite having conversed with him, he had forgotten to ask what day it was and when the Mana Control event would begin.

Walking towards the office, he was stunned by who stood near it.

"Leo?"

"Ah, Ace."

Leo jumped up, his heart beating faster than a cheetah running at full speed.

He immediately used [Horned Bull Footwork] and disappeared from Ace's field of view.

'Yeah, Felix is suspicious.'

Usually, Leo would not be so meek around Ace, nor would he ever visit Felix's office at will.

Knocking on the door, he quickly entered the office, only to find Felix sitting on the office chair with a surprised expression.

"Oh–"

"What day is it?"

Felix tilted his head in confusion at the sudden question, eventually returning to his senses.

"Ah, right. The Battle Royale has just ended. We expected you to be awake before the Battle Royale began, but your injuries were too severe."

Ace immediately slammed his hands on Felix's desk with an expression that portrayed, Don't fuck with me.

"Tell me the truth."

Ace believed there was no way it would take so long for someone in this day and age to recover from wounds, even if they were life-threatening.

"I'm not lying, Ace. You can go ask anyone if you do not believe me."

Massaging his temples, Ace stared at Felix with fierce eyes as if to tell him, I will kill you one day.

Ace didn't understand why, but Felix had become much more annoying and suspicious ever since the battle with Phantom.

'Was he involved in Phantom's death? Did the OTF plan the entire operation with me in the middle?'

Countless thoughts poured into his mind as his head ached.

"Don't worry, Ace. Even though Academy 07 lost the mana control, projectile accuracy, and Battle Royale events, we can still win the duels if you're present."

Ace activated [Indifference] immediately, trying to tune his emotions out.

He had wanted them to win the Tournament, but it seemed impossible unless they won the duel by an enormous margin.

"Who won?"

"Luna Govel won every single event."

Ace groaned, trying desperately to conceal his anger.

*

*

*

Ace's family, having not recovered from the stress and trauma caused by the incident a few days ago, were staying in the hotel Felix had brought them to.

Adam and Amanda still hadn't returned to their respective jobs, while Alice hadn't returned to school.

Instead, they were cultivating.

Having witnessed the brutality of the real world through their son, they desperately desired strength so that Ace would never risk his life trying to rescue them.

Although they knew it was partially their son's fault, they never even considered blaming him.

They blamed themselves for being too naive and working instead of sitting at home and increasing their strength, bit by bit.

Alice had recently broken through to the F Rank, while Adam and Amanda had encountered bottlenecks at the F- Rank, not being able to achieve the F Rank.

However, this was not due to their potential, since it was tremendously high because of the aether Ace had passed on to them.

It was because of their lack of battle experience and resolve, which was needed alongside mana to achieve a higher rank.

Also, since they possessed no offensive skills, they could only practice using their makeshift moves using their hands and feet.

Knock Knock!

During their cultivation, a knocking sound entered their ears.

Amanda and Adam glanced at Alice, who nodded her head.

As the latter walked towards the door, her eyes glittered with the expectation that her brother would be on the other side of it.

Creak!

She opened the door but was met the sad sight of 'housekeeping'.

She let out a sigh and declined the offer while returning to her cultivation.

Suddenly, another knocking sound entered her ears. This time, she stomped over to the door with a frustrated gaze, but awaiting her was a boy with a wolf cut.

Creak!

As soon as she glanced at her brother, who stood there with an apologetic gaze, she immediately jumped into his arms, rubbing her face on his chest in affection.

Ace almost fell over but somehow managed to maintain his balance.

"Woah there, calm down."

As tears dripped down Alice's face, she asked…

"How could I calm down!?"

Instead of answering half-heartedly, Ace wrapped his arms around her body and then whispered…

"Like this."

Running his fingers through her perfectly combed hair, he soon spotted his mother and father in the living room, their eyes shut.

"Mum, dad."

He said with a gentle and soothing voice that penetrated his parents' ears.

They immediately halted their cultivation and ran towards their soon at inhumane speeds, wrapping their arms around him simultaneously.

In the middle of a group hug, Ace chuckled inwardly, cursing at himself for having neglected this in his previous life.

After the reunion was over, the four of them sat on the couch as they conversed.

"How did you achieve S Rank in such a short amount of time!?"

Adam asked, completely outraged by his son's potential.

"Well, I'm technically only B- Rank. My stats are above average, but they still don't reach the S Rank yet. The only reason I won was because of his injuries."

"Still, son. Even an injured tiger is still a tiger."

Amanda remarked, leaning backwards with a gentle smile.

"Amanda, what should we do about our house? We can't keep living here forever."

"I think I had a couple of million Clo in cash hidden in our old house, but it would have burnt by now. Moreover, we only have one million Clo in our bank accounts combined."

As they conversed about their financial situation, Alice soon fell asleep with her head on Ace's lap.

As he ran his fingers through her hair, he said…

"Don't worry about the living conditions. I've already bought a mansion near the coastal area of the Sea of Millher."

His parents' eyes widened as they stared at their son, who had uttered words they wouldn't even think of saying prior to the current conversation.

"Um, son… do you know how much the houses near the Sea of Millher cost? Moreover, a mansion would cost at least a 500 - 750 Million clo!"

"I realize that, mum. I already paid the previous owners, and they can hand over the keys in a couple of weeks."

"Shouldn't you have asked us…?"

"Don't worry. You mentioned your guys' dream house a couple of years ago, and I've bought it."

Adam's eyes widened to the size of saucers as he asked…

"Number 103?"

"See, dad gets it!"

As the father-son duo laughed together, Amanda revealed a wry smile.

"Ace, I appreciate that you're worried about us, but the Sea of Mil–"

Before Amanda could complete her sentence, she was interrupted by her one and only son.

"Don't worry, mum. It's all right."

He said in a gentle tone, caressing Alice's head simultaneously.

"But–"

"It's fine, mum."

His tone didn't change, maintaining a gentle and reassuring smile as well.

"Is the Tournament still going on?"

Adam asked, his eyes glittering with excitement.

"Of course, dad. The duels begin tomorrow, I believe."

"We'll definitely come."

Ace took his phone out with a gentle smile and transferred some money to his parents.

As Adam checked his notifications, he was stunned.

[Adam Ambrosia - C1,000,000,000]

"Ace!?"

Adam shouted, his voice forcing Alice awake.

"What's happening!?"

She asked in a hurry, her expression desperate.

"Nothing, you can lay down."

Ace reassured her that everyone was safe while putting her head on his lap once again.

In seconds, she had fallen asleep.

"Ace!?"

Adam shouted once again. However, it was a whisper this time.

"Don't bother principal Felix tomorrow. Just take a cab, alright?"

"But–"

"Please don't ask me where I received this money. I won't be able to tell you the truth."

Swallowing his saliva, Adam nodded solemnly.

Amanda leaned forward to see the amount and immediately put her hand on her mouth, which was now agape.

"Ace…"

"It's fine. Anyway, I have to leave in a few hours, so let's not talk about money, alright?"

They both nodded before conversing about different things going on in their lives.

*

*

*

Step!

Step!

Step!

Step!

As Ace entered the campus that was unusually quiet, he noticed a crowd forming in the distance, a few miles away from his current location.

It was on the other side of the campus, and nearly everyone was swarming around a blonde-haired girl.

'It's near the arena…'

The commotion was happening near the arena, which meant there was about to be a duel.

Surprisingly, he even spotted Noah Williams, Genro Govel, and Oliver Tree spectating, waiting for the surprise event to occur.

'There wasn't supposed to be an event today, though.'

He had not been notified of any event occurring on campus, so he decided to check it out.

As he activated [Blitz Step], ripples formed in the atmosphere, and before he knew it, he stood near the arena, gazing at the blonde-haired girl who was conducting the particular event.

Soon, the blonde-haired girl, who was also known as Lily Yearning's gaze was directed towards Ace.

"Welcome, Ace Ambrosia."

She voiced out using a microphone, her voice clearly reaching the ears of the boy in question.

Waving his hand awkwardly, he asked…

"What's going on?"

His voice had been laced with an enormous amount of mana, and was amplified instantly, reaching the ears of everyone present.

"I would like to request a duel with you."

"Nope."

He muttered before attempting to leave using [Blitz Step]. However, his movement was stopped by a strange form of energy.

As he looked around, he soon realized that the perpetrator was Noah Williams.

Inserting more strength into his movement, he poured as much mana as he could and was released from the binds for a split second.

Not having expected this, Noah's eyes widened for a second before returning to their usual look.

"What is the meaning of this, Sir Williams?"

"Listen to her, King of Indifference."

Despite the difference in seniority, Noah still chose to acknowledge him with the name he was given by the public.

"All right."

Ace sighed. Since Noah left him no choice, there wasn't much he could do to avoid the situation.

"Why do you desire a duel with me, Ms. Yearning?"

"Noah Williams has requested a particular student to be participating in the event. Moreover, Carl Anderson is joining the event. Thus, we need to prevent one person from participating in the duel event. It's either going to be me or you, Mr. Ambrosia."

As she explained, Ace activated [Indifference] to prevent himself from laughing in such a situation.

Clearly, she was bullshitting.

At this point in Ace's previous life, Carl had encountered family troubles and skipped the Inter-Academy Tournament.

Moreover, the particular student Noah wanted to participate in the event did not exist.

It was probably a trick that Lily had cooked up. She had probably gotten her father, Harold Yearning, who had a close relationship with Noah Williams, involved.

And then, Harold pitched the idea to Noah, and he agreed.

This was the only logical explanation Ace could come up with; A form of nepotism.

"Since Sir Williams does not want me to leave, I believe I have no choice."

Forming an expression of annoyance, he walked towards the arena, attracting the excited gazes of all who watched.

Genro Govel was curious about Ace, while Oliver Tree just wanted to have some fun.

As they stood before each other, Lily took out an artifact that looked like a watch before putting it on her right wrist.

They both put their hands on their scabbards while waiting for the referee to announce the initiation of the sudden battle.

George Kadz watched in curiosity the true strength of the person his disowned son had lost to all these years.

"3."

Mana swirled around the two as it threatened to clash.

"2."

Ace remembered the aura that his weapon exuded and released his hand from his scabbard.

"1."

He took the stance of a martial artist, causing many to raise their eyebrow at the kind of fighter Ace really was.

Lily was perplexed, but kept her composure.

"Go!"

Both of them disappeared from their previous location as the mana in the surroundings became denser.

Ace didn't want to reveal his strength to the Faction Heads since doing so would probably get him imprisoned or executed.

As far as he knew, the Faction Heads were people who didn't like their authority to be defied.

If they found someone developing at a rapid rate that was not yet affiliated with any faction, they would do their best to either poach them, imprison them, or assassinate them.

Boom!

Lily's eyes widened as she realized her blade had been stopped by two of Ace's fingers.

His fingers were covered in the densest mana she had ever seen from a student, enough to destroy her if she were to get into contact with it.

As they both backed away from each other, Ace created multiple spears using mana and sent them at his enemy, forcing Lily to move around, trying to avoid them.

Since she had witnessed the density of Ace's mana, she knew there was no point in trying to block or deflect them.

The only thing she could do was run.

Bam!

Her blade, which was encompassed in flames, barely managed to block Ace's foot from decapitating her.

No, it didn't

Her eyes widened as her artifact began cracking while the flames began to extinguish on their own.

Immediately, she leaped backwards, wanting to get away from the enemy that stood before her.

'He's a monster!'

She screamed inwardly as a panicked expression appeared on her face.

As she looked into Ace's eyes, all she saw was an abyss greater than anything she had witnessed before.

Even outer space seemed like a fragment of the depth of the abyss his eyes contained in them.

Boom!

Fist landed a few inches away from her, almost crushing the entirety of her head.

Whoosh!

As she regained her senses, she felt a sharp pain on the left side of her…

'My ear! It's gone!'

A crazed shriek exited her mouth as blood trickled down the left side of her face.

All she cared about was survival.

She wanted to set a wager with the boy and to know what principal Felix was planning.

She also wanted to humiliate Ace in front of the Faction Heads, so that it would be difficult for him to enter the rankings.

However, all she found was the sensation of death.

The person in front of her was…

Her death.