People were instantly tensed. Many awakeners prepared for combat, their hands moving toward their weapons.
A man wearing a long hooded cloak stepped out of the towering mushroom of smoke that rose more than five floors into the sky.
The Black Market had already fallen into chaos.
People were hurriedly grabbing their belongings and fleeing toward the exits, desperate to escape before the situation worsened. Yet a few remained, their curiosity stronger than their fear as they watched the scene unfold.
Leo stood frozen for a moment.
Several nearby buildings had already been devastated by the blast, their shattered walls opening a clear view of the battlefield beyond.
Through the drifting smoke and falling debris, he finally saw the figure clearly.
His eyes widened in shock.
The man was none other than the old man.
Suddenly, a deafening boom split the air.
A bolt of thunder tore through the sky and struck toward the old man like divine punishment.
But the old man merely moved his hand.
The raging thunderbolt was brushed aside as if it were nothing more than a stray spark.
Then laughter echoed from within the fading lightning.
"Ha.ha ha! Old geezer! It's been a while how have you been." A voice spoke from thunder before revealing a man.
" T-This... Could it be Raegar stormveil from great stormveil family" a man standing close to leo from crowd spoke.
"What? a man from the stormveil family." crowd suddenly erupted into whispers.
Leo was also stunned after all the stormveil name was a very big name in The great Aetherion Empire. It holds one of the five great dukedom under the Aetherion empire.
"Ha ha… young people these days have rather interesting ways of exchanging pleasantries. Still, I'm doing well—alive—just the usual problems that come with old age."
The old man said, slowly lowering the hood from his head. Revealing white hairs.
"Then leave behind what you stole… and die."
He drew a sword crackling with thunder through its blade, and immediately attacked the old man.
" With just you."
Their blades clashes.
Clang.
Raegar's lightning-struck again and again, but old man met every strike with simple, precise moments.
They exchanged dozen blows in an instant.
Thunder roared. Steel rang.
Nearby buildings began to crumble, their walls disintegrating like snow caught in a violent storm. The ground trembled beneath their feet.
Many people in the crowd couldn't even keep their footing.
Some were forced to kneel, while others were blown back by the pressure of the battle.
Battle drew attention of nearby people, strong guilds. City lord also appeared with his retainer.
One after another many awakeners appeared.
Guildmaster Roderic Harth approached city lord Marcus Vance and asked about what's going on. Because he knew that not anyone can wreak havoc in the area under city lord vance's jurisdiction. If he is allowing it then he must know something.
"The old man is Aurelian Magnus. He...."
Before he completed his Sentence Roderic said in disbelief "W-what....Aurelian Magnus!! The former grand tutor of Royal family."
As he stared toward the battlefield.
Added another sentence.
"What is he doing here…? And why is someone from the Stormveil Family attacking him?"
Marcus Vance glanced at Roderic. The two were old friends, so he understood the shock behind his words.
"Recently I got news from the capital as well as order to hunt down Aurelian Magnus. Because he betrayed the empire. As for why someone from stormveil fighting him because tutor got huge bounty on him."
"Then shouldn't you interfere."
"Yeah. You should come too."
"What? why me. I don't have capital to fight Veteran A-Rank."
"What are you being scared for. He got injured by Royal knight and headmaster of the royal academy. He cannot bring out the power of A-Rank. Also he is not combat awakener What's more if we successfully captured him you will get a reward too."
"T-This..fine."
Marcus and Roderic took out their weapons and got ready to fight the old man.
Leo remained among the crowd, but they had moved farther away so the shockwaves of the battle would not affect them as much.
Leo was carrying a cloth bundle. He had no choice because Darius was still beside him.
He wanted to go home but he also wanted to see massive fight unfolding before him—something an F-rank rarely had the chance to witness.
"Hey look! they are city lord and guildmaster of Crimson blade"
"They have finally come."
"This old man is about to be captured."
Murmurs spread through the crowd. They didn't know the background of the old man. So they thought city lord with guildmaster Roderic— strongest in the city could easily capture him.
In a flash, Marcus appeared behind Magnus and swung his blade, a sharp wind-attribute slash tearing through the air toward him.
In the blink of an eye, the old man was slammed onto the ground with a deafening sound. Magnus stood in a second and looked in the air. Three people hovering in the air with the help of mana.
"Stay out of this. That man's head belongs to me," Raegar said to duo.
"We only want to help you," City lord scoffed.
Marcus pointed his sword toward Magnus.
"Your Honor… surrender. You have no way out."
"Ha ha ha… you think so?" Magnus laughed and tossed his sword aside. In the next moment, he drew two long daggers—each nearly the length of an arm.
Marcus shook his head "Let's attack him together. He might have a hidden trump card"
Both of them nodded and began drawing their mana to its full extent. Magnus did the same and attacked. Just as they were about to clash Magnus's cloak suddenly glowed, he vanished and appeared behind three of them,
And
Boom!
A huge blast happened in the sky, they were barely able to raise their defence before violently Blasted down.
A huge crater formed from the impact.
Moments later, the three of them steadied themselves and stood again. They were just about to rise in the air and they realised that their feet were shackled from an ethereal chain that emerged from deep earth, ghostly linking tightening around their ankles. No matter how much mana they pushed out, the chains did not budge.
High above them, Magnus slowly descended through the drifting dust.
"Formation! W-When....." The trio gasped in surprise.
"Did you really think you can catch me? If I was not injured i wouldn't even need to use the tricks." Magnus chuckled manipulating an orb in his hand.
"W-What is this chain…? It's draining mana." Roderic growled.
"Don't bother trying," he replied lazily. "The more you struggle, the faster it drains."
Within a blink, he was standing right in front of Raegal.
The trio's expressions turned grim.
Just as he was about to slit raegal's throat.
"Mist Domain"
Mist appeared from everywhere. Magnus's pupil shrank. He retreated without hesitation. Two hands appeared from his back where he was standing. Magnus threw a golden bead on his backside and changed position once again.
The bead blasted and a huge explosion happened.
"Doppelganger." Magnus muttered. Just as he was about to manipulate formation he realised that orb has been snatched, orb was key of formation without orb he lost control of formation.
"Damn..it they....." He was only completed half sentence before Full powered three intertwined B-Rank attacks got him.
"Tempest king's Rend"
"Heavenfall lightning strike"
"Severing sword strike"
From within the dense mist, a storm erupted.
A massive torrent of wind and lightning intertwined with countless spectral swords shot.
Before Magnus could react—
BOOM!
The explosion tore through the Grey Streets like a raging hurricane. Wind blades sliced through buildings.
In an instant, the ground split apart, forming at least 8 feet deep canyon.
Magnus was at the end of the canyon. He was all battered. Vomiting blood stream.
Trio soon caught up. When they were about 100 meters away they saw that magnus had hand fractured and coughing blood but except that everything seemed fine. His little battered cloak glowed again and he disappeared. They instinctively turned back but he wasn't there.
Leo was sprinting through narrow, dark alleys. The wooden building around him half collapsed. Their broken frames leaning dangerously.
People searched desperately through the remains of their ruined homes. Some dug through debris with bare hands.
Many had died in their sleep when the buildings collapsed.
Children cried helplessly as dust and smoke filled the air.
A few awakeners were trying to lift heavy rubble, pulling survivors from beneath the wreckage.
"Huff.....huffff....Huff."
"It should be alright, Nothing must have happened." Leo was panicking.
"After all it not necessarily hit my home.....yes?"
He finally saw familiar surroundings. But it was the same. Houses were in rubble.
People's who he knew since childhood were in agony. Suddenly his heart sank.
"No… way… no… way… it can't be…"
Leo ran as fast as he could, his breathing ragged.
Then he saw it.
His house.
Only half of the structure remained standing. The other half had completely collapsed into a pile of broken wood and rubble.
After all, the shockwave of the attack had struck this area directly.
From where he stood, a deep, human-sized canyon carved into the ground could clearly be seen stretching across the Grey Streets.
Leo's hands trembled as he slowly approached the ruins.
"M… Mom."
This time, he didn't shout.
His voice barely came out.
He climbed through the broken debris and entered what remained of the house. The walls of his mother's room were shattered, the roof partly collapsed.
Then he saw her.
"MOOOM!!!"
His scream tore through the silent ruin.
His mother lay trapped beneath a large wooden beam and piles of rubble.
Leo rushed forward and grabbed the heavy wood.
He tried to lift it.
Once.
Twice.
It didn't move.
Not even a little.
His arms trembled as he pushed harder, tears started to drip.
But Leo forced himself to stop.
This was not the time to panic.
If he lost control now… he would lose everything.
He clenched his teeth and took a deep breath.
'Calm down… think.'
His eyes slowly focused on the pile of rubble trapping his mother.
Then something flashed through Leo's mind.
A skill that he had almost forgotten about. Activated.
"Weak Point Recognition."
Faint glowing lines appeared across the rubble.
[Structural Weak Point Detected]
Leo grabbed a loose support beam and kicked it with everything he had.
CRACK!
The heavy wood shifted just enough. Enough to take his mother out. She was bleeding from the head. He used his skill again.
A faint glowing line appeared on his mother.
[Weak Point Recognition]
[Target: Mira Hale Thorne]
Condition: Critical
Skull fracture detected
Internal Bleeding: Severe
Estimated Survival Time: calculating....
[Estimated Survival Time : 28:59 Minutes]
He doesn't know any healer and the regular doctor can't help with serious injury.
He couldn't think straight.
The academy's healer, Nurse Sofia, flashed through his mind for a moment. But she lived far from the Grey Streets. Even if he tried, there was no way he could reach her in time.
His heart sank.
"I can't... I can't possibly let my mother die"
His thoughts became a chaotic blur. Fear, desperation, helplessness—everything crashed together until he couldn't think of anything else.
Then a single name surfaced in his mind.
Silla.
Without hesitation, Leo pushed himself up from the rubble, carefully lifting his mother into his arms.
He passed the streets on by one. Only one destination Ember's Pot.
But the moment he turned into the next street, his steps faltered.
A familiar voice echoed ahead.
"…Well, well. Aren't you a cocky guy from The Ember Pot?"
A man obstructed his path forming a crooked smile on his face.
His gaze shifted to the bleeding woman in Leo's arms.
Leo didn't slow down.
He didn't even look at the man.
"Move."
The word left his mouth cold and hoarse as he kept walking forward.
For a moment, the man froze.
Then his face twisted with anger.
A faint system window still floated before his eyes.
[Leo Thorne]
Rank: F
His expression darkened.
He was a D-rank awakener. Wherever he went, people showed him respect—fear, even. No one dared talk back to him.
Yet this F-rank nobody was ignoring him?
In front of everyone?
The man's pride burned.
"How dare you…"
Mana surged faintly around him as he stepped forward and blocked the path completely.
Leo tried to walk past him.
The man's patience snapped.
With a sharp motion, he pulled a sword from his waist.
The metallic sound rang through the street.
Several people gasped.
"Stop right there!" he barked.
Leo finally halted.
Not because of the sword.
But because he had no choice.
His arms tightened around his mother's motionless body as he slowly lifted his head.
In his mind, the System's cold countdown continued.
[Estimated Survival Time: 27:31 Minutes]
Every second wasted here… was another step closer to his mother's death.