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The cold steel pressed ever so lightly against his neck, and the weight of his earlier bravado crumbled beneath Lucavion\'s calm, dangerous presence.

"Now… what were you saying?" Lucavion\'s voice was low, but it carried a weight that made the man\'s heart pound faster. He swallowed hard, his bravado fully replaced by fear. His knees wobbled, the strength draining from his body as his companions, who had been watching from the shadows, widened their eyes in disbelief.

For a moment, the other lackeys couldn\'t comprehend what had just unfolded before them. Their leader—someone known for his brutal strength—was brought down without so much as a struggle. The sight of him, trembling and defenseless under Lucavion\'s blade, shattered their confidence. Was this the same man who had led them with such arrogance?

They exchanged panicked glances, their instincts finally kicking in. Two of them shifted, muscles tensing as they prepared to lunge forward, thinking they could overpower Lucavion with sheer numbers. But before they could make a single move, their leader, the man bleeding under the weight of his own arrogance, found his voice.

"Stop!" he rasped, his voice hoarse and filled with desperation.

His lackeys froze in their tracks, stunned by the command. The word was not a bark of authority, as they were used to hearing from him, but a plea—one filled with the cold realization that any further action would only bring disaster upon them all.

Lucavion\'s smirk deepened as he heard the man\'s panicked order. He could feel the tension shift in the air—their attempt to rally snuffed out before it even began. The scarred man knew, even if his companions didn\'t, that any further escalation would lead to something far worse than a few shallow cuts.

"Wise choice," Lucavion murmured, his voice soft but edged with finality. He withdrew his blade, the gleaming edge slipping away from the man\'s throat with the same grace it had appeared. The scarred man collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath as the pressure on his life was suddenly lifted.

The lackeys stood frozen, unsure of what to do. Their leader was on the ground, defeated in both spirit and strength. Slowly, their bravado seeped away, replaced by a creeping fear of the man who had effortlessly dismantled the one they thought invincible.

Lucavion glanced at the group, his expression almost bored. "Take him and leave," he said, flicking the blood from his blade before sheathing it in one smooth motion. "And next time, think twice before you try to throw your weight around."

The lackeys hesitated for only a moment before rushing to their leader\'s side. They hoisted him up as best they could, their hands shaking as they avoided Lucavion\'s gaze. Without another word, they dragged the scarred man away, retreating into the shadows with their tails between their legs.

As they disappeared down the alley, Vitaliara\'s voice echoed in Lucavion\'s mind, her tone laced with amusement. [I almost feel bad for them. Almost.]

Lucavion chuckled softly, his smirk fading into a more relaxed smile. [They\'ll live. And they\'ll remember.]

Valeria, who had been watching the entire scene unfold in stunned silence, finally let out a slow breath. She shook her head, clearly still processing how effortlessly Lucavion had handled the situation. "That was… quick," she muttered, unable to keep the surprise out of her voice.

Lucavion turned to her, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "No need to drag things out," he said with a shrug. "Sometimes, a quick lesson is all people need."

Valeria nodded at Lucavion\'s words, but she couldn\'t shake the lingering chill that ran down her spine. Just now, when he drew his blade, something had shifted in the air—a sharp, almost imperceptible intent that had sliced through the tension like the edge of his sword. It was subtle, but Valeria had felt it clearly.

Her eyes narrowed slightly, still processing the scene. She wasn\'t just impressed by how effortlessly Lucavion had handled the group; there was something more, something in his aura that had changed. The gleam of his blade, though quick, had flashed with power. Valeria had been trained well enough to recognize what that gleam meant. It was unmistakable.

"You broke through to 4-star, didn\'t you?" she asked, her voice steady, but edged with curiosity.

Lucavion turned to her, his playful smirk still lingering on his lips, but there was a flicker of something more serious in his eyes. He didn\'t answer immediately, instead letting her words hang in the air for a moment, as if debating how much to reveal.

Then, with a casual shrug, he said, "Maybe I did. Maybe I didn\'t." His tone was light, but the sharpness in his gaze hinted at the truth.

Valeria\'s expression hardened, not in anger, but in realization. She had suspected for a while that Lucavion\'s true power was far beyond what he let on, but to think he had crossed that threshold into the 4-star realm without even mentioning it—it both intrigued and unsettled her.

This guy, before they met, felt like he was just a 3-star Awakened. But now, he had just reached the 4-star realm?

Reaching 4-star wasn\'t a small feat. It marked a major milestone in a martial artist\'s journey, a point where they began to truly command the battlefield with the intent of their weapon alone.

And for Lucavion to have crossed that barrier, made his playful, carefree attitude all the more dangerous.

Just now she was sure that, she had witnessed a \'sword intent.\'

In a world of strength like that, she felt helpless for a second. While her talent was definitely not bad, looking at Lucavion and other people, she felt like she was lacking.

After all, she was just a 3-star Awakened and had been one for a long time.

Valeria\'s thoughts churned as she stared at Lucavion. His carefree grin remained in place, but all she could think about was the invisible gap that seemed to have opened between them. How did he advance so quickly? she wondered, her chest tightening with a mixture of frustration and doubt.

She had been stuck in the 3-star realm for over two years, hitting a bottleneck she hadn\'t been able to break through. No matter how much she trained, no matter how diligently she cultivated using the [Heart of the Knight] passed down through her family, she felt as if she had reached a wall—one that wouldn\'t budge, no matter how hard she pushed.

Her core felt stable, powerful even, but it wasn\'t progressing. And that was the problem. She was stuck, stagnant in a world where others, like Lucavion, seemed to surge ahead effortlessly. When she had first reached the 3-star realm, she had felt proud—accomplished. The power, the control, the command over her mana—it had been exhilarating.

But now? It felt like she was constantly being left behind.

Her eyes drifted to Lucavion again, and despite herself, a pang of envy tightened her chest. His talent had always been evident, but for him to already be on the verge of mastering sword intent, something only 4-star martial artists could truly grasp... it was more than just talent. It was as though the universe itself favored him, letting him glide past challenges that weighed on others for years.

"And what am I doing now?" Valeria muttered under her breath, her frustration slipping into her voice.

She had been working tirelessly, dedicating every moment to her cultivation, but for the last two years, she hadn\'t advanced even an inch. Her mana channels were clear, her core stable, but her progress felt… frozen.

The [Mana Accumulation Art]—her family\'s treasured technique—had always served her well, but lately, it felt like it had stopped resonating with her as if it no longer held the key to her advancement.

For two years, she had endured this stagnation, watching others break through to higher realms while she remained tethered to the 3-star rank. Her speed wasn\'t terrible, she knew that. Two years at 3-star was still respectable. But with the tournament approaching, the pressure weighed heavier on her. She needed more—more power, more progress.

And right now, she felt like she was chasing shadows, while those around her ascended effortlessly.

Lucavion, of all people, stood as a reminder of that disparity. His journey seemed to flow like a river, while hers felt like a still pond, trapped in the same space with no outlet.

"What are you doing? Aren\'t you just standing there?" Lucavion\'s voice broke through Valeria\'s spiraling thoughts, yanking her back to reality.

She blinked, her mind still tangled in frustration, and then—really—she couldn\'t help but facepalm. Of course he\'d interrupt with something so simple, so infuriatingly casual.

"..."

Her silence seemed to amuse him. Lucavion leaned closer, peering at her with that playful glint in his eye, completely unaware—or worse, fully aware—of the storm brewing inside her. "Hey, Valeria. If you keep standing there thinking so hard, you\'re going to get wrinkles. You don\'t want that, do you?"

That was it.

She just snapped.