The Night Before...

  Ivy Graceful was kneeling in prayer alongside many of her Holy Sisters. At the centre of their group was an ancient-looking statue depicting the vague image of a bearded man, who didn't seem to have any facial features. This was believed to be the Allfather, and they dedicated their prayers to him before night fell, hoping to grant safety to believers across the world during sleep. After their prayers were done, the maids were to head to their rooms and sleep. However, along the way, Ivy spotted something near the church entrance.

  There were two holy knights dressed in white by the large entrance, as usual. A smaller girl was standing in front of them, talking. The girl wore the academy uniform, but rather than a skirt, she wore the trousers and a long coat.

  Hmm, who is she? What does she want with the holy knights?

  Ivy hid behind a wall and watched as the trio spoke to each other. Eventually, one of the knights sighed and nodded their head. It seemed to Ivy that they had come to some sort of agreement.

  Her mind told her to head down the corridor and continue to her room, but her curiosity told her to stay. After all, this was a student who attended the same academy as Leox. She felt like it was partially up to her to keep an eye on their activity, especially if it involved the church. So Ivy waited, and waited. Even the candles had been blown out around the church, and the sisters and mothers had gone to sleep. She was now hiding in the shadow behind a row of pews, watching as the knights stood around, waiting for something. Yet she had no idea what they were waiting for.

  She had always wondered why so many knights were needed to stand watch over the church. There wasn't much inside for buglers to steal, and the holy sisters and mothers were hardly ever a target for attacks. After a few sleeps here, she had yet to see a need for the knights and believed that their expertise could be used elsewhere.

  Until today.

  Suddenly, a very faint rumbling sound came from the centre of the main hall. The floor seemed to vibrate, causing the now five present knights to shoot to attention. They all drew weapons. Spears, swords and axes, and one of them even seemed to cast a spell that trapped all noise within the main hall. Ivy felt a strange silence wash over her and wondered what in the heavens was about to happen.

  One of the knights turned to the academy student, who wore a kind smile on her face. "You sure about this, boy?" He asked.

  Boy?!

  "Of course. As long as I am under the stars." The boy responded with a nod as he looked up at the glass window above, where the moonlight shone through. None of the knights, or Ivy, seemed to understand what he meant, but it didn't matter.

  A black, gooey figure suddenly started to emerge from the centre of the room, as though it had been living beneath the stone of the church. It appeared like a mass of slime, creating a puddle on the ground and staying there for a few seconds. The knights watched, weapons drawn and clearly on edge, waiting...

  Then the goo began to take shape. It happened in a matter of seconds. The black mass expanded outward at incredible speed, bubbling and bulging as it grew, until it hardened into a form that almost resembled a human. It stood on two feet, though one arm was missing. Its tall body was molten black, dense, and knotted with muscle. A human face emerged from the surface, damaged by a horrific wound where one eye should have been. Golden light bled from the ruined socket.

  The being stood as though it had only just learned how. Its waist twisted awkwardly to one side, and one leg remained permanently bent, as if it were unable to straighten it. Yet from a single glance, it was clear as day that whatever that thing was, it was incredibly powerful.

  Ivy's heart thumped fast in her chest. Immediately, she regretted the nosiness that made her stay and watch what was going on. She had, of course, heard that certain demons could appear in human form, but history said that they only appeared during the later years of the apocalypse. She contemplated running to wake her sisters up and telling them to run, but when she looked at the knights and saw that they lacked fear, she decided against it. From their demeanours, it probably wasn't the first time they had faced such a demon.

  "A fallen saint. Doesn't get any less frightening even after the few times facing one, eh?" One of the knights said, eyeing the human-like demon before them.

  "Ay." An axe-wielding knight said as he turned towards the smiling academy student. "The floor is yours, kid. Just remember, if I see you struggle for even a moment, we'll jump in and save you. It might be a newborn, but these things are still fast and strong. Without a defensive skill, one strike can rip you in—"

  "Thank you for the opportunity, knights. I won't let it go to waste."

  The boy stepped closer to the demon, and its eyes turned to face him. It was the first time that the demon seemed to recognise that it wasn't the only thing in the room. It tilted its head to the side and examined the boy standing a few meters ahead of it.

  "Friend?" It said, in a voice that sounded surprisingly human.

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  The student smiled as he shook his head. "Unfortunately not."

  The demon's face twisted into a frown as rage began to brew inside of it. The muscles of its legs seemed to ripple as it prepared to dash forward and pounce on the boy with all its might.

  But before he could, the student raised his hand into the air. The sound of glass shattering from above rang through the main hall, as a golden light shot from the sky, followed by tiny glass shards raining from the ceiling. The golden light landed in the students' hands with such force that Ivy struggled to remain still. The light was blinding, preventing her from seeing whatever was taking place at the centre of the room.

  By the time the light had faded slightly, she uncovered her eyes and looked up. The boy no longer looked as he did before. His hair had turned a brilliant golden shade that danced with the wind, and in his hand was a golden trident, even taller than himself. He twirled the weapon in his hand as he stared down the demon, who didn't seem fascinated by the skill at all.

  On the other hand, the knights were left perplexed. They stared at the young student, trying to grasp what type of skill he had just used.

  "Isn't that way too strong for a first stage? Who are you, boy?" The axe-wielder asked.

  The student smiled.

  "Astra Helios."

  After seeing Astra with the demon heart by his side, Leox couldn't help but feel disheartened. It wasn't a race. Gutaru had mentioned nothing about a reward for those who completed their assignment first. Yet still, he couldn't help but think competitively when it came to his fellow students.

  As he ate breakfast alone, he constantly used Overheat on his legs. He had to make sure that he didn't waste a single moment being idle. Every waking second of this day, he would push himself to his limits to become stronger.

  ...

  Midday arrived, and Leox was standing naked in his room with a sword in his hand, pushing himself to death once again. That was when it finally happened. Leox's Novice Fire Mage class had progressed to the Apprentice rank. He felt flames burn through his veins, and a section of his body underwent the process of being remade stronger. By the time he looked back at his Overview, he was impressed with what he had seen.

  ...

  [Awakening Overview]

  [Leox Lether]

  [Awakening Stage: First Rank]

  [Awakening Stage Progress To Next Rank: 70%]

  [Classes:]

  Grandmaster Immortal

  Apprentice Monk

  Apprentice Fire Mage

  Novice Water Mage

  Novice Wind Mage

  Novice Earth Mage

  [Class Skills:]

  Deathless Rebirth (Immortal Skill)

  Weave Current (Water Mage Skill)

  Greater Overheat (Fire Mage Skill)

  True Counterstance (Monk Skill)

  Mud Wall (Earth Mage Skill)

  [Rank up for increased Overview complexity...]

  ...

  Nice. Now that I'm an apprentice, my Overheat has become Greater Overheat. The question is, how much of a difference does this really make?

  Leox stared at himself in the mirror before activating the skill once again. This time, it felt much, much different from before. As always, the skill overheated a chosen area of his body, but now he felt like he could sustain this form and push himself to greater limits without killing himself. What was most interesting, though, was a new feature of the skill, which allowed him not only to gain increased strength, but also increased defence by hardening the skin, bones and muscles of his body. Greater Overheat was no longer just an offensive skill, but also a defensive one.

  Pleased with this, he continued to practice with the skill, constantly pushing himself to death and returning. Until eventually, a knock came at his door.

  Leox quickly put on his clothes and made his way over to see who it was. However, when he opened it, there was a piece of paper rolled up and sealed with wax.

  The mailman?

  He lifted the piece of paper and brought it inside before reading it. To his great surprise, he found that it was a message from none other than his best friend, Ivy Graceful.

  Dear Leox,

  I hope that you are enjoying yourself in the academy. I really want to see you and hear all about it, so make sure you come and visit me soon!

  The reason I'm writing to you is that yesterday, a strange event took place in the Great Church of Varadna. A boy named Astra Helios visited us at night, whilst all the holy sisters were asleep... Or at least supposed to be sleeping. At first, I had no clue what was going on until suddenly, a demon appeared. One with great power, also known as a Fallen Saint. I'm sure you've learned about them from your professor. I had no clue, but apparently, Holy Knights have been sent to every known church in the Fourth World to make sure that these demons can be killed when they show up.

  This Astra was incredibly powerful, so the fight ended in seconds. He seemed kind enough, but I've heard that you are in the same class as him, and I wanted to make you aware of his existence. After what happened with the Hawkings boy, you must stay on your toes. Scout out your enemies, and stay alert at all times. If I find out anything else, I will let you know.

  Lots of love, your friend, Ivy.

  After reading the letter, Leox couldn't help but laugh to himself. Rather than explaining to him the threat of the demons, Ivy wrote to warn him about a powerful classmate of his, so that he could stay cautious. It was just like her.

  Leox was already aware that Astra was one of the strongest in the first year, but she had given him two useful pieces of information that he hadn't known before. His surname, and where he had found a demon. It seemed that the Great Church was not just a place of worship, but at night, it turned into a battlefield. This suited what Yborn's book said about the Fallen Saints commonly being sighted on holy grounds.

  Should I do the same as Astra and ask the Great Church to let me fight one? No, they probably won't let me. Who knows what he did to convince them?

  Ivy did mention something else in her note that made him curious. It said that the Empire's Holy Knights had been sent to the churches throughout the world. But what about the ones that were abandoned? Yborn mentioned that the fallen saints often sought out holy grounds, so the Empire probably sent these knights to protect the believers within the church. But what about abandoned holy grounds? Would the demons that showed up in these areas be left for demon hunters to deal with?

  Just like that, his decision had been made. He would spend the next few days continuing to progress his stage before heading out to find an abandoned holy ground. There, he would complete his assignment.

  Leox undressed once again, lifted his sword, and got to work.

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