The weight on Leo's shoulders felt like the heavens had collapsed. The very air around him cracked with pressure, distorting like a mirage, as Sylvara's mana suppression continued to intensify. The once solid marble beneath his feet had begun to splinter, the veins of pressure carving through the stone like cracks in glass.
His knees buckled.
Sweat drenched his back.
Leo gritted his teeth, trembling, refusing to collapse, but his body had its own will. His palms hit the floor first, then his chest. Crack! The sound of the floor beneath him giving way echoed in his ears as if mocking him.
"Damn it…" he hissed, voice raw with pain.
Inside his mind, Raphael's calm voice echoed. **"Your body isn't built to withstand this kind of force yet. If this keeps going, you'll be crushed."
"I know that!" Leo barked inwardly, blood dribbling down his chin. "Then tell me how to survive this…!"
There was a pause. Then, Raphael answered. **"There's one way. But it's dangerous. Risky. Only a 38% chance of success."
Leo coughed, forcing air into his lungs, eyes bloodshot. "I'll take it."
**"You should hear it first. If you release all the mana stored in your core in one go, you might create a mana space around yourself—like a pocket of your own domain. It won't stop her pressure entirely, but it might weaken it enough so you won't be flattened."
Leo tried.
But nothing came out.
It was like trying to breathe underwater—his mana wouldn't listen. The pressure was sealing him from the inside out. He was suffocating.
"You're doing it wrong," Raphael interrupted. **"You need to stand. Your body must be upright so your central channels can align. Mana is like a river—it flows better when the path is straight. If you try to release it while grounded, it'll backfire. You'll rupture your meridians."
"Stand…?" Leo looked down at his trembling arms. Even the thought of moving sent daggers through his muscles.
Warning messages began to flash in his vision.
[WARNING: Minor muscle rupture detected][WARNING: Organ strain reaching critical levels][WARNING: Mana turbulence forming inside core]
Each warning felt like a whip on his back. But Leo had felt worse. He had died worse.
"I won't be crushed…" he whispered. "Not again."
With a roar that seemed to tear his throat open, Leo pushed himself up. His body screamed in agony, his knees nearly gave out—but he stood.
And then—he let go.
BOOM!
The explosion was instantaneous. Not gentle. Not controlled.
The mana didn't create a peaceful domain.
It became a storm.
Raw, unfiltered energy burst from Leo like a volcano erupting. The entire chamber shattered. Walls cracked, pillars disintegrated, and the ceiling above blew open, sending dust and debris raining down.
Sylvara took a step back, her brows raised in surprise as her suppression instantly vanished, her instinctual defense kicking in.
For a moment—just a moment—Leo stood at the center of the chaos, engulfed in a sphere of churning light, his eyes glowing with wild determination.
Sylvara raised a brow, muttering to herself, "No matter where, a lion is the king of the jungle, huh?"
Then he collapsed.
He awoke to the scent of herbal oil and soft cotton.
"…Again?" Leo muttered, blinking at the ornate ceiling. "I'm getting déjà vu."
He was in his room.
His body ached in places he didn't even know existed.
And around him stood… everyone. His mother, Sylvia, Galen, and—
Sylvara.
Queen Sylvia knelt by his bed, brushing hair from his forehead.
"How are you feeling, my son?"
"…Like I got stepped on by a dragon," Leo groaned. "Twice."
Sylvia smiled gently.
But Sylvara… wasn't smiling.
"SYLVARA!" Sylvia's voice was sharp.
Sylvara flinched.
She stepped forward awkwardly, eyes averted like a child caught stealing cake. "...Sorry?" she said, sulking. "But seriously, it's not my fault! I thought he'd just pass out. Who the hell bursts all their mana like a lunatic and blows up the whole damn room?!"
From the side, Galen stifled a laugh, covering his mouth with his hand. But the slow rise and fall of his shoulders betrayed him.
Sylvara turned her head slightly, catching it. Her smile turned cold, almost predatory. "Galen," she said sweetly. "It seems you're enjoying everything that's happening here?"
Galen froze, his laughter vanishing like smoke. "N-No, Aunt… not at all."
Sylvia gave her another glare, one that made even Sylvara's confident smirk falter for a brief second.
Sylvara folded instantly. "Okay, okay, I'm going, I'm going!" She turned to leave, then stopped at the door.
"Oh right. Kid."
Leo looked up.
Sylvara tossed something at him. A small book, bound in crimson leather, glowing faintly.
"You passed," she said simply. "Tomorrow morning. 8 a.m. Training ground. Be ready."
"What's this?"
"Recover your mana fast," she added. "You'll need it."
And she vanished through the door.
Sylvia picked up the book and smiled. "Congratulations, Leo. You've just become your aunt's favorite nephew."
Leo blinked. "Why?"
"Because she just gave you her original breathing technique."
He looked down at the title.
Emberwyrm Ascendancy: Ashen Dragon Pulse
That night, Leo sat cross-legged under moonlight, trying to use the new technique.
And failed.
No matter how much he tried, it felt wrong. It was like forcing the wrong key into a lock.
"Raphael… what's wrong?" he asked, frustrated.
"You're using two different systems." Raphael's voice was calm as always. **"Your aura core at the belly and your mana core at the heart are using different breathing methods. They're clashing. That's why you're stuck."
"Then what can I do?"
**"Do you remember the Heavenly Universal Breathing Art? It was your reward from the previous system. That technique lets you use all martial arts—but not magic. I've upgraded it."
Leo's eyes widened. "Upgraded…?"
**"Now, it can not only process both aura and mana arts but more than that… if you use it correctly, you'll access the essence before they become aura or mana."
Leo frowned. "Before…?"
**"Yes. Release all your stored energy slowly. Gradually. Let every last drop leave you. Then start again—with the new technique."
And Leo did. For hours, he slowly released his aura, his mana, every shred of energy he had, until he felt hollow. Like an empty vessel.
Then—he began.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
Following the flow of the Heavenly Duality Breathing Art the upgraded version of Heavenly Universal Breathing Art
And something changed.
Energy stirred—but it wasn't aura.
It wasn't mana.
It was something older.
Something pure.
His body didn't vibrate with power—it resonated with it.
"What… what is this?"
"Ether." Raphael's voice was proud. **"Or as ancient scholars called it—The First Pulse. The raw essence of the world. Before humans divided it into aura and mana, it was just this. Pure. Divine."
Leo was silent.
He could feel it. Not surging wildly, but flowing gently. Obedient. Balanced.
This was his power. Not aura. Not mana. But everything before it. A new path.
All night, he trained.
Morning came. Leo walked to the training grounds with quiet confidence.
His body still ached—but he was calm.
The doors swung open. Sylvara stood there, arms crossed, eyes gleaming.
"Well?" she said. "Did you learn it?"
Leo smirked.
"Good," Sylvara said. "Because if you didn't… you're going to see hell today."