In a clearing just outside the westerrao the mountain range of magical beasts, Ad his group were sat peacefully, waiting for Lauriel to arrive to pick them up.

  That in and of itself wouldn't cause any disturbance as people entered aed the mountain range on a near-daily basis, but beside them ride of over a dozen lions, the smallest of which was Leonel, who was no smaller than a horse, and the biggest, Carter, was bigger than most buildings.

  As soon as any passers-by saw the group of terrifying lions, they would immediately turn tail and run while ting their blessings that they weren't being chased.

  They didn't know Carter was a saint-level magical beast, but the aura he gave off was simply terrifying to all the mortals who saw him.

  As soon as Lauriel neared, she transformed into her phoenix form before erupting with her fastest speed, leading Jax – the Hellfire Phoenix – to protect team one, who she assumed were in danger.

  "Are you guys alright?" Lauriel asked as she suddenly appeared just in front of Ace, Amira, and Julius whilst cautiously eyeing the Bloody-Eyed Mane Lion before her.

  As a saint, she was able to sehat none of the disciples appeared to be injured, but she couldn't her head around why such a powerful beast was with them. Beasts of this level teo live right in the depths of the mountain range.

  When she first ehe range of his spiritual sense, Carter felt her presence, but he wasn't particurly threatened as she was still just an early-stage sense, but when she used her phoenix transformation, he couldn't help but hurry to his feet and stare at the new arrival with caution and a hint of fear.

  Like Dragonblood Warriors, when those with the Violetfme bloodline reach the early stages of the saint level, their rank rises to the peak of the saint level when transformed. The only difference being that where the bloodlines of the other supreme warrior s see an increase in their rank as a warrior, her family sees an increase in realm as a mage.

  "We're fine," Ace replied. "You don't o be on guard with them; they're with us."

  "With you?" Lauriel asked, thinking her ears were pying tricks on her. "What do you mean they're with you?"

  "I mean, Leo over there is my neartner," Ace said, pointing to the bck-furred lion whose mane seemed to be developing a reddish tint, standing behind Carter. "That saint in front of you is his father, and the other lions are the rest of their pride. They have agreed to migrate to the Pavilion's domain so they be near him iure."

  Lauriel was stu that point. Ace was just a warrior of the fifth rank; she couldn't imagine a world where Ace was able to vince a saint-level magical beast to not only allow one of its obviously more talented children to follow a human but also vi to move, so it lived hem.

  But her sholy multiplied wheuro look at the dark-haired teen. "You…

  You're a mage?!

  Of the third rank?!

  How?!

  What exactly happened over these st few months?!"

  Though the students didn't know, as one of the Pavilion's higher-ups, Lauriel was told about the barrier enveloping Ace's soul.

  As far as she knew, Ace wouldn't be able to i with the ws of nature in any way, shape or form until that barrier was destroyed, meaning, for the foreseeable future, it would be impossible for him to bee a mage a, she could clearly sehat he had somehow mao reach the peak of the third realm in six months.

  Everyone knew Ace was unbelievably talented, but this was something else!

  "It's a long story," Ace replied as he calmly hopped on Jax's back. "I'll expihing on the way back."

  .

  .

  .

  Flying on Jax's back were Lauriel and the members of team one. Beside them was Carter, who carried a pride of 15 lions on his back, including Leonel.

  Though he agreed to let his son follow Ace from now on, Carter and the rest of his pride wao spend as much time with their long-lost family member as possible.

  As a magical beast who'd spent the vast majority of its life alone, he wasn't used to being the tre of attention of so many other creatures. Still, after everything Carter had done for him and Ace already, the least he could do was bear with it. Plus, he would be lying if he said he wasn't ied iing to know his family.

  Whilst Leonel spent his flight to the Yin-Yang iing with his family, Ace expined in full everything that happened during their time in the wild.

  After hearing the narration of events from Ace, Lauriel felt like she was taken on aional rollercoaster, and that was just from listening to it – she could only imagine how it felt for them experieng it.

  Living through any one of team one's major is would be worth celebrating, yet they overcame tribution after tribution, eae seemingly harder tha.

  It was no wohe auras of Amira and Julius seemed so muature than they had six months ago.

  Ace may have made the biggest improvement in strength, but as a reinated soul, who, in total, had experienced over 30 years of life, the trials he faced during these st six months hadn't actually affected him mentally all that much. But the same couldn't be said for Amira or Julius.

  Both of them had matured a lot over the st half a year. Especially Julius. His aura had an edge to it that did six months ago.

  Though it wasn't said in so many words, readiween the lines, Lauriel was able to deduce that during the i with the Cult of Darkness, Julius was forced to take a life to help save Ace.

  She khis day would e eventually, and whilst she was gd he was able to take a life instead of forfeiting his, she also hated the fact that Julius, who was usually the most cheerful ale of all ten of the disciples, had to his innoce.

  The more she thought about the Cult's as, the more her fury grew. She had half a mind to sughter a path right through the Dark Alliaerritory into their capital.

  It had to be remembered that not only was she a warrior of the early stages of the saint realm, but after transf, she eak saint-level mage. The number of saints in the Cult of Darkhat could stand against her could be ted on one hand.

  Still, she was fully aware that charging into the territory of one of the two most mysterious forces of the big six on her own was the definition of fool-hardy.

  But if the Cult thought this was the end of the matter, they were in for a rude awakening.

  Feeling the palpable killing i ing from Lauriel, Ace could guess what she was thinking, and as strong as the Cult of Darkness was, he didn't think for a sed that, in terms of powerhouses, they were strohan his Yin-Yang Pavilion.

  Still, after all the Cult put him and his friends through this time, he didn't want to rely on the pavilion to avenge him.

  "Lauriel, I don't want you and the other instructetting revenge for us," Ace voiced, his tone calm but sombre. "Iure, when I bee a saint, I want to crush the Cult of Darkness with my own two hands."

  With the evil deeds they'd itted over the years, there were many throughout the Yun ti who dreamed of destroying the Cult of Darkness, but there were h Ace's level of talent.

  As she looked into Ace's eyes, Lauriel could feel the rage he was suppressing.

  As angry as she was on their behalf, how could Lauriel's anger pare to Ace's?

  It was him who they kidnapped.

  It was he who was almost turned into a puppet.

  It was to rescue him that Leonel and Amira were forced to risk their lives.

  But most importantly, because of him, Julius, a youth he'd grown to deeply respect, was forced to break a vow that was of the utmost importao him.

  "I give you my word," Ace decred as his forearm suddenly busted in a bzing scarlet fme. "Iure, I will personally burn the Cult of Darkness out of existence."

  She already knew from Ace's narration that after the barrier around his soul broke, he had somehow mao prehend part of the w of fires' profound mysteries. Still, hearing about it is ohing; seeing it in the flesh is something else entirely.

  Initially, she believed that he had only barely taken that step, but just looking at him, she could sehe profound mysteries infused in Ace's fiery arm were no weaker than her own – a feat that should be impossible sidering she was a genius talented enough to be taken as a disciple by Arianna and a Violetfme warrior with an incredibly high affinity to the ws of fire.

  All she could do was stare at him as if he were a literal freak of nature as Ace again tio defy all on sense provily why it was that he was regarded as the number oalent in aablishment full of absolute geniuses.

  "You really are a little monster!" She muttered helplessly as her killing i all but vanished.

  The anger she had felt for the Cult of Darkness was repced by what almost felt like pity as she could all but see it now – i-so-distant future, the Cult of Darkness would be no more!

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  P.atreon./ACoilingDragon

  Book 5 - Chapter 12