Chapter 624: Illusionary Gaze

CH624 Illusionary Gaze

***

The group soon relocated to the BattleBane training grounds.

Alex, Eleanore, and Udara remained on one side of the arena, while Dalton and Lady Rosa took position on the opposite end.

There, Dalton issued a series of firm instructions to the training guild members, ordering them to clear the area in preparation for the duel.

"It still came down to a fight after all," Eleanore muttered under her breath. "You could have simply accepted the duel from the start if this was where it was going to lead."

"It couldn’t be helped. The plan required me to fight him anyway," Alex replied calmly. "I just couldn’t accept immediately without first impressing upon him that you are an outstanding alchemist."

"And who exactly told you to go around releasing your Intent?" Eleanore shot back, clearly restraining herself from rolling her eyes.

"That one’s on me. I’m still getting used to it," Alex admitted without resistance.

"Will you be able to achieve the desired result under these stipulations? Most of your spells are effectively unusable," Udara cautioned, her tone more practical than concerned.

"It’ll work out somehow," Alex said with a casual shrug. "Besides, I’m also curious to see how far my physical combat abilities have improved."

His spellcasting—or rather, OmniRune’s spellcasting—had already reached Grade 8, placing his effective casting ability at the level of a Class 4 spellcaster— the Great Mage level.

While Alex had memorised a number of Grade 9 spells—and even possessed the theoretical frameworks for several Grade 10 spells stored within OmniRune’s archives—OmniRune itself could not execute them.

Such Grand Mage-level spells required a deep comprehension of underlying planar concepts to function properly.

Since Alex had yet to come into contact with those higher-order concepts, his spellcasting remained naturally capped at Grade 8.

This limitation persisted despite the fact that OmniRune could, in theory, construct the necessary spell formations—and that Alex himself possessed sufficient mana capacity to fuel at least one such spell.

’The universe maintains its balance. Nature is inherently fair.’ The thought surfaced unbidden in Alex’s mind.

’No wonder there was no need to restrict OmniRune’s spellcasting potential. There’s already a system in place that prevents it from exceeding Grade 8... which is still two full grades beyond what I should be capable of at the Elite level.’

’Maybe when I get OmniRune to develop its consciousness, it can begin comprehending those concept independent of me.’

A universal rule that couldn’t be broken was that only beings with a consciousness—or rather, some form of sentience—could ponder into less Planar concepts, never mind the Planar Laws.

Alex shook his head lightly.

He pushed those idle thoughts aside.

His gaze settled once more on his opponent across the arena, who had just finished issuing orders to his men.

Alex wasn’t entirely certain he could face a Combat Master in pure physical combat.

"Well... it’s not as though I have no chance at all," Alex muttered under his breath.

He was fairly certain he could take on anyone below the Veteran rank in a purely physical confrontation.

Dalton Asheton, however, was a two-star Combat Master—which, in Pangean terms, placed him at the early stage of the Veteran rank.

It was only one stage above Alex’s comfort zone, so he was reasonably confident he could at least hold his own.

’You won’t know unless you try,’ he told himself inwardly.

’Fortune favours the bold.’

He cast a reassuring glance towards his wives before stepping forward, making his way towards the weapon rack positioned at the edge of the arena.

Alex’s eyebrows lifted slightly in amusement as he unexpectedly spotted a metal rod among the displayed weapons.

’Looks like there are fellow rod enthusiasts in BattleBane,’ he mused with a faint chuckle.

’He wouldn’t... would he?’

Udara glanced at him suspiciously when she noticed him pause in front of the rod.

However, contrary to her expectation, Alex did not pick it up. Instead, he selected a half-moon war axe with a long shaft.

He casually balanced the weapon across his palm before spinning it lightly, adjusting his grip in small increments until he instinctively located its centre of balance.

His gaze then flicked briefly towards a longsword resting on the rack. After a few seconds of quiet deliberation, he decided to take it along as well.

The deciding factor was the belt hoist mounted nearby, which he used to secure the sword neatly at his waist.

With the war axe now resting across his shoulders, Alex walked onto the arena floor at an unhurried pace.

Both he and Dalton soon met at the centre of the arena.

"You can still concede if you lack confidence. There is no shame in surrendering to a stronger opponent," Dalton said coolly.

"There is also no shame in losing to one," Alex replied evenly. "In that case, I might as well test my luck. Opportunities to face a stronger opponent—and to truly let loose—don’t come often."

Dalton’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"You had best defend yourself well. Since I am the weaker party in this exchange, do not expect me to hold back."

"Haha... I wouldn’t have it any other way," Dalton laughed.

He raised his greatsword with one hand, pointing it towards Alex.

"Come," he taunted.

Alex smiled faintly.

Calm Madness!

In an instant, his ruby-red eyes deepened into a vivid crimson.

But that was not all—his pupils developed a faint golden rim along their circumference, giving them an eerie, almost otherworldly appearance.

The source of Alex’s confidence in facing a Veteran in a purely physical duel—without relying on powerful spells—lay precisely in his Truth-Seeker Eyes.

Perhaps the most significant growth he had experienced upon advancing to the Elite stage, following the Heaven–Earth Concordance Trials, was the changes of these very eyes.

Like many things, Alex only came to truly understand this special ability after the trials—particularly the Heavenly Venerable’s trial.

His Truth-Seeker Eyes were not an ability born of his bloodline, nor were they something the original Alex Fury had possessed from birth.

According to Merlin, they were a unique ability born directly from Alex’s soul itself, with each of its capabilities—or ’sights’—being shaped by the nature of his soul.

At the time, Alex believed he understood Merlin’s explanation. However, it was only after studying one of the Heavenly Venerable’s documents that he realised just how shallow that understanding had been.

The body was the vessel of the soul. And like all things in the universe, there existed a delicate balance between the two.

The body needed to be strong enough to bear the soul, while a weak soul could not inhabit a body that was too powerful.

Balance was everything.

However, Alex’s situation was... unusual. His soul was exceptionally strong.

According to Merlin, his twin bloodlines—though initially problematic—were the very reason his body had been able to withstand the burden of his soul.

Instead of causing his body to collapse under the strain, a unique phenomenon had occurred. A portion of his soul’s excess energy had overflowed beyond the limits of its vessel.

Yet rather than dissipating, that excess energy had instead altered the vessel itself.

This phenomenon was what ultimately gave rise to Alex’s Truth-Seeker Eyes.

In other words, Alex’s Truth-Seeker Eyes were not born from the nature of his body, but from that of his soul.

And his... was an inquisitive soul—one that sought out the hidden truths of the world in order to comprehend them and, ultimately, apply them to his own needs.

It was only natural, then, that the power born from such a soul would be one that aided his understanding of the world around him.

Enhanced Vision. Eidetic Memory. Spirit Sight. Phantom Sight... each of these ocular abilities supported his relentless pursuit of knowledge and the concealed truths the world had to offer.

However, beyond these, as though recognising the inherent dangers of that very pursuit, the Truth-Seeker Eyes had also granted him abilities meant to preserve his life, so that he might continue seeking knowledge— Death Perception. Spirit Sight Level 2.

Now, after undergoing the Heaven–Earth Concordance Trial—and confronting yet another vulnerability within himself—the Truth-Seeker Eyes had evolved once more, granting him two new abilities.

One had emerged as a direct response to the conditions of the trial itself, while the other was born from the deeper changes his soul had undergone during that process.

Alex smiled faintly as he lowered his body into an unorthodox stance, his war axe extended forward from his side.

It resembled the thrusting posture of a spear more than the typical stance suited for a war axe, which was designed primarily for slashing.

Dalton frowned slightly, a hint of confusion crossing his face. Still, he did not believe Alex foolish enough to mishandle a weapon he had chosen himself. Maintaining his guard, he carefully observed Alex’s every movement.

That... proved to be his mistake.

Alex moved.

In a sudden burst, he lunged forward, thrusting with the war axe.

Dalton reacted instantly, moving to parry the incoming strike aside.

Yet, in the very next moment, his eyes widened in shock.

’It’s light?!’

The sensation of his blade meeting the war axe was... wrong.

Too light.

No—at the instant of contact, he felt nothing at all.

His greatsword passed cleanly through the thrusting axe as though it were an illusion.

His battle-honed instincts roared to life, and he leapt backwards without hesitation.

Boom!

In that fleeting instant, he felt a violent rush of air brush past his torso as something narrowly missed him before slamming heavily into the ground behind him.

Dalton counterattacked on instinct, forcing Alex to retreat as well.

The two men quickly widened the distance between them once more.

Dalton stared at Alex, shock and confusion etched plainly across his face.

Alex, on the other hand, maintained his usual faint smile.

But within his mind, the name of his Truth-Seeker Eyes’ newest ability echoed clearly—

Illusionary Gaze.

***