Four bursts of fire exploded in the sky above the Southern Shore, dazzling and brilliant. Though dusk was approaching and the world was cloaked in shadow, the heavens blazed crimson as a sea of flames rolled through the air."What terrifying power!"Reginald and Gareth exchanged glances, their eyes wide with disbelief. Every move Leander made seemed effortless, almost casual, yet each step and every strike left another Transcendent Realm expert dead.First, it had been the four Kindling Transcendents from the War God Sanctum; now, the four Ember Transcendents from the Arbitration Office had also burst apart into flames, dying in eerie unison. Throughout Astria's history of martial supremacy, no one had ever reached such a level."So, this is Leander's true strength?" Ethan whispered, his heart sinking with bitter defeat.He had thought Leander's era was long over-that the once peerless prodigy who had dominated Highcliffe had already become a relic of history. Yet now, he realized that Leander stood taller than ever, his gaze reaching further than it had nine years ago."I knew it," Daphne murmured softly, her eyes shining with joy and emotion. "Even if you lost your martial power, nothing could ever bring you down. You can do anything you set your mind to."Leander had once said he would stand at the pinnacle of his generation, becoming a guiding force for all others. And now, he had done it more completely than anyone could have imagined. He had surpassed not only the younger generation but even veterans like Gareth and Reginald, leaving them far behind."That b*stard... Nine years apart, and he's become this strong?" Eira's bright eyes shimmered with awe.Back then, Leander had already outshone every young talent in Highcliffe, but the gap had still been within sight.Now, she and the others were still struggling to reach the Martial Sovereign Realm -barely able to stand against an Intermediate Martial Sovereign like Elkins, even when fighting together-while Leander was slaying Transcendents as easily as killing flies.The distance between them was no longer just vast; it was unimaginable.Tycen drew in a sharp breath, chills running through him as he recalled that night he had once dared to raise a hand against Leander. If Ethan and Daphne hadn't intervened at the time, what would have become of him?Aurora stood frozen in place, her heart trembling. She had expected Leander to surprise her, but this was beyond surprise-it was shock.Though she knew little about martial arts, she could still tell who stood above whom. Leander had appeared only moments ago, yet he had single-handedly crushed eight powerful opponents, fighting nine alone as easily as wind scattering leaves.His fearless, unstoppable presence-his very bearing-made her heart race uncontrollably. This was what true greatness looked like. Compared to him, men like Tycen or Ethan seemed laughably insignificant, their brilliance dimmed into nothing. The patriarchs of the other three major elite families were all stunned, their expressions complicated. They couldn't help but wonder what kind of training the Ashcrofts had put Leander through during those nine lost years.Only Wesley stood motionless, his face pale with confusion.Others might not know Leander's past, but he did he knew every detail. Leander had been stripped of his martial power at ten and cast out of the Ashcroft family. If not for that, Wesley would never have stood before him and told him he wasn't worthy of Daphne.But now, Leander's overwhelming, almost divine display shattered every doubt and every trace of contempt Wesley had ever held.As he recalled the words he had once thrown at Leander, a shiver ran through his body. If even the Iron Sovereign—the man who stood unmatched under heaven— wasn't good enough for his daughter, then who in this world possibly could be?...The sea of fire danced across thefiresky, and the four EmberTranscendents exploded one after another leaving only Greedstanding. Holding his bone whel.nehestood several dozen yards away from Leander, his gaze fixed on the shifting inferno before him, eyes dark and calculating. Even someone as powerful as him had to admit this was the first time he had ever witnessed such terrifying flames. The sheer destructive force was unlike anything he had seen in all his years.He was certain that if he had been caught in that blazing inferno like the four before him, his end would have been just as miserable."Jeff Ashcroft, you truly live up to your reputation as the most gifted martial prodigy in Astria's history," Greed said coldly, a thin smile curling on his lips. "Interesting."Though the flames under Leander's control were daunting, they hadn't reached the point of instilling fear in him.Leander clenched his fist. "The other eight trash are already gone. Now, it's your turn."As his fingers tightened, the fiery sea vanished from the sky, leaving nothing but heat ripples in the air.His Dragonfire was a double-edged weapon. It could burn anything it touched, igniting even the faintest trace of energy and unleashing devastation on a massive scale. But its one weakness-speed-made it difficult to strike agile or cautious opponents.The only reason the four Ember Transcendents had been obliterated earlier was that they had activated the Dragonbane Formation. The Dragonfire had followed the flow of their formation lines, invading their bodies and consuming them from within. Back atop Glidewing Mountain, Grayson had met the same fate because he had used the Skybound Strike—unwittingly opening himself to the flame's reach. But against an opponent like Greed, fast and cunning, the Dragonfire was far less effective.Seeing Leander withdraw theflames, the wariness in Greed's eyes faded. The bone whip in his handhissed through the an stirring metclouds and wind in its wake. "Ashcroft, you've already made the Arbitration Office suffer some heavylošses. Impressive. But it endshere-I'll deal with you myself." With a sharp crack, Greed lashed out.The whip struck down like a bolt of lightning, and the entire beach trembled under the impact. The sea roared and rose, the surface splitting open as waves surged upward ten yards high, spreading outward for nearly a hundred meters. Everyone watching froze, faces pale with disbelief. A single strike had split the sea wide open. What kind of power was this?"A Blaze Transcendent..." Reginald murmured, his throat tightening.The Transcendent experts of the four major elite families all turned grim, silent in shock. A Blaze Transcendent—such a powerhouse hadn't appeared in almost fifty years.The waves thundered toward the shore, carrying an unstoppable force that could swallow the entire Southern Shore in an instant. Anyone below the Transcendent Realm would be obliterated.As the gale howled around him, Leander's gaze sharpened. He stepped forward.The first step landed at the veryedge of the Southern Shore. His footstruck the surface of the sea. The second step brought him ten yards closer and when his foot came down again, it was like the fall of agiant Water erupted upward, sand and coral blasting into the sky as theocean floor cracked under his heel.Then came the third step—he leapt high into the air like a soaring falcon, twisting inmidair as he unleashed a sweeping kick."Tempest Sweep!"noveldramaWith a thunderous boom, the leg strike tore through the air, a horizontal surge ofpower slicing forward to collide head-on with the towering hundred-meter wave. The sky and sea shuddered at the impact.