[Early Morning – Academy Training Grounds]
Thunder rolled across the horizon, though no stormclouds loomed above. The air buzzed with mana, dense and sharp like a drawn blade.
Lohan walked into the designated training field—alone.
Justine stood at the center, barefoot on sacred runes that pulsed with divine light. She wore black robes today, far different from her usual divine elegance.
"You're late, Master," she said, her voice laced with silk and poison.
Lohan cracked his neck. "I came, didn't I?"
---
[The "Lesson" Begins]
Justine raised a finger, and the ground split. Spears of golden flame erupted, slicing through the wind.
But Lohan didn't move.
His eyes glowed faintly.
> [War God's Intuition: Activated]
[Predictive Pattern: Spiral sweep – two seconds delay.]
He sidestepped casually, as if the world moved in slow motion.
Justine watched, a spark of thrill in her eyes.
"You're holding back."
"So are you."
---
[Outside the Training Field – Watching in Secret]
Winter crouched beside the barrier runes, watching the two in silence.
She had skipped her early classes.
What she saw inside the field wasn't a spar—it was a dance of killers.
Justine summoned divine illusions, each one bearing resemblance to past gods.
Lohan dismantled them with clinical precision, never wasting a step, always one breath ahead.
Winter whispered, "…Who are you really, Lohan?"
---
[The Hidden Truth]
In the deepest vault beneath the academy, a librarian with stitched lips opened a sealed tome.
Inside, old drawings and names of ancient tower climbers flickered.
One name shone faintly—erased from all official records.
> Hajun Ardyn – The Mortal Who Reached the Throne Floor
"Someone has returned," the librarian muttered in a voice like cracking parchment.
"And the gods fear it."
---
[Back on the Field]
Lohan stood, blood trickling down his lip from a lucky hit.
Justine smirked. "Your instincts are back."
Lohan nodded. "You still fight like a child pretending to be a god."
She stepped closer, uncomfortably close.
"Then teach me again, Master."
He didn't respond.
But she whispered, almost too softly, "Let's see how far I can push you before you kill me… or fall in love with me again."
---