CHAPTER 226: ANOTHER BODY REFINEMENT

The night air around the Leclair estate was still, carrying the faint perfume of lilies and pine from the distant gardens. Stars shimmered faintly above the mountain ridge, painting silver trails across the deep blue sky. After parting with Khione at her door — her gentle smile still lingering in his mind — Nero turned his steps toward the rear of the estate.

The mansion’s back mountain loomed quietly behind the main grounds, a vast expanse of forest and stone carved by nature and time. Few ever ventured there, but Nero sought silence — the kind only untouched wilderness could offer. He needed the solitude... and the pain that would follow.

He moved swiftly through the shaded trail, the crunch of gravel beneath his sneakers the only sound as the moonlight followed him between the trees. After several minutes, he emerged into a small clearing — an open plateau surrounded by rocks and low vegetation. A faint mist rolled over the grass, and the air was rich with prana, swirling like invisible smoke, responding faintly to his presence.

"This will do," he murmured.

From his spatial ring, Nero pulled out a simple mat and unrolled it across the ground. He sat cross-legged at its center, his shirt already removed, the night breeze brushing across the lines of muscle on his back and shoulders, highlighting the beautiful yet mysterious blue tattoo on his back.

Closing his eyes, he exhaled slowly, emptying his thoughts until only the rhythm of his heart remained. Then, he whispered a single command beneath his breath inside his mind:

’’Body refinement!"

At once, flame burst to life around him.

It wasn’t chaotic fire, but controlled — precise, obedient to his will. The aura of crimson heat wrapped him in a cocoon, bending the air until it shimmered. His body temperature rose sharply, beads of sweat rolling down his chest as his heartbeat quickened.

But this was only the first layer.

Nero clenched his fists, summoning another blaze — one not of the outer world but within. A spark ignited deep in his core, spreading upward through the channels of his veins, flowing like molten metal through his bloodstream.

His breath hitched.

The pain arrived almost instantly — a crushing, searing agony that struck through his arms and spine as if his bones were being melted and reforged. His jaw tightened, his body trembling under the pressure.

He had done this before — refining the flesh, hardening the muscles, his bones focusing more on bones refinement— Refining the bones meant reshaping the very frame that held him together. Any mistake here could cripple him permanently. But he didn’t stop. He couldn’t.

"What started must be finished..." he muttered through gritted teeth.

He began channeling flame directly into his arms. The crimson light traveled under his skin like lava coursing through cracks, veins glowing faintly as the heat intensified. The bones of his forearms and elbows began to resonate, faintly humming with energy.

Then came the crackling sound.

It was subtle at first, like the groan of wood under strain — but soon it grew louder, clearer, as the bones themselves began to fracture and mend, layer by layer, purified by flame. Each crack brought a spike of pain sharp enough to blur his vision.

He roared.

Not out of fear, but defiance. The night answered back with silence, the trees trembling slightly in response to the wave of heat that surged outward.

Inside him, the flame of refinement continued to devour weakness — burning away fatigue, cleansing impurities, reforging every thread of marrow into something denser, stronger, purer.

Sweat dripped from his chin, sizzling as it touched the glowing ground beneath him. The air smelled faintly of ozone and ash. He had long lost the sense of time; minutes stretched like hours as pain and focus intertwined into something primal, something meditative.

Finally, he shifted focus to the spine — the most difficult part.

He straightened, aligning his posture as if preparing for a final blow. The internal flame moved downward, igniting each vertebra in turn. Every pulse of heat felt like a hammer striking bone. His entire back arched, muscles convulsing, the glow along his spine bright enough to be seen through his skin.

His breathing turned ragged, each inhale trembling, each exhale carrying smoke.

Yet within that torment, a rhythm emerged.

The fire inside him no longer raged — it sang. The agony became distant, replaced by a heavy, resonant heartbeat echoing through his frame. The refinement was nearing completion.

In his mind’s eye, he could see it — his bones now glowing faint gold beneath the flesh, their density multiplied, their structure refined until even a direct blow from a war hammer would barely fracture them.

The inner flame began to dim. Slowly, gradually, until it vanished.

Nero exhaled one final time, his breath coming out as smoke.

Silence returned to the mountain. The night breeze brushed against his sweat-drenched skin, cooling him down, the scent of singed earth lingering faintly around him.

He opened his eyes.

For a moment, faint golden light glimmered behind his pupils — the sign of refinement completed. He flexed his hands slowly, feeling the faint vibration of energy running through his bones. Every motion felt smoother, every breath deeper. His physical prowess had grown strong, soon it would be on par with the physical strength of peak Red Knight stage.

He smiled faintly. "Not bad..."

But his body was exhausted. The process had taken nearly two hours, maybe more. His mat was scorched in places, and the ground beneath him had turned into blackened glass.

Nero stood, stretching, wincing slightly at the soreness that clung to his body. Yet beneath the pain, he felt something new — a quiet strength, like tempered steel hidden beneath flesh.

He turned toward the distant city lights below the mountain, where the others were likely gathering by now.

"Guess it’s time to prepare," he muttered, brushing the sweat from his brow as he walked toward the path back.

The wind whispered through the trees, carrying away the faint scent of flame — and with it, the last remnants of his agony.

Tonight, there would be no rest for Nero Leclair — only another challenge waiting beyond the city lights. His first night outside with the boys in a nightclub, his first experience.