CHAPTER 138: CHAPTER 138: TWO YEARS

The silver armor rested solemnly before him, accompanied by the blue-edged sword that seemed to cut even light. William observed it in silence, while Anubis frowned, uneasy.

"Where did you get it?" the ancient guardian asked in a grave voice. "That armor... it looks like the one described in ancient texts. The one of the knight who assassinated a Supreme."

William didn’t answer immediately. He just lowered his gaze and murmured:

"I found it..."

Then, without further words, he extended his hand, took the sword, and, with determination, made a deep cut in his palm. Blood dripped onto the armor and the blade. Both began to vibrate, as if awakening from a deep sleep. In a blink, they disappeared, violently absorbed into his body.

"What the hell...?!" Anubis muttered, his hand going to the hilt of his sword.

William tried to summon the sword. Instantly, it appeared in his hand, as light as a feather. Astonished, he raised it... and then called the other one too. Both swords appeared, but the white one began to tremble.

Without warning, the sword of chaos lunged on its own towards the white one, clashing against it. Purple sparks erupted in the air. The blades crossed over and over in a fierce combat, until the white sword fractured.

The dark symbols on the sword of chaos shone brightly. It began to envelop the fragments of the other, absorbing it, devouring it.

When the fusion ended, the sword of chaos looked the same... but holding it, William noticed it no longer vibrated with bloodlust. It was stable. Serene.

"It no longer desires to kill," Anubis said, still with a serious expression. "You’ve calmed its hunger. But now... it’s more dangerous than ever."

William smiled, satisfied, but something else still caught his attention. He called the armor.

It emerged... but something was wrong. It was fracturing, as if something inside it was destroying it from within. Frightened by this, William tried to extend his hand, but as he moved closer, it only accelerated its destruction. Fragment by fragment, it was sucked into William’s ring. But, unlike the beasts he normally killed, it didn’t turn into mist.

It was as if the molten metal was compressing and twisting directly inside his arm. He screamed in pain as his hand became completely covered with black, living, pulsating armor.

A dark aura emerged from it, dense and heavy as a mountain.

Anubis instinctively recoiled.

"That armor... it’s not common. It’s dangerous. Too dangerous. Use it carefully, William."

But William only smiled, more out of hunger than pride. Hunger for power.

William returned to the academy. The introduction to magic class would begin soon.

Upon entering the classroom, something caught his attention: everyone was avoiding Lia. No one was near her. Not even those who used to joke or sit next to her. It was as if the air around her was poisoned.

Lia remained seated, her gaze downcast. Although she tried to hide it, a slight tremor in her shoulders showed her sadness. No human can remain indifferent to everyone’s rejection. Despite noticing it, William sat next to her as always, pretending nothing was wrong.

"What’s happening?" William asked.

"Teacher Elnara was severely attacked," Lia replied. "She’s been in a coma for days and no one knows if she’ll survive. Yesterday I heard it in the library; they say something very strange is happening, because she doesn’t leave the academy and, despite that, no one knows who attacked her."

Thirty minutes of tense silence passed until a mage with a mask entered the classroom.

"By order of the administration, this class will be free for the rest of the year. You are dismissed."

The room fell silent. William and Lia stood up without a word.

"Shall we go eat something?" Lia suggested.

While they ate, William told her that the day before he had tried to enter the knight’s area, but was stopped.

"Only third-year students can challenge," she explained. "Duels between knights and mages are the most popular at that level. You’ll be able to enter soon."

That calmed him. Time passed, weeks turned into months, and the first year ended, followed by the second. Throughout this time, William didn’t ease up for a single moment.

He studied spell after spell, completely exhausting library levels 0 to 4. Only half of floor 5 remained unexplored. But he wasn’t just growing in magic. As a knight, his strength became feared.

Some classmates advanced to rank 3 apprentices, and in their arrogance, tried to attack Lia.

Ten attempts. Ten defeats. Ten humiliations. Everyone who came ended up with fractured bones; no matter how they used their magic, they couldn’t maintain a safe distance before being annihilated. After these battles, no one looked at them with ill intent again.

Thus his nickname was born: The Demon of Black Rock.

As time went on, William even managed to open a door to the Void, though he still didn’t control the cuts. He knew it was only a matter of mana. His ambition was clear: to master all the spells in the library before advancing to rank 3 apprentice.

But there was a problem: he had only unlocked 10% of his cerebral cortex. Books were scarce. Conventional solutions were exhausted.

Until, in a casual conversation, Anubis said:

"That’s normal. But if you wish... I can give you a potion to break that limit. Though... you’ll suffer hell."

William accepted without hesitation. Anubis left to find the ingredients. According to his calculations, it would take him an entire year.

So William dedicated himself to another task: choosing his three advancement spells for rank 3.

Without Angel to guide him, he had to think carefully. Those spells would form the basis of his combat style.

Meanwhile, Lia found her path: water. All other elements wore her down. Water, on the other hand, strengthened her. She dedicated herself completely to perfecting it.

And as both grew, the rumor began to spread.

A date was approaching. No professor mentioned it. No elder gave details about it.

But all the students knew that something was coming.

Something important. Those with prominent families knew something and, even if they didn’t share it, it was easy for the others to realize that something was approaching and none were ready.