The explosion of lightning was deafening.

"RRAAAHHH!" Ethan roared, slamming his palm to the ground with all his strength.

Blue mana surged from his body like a violent storm unleashed.

Bolts of electricity spider-webbed across the floor, tearing through tiles and furniture.

The dormitory trembled as the wave of energy erupted outward.

Elysia barely had time to raise her arm before the shockwave hit her.

The force lifted her off her feet, throwing her several meters backward.

She crashed against the training wall.

She dropped to one knee, shielding her face as debris rained around her — splinters, shards of shattered glass, chunks of wood scorched black by the lightning.

The once-silent training room now crackled with unstable energy.

Arcs of blue electricity flickered along the walls, humming in the air like a living thing.

When the dust settled, Ethan stood in the center of the devastation — his body glowing faintly, his eyes lit with wild intensity.

"This..." he breathed heavily, chest heaving, "...this is what true power feels like!"

He threw back his head and laughed — the sound sharp, manic, and echoing against the ruined walls.

His blue aura pulsed like thunderclouds ready to burst again.

Elysia rose slowly, brushing dust from her shoulder.

A cut bled along her cheek, but her eyes didn’t waver.

"Power without reason," she said quietly, "is just destruction."

Ethan tilted his head, grinning through the arcs of lightning dancing over his arms. "Then maybe destruction is what this world needs."

Her eyes narrowed. "This isn’t you."

"Oh, I’ve only awakened," he replied, spreading his arms as lightning surged brighter around him.

"You’ve all been playing heroes while I’ve been preparing for something greater."

Elysia took a deep breath, her hands tightening on her sword hilt. "Then you’ve left me no choice."

She raised her sword high above her head, and a blinding golden light erupted behind her.

A circular sigil of radiant runes spun into existence — vast, intricate, and alive with power.

The runes shimmered and rearranged, forming a pattern so divine that even the air seemed to bow before it.

Ethan’s grin faltered as the pressure in the room spiked.

His lightning began to flicker, suppressed by the overwhelming presence of holy mana.

"What—what is this...?" he stammered, taking an involuntary step back.

Elysia said. "You’ve forced me to use it... The Divine Star of War."

With those words, the magic circle exploded in a burst of celestial radiance.

A giant figure began to emerge from the light.

Its massive frame towered nearly to the ceiling. Glowing chains of golden mana draped over its form like celestial cloth.

In its enormous hands, it wielded a blade.

Ethan stumbled backward. "That’s... impossible."

"Nothing is impossible," Elysia said, her eyes now glowing white with power.

"You’ve gone too far. This ends now."

The Divine Star of War moved — impossibly swift for its size. The giant swung its colossal sword downward in a single, earth-splitting motion.

Ethan roared and crossed his arms, gathering every spark of lightning he had.

"RAAAH! BLUE AEGIS!"

A massive wall of lightning formed in front of him, a dome of pure electricity — but it shattered instantly the moment the divine sword struck.

The impact sent a thunderous shockwave through the room, blowing out every window.

Ethan was hurled backward, crashing through a table before slamming into the wall hard enough to leave a crater.

"GAHHHH!" He screamed, blood spraying from his mouth.

The wall cracked, smoke curling around him as he struggled to stand.

Elysia’s eyes gleamed coldly. "You still want to call that power?"

Ethan spat blood and glared. "You think this makes you right?"

"You call this strength," she said, walking toward him step by step, "but all I see is someone drowning in their own arrogance."

"Shut up!" Ethan shouted, summoning lightning around his fist. "Don’t you dare talk down to me!"

"I am your senior.. Have some respect"

He lunged forward with blinding speed, his fist sparking as it shot toward her chest.

Elysia moved fast.

She sidestepped his attack and slashed across his arm. A burst of divine energy erupted, sending Ethan spinning backward once again.

But she didn’t stop there.

Elysia dashed forward.

Her sword struck again and again, raining blows on Ethan like a divine storm.

Sparks flew with every clash, his lightning struggling to defend against her radiant fury.

"Stop—Elysia—!" Ethan gasped, trying to counter.

Her sword met his mana-charged arm with a clang that sent a wave of golden light bursting outward.

Ethan was flung backward once again, crashing into the wall so hard that cracks splintered through the stone.

Elysia stood over him. "For what you’ve done to Jin and Cecelia..." she raised her sword once more, "...you deserve this."

Her eyes glowed like twin stars. The Divine Star of War mirrored her movement, its giant blade descending in sync with hers.

The ground quaked as divine energy filled the air.

But at the very last second, she stopped — the blade halting just inches from Ethan’s trembling face.

The divine power hummed violently in the air, cracking the ground beneath him.

His lightning sputtered out completely, reduced to faint sparks fading into silence.

Ethan lay there.

His chest rose and fell rapidly, blood dripping from the corner of his lips.

Elysia exhaled slowly and lowered her weapon. "You’re worthless to be beaten," she whispered.

The celestial warrior behind her bowed its head and began to fade, dissolving into glowing streams of light that drifted upward and vanished.

Then — BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! — heavy footsteps thundered from the corridor.

The door burst open, splintering on its hinges as Ethan’s group rushed inside.

"Ethan!" one of them shouted. "What happened here!?"

They stopped in shock. The entire dormitory was half-destroyed — the floor charred, tables shattered, scorch marks streaking the walls.

And there in the center stood Elysia.

Their eyes darted to Ethan — slumped against the wall, his robes torn, body bruised and bleeding.

"Elysia..." one of his comrades shouted, stepping forward. "What did you do!?"

She didn’t answer immediately. Her eyes remained on Ethan.

Finally, she turned away. "Ask him," she said.

"He knows what he did."

And with that, she sheathed her sword and began to walk toward the door.

As she passed by the stunned group, the leader barked, "You think you can just attack one of us and walk away!?"

Elysia paused in the doorway.

She looked back over her shoulder, her gaze icy. "If you value your lives," she said calmly, "don’t make me prove I can do worse."

"So this is the problem of junior?", one of them said.