Chapter 319: New Record (2)
Vassa had been stationed in the AAA’s Headquarters for almost five years now.
And throughout those years, she had overseen more than a hundred champions—from every single academy stretched across the three Cloud Colonies within the First Sky. She also heard bits about other champions from her colleagues.
Becoming champions was already hard enough to do.
Due to how detrimental becoming a champion was, the tournaments were really competitive.
Many would risk their lives to win.
But to stand out among champions was even harder, and Vassa had been graced to see a few of them during her years working here. Even though that was the case—none were even close to matching Kai’s mana level.
A Grade-0 Aspirant Supernal possessing mana equivalent to a Grade-0 Scion Supernal?
An individual like that shouldn’t exist in the sky.
Kai was easily comparable to, or even triumphed over, Demons.
Not regular Demons either, but Demons with powerful bloodlines, which was shocking.
Of course, there were some abnormal Angels who excelled far better than Kai did in the agility and strength tests. But mana is most certainly the most important stat—for a Supernal. It was the energy that allowed a normal human to become a Supernal.
And more importantly, it also dictated the raw power of Legacy Skills and Imprints.
Even if a Supernal lacked in strength or agility, as long as they had mana—they could simply gain a Legacy Imprint in the future from their Patron God to make up for those things. On the other hand, a Supernal who lacked mana would never be able to make up for it using Legacy Imprints.
Only those with the divine bloodline of an Olympian God could hope to bolster their mana.
Any Legacy Imprint that boosts mana is simply exclusive to a very high-rated Patron God.
Supernals like that are extremely rare, so most would be stuck to using what mana they have.
Swoosh—!
Vassa lowered her arms when the surge of mana finally receded.
But her eyes remained fixed on the holographic panel.
’An Angel of Poseidon set the record two years back. As a Grade-0 Aspirant Supernal, he has mana equivalent to a Grade-4 Aspirant Supernal. But this unassuming Lesser Angel beat that, having mana equivalent to a Grade-0 Scion Supernal.’ She sucked in a cold breath, still entirely stunned by what she was seeing. ’I-Impossible...’
"Ah..." Layra stared at the result, too, and smiled wryly. "So, this is your full power."
Just earlier today, she was confident.
Breaking the Sky Warrior Tournament record—and becoming the Emerald Princess made her think that she was closer to Kai now. But this test proved that she still needed to train, needed to continue growing stronger to catch up to him.
’Either way, he looked really hot right now.’ Layra’s eyes sparkled—as she looked at Kai, still swirled by darkness. And then, he retracted his mana and turned around. Noticing her intense gaze, he scratched the back of his head and smiled. ’Eugh... It’ll be perfect if he could act cool without needing to be in a dangerous situation.’
In a tense situation, Kai’s demeanour shifted to a cold one.
His posture was strong, and his eyes were sharp.
But when there was nothing going on, he would return to this aloof demeanour.
Like he was some meek guy who got nervous in front of his crush.
Oblivious to Layra’s annoyance, Kai turned and looked up to see his result. He was pleasantly surprised to see how he did. "Grade-0 Scion Supernal...?" He mumbled. "I guess I should have expected this much."
Other than his divine bloodline focusing on mana, he also had absorbed the Dragon Heart.
It pushed his mana to almost seven hundred and fifty points.
Just that he didn’t expect to actually reach the Scion Supernal level—as based on how Vassa’s eyes were widened in pure shock right now, he was quite sure nobody had ever reached it. Then again, I need to be at least this eye-catching. To make sure.
Kai needed to stand out for when he entered the Second Sky.
But more immediate than that, he needed to stand out to make sure Markus bites.
Considering that they were in the AAA’s Headquarters, coming to meet him would probably be risky to do. Keeper Seliza is one thing, and there are certainly other things Markus needed to worry about.
His only way to make sure that Markus would take the risk was by standing out.
"I-Impressive." Vassa blinked and snapped out of her trance. "Your mana level set a new bar for the First Sky. Throughout all Cloud Colonies, I think only a few have a mana level near you, but none matched you."
"I take it as I did excellently, then." Kai nodded firmly.
"But I must really ask... Are you really a Supernal of Moros?"
"Last time I checked, yes."
"Have you been re-checked before?"
"I have. A representative from the Lower Olympus came to check my bloodline since I wasn’t checked during the Awakening Ceremony."
"I see..." Vassa nodded her head—and didn’t press further. Since the Lower Olympus already sent someone to check him, then there must be no mistake. After all, they have the best method to check and also treat their records of existing divine bloodlines seriously. "And how about your Divine Locks? I know that you’re a Lesser Angel, but do you really only have one?"
"You can check it if you really want," Kai suggested nonchalantly. "Just know that my Divine Lock is aggressive, so you might get attacked."
"Okay," Vassa approached—and held Kai’s hand, cupping it between hers. "I can probe them without riling them, so you don’t have to worry."
She closed her eyes.
Her breathing slowed, her posture stilled, and then she pushed her mana into Kai’s body—with immaculate control. It entered through his hand, slipped easily past skin and muscle—and then headed straight for his core.
Once there, she could feel the pressure of mana.
It came from Kai’s main Divine Lock, or at least that was what she assumed.
She avoided the torrents of dark mana, threading her own mana through the gaps like a needle through woven cloth. As soon as she was close enough but not to the point of riling the main Divine Lock, she thinned her mana, turning it into a precise string.
Something that could only be achieved by years of practice.
And then it moved without disturbing anything around it.
Vassa made sure her mana was too weak and feeble so that the main Divine Lock would ignore it. Once she grazed the surface of the main Divine Lock, it reacted to her presence. A very faint pulse of awareness—but not enough to repel her.
She pressed deeper, slipping inside, and began to probe.
’It’s big. Really big.’ She thought inside, feeling that the Divine Lock’s insides were massive. It was also layered with power that felt cold and all-consuming to the touch. ’Since he was of Moros, the God of Doom, I guess this tracked.’
Carefully, she traced its contours, measured its weight, and found herself unsurprised.
Kai’s feat with the orb had already told her he was extraordinary.
But she wasn’t here to confirm the obvious.
She was here to answer a different question—Is there only one Divine Lock?
Vassa pulled her mana string out and searched Kai’s body for another Divine Lock.
Despite the accuracy of the measuring orb used during orientation, it might have missed one that was placed in an odd place. Divine Locks normally settled on fixed places, but there were some instances when they weren’t.
It was unlikely, but she still wanted to check.
Just to be sure. Just to see whether Kai had been lying.
Two minutes passed in silence. Her mana string wandered through his core, through channels and pathways that encompassed his insides—but found nothing. She noticed some networks branching from the main Divine Lock, networks exclusive to the seniors—which was odd for Kai to know about, but that’s not what she was looking for.
No second Divine Lock. She found only one.
Vassa pulled back her mana string and withdrew her hands before opening her eyes.
"Forgive me for doubting you. I found only one." She said, genuinely apologizing for wanting to make sure. "Even though you have only one, it has an abnormal size. A unique mutation that made your mana level—as high as it is right now. I’m not entirely sure, but I doubt there’d be any problem for you to reach higher ranks, at least until the Scion Supernal rank."
"It’s fine." Kai waved his hand dismissively, but he was surprised inside that Vassa could not find his second Primordial Lock. "If I were you, I would also be suspicious, too. I completely understand."
On the side, Layra was distracted by something Vassa said.
"Any problem reach higher ranks? What do you mean?" She asked.
"Hm?" Vassa raised a brow. "I guess your professor avoided talking about this, but depending on a Supernal’s total Divine Locks, there is a limit as to how strong they could get. It was why there was even a Grade-4."
"Grade-4 Supernals are those with low Divine Locks?"
"Yes, they can’t reach higher ranks, so they used supplements that forced their bodies to grow stronger. However, it would never help them achieve the next rank. That’s why there are Guard Angels."
Kai already knew about this.
Other than Professor Hera telling them bluntly, he had also encountered one very early.
It was the East Keeper in the Blood Rite.
Once Kai finished his last test, it was Layra’s turn.
She placed her hand on the white orb, and sunlight wrapped around it. The holographic panel above flickered and displayed her result—the upper echelon of Grade-3 Aspirant Supernal. It was really near Grade-4.
A formidable score by any measure, one that would’ve impressed Vassa on any other day.
But today, after Kai, she only nodded.
After all, Layra was also a Supernal of Apollo, so this was to be expected.
"Did you bring the registration papers? I’ll have to submit them to finish your registration." Layra said as the three of them walked out of the Test Hall. "If you forgot to bring them, then you will need to fill them out again. I can bring you the papers."
"I think I forgot to bring mine." Kai smiled sheepishly.
He was too fixated on the day and forgot to bring them.
"I hadn’t got them," Layra added. "Sorry..."
"Sigh... No problem, I will get them for you." Vassa walked away. "You can walk around the headquarters, but stick to the backyard and don’t go wander too far. I’ll be back."
"Take your time!" Kai shouted back.
Naturally, this was his chance to look for Markus, so he didn’t want to waste it.
But the moment Vassa disappeared around the corner, a sudden migraine struck his mind.
"Kai?" Layra noticed that he was wobbling, and she gasped when he fell backward. "Kai!"