Chapter 144: Ascension

The thunderous applause of the colosseum echoed off the towering stone walls as Kale Ardentis stepped back from the second trial platform. His face remained calm and unreadable, his gold-trimmed robes resting smoothly against his broad shoulders.

Beneath his high collar, the gold runic mesh hidden beneath his skin continued its silent work. The dual forces of the Terra Shell and the Ignis Core maintained perfect equilibrium, masking his black curse mark from every scrying sensor in the arena.

On the high royal dais, Princess Aria tapped her golden fan against her palm with a slow rhythm. Her yellow eyes shone with deep fascination as she watched the green-haired artificer store his pristine Aether Elixir into his spatial pouch.

Beside her, Prince Renard let out another loud laugh that carried across the VIP seats. The prince raised his golden goblet toward Kale, celebrating the public humiliation of the competing noble houses.

The heir of House Morrow clutched his broken stone talisman in bitter silence. Beside him, the representative of the Divine Fist Sect stared at his own melted brass core, his face dark with shame.

Neither of them had expected a former village boy to outclass the capital’s wealthiest lineages in pure alchemical precision. Their arrogant pride had been thoroughly crushed under the weight of Kale’s flawless execution.

The colosseum’s ambient temperature shifted as the breeze swept through the open arches. Spectators in the upper tiers leaned over the stone railings, eager to see what the judges would demand for the decisive round.

Grandmaster Kraul stepped forward to the edge of the high platform, his booming voice cutting through the noise of the crowd. The entire arena fell silent as the muscular judge raised his heavy hand.

Two royal guards marched onto the central stage, carrying a heavy iron chest decorated with ancient runes. They set the chest on the central pedestal and carefully unlocked its three massive deadbolts with heavy brass keys.

When the lid was lifted, a blinding pillar of multicoloured elemental light shot toward the open sky. The ambient temperature of the colosseum fluctuated wildly, shifting from cold to scorching heat in a single second.

Inside the chest lay the grand prize of the Zenith Competition, a pristine Ancient-rank elemental core. It pulsed with a pure, uncorrupted essence that mesmerised every tamer and artificer in the arena.

Kale’s green eyes locked onto the glowing core with sharp intensity. Through their shared soul bond, he felt Neo stir within his shadow, the hydra’s three heads waking with an intense hunger for that concentrated catalyst.

That core represented the exact key needed for the next phase of the Elemental Resonance Project. It possessed the raw elemental density required to jumpstart Neo’s dormant affinities without triggering a genetic rejection cascade.

Grandmaster Oram stood up beside Kraul, his pleasant smile broadening as he addressed the remaining candidates. His gentle voice carried across the stone benches with absolute clarity, reaching every corner of the arena.

The final trial of the Artificer division will test your mastery over living biological structures, Oram announced. You must perform a live Fleshcraft integration upon a wild feral subject, adapting its tissue without extinguishing its life force.

The candidate who achieves the highest level of biological stability and integration speed will claim the Ancient rank core. You have exactly thirty minutes to complete the procedure.

Assistants immediately brought out three heavy iron cages, each containing an enraged Peak Feral rank Ironclaw Wolf. The beasts snarled ferociously, their eyes glowing with red bloodlust as they snapped at the iron bars.

Only three candidates remained qualified for this final trial. Kale stood on the right, while the remaining prodigies of House Morrow and the Divine Fist Sect took their positions at the other two workbenches.

The noble candidates immediately brought out expensive alchemical sedatives, trying to calm the ferocious wolves. Their hands trembled slightly under the immense pressure of the crowd’s gaze.

They knew that if the feral beast struggled during the surgical incision, the volatile elemental catalyst would rupture the nervous system. A single slip of the blade would result in immediate biological failure.

Kale did not use any chemical sedatives or physical restraints. He walked up to his iron cage with steady, measured steps, his green eyes staring directly into the eyes of the snarling beast.

Without uttering a word, Kale activated the Gaze of the Monarch through his internal connection. A brief, imperceptible pulse of draconic pressure leaked from his shadow, washing over the wild wolf.

The Ironclaw Wolf froze instantly, its snarling jaws snapping shut as a primal terror gripped its mind. The ferocious predator slumped onto the floor of the cage, completely paralysed by the aura of an ultimate monarch.

Kale opened the cage door effortlessly, pulling the limp wolf onto his stone workbench. The spectators in the front rows gasped in disbelief, unable to understand how an apprentice-level tamer had subdued a Peak Feral beast with a simple glance.

On the royal dais, Princess Aria leaned forward, her golden fan resting against her lips. Her yellow eyes narrowed as she tried to analyse the invisible force Kale had just deployed.

Renard leaned over to his sister, muttering in a low tone. That boy uses methods that defy standard academy training, Renard remarked, his interest deepening with each passing second.

Kale retrieved his surgical tools, his mind already executing the precise steps of the procedure. He picked up a shard of deep earth crystal and a vial of volcanic resin, preparing to graft the elemental properties onto the wolf’s spine.

He made a clean, swift cut along the beast’s back, exposing the central nervous nodes without spilling unnecessary blood. His hand moved with surgical speed, his fingers guided by his unified Trinity Crafting skill.

At the neighbouring tables, the two noble candidates were struggling immensely. The volatile fire resin they used began to burn through the wolves’ skin, triggering severe rejection cascades that made their test subjects thrash wildly.

The candidate from House Morrow poured too much mana into the ironwood constraint, causing his wolf’s spine to crack under the sudden pressure. The animal howled in pain before going completely limp on the stone.

The representative of the Divine Fist Sect tried to force the fire core into the exposed tissue without filtering the thermal friction. A small explosion erupted on his workbench, covering his face in black soot and destroying the subject.

Kale remained completely unbothered by the chaos around him. He poured a small stream of his refined mana into the cut, using his Hexarion physiology to act as an energetic bridge between the crystal and the flesh.

Deep within his shadow, Neo compressed its energy, sending a subtle ripple of its absolute taming affinity through the bond. The rebellious wolf cells accepted the granite matrix instantly, fusing with the biological nodes without a single trace of friction.

Kale applied the volcanic resin over the wound, sealing the cut with a smooth layer of heat-resistant scales. The entire operation took less than ten minutes, a speed that defied every established standard of the Fleshcraft profession.

The modified Ironclaw Wolf opened its eyes, standing up on the workbench with a strong posture. Its spine now glowed with a quiet, dual attribute harmony of earth and fire, its baseline physical stats doubled without any loss of life force.

The beast did not attack Kale; instead, it bowed its head in complete obedience, acknowledging its creator’s supreme authority.

A dead silence fell over the vast colosseum. The spectators, the noble ministers, and the Grandmasters on the dais stared at the standing wolf in total shock.

Grandmaster Lazek Oberon stood up from his seat on the far right, a small, proud smile touching his pale face. He looked at his senior disciple brothers with an unmistakable expression of victory.

Grandmaster Kraul let out a low rumble of approval, slamming his heavy fist onto the wooden railing. The candidate Kale Ardentis has achieved absolute integration with zero cellular rejection, Kraul declared loudly.

Grandmaster Oram nodded in deep respect, his gentle voice carrying across the quiet benches. The speed and stability of this Fleshcraft modification are unprecedented, Oram announced. By unanimous decision, Kale Ardentis is the champion of the Artificer division.

The entire colosseum erupted into a deafening roar of cheers and applause. Tens of thousands of people stood up, cheering for the young green-haired master who had conquered every trial with absolute dominance.

Prince Renard stood up on the royal dais, raising his glass high as his boisterous laughter echoed over the arena. Princess Aria smiled softly behind her fan, her yellow eyes gleaming with a calculating, intense light.

Kale walked up the stone steps to the central pedestal, where the open iron chest rested. He reached inside and picked up the Ancient rank elemental core, feeling its immense, pristine power thrum against his palm.

Deep within his shadow, Neo let out a quiet, satisfied trill through the taming bond. The catalyst required for the next phase of the Elemental Resonance Project was finally in their hands.

In the dark shadow of a far entrance, High Inquisitor Luke stood silently among his paladins. His colourless eyes locked onto Kale with a cold, predatory hatred, but he remained unable to act under the watchful gaze of the royal family and the Association.

Kale stored the Ancient rank core safely inside his spatial storage, adjusting his grey headband with a calm gesture. He offered a formal half bow to the cheering crowd, his mind already focused on the future.