Chapter 66: Zero Line

A few minutes later, inside the Ashburn Estate’s training facility on the fifth floor, Neolan and his father, Ranson, stood opposite each other on a massive, arena-like platform.

The platform was rectangular in shape and entirely holographic, with no physical material forming its surface, while the surrounding training room was considerably larger than the platform itself. Ranson had specifically prepared this area for their training session.

Neolan looked across the enormous platform and thought, ’This must be where Father tests the Elite forces of our Household. I wonder what he is going to test on me first.’ℴ

Neolan shifted his gaze toward his father, who stood calmly with one arm resting on the hilt of his sword while his long coat covered his back and concealed most of the weapon’s sheath, ’He is already ready for it, he really is a battle-hungry monster.’

Neolan sighed inwardly as he remembered how his father had gone on a killing spree during their previous life when the Demons invaded, simply because he enjoyed the battles they provided.

Although Ranson had been fighting to protect humanity, he had also genuinely enjoyed facing powerful opponents, and Neolan was relieved that he hadn’t inherited that particular trait from him.

Neolan could only shake his head at the memory before his father’s voice interrupted his thoughts. "As this is your first training session personally with me, I will impose some conditions on myself." Neolan nodded because he had already expected Ranson to restrict his own movements, considering the enormous difference between their current strengths.

"The first condition is that I will not move from my position, not even a single step, the second is that I will not move my hands, my legs, or my sword." Ranson stated each condition in his usual heavy voice, showing no uncertainty about the restrictions he was placing on himself, while Neolan listened without interrupting.

Neolan nodded again, already understanding why his father had chosen those conditions. ’Father is at the Thirteenth Evolution, for God’s sake. Even a single step from him could crush me.’

’If not for the endless battles he fought against the Royal Demons before reaching the Demon King, he would have easily taken down the Demon King himself.’ Neolan vividly remembered the rage Ranson had displayed after his mother was killed by the Demons, and even after everything he had experienced in his previous life, that memory remained clear in his mind.

’Even I never reached the Thirteenth Evolution in my previous life...’

Before Neolan could continue thinking about the past, Ranson lifted his left hand and covered his right eye with his palm. Neolan frowned slightly at the unexpected gesture, wondering what his father was doing, but his expression changed when Ranson lowered his hand and revealed an eye patch covering his right eye.

"The third condition is that I will use only one eye." Neolan’s eyes widened as he realized that his father had imposed another restriction on himself, making the conditions even more unusual than he had initially expected, ’Is it because he thinks that even though my Talent is the highest grade, I am still weak?’

The situation struck him as peculiar because, in both his lives, he had usually been the one underestimating the strength of others, yet now he found himself in a position where someone far stronger was deliberately restricting himself against him.

Neolan couldn’t help but smile slightly at the thought before nodding to show that he understood. Ranson continued without changing his expression, "You will attack me with your strongest attack while I defend." He paused briefly before adding, "Once you finish, you will endure my weakest pressure."

Neolan nodded without hesitation because he knew that his father wasn’t making these restrictions out of contempt for his current strength or underestimating the threat he might pose in the future. Even with all those limitations, Ranson’s weakest pressure could still be enough to overwhelm him.

"All right, now that you understand the conditions, you can begin," Ranson said, his deep voice carrying clearly across the training room.

Neolan finally took his stance, considering his father’s instructions while preparing to summon his Astrine Blade. ’My strongest attack, huh? Although Father knows that I only recently awakened, he must also be aware of the Rift I cleared the other day.’

He extended one hand and called out, "Bifrost."

Astrine immediately surged from within his body, gathering in his outstretched hand before taking the form of a thin, long sword with a slightly extended guard around its hilt. Shadowy Astrine energy flowed along the blade’s surface, giving the weapon a distinct appearance that differed from the ordinary Astrine Blades Ranson had likely encountered throughout his years of training Awakened Individuals.

Ranson observed the sword with interest, his gaze following the unusual energy flowing around its blade. "Oh? You have a sword as your Astrine Blade, I see, and a peculiar one at that."

His words carried genuine curiosity because Neolan hadn’t revealed his actual Astrine Blade during the Awakening, leaving Ranson without a clear understanding of what his son had obtained. Neolan offered no explanation and instead tightened his grip around Bifrost’s hilt with both hands, lowering his front leg slightly while positioning the sword’s hilt behind him.

His posture changed as he concentrated on the attack he had chosen, and the relaxed expression he had maintained until then gradually disappeared. He was going to use his strongest technique against his father, even though this would be the first time he had executed it in his current life.

’My strongest technique, the technique I honed for fifteen years in my previous life, and yet I have never executed it in this life...’

Neolan kept his attention on the sword as he recalled the limitations of his technique. Although he had spent fifteen years refining its execution, he still needed to reach beyond the Sixth Evolution before he could release its full power, and his current strength was nowhere near that level.

However, he didn’t need to demonstrate its complete potential to his father, he only needed to show him what he could accomplish with his current Astrine reserves, ’For now, I just need to show Father what this technique can do.’

Having settled his thoughts, Neolan slowly closed his eyes and began preparing his body for the execution. He took a long, controlled breath before releasing it through his mouth, allowing his breathing to settle as he concentrated his Astrine along the required pathways.

"Hoooh."

Neolan’s Astrine surged through his internal energy pathways, passing through his torso and shoulders before flowing down both arms and concentrating at his fingertips. The energy followed a precise route that he had practiced countless times in his previous life.

He didn’t need to force more energy into the sword than necessary, as doing so would only waste what little he possessed without increasing the effectiveness of the attack proportionally.

’Severance: Zero Line.’

The moment the technique’s name surfaced in his mind, Neolan’s sword moved with absolute ferocity, cutting forward as Astrine surged along the blade. The shadowy energy surrounding Bifrost seemed to vibrate under the sudden release, and a thin horizontal line formed in the space ahead of him as his swing reached its conclusion.

Ranson’s eyes narrowed immediately as he observed the execution in real time, recognizing that the attack was far more dangerous than its appearance suggested. He didn’t interrupt or comment, instead he immediately chose to defend against it...even he could sense the danger of that attack, though it would have posed no threat to him if he hadn’t put the restrictions on himself.

Astrine flowed from Ranson’s body in response, but the amount he released was minimal compared with his total reserves, not even reaching a hundredth of the energy he possessed. Even so, the energy gathered in front of him and formed a small, flat defensive barrier looking like a slab, which he positioned directly along the path of Neolan’s attack without moving his hands or taking a step.

Meanwhile, the thin horizontal line surged forward at a speed that defied ordinary perception, crossing the space between them before suddenly disappearing from sight.

Ranson arched an eyebrow at the unexpected phenomenon, but before he could fully understand what had happened, the line reappeared barely an inch from his face. The severance struck his face with the same ferocity with which Neolan had executed it.

CLANG!

Neolan panted heavily as he lowered his sword slightly, his eyes immediately snapping toward his father’s face to see the result of his attack, only to narrow his eyes and find that Ranson had formed another thin slab of Astrine energy directly in front of his face.

The two defenses had been established with such precision that Ranson hadn’t needed to move his body, hands, legs, or sword to protect himself from the technique. ’Damn, how much control does Father even have over Astrine energy?’

Neolan shook his head slightly as he accepted the result, realizing that his strongest technique had been stopped with almost ease. Although the attack had clearly caught Ranson’s attention, it hadn’t managed to leave even a scratch on him, ’Sigh, I guess Father really is too strong.’

"Now it’s my turn. Prepare yourself, Neolan." A pause before he continued, "Otherwise, No healer will be able to heal your Injuries."