Chapter 332: Chapter 332: Breaking the Cocoon
Faith and Cecilia’s mother, unwilling to let her daughter become a living weapon like her brother Budot, had opposed the tribute to the Sword Family. However, her resistance only earned her death.
This served as the primary foundation for Faith’s plan.
He had frantically unearthed information, seeking a way to pull back his sister, who was gradually losing her humanity. This was the method: extreme psychological stimulation. Faith wanted to use his own death to awaken the memory of their mother’s demise within Cecilia’s heart. Memories never truly vanish; they are merely hidden.
Of course, he couldn’t simply die out of nowhere; he needed a phase to soften Cecilia’s psychological defenses first. This was why Faith had gone to Kanzax Academy—not just to seek suitable pawns for the ultimate battle in the resource distribution game, but also to disrupt the Sword Family’s brainwashing schedule for Cecilia.
Afterward, Faith had to arrange the scene and atmosphere of his execution to be identical to their mother’s. The same executioner, Budot, was provoked into killing Faith exactly as he had killed their mother. Naturally, this had to take place before Cecilia—whom Faith had long ago instructed his subordinates to bring so she could "save" him. Since she had not yet lost all her humanity, she did as expected.
"Give me back my family!"
Cecilia finally lost control. With a lightning-fast draw, she unleashed a [Wind Slash] aimed directly at Budot.
Budot narrowed his eyes slightly. What surprised him was not Cecilia’s strength, but her ability to break free from her cognitive shackles to strike.
However... whether she broke free or not would change nothing.
Budot swung his sword; flames flared and incinerated everything, neutralizing Cecilia’s powerful attack with a single, effortless stroke. She did not retreat; instead, she forced her body, which was being crushed by Budot’s aura, to strike once more.
"Ten Thousand Blade!"
Cecilia’s strongest sword technique, combined with [Wind Magic] that had reached the pinnacle of a Mid-class Magus, transformed into a violent assault that tore apart everything in its path. It was because of this very move that even the legitimate heir of the Sword Family, Leon, dared not face her head-on. It showed that Cecilia’s strength in an uncontrolled state was unparalleled among Mid-class Magus
However, facing a High-class Magus, even the peak of the Mid-class was like a mantis trying to stop a carriage.
Budot countered with two slashes that appeared utterly ordinary. Yet, wherever those two slashes passed, Cecilia’s powerful wind-blades were incinerated into nothingness. Wind might cut through fire, but this fire burned the wind itself.
Finally, the two slashes struck Cecilia. Her small frame collapsed, blood pooling around her as her sword shattered into pieces. The gap between the two sides was despairingly vast.
Of course, the only reason Cecilia was still breathing was because Budot had held back; compared to Faith, Cecilia still possessed value alive.
At this moment, Cecilia entered a strange state.
Her vision seemed to leave her body and soar upward. She saw herself lying face down in a pool of blood, saw Budot slowly approaching, and saw Faith kneeling on the ground with a deep gash across his torso...
Time seemed to reverse, and many events from the past surfaced in her mind, as if she were reflecting on and questioning everything.
This had happened once before during the tournament, the moment Kain defeated her. That feeling of being suffocated, manipulated, and controlled—if not by intellect, then by power—like a puppet from beginning to end, left her both furious and pained. That was Cecilia’s entire life.
Now, she entered this state again, but at a much higher level.
Ascension.
A High-class Magus can impose themselves onto the world; this is an ability that cannot be bestowed, but must be seized by the Magus through will and a cognitive structure that even "ordinary reality" cannot bend.
All her accumulation had been pushed to the limit; Cecilia’s will and refusal to submit had reached their breaking point.
Magic is intimately tied to the ego, like Kain’s powerful determination with [Lightning Magic] or Faith’s coldness with [Ice Magic]. And unlike Mera’s [Wind Magic] which embodied freedom, Cecilia’s [Wind Magic] obeyed her deepest desire: to be the sharpest wind, slicing through and escaping every shackle imposed upon her life!
Breaking out of the cocoon to become a butterfly!
"...Huh?"
Today was the day Budot’s emotions fluctuated the most; he had lost count of how many times he had been astonished. And it wasn’t over yet.
Unnoticed by anyone, Cecilia had stood up and moved close to the kneeling Faith. With two trails of tears falling, she merely whispered to her twin brother:
"Wait for me, it won’t be long..."
With a flick of her hand, the previously shattered sword fragments flew toward her, reforming into the sword as it was before. From her body, a terrifying aura erupted, aimed directly at Budot.
"You... you’ve become a High-class Magus..."
Budot fell silent.
He had never expected this turn of events. A High-class Magus was the backbone of a family and the high-tier force of the Magus. Many Magus spent their entire lives hoping to climb to this position to no avail, yet Cecilia had achieved it before even turning eighteen—enough to show how high her talent truly was. It was no wonder that even the legitimate heir of the Sword Family, the strongest of the strong among the younger generation, had been wary of her.
"But do you think just because you are a High-class Magus, you can oppose me?" Budot asked.
In response, Cecilia simply pointed her sword directly at his face. She was not like Faith; she did not like to waste words.
Seeing the battle between two High-class Magus about to erupt, the others hastily retreated. Some High-class Magus sighed, regretting that they couldn’t recruit Cecilia into their families. With such talent, she would likely become a peak High-class Magus in the future, perhaps even having a slim chance to dream of that legendary level.
Unfortunately, such a talent was destined to die under Budot’s blade.
