The Strongest Student of the Weakest Academy

Chapter 587: Arcadia, The First Planet In All Creation (LXIV)

"Done..."

Thump...

Aestrea sat down on the ground, pressing his back against the cold stone wall of the chamber.

"Haagh..."

He leaned his head back, breathing heavily as he stared at the ceiling.

The fight had been far more taxing than he had expected. Even with both swords, the guardian had adapted, countered, and nearly overwhelmed him multiple times.

"...."

Aestrea closed his eyes for a moment, letting the exhaustion wash over him.

Then, without any warning or sound, the air in front of him shimmered.

The Creator Woman appeared.

She crouched down gracefully right in front of him, her palms resting on her cheeks as she tilted her head, looking at him with a playful smile.

It seemed that she truly had made her form as Aestrea’s ideal type.

Her long, dark hair cascaded down her back like a river of midnight silk, with striking silver-white strands woven through it that glowed like moonlight.

Her eyebrows were shaped delicately in the form of phoenix-like arcs, but with a dark, ominous tinge that made them look like a dark phoenix wreathed in purple flames.

Her lips were painted black and luscious, full and inviting, curving into that knowing smile.

One of her eyes glowed a vivid, intense red, while the other was a piercing icy blue, creating a mesmerizing, asymmetrical beauty that was both alluring and unsettling.

She wore a black and white gown that clung to her voluptuous figure, accentuating every curve in a way that was greater than any woman he had ever seen.

Her breasts were full and prominent, her waist narrow, and her hips wide in perfect proportion.

The gown was elegant yet revealing, with a deep neckline that showed off her cleavage and long sleeves that flowed gracefully.

Her long legs were hidden by sheer black stockings that led down to high heels, completing the image of pure, dark perfection.

However, this woman had appeared so many times in front of him that he didn’t even show a surprised reaction at her sudden appearance.

"Tired, yet?" she asked softly, raising an eyebrow as she continued to rest her chin on her palms, looking at him like a curious child observing something fascinating.

Aestrea opened his eyes and met her gaze without flinching. He leaned his head back against the wall, a faint, tired smirk on his lips.

"You could say that," he replied calmly despite the pain radiating through his body.

"Your little guardian put up more of a fight than I expected."

The Creator Woman giggled at his words before approaching him a little more, her mismatched eyes looking at him with a hint of interest.

"I wasn’t exactly talking about that..." she murmured softly, gently lifting his chin with two delicate fingers.

Her hot breath ghosted over his lips, warm and intoxicating, carrying the faint scent of night-blooming flowers and starlight.

"I’m asking you..."

She paused, her painted-black luscious lips curving into a playful, almost predatory smile as she leaned in even closer, their faces mere inches apart.

"Aren’t you tired of challenging the towers one by one and rescuing your lovers? How about I make this game go on faster, huh?"

At those words, Aestrea started laughing.

The Creator Woman’s smile twitched slightly, her delicate phoenix-like eyebrows furrowing just a little as she studied him.

"Are you that impatient?" he asked mockingly.

"You’ve waited billions of years, and yet... now you can’t even wait a month or so for me to finish these crappy towers?"

The Creator Woman’s smile twitched again, the truth of his words striking deeper than she cared to admit.

After the fight in which he was her champion and had dominated the other champions so easily... Aestrea’s figure hadn’t stopped appearing in her mind.

That look of utter dominance, looking down at her as if she was a mere thing he would conquer later... it had left her wet and hopelessly excited until today!

She had thought she could wait until he gathered all the Trumpets.

She had planned to watch him struggle, grow, and eventually challenge her in the grand game she had designed.

But then she saw him mating with his lovers for weeks, full of happiness and passion.

The way he claimed them, the way they moaned his name, the way he held them with that same powerful presence... it had driven her mad with desire.

She simply couldn’t hold back anymore.

"...I’ll turn all the other towers into a single challenge, in which Luna will be held captive," she suddenly stated, her eyes turning completely colder.

"If you finish the challenge, you’ll be able to challenge me for the position as the Creator..."

"Wait!"

Before she could finish her words, Aestrea interrupted.

"What about the twelfth tower? I can’t see it... so where’s the twelfth trumpet as well?" he suddenly asked.

Hearing him, the Creator Woman’s eyes showed a hint of surprise.

"You’re already strong enough to see that there isn’t a twelfth tower?" Her lips curled into a smile that was filled with pure delight.

She pressed her index finger against his lips before winking at him.

"About the twelfth trumpet... don’t you already know where it is?"

She dissipated into black wisps, vanishing from his gaze.

THRUUUUUUUUUUUUM!

At the same time, the whole world of Arcadia started shaking violently.

The ground trembled beneath Aestrea’s feet as if the planet itself was awakening. The six remaining towers in the distance began to glow with intense, blinding light.

Their structures started to move, floating upward and twisting through the air like massive living things.

Cracks of golden and black energy spread across the sky as the towers collided and merged together in a cataclysmic fusion.

The ground split open in places, new mountains rose from nothing, and rivers of glowing energy flowed across the land.

The sky darkened for a moment before exploding with color: purple lightning cracked down, golden clouds appeared, and vortexes of power swirled in the air.

A single, enormous tower now stood in the center of Arcadia, far larger and more majestic than any of the previous ones.

Its surface was covered in moving runes, and its peak pierced the clouds, radiating an overwhelming aura that made the air itself feel heavy.

At the same time, Aestrea slowly stepped out of the tower, one hand pressed firmly against the deep wound on his stomach.

Blood still seeped between his fingers, warm and sticky.

The injury refused to close.

No matter how much he tried to channel his healing abilities or rely on the natural regeneration of his body, the wound remained open, throbbing with a dull, persistent pain.

It was the first time in a long while that something like this had happened... an annoying wound that simply wouldn’t heal on its own.

He walked a few steps away from the tower’s entrance, breathing calmly but his face showing clear strain.

The fused tower behind him hummed with residual power, its runes still shifting as if alive.

The moment he appeared, both Yennefer and Elleonora rushed to his side in pure surprise.

They had been waiting anxiously outside, pacing back and forth as the world shook during the fusion.

Now, seeing him emerge with blood on his clothes, their eyes widened with shock and worry.

"Aestrea!" Yennefer cried out, reaching him first. She grabbed his arm gently, her crimson eyes full of concern as she looked at the wound.

"What happened? That cut... it looks bad. Why isn’t it healing?"

Elleonora arrived right after, her light blue eyes filled with the same shock. She placed a hand on his other arm, careful not to press too hard as she examined the injury.

"You’re bleeding... a lot," she said, her voice trembling slightly.

"A wound like that should have closed instantly for you. What’s going on? Did something inside the tower do this?"

Both women were beyond shocked.

They had seen Aestrea recover from far worse injuries in the blink of an eye. A simple sword cut like this should have been nothing to him.

Yet here it was, refusing to heal no matter how much power he poured into it.

Yennefer’s wings twitched with unease as she pressed closer, her hand hovering near the wound but not touching it.

"Let me try to heal it," she said quickly, already channeling her magic.

A soft glow appeared around her fingers, but the moment the light touched the wound, it fizzled out harmlessly.

The injury remained unchanged.

Elleonora tried next, her own healing magic flowing toward the cut. The same thing happened... the energy simply dissipated without effect.

"This isn’t normal..." Elleonora whispered, her face pale with worry.

"What kind of power could do this to you?"

Aestrea remained calm, though the pain was clear in the slight tension of his jaw. He kept one hand pressed against the wound, blood slowly dripping down his fingers.

"It’s the tower’s final rule," he said quietly.

"Or perhaps something the Creator added. The wound won’t heal until the game is truly over... but well..."

He turned his gaze to the majestic tower that had just appeared.

"...I only need to complete that tower before the final challenge..."