Chapter 74: The Last Peaceful Breath (3)
While Akasha and Luna were busy releasing their pent‑up desires in the secluded forest, Yume and Number One had already finished their tasks with quiet efficiency.
Across the vast field, over eight thousand gift boxes had been distributed to the disciples, each one floating gently into waiting hands or settling beside cultivators still deep in their trials.
The remaining boxes were delivered to Harlan for the Academy’s long‑term use, ensuring every resource was accounted for.
Amber sat cross‑legged in the middle of the open plains, her long brown hair swaying softly in the breeze.
The air around her shimmered with fresh power — a vibrant aura pulsing with new Divinity.
After consuming all five pills, she had broken through to Constellation Empress, Tier 16, her strength rising like a tide she could barely contain.
Her warm brown eyes were half‑closed, her breathing steady as she felt the new power coursing through her veins.
With every heartbeat, a wave of energy pulsed through her, and with each exhale, a soft shimmer of divinity seemed to scatter into the air.
She was supposed to be immersed in her cultivation, her thoughts steady and clear, yet they kept wandering away.
Again and again, her mind slipped back to him.
Back to Akasha — Lord Dream.
’Lord Dream... just who are you really?’ she wondered, a small, curious smile playing on her lips.
Before Akasha decided to bestow the power of the Golden Apple upon two hundred disciples, Amber had been nothing more than a Tier 9 True God.
But now, with the added strength from the pills, the Domain steadily boosting their Divinity by a hundred each day, and that strange mountain—so plain and unremarkable at first glance—there was an undeniable mystery surrounding him that she just couldn’t shake.
And the more she thought about it, the more her curiosity grew.
Sure, she had been told by Liliana to get close to him, but now she wanted to do it for herself.
Feeling the rush of newfound power, and knowing there were still countless treasures ahead, Amber made up her mind.
’At the very least... I’m going to be his friend,’ she thought, her smile growing with determination.
’And maybe... something more. Sorry, not sorry, Mother.’
She opened her eyes wide, gazing at the distant mountain, excitement sparking in her eyes.
----
Across the field, while most disciples were soaking in their new strength and basking in the Domain’s rich Divinity, not everyone enjoyed such peace.
Near the edge of the plains, Harlan and his prized disciple Tyron Alabaster stood facing each other. The tension between them was thick enough to feel in the air.
Tyron’s long black hair whipped in the wind, his sharp eyes burning with barely contained anger. His hand gripped the hilt of his sword so tightly his knuckles had turned white.
"Master... how can you be so willing to follow him?" Tyron spat, voice low and seething.
"This Lord Dream is nothing but a mystery. We know almost nothing about him, yet the entire Academy bends the knee like he’s some kind of savior! This isn’t right!"
Harlan’s expression remained calm, though his eyes narrowed in disappointment.
"Tyron, you’re letting pride cloud your judgment," he said, shaking his head.
"Lord Dream single‑handedly turned the tide of the invasion. He wiped out the Nova Dragon Clan in one night and gave us power we couldn’t have gained in decades."
With everything Akasha had revealed — not even counting the rumors spreading among the younger generation — it should have been obvious why the Academy was so lenient.
And... Harlan understood their situation better than anyone.
"Why are you acting so strangely when he’s the center of attention? You haven’t even taken the five pills he offered."
Tyron’s face twisted with frustration.
"Because I don’t trust him!" he snapped.
"He shows up out of nowhere, demands loyalty, and suddenly we’re all his subordinates? I was supposed to lead the Academy to greatness — not some enigma who hides his true strength and intentions!"
Harlan sighed, voice firming.
"Tyron, this is not about you. This is about the survival and future of the Academy of Veils. Lord Dream is the key to that future. If you cannot see that, then perhaps—"
"Then perhaps I don’t belong here anymore," Tyron cut in coldly.
Thud!
He threw the unopened gift box onto the ground. It bounced once before rolling to a stop at Harlan’s feet.
"I’m done," Tyron said, eyes hard. "I sever my ties with you and the Academy. I won’t follow some ghost."
HUMM!
Without waiting for a response, Tyron erupted with Divinity and shot into the sky, flying away from the Domain without looking back.
Harlan stood in silence, watching his once‑bright disciple disappear into the horizon. His expression was a mix of disappointment and quiet resolve.
Soft footsteps approached from behind. Harlan turned, his gaze settling on Number One.
The Guardian moved with quiet elegance, each step measured and soundless, his long white hair shifting gently with the motion.
Harlan immediately noticed Yume was not with him.
"Where is the girl with the purple hair?" Harlan asked, voice calm but curious. "The one who always stays close to Lord Dream."
Number One stopped a respectful distance away, his masked face impassive.
"She was summoned back to the peak," he replied simply.
A heavy silence settled between them, the distant hum of cultivation fading into the background.
Harlan’s gaze returned to the empty sky.
"Tyron... he was one of my brightest. His pride has always been his greatest strength... and now his greatest weakness."
Number One remained quiet for a few seconds, then spoke in a low, even tone.
"Well, the moment Lord Dream finds out about this... that boy is a goner."
Harlan’s eyes narrowed slightly, the weight of those words sinking in. He didn’t respond, his mind clearly turning over the implications.
Number One gave a small bow.
"I will take my leave."
He turned and walked away, leaving Harlan alone with the heavy dilemma resting on his shoulders.
With that, he turned and walked away, leaving Harlan standing alone in the field with a heavy dilemma weighing on his shoulders.
-----
[Tyron Alabaster’s Favorability: 0/100]
A soft shimmer of purple light rippled through the air behind the mountain, bending the space near the Racial Pond and Pool of Duplication as Yume materialized.
The waters reflected her silhouette in shifting colors, the multicolored surface glowing faintly beneath the drifting mist.
Luna and Akasha stood near the water’s edge, the last traces of spatial distortion fading around them as Yume stepped forward.
Seeing them... She didn’t waste a moment.
"Master," she began, her voice calm but carrying a subtle urgency, "Tyron has decided to sever his ties to the Academy. He threw down the gift box and flew away from the Domain."
Her words hung in the air for a heartbeat — but then her nose twitched.
Yume paused mid‑sentence, her head tilting slightly as she caught a faint, musky scent lingering in the grove.
Her purple eyes blinked once, twice, the innocence in her expression contrasting sharply with the gravity of her report.
She glanced between Akasha and Luna, and instead of speaking aloud, her tone softened into something almost childlike in its simplicity.
"Are we... going to kill him?"
Akasha was already fully dressed, his posture relaxed, his expression composed.
He exchanged a brief glance with Luna — a silent conversation passing between them — before both began walking forward with easy, unhurried steps.
"Indeed," Akasha replied, voice calm and steady. "He’s already made the decision all the easier for us."
Luna walked beside him, her movements fluid and graceful, her hand brushing lightly against his arm as she spoke with a soft, thoughtful tone.
"I wonder... are all Dark Humans so prideful?"
Akasha nodded, his expression sharpening as the weight of the situation settled.
"Who cares... the only thing that matters is that he’s dead," he said, his voice carrying a cold certainty.
"But as much as I hate to admit it, it’ll have to wait. I want everything ready by the end of the month."
Tyron had bought himself an extra month of life — not through strength, not through cunning, but simply because Akasha needed phase two of his plans to begin on schedule.
He paused, glancing at both Luna and Yume.
"I’ll be training with Melvin for the next month. By then, everyone should be prepared."
Before disappearing, he turned to Luna, his tone shifting into quiet command.
"Oh... right, set up the array for them."
Luna’s lips curved into a sweet, confident smile as she nodded.
Akasha vanished in a ripple of space, leaving the grove bathed in the soft glow of the Racial Pond and the lingering shimmer of Yume’s arrival.
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