Leylin let himself lose the clash in exchange to use the force to distance himself away. It was clear as day he hadn’t broken a single sweat clashing with Damien. Meanwhile, Damien was barely recovering from the physical beating he took since he had time to catch his breath. Damien’s blood was boiling from excitement. The more he pushed himself, the better he felt himself become.
“Show me how much more I have to go!”
Damien’s true colors were showing as his wicked smile painted his face. Leylin couldn’t help but be brought back to the first day he saw him at the Sword Guild. It was the same intensity that drew his attention to Damien. Because of that, he had lowered himself to ask to mentor him and even integrated into the academy. Leylin then flew up into the sky where he seemingly stabbed his sword down into open space. He opened his arms out like he was giving a hug to the world around him. He reveled in the freedom he felt when the wind was at his beck and call.
Suddenly the seemingly perfect day without a cloud in sight started to vastly change. Storm clouds gathered in the depths of the sky, blocking out the light of the sun. The gloom of a rainy day washed over everyone and even affected Damien’s state of mind. It brought him back from his adrenaline rush to finally realize the severity of his situation. Lightning brewed inside the storm clouds as heavy rain poured amongst the masses. The winds picked up to harsh velocities, enough to uproot trees and houses.
Leylin’s laughed maniacally as the strength of the storm increased. Before things got too out of hand and wreaked havoc on the academy, Leylin slowly brought his hand back together. All the storm clouds, lightning, and winds were condensed down to a speck in his hands. Every single bit of energy was gathered, having the power of a catastrophic storm in the palm of his hands. He held it out to demonstrate to Damien the power he could wield.
“This is the power to level cities and bring fear into your enemies. Forbidden by the Kingdoms to be used in wartime due to the mass casualties inflicted on both sides. No one wants to be a part of a pyrrhic battle so it makes sense. Do you think you can handle this, kid?”
Damien felt weak at his knees, knowing that he had no chance at surviving such an attack. It would tear him apart completely, leaving nothing behind. His only choice in this situation would be to run away. As cowardly as retreating may sound, it was better to have your revenge another day.
“No, but I can always run away!”
Damien was ready to dash away while his legs began to glow with the might of a sun. He wasn’t sure he could escape from someone who’s Dao also specialized in speed, but he had to give it a shot. When he took his first step and expected to be far away from Leylin, he was surprised to find out he had not moved anywhere. His Mana flow had gone to a nonexistent state, and he felt the air around him disappear. Not just the air, but everything that was vital to sustain any living life or material.
Damien couldn’t breathe nor could he maintain he body flow with Mana since that was restricted down to his Core. Everything became so much more difficult to do as he saw Leylin enter a different stance.
“How are you enjoying my true Dao Domain? You can’t run if I have you trapped. This isn’t some bare exoskeleton of a technique but the full fledged version. This can only be accomplished when you find the perfect Dao that resonates with your heart, mind, and soul. This is my Dao of Freedom!”
Leylin’s words could only be perceived by Damien. If anyone else heard what he was saying, he would end up being reprimanded for letting out confidential information. Not only was it far beyond most students could accomplish, it would lead them astray from the current path. In the doctrine of teaching it was always taught to be a guidepost for others without indoctrinating your own will upon them. This gave the others a chance to draw strength from their own experiences and form their own perfect path.
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Damien stood struggling with everything he had, but there was nothing he could do. No amount of willpower was enough to overcome the power of a Leylin. All he could do was be in awe of such a Dao that matched perfectly with what he thought about Damien.
‘So that’s what it’s like… mine is just a joke compared to this.’
Leylin smirked proudly as he witnessed Damien sink into a quiet despair. It was not that he was a sadist hoping to ruin someone’s ego, but he had finally accomplished what he wanted. He had seen how Damien proudly strutted back into the academy hoping to have a hero's welcome of some sort. Damien was indeed strong for his age, actually extremely strong, however being left unchecked for such a long time was a spell of disaster for his ego. Leylin’s goal was to show him a higher peak while giving him the advice and motivation to continue moving forward.
This entire show culminated with Leylin beating down on Damien, and having him at checkmate. With nothing left to do but launch his forbidden attack, Leylin released it. It’s intensity was felt by everyone as it whipped up a wind that could launch any normal person kilometers away. Lightning cackled inside the miniature storm. Its thundering presence was enough to shake the organs and cause internal bleeding. All of this pressure was pushing down on Damien who had no power to even fend for himself. At the moment it was too much for him to take and blood spewed from his orifices, Leylin changed the course of the attack. He flicked his finger upward, sending it deep into the heavens.
Once it reached a deep enough distance where no one would be affected in the city, Leylin released his control on it entirely. In an instant, the grand storm Leylin produced and contracted, spread out across the clear skies. Darkness once more overwhelmed the day, as the unpredictability of a storm ran wild. Winds picked up even from that far distance, and the temperature dropped to chilling levels. The rumbles of thunder produced from the lightning caused the earth to tremble. Screams were heard across the City of Gats, thinking the end of times was upon them. By the end of the supernatural storm’s wake, heavy rain fell upon them.
Each and every student had no thoughts to think of since they were awed to that point. No one minded the rainfall and a few even laughed out in lunacy. Those were the ones who lost all hope with themselves. It made them feel so inadequate that they had no right to cultivate anymore. These were the thoughts of the mentally weak who would never accomplish anything. Eventually they would come to drop out and live a normal life due to this event. As for others, this served as a wake up call that would ignite their spirits.
Leylin enjoyed himself as the center of attention and bathed himself in the spotlight. After a few moments he caught a glance at Damien who was nearing the point of unconsciousness.
“Oh, crap I forgot about the kid!”
He let Damien out of his Dao Domain, where he could finally breathe. Damien coughed out large quantities of congealed blood. His body automatically began its rapid recovery making him able to stand tall. This was when everyone awoke from their stupor, but before a commotion could begin Ari appeared before everyone’s eyes.
“Everyone is to return to class immediately! Anyone who doesn’t return within the next minute shall be punished appropriately!”
As Headmaster, Ari was known to be very strict when handing out punishments. This was an amazing deterrent for the attitude of most students. It was apparent now when the school body rushed away in a hurry. By the end of it all, the crowd cleared out. Along with Ari staying, Nora was there as well. Damien’s friends remained too, not caring for any punishment. Ari eyed them from the corner of his eyes, hoping to intimidate them, but to no avail. He could only sigh knowing they would take any punishment to stay here. Ari proceeded to call Leylin down with a cold flat voice.
“You, come down here.”
As Leylin came down with a stiff expression, Damien finally noticed his friends from the corner of his eye. He forgot all about the fight and pain he felt. He used his fastest speed, making it appear like he teleported in front of them. Before they could say any words, he hugged all three of them together. Damien couldn’t find what words to say in this emotional moment, however all he could do is bring them in tightly hoping it could be transmitted through touch. Yuki, Cal, and Erik all held their tongues. They had so much to say in the form of reprimandation, but they could feel the regret and happiness coming their way.
Damien started dropping tears from all the guilt he felt. Cal followed suit while Erik did his best to hold it in. Yuki was the only one not having that problem while she wore a light smile. Damien kept hugging tighter and tighter when finally, Yuki had enough and snapped on him. She knocked him on the back of his head and dropped him to the floor. Damien could’ve easily mitigated or blocked it but he let her release her frustrations in her own way.