Lyon POV:

My eyelids refused to part as I struggled to open them. It was made even more difficult by the fact that my head rested against such a soft pillow.

A cosy feeling wrapped around me tightly like a duvet, reminding me of when I used to sleep with my mother as a child. I buried my head deeper into the pillow while recalling the events that led me to my current position.

I remembered passing out while I was healing Len, using what I assumed was my own life force. If that really was the case, then I wondered how many years of my life I lost in exchange for saving Len.

My eyes finally opened reluctantly, and I moved my head backwards. I saw a large pair of amber eyes staring at me intensely, followed by a deep shade of red spread across the bridge of her nose. Other than that, she looked completely healthy.

“Len!”

I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her tightly. I didn’t need to worry anymore; it was finally over.

“Too... Close!”

Len gently pushed me away as she sat up in the bed.

‘Bed? Why am I in her bed?’

I quickly got up and scratched my head slightly, embarrassed by what had just happened. I was just glad that she was in good health.

“Get some rest, Len.”

I looked down at her while she nodded her head silently. It seemed like something was on Len's mind as her eyes darted about the room, but I decided to leave it be for now. Whatever it was, I'm sure it could wait.

I left the room and told Ness what had happened. I felt bad about the broken door, but she insisted that it wasn’t a big deal.

Now all that was left to do here was teach Marina.

***

I arrived at the bottom of the basement steps when I raised my eyebrows in surprise by what I saw through the open doorway.

Marina was meditating?

I glanced at Jasmine, who stood opposite me, and she beckoned me over. I walked past Marina and stood by her side.

“I’m just as surprised as you are. I finished meditating and Marina suddenly asked me if it was alright if she did it too.”

“Too?”

“Yeah, that’s right~”

She twirled the lollipop in her mouth while resting her back against the wall. I observed Marina carefully and noticed that though her legs were crossed, she wasn’t sitting in the lotus position.

Her hands met together in front of her chest, taking on a praying appearance.

‘Someone's taught her.’

It was obvious from first glance that she wasn’t a beginner. Her back was perfectly straight, and her breathing was perfectly steady.

The main question in my mind was how long ago had she been taught? It clearly happened when Len wasn’t around, otherwise, she would have at least mentioned it to me in passing.

“Leo, something interesting is about to happen~”

Jasmine's eyes curved upwards. She had styled her hair back to its usual appearance and looked at Marina with expectant eyes.

‘Why didn’t she tell anyone? Did she want to surprise Len?’

I folded my arms as I watched Marina, curious about why she had chosen to keep this a secret. Jasmine had probably checked on how much progress she had made with her Ki Center, so her words meant that Marina was about to complete it in front of us.

A few minutes later, the air began to tremble. A faint ring of wind marked the floor around Marina as the pressure began to increase. She was approaching the Birth stage.

‘!’

A sudden explosion occurred, followed by a blast of air that pushed me back against the wall beside Jasmine. I squinted my eyes as I rose my hands to guard against the violent winds emanating from Marina. This was my first time seeing someone complete a Ki Center, so I didn’t know if this was normal or not.

“Jasmine, will she really be alright?”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“Of course~ Though this is a surprise...”

Her hand was in front of her face, blocking the wind as she furrowed her eyebrows. Several more chain explosions bellowed out, and the whole room shook.

Ness had heard the commotion and dashed through the doorway, only to stop as her eyes locked onto Marina. Her mouth opened by a moderate amount while she stared at her.

Marina's leaking Ki spread out like long, thick tentacles spiralling all over the place. Their length almost covered the complete width of the room as my eyes widened in shock at her vast Ki Reserves. Her long blond hair floated, stretching out around her head.

‘Just how much Ki does she have?’

It was an incredible sight to witness but now came the hard part. She would need to control the leaking Ki by repairing her Ki Channels.

“Foo...”

A short breath escaped Marina's mouth, and the tentacles of Ki instantly wrapped around her, forming a cocoon shape. It peeled away slowly as her Ki clung to her body a second later.

“Oh~”

Jasmine crunched down on her lollipop as she took a step forward. Ness furrowed her eyebrows and also moved away from the doorway. My lips curved upwards slightly while Marina's eyes flickered open, followed by another blast of wind.

“...”

She looked down at her hands slowly and spread out her arms. She fanned out her fingers as the air began to answer her call. A circle of fire formed by her feet, flickering in and out.

“!!”

Shock. We all stared at her in shock as she got up. Marina was already on the cusp of Nagi—she had instantly identified and developed a strong connection to her natural Ki Natures.

“This is...”

Ness didn’t finish her sentence, her words trailing off instead. Marina's demeanour had completely changed, and she had a strange look in her eyes as she gazed at the flickering fire below.

I watched her clench her fists, and the flames instantly erupted, surrounding her in a pillar of fire. Two rings of wind encapsulated the pillar, forming an X shape.

“Talent...”

That was all Jasmine said as she observed Marina. Her explosive Ki finally settled down, and the elements she was manipulating dissipated. She had reached Nagi.

“You.”

She pointed her finger toward me and spoke without any stuttering or delay. Her eyes abruptly rolled back into her head, and she passed out on her feet. I dashed forward and caught her in my arms, placing her gently against the wall.

Jasmine and Ness watched me silently. It bothered me how Marina had acted once she was able to use Ki—it felt like a completely different Marina to the one I knew.

‘Split personality?’

It was too early to say. I put aside that possibility for now as too much had happened in one night.

“We will need to keep a close eye on her.”

Ness was noticeably upset by this outcome. It appeared that we all had the same thoughts after witnessing Marina's behaviour. She was extremely talented, but her condition had now potentially worsened due to being able to use Ki.

Was it really worth it?

‘It’s just one problem after another.’

I let out a sigh as I looked at Marina resting quietly. Ness picked her up and headed upstairs as Jasmine hugged me from behind while I stared at the open doorway.

“Do whatever you think is best, Leo~”

“Right.”

There were still things I needed to do. Even though it didn’t work out the way I had wanted, Marina could now defend herself somewhat. It was time to move on to the next step.

***

I arrived at the building complex, and Brunaulf flinched. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead as he bowed his head to greet me.

“L-Leader... All of the members have gathered inside...”

I looked down at him and walked on ahead. Whether they were planning an ambush or were going to be obedient, I’d find out soon enough.

“Good.”

Brunaulf trailed behind me while I climbed the stairs. The foul stench had mostly been removed, and the inside of the rooms had been thoroughly wiped down.

‘...’

I reached the top of the stairs and opened the large door that stood before me. I walked in, Brunaulf choosing to accompany me this time.

All of the members were present in the room, and they abruptly split apart forming a path for me to walk through.

I walked past them without batting an eye and climbed the steps leading to the tall chair. I turned around and took a seat.

“We greet the new District Leader!!”

They all immediately dropped to one knee and bowed their heads. The Vices, the Watchers and the remaining members all had their heads lowered before me. Brunaulf, who stood next to the chair, dropped to one knee as well.

‘...Interesting.’

I leaned forward and observed them all carefully. Some had conflicted faces, but they swallowed their feelings and followed what appeared to be protocol. However, there was one man who didn’t bow. He stood with his back against the wall and his arms folded. He was the Ex-District Leader.

“Rise.”

Everyone stood up immediately at the sound of my command. The first thing that needed to be done was sift out anyone holding potential grudges—I was going to do this properly.

“Raise your hand if you still wish to follow the previous District Leader.”

The members muttered among themselves while they looked at each other.

“You plan on exiling me?”

The Ex-District Leader stepped forward, and everyone’s eyes fell on him.

“I haven’t forgiven you for what you did to my nephew, but you beat me fair and square. There is an order here that must be followed, however, exile is not one of them.”

He released his Ki as he glared at me. I wasn’t surprised by his reaction. Instead, I opened my mouth slowly.

“I don’t need your forgiveness, and I don’t plan on exiling you. I want you to go to District 2 and... Take it over.”

“...!”

“I know you’re a skilled person. It's doable if it’s you.”

He looked at me in surprise before his lips curved upwards slightly. I turned my attention back to the members and saw some of their hands begin to rise.

‘Four Vices, Three Watchers and around 50 normal members...’

They walked to the front, bowed and stood behind the Ex-District Leader. Their loyalty to him was so high that when given the chance, they would move directly. It was better that they went with him than staying with me.

“You’ve barely cemented yourself as the new District Leader, yet you’re already splitting up your resources to this extent. I could quite easily stab you in the back.”

“Barely cemented myself?”

I activated the Mark of a Pantheon and released the true extent of my Ki. Thanks to the awakening I experienced, I had now reached the mid Uso stage in terms of raw Ki strength. However, everyone in this room knew that they couldn’t judge me by that standard alone—they had experienced that first-hand.

“You won’t stab me in the back. You fought even after seeing your comrades fall one by one. The reason they choose to follow you is obviously because they trust you.”

He clicked his tongue as a wry smile formed on his face.

“I also know your secret.”

“!”

His eyes narrowed, and he abruptly turned around.

“...I'll go along with your plan. Let's talk later before I leave for District 2.”

I watched him leave along with those who had chosen to side with him. The door closed, and silence descended upon the room.

“Brunaulf, let’s begin.”