Taking back the bottle from Kairos, Diff twisted the cap open and poured the flame into a heat-proof bowl, where it glowed merrily. The beautiful light danced in the class, more intensely than before, and everyone distinctively felt a wave of heat from this tiny fire that was only slightly larger than a candle’s flame.
At the same time, Kairos’ stomach gave an involuntarily growl, and a hint of a blush creep up his otherwise emotionless expression.
Diff raised an eyebrow at him, but having started the sealing process, she did not stop. She placed both her palms together, then forming several different hand seals, evoked both Repelling and Insulting forces to contain the flame. As long as Kairos’ analysis is correct, the seals will take action.
A significant portion of strength left her body for the technique as she drew the runes she needed into the air.
Soon, a translucent seal symbol hovered before them, only barely visible when it glittered in the air.
The instructor directed her technique towards the purple flame, but it immediately turned wild, struggling violently to throw off the yoke that is trying to bind it.
Diff’s eyes enlarged in panic, then, everything turned quiet, as the flame's lustre dimmed to nothingness.
“I… I succeeded?” the instructor asked no one in particular.
The seal at this point can only be considered half completed. If she did not make a mistake in its creation, it would be able to contain the purple flame temporarily until the seal naturally dissipates and harmlessly releases the trapped energy.
To make a more permanent setup, a sealing medium must be used, but for testing Kairos' analysis of the flame's properties, there was no need.
“Be careful! It’s going to break!” Kairos who had not dismissed his Veritable Sight, saw a crack appear on the seal and called out immediately.
The flame's energy signature seemed provoked by its chains and started sending out waves after waves of pure heat.
Everyone in the class tensed up instinctively. Even as beginners, they could tell that something had gone wrong.
Diff hurriedly drew out another portion of her power and strengthened the seal, but already used up most of her Ki; it was far from enough.
If she is unable to stabilise it, they will only have moments left before the container breaks, unleashing an explosion throughout the auditorium.
Feeling the fire turning more volatile than before, Diff paled, and she finally shouted to her class, “Run!”
In her heart, she was indignant by that what started off as a bet is going to turn into a fiery hell.
If she could run, she would have been the first who bolted, leaving behind all her useless students. But unfortunately, she is the only one in this place that could keep the purple flame stable. The instant she stops pouring her energy into the seal, it will succumb to the flames, and everyone will die. And, from the amount that is draining out of her, she suspects that she would not last much longer.
At her final moments, she finally regretted.
Remorseful that she had to make a bet with this mysterious youth. Grievous over claiming that she could seal a divine flame.
She had underestimated this wretched fire, thinking that even she could handle a small portion like this.
“The divine flames, no matter how small, are truly something that no mortal is meant to withstand,” Diff muttered her final words.
She waited. A moment passed, then two, but the explosion that she was expecting did not happen. In the back of her mind, she felt a tinge of hope. Perhaps she had successfully worn down the flame?
Although without a medium the seal could not last, it will give them enough time to escape.
She opened her squinted eyes and looked around, her open palms still in position to pour out her Ki towards the divine flame.
In her concentration to keep the seal going, she had not cared whether the students have cleared the auditorium, but now she noticed that Kairos is still standing by her side and his friends all around them.
She was about to ask why are they still here when another incredulous thing caught her attention. And she half-shouted at Kairos, “You… you! You know how to use the sealing arts?”
It was impossible for her to know that at the very last moment, Kairos copied her hand seals and joined in to strengthen the binds on the purple flame.
In fact, no one would consider that a possibility. Besides, it is theoretically impossible to copy a sealing art, because the proper way to direct the energy is done internally. Without a teacher’s guidance, even by using the correct hand seals, no result could come out of it.
“You knew sealing arts all along? Then quick! We need to find a way to solidify this seal and run before it blows up!”
By his performance, she had concluded he is at least equal to her in this field, and hopefully, he has a way to save them all.
But a strained smile appeared on Kairos’ face. He is at his limits dealing with this seal, and actually, as a rookie in the art, he had no idea how to solidify a seal.
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He did not bother explaining that except for tinkering around with the Seal Stone that Jones took from Calculus, he indeed had no prior knowledge of seals. After all, no one will believe him that it wasn’t difficult for him to copy the technique.
After learning the Static Reading within the Lightning Palm manual, his Veritable Sight had evolved, slowly merging the two sight abilities together. The two abilities finally assimilated when he gained new knowledge after forming a bond with the Greater Storm Spirit, Tempest.
Now, not only could he read the true meaning behind every rune he placed his eyes on, but he could also see into the internal energy of things. Moreover, the merging of these two abilities turns out to be far more effective than the originals.
Especially for Static Reading. Now it is no longer limited to electric currents but allows him to see all forms of energies and their distinct wavelengths. Unlike before where he could only use it to predict his opponent’s next move, now he can even copy some internal martial arts.
It was for this reason that he was able to tell the properties of the purple flame, and also, why he did not dismiss his Veritable Sight until he could see how Diff manipulated her internal energies to form seals.
Though this is the first time seeing hand seals, he learned a great deal about sealing arts from it, and it was enough for him to duplicate the same effects.
Unfortunately, because Diff’s hand seals were inadequate from the beginning, the two of them are struggling to maintain the stability.
“You guys better leave,” Kairos warned the Snowdrifts that were around them.
“No Captain, We …,” after noticing that something had gone wrong, their first instincts were to help their leader, but he shook his head insistently.
While struggling with the purple flames, Kairos could feel that right now it is sealing techniques and not Ki that is needed to finish the incomplete seals. Even if they supply him with their internal energies, they can only delay the inevitable.
Besides, unlike most practitioners, he has three energy sources to burn through to maintain the seal: his life force reserves, the magic in his mana core, and his internal energy in his Ki Centre.
“Go find those who know sealing arts to could aid us.”
“Oh, RIGHT! Everyone let’s split up and go!” The guys quickly agreed.
When Differential Devilheart heard Kairos’ suggestion, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief, “That’s right! If they find more people, someone might know how to solidify the seal!”
But she watched in horror when none of Kairos’ friends actually left.
“What are you all doing? Move! Quickly!” She feared that they ignored their leader for some stubborn pride, and more so, she feared for her life. However, no one responded to her.
Of course, with her character, it is impossible for her to understand the bond that the Snowdrifts had. When the kids joined Saint Cadets Academy, since their first lesson in combat class, the only compulsory module for low-born like them, is to obey a superior’s command at all times.
This lesson was drilled into them the six months that they attended classes in the first year, but the lesson is truly completed on the mock battlefield when they braved life and death together with Kairos.
They trusted their backs and their lives to each other in battle. Therefore trusting a command without question is almost second nature to them. To remain where they stood after hearing Kairos’ command could only be another reason.
In reality, Kairos knew that the chance to find an expert who could resolve their problems is slim since even the instructor of Seal Creation class appeared helpless.
Eventually, the flame will burn out their seals, and Kairos does not believe that even his defences could withstand the rampage of a divine flame everyone within, much less his friends. Thus, without hesitation, he had wanted to send them away, but just as his instructions left his lips, and the others were about to leave, they heard a sweet and endearing voice.
Wait~ Wait~
Aisa piped, stopping Kairos’ squad, who in turn halted the other loyal members of the Snowdrifts from leaving.
Kairos shook his head internally, he could feel through their bond that Aisa’s request for the others to stop was out of mischief than any real need.
The tiny dragon then whispered to Kairos alone in his mind.
Ghost wolfie wants me to tell you that you can copy the Thunder God’s Ring’s sealing symbols~
“Could it be referring to the Lightning Cage rune? Let me talk to the forest spirit,” He requested, and nearly immediately Aisa connected him through, and he heard a deep growling sound.
“Master,” the spirit wolf said as respectfully as it could carry with its rough voice, “Sealing arts and inscription arts are one, they are merely two sides of the same coin. You will find what you need in the ring.”
When every knowledge one requires is already present, sometimes, a single timely advice was all that was needed. Kairos who had been researching the Lightning Prison found his knowledge jolted into place, like a jigsaw puzzle that suddenly became whole.
Unlike inscriptions, seals often appear gibberish to his eyes, but this revelation enabled him to look at things in another way. He realised that the difference had come from how seals work specifically against a target. Within the Heavenly Language, if inscriptions are whole sentences, then seals are fill-in-the-blanks that he had to decipher.
Diff watched with aghast as Kairos suddenly form a series of indiscernible hand seals. Didn’t the boy just asked his friends to look for experts?
But as he successfully created symbols after symbols that sparkled in the air, she turned dumbfounded.
When all the seals he required were formed, Kairos sent out them flying into the purple flame in a sequence, and in response, it quivered uncontrollably.
“Instructor, please release your seals on my count,” he looked into Diff’s eyes with his golden gaze, and she felt compelled to obey, without the ability to put up even an ounce of struggle.
“On three,” He whispered intensely, still sending the seals he made towards the flame, “Two. Now!”
Differential immediately broke her hand seal and retreated backwards in fear.
The boy continued weaving the uncountable runes together, creating a web of lightning that slowly wrapped around the purple flame. The divine lightning energy within the Unknown Flame Sovereign that enabled it to break through the weak mortal realm's Insultant-type seals became tame immediately when it met the seal symbols copied from the Thunder God's Ring.
As if in a trance, the instructor and the members of Snowdrifts watched as the beautiful seal completed into a shimmering hexagonal prism that has an ancient letter visible on top: ‘Seal’ (封).
“Let’s run now!” Diff urged. The wild flames are sealed, but without a medium, it will not last too long.
As she is about to turn and leave, Kairos said to her, “As agreed, may I have this flame?”
“Are you nuts? It’s going to blow up! Once the sealing Ki dissipates into the air, the flame’s destabilised energy will be released!”
“I have a way to stop it.”
Diff stared at Kairos with a mixture of anger, frustration, and, defeat.
They could finally leave unscathed, so she could not understand what he is persisting about. However, quite unlike her usual character, she chose to believe him this time.
“First, tell me what do you want the flame for. Otherwise, I won’t allow you to have it,” she declared resolutely.
At the very least, she wants to know if he intends to use it against the Devilheart House, and if so, at least she could stop him. After all, she is still a higher ranked Cultivator than this B ranked genius.
Kairos thought for a second but found no other way about this. Then, he promptly swallowed the sealed flame as the instructor and his friends looked on with eyes popping out.