Anthony stood calmly within the forest that had been utterly razed to the ground from various magical and physical attacks, the once-living expanse now reduced to a scarred and broken wasteland of shattered earth and splintered remains. Bryan, Tiara, Bringer, and Rider could be seen panting as they lay on the ground on their backs, their chests rising and falling in rapid succession as though there wasn’t enough air to go around, each breath labored and uneven.

Their bodies were injured and battered, blood staining their clothes in uneven streaks as they simply stared at the sky as though some hidden truth was buried within its vast expanse, their gazes unfocused yet filled with silent contemplation.

Their heads couldn’t help but turn to the side as they heard a series of footsteps approaching steadily. Anthony came to a stop before them as he stared down at them and asked with a smile on his face, "Had enough already, or do you all still want to continue?" His tone was gentle but teasing, carrying a calm confidence that only emphasized the gap between them.

"I will be stopping here, I’m out of mana, I don’t even have stamina anymore," Bringer stated, his voice a bit weak as he spoke with visible exhaustion.

"Same, I’m spent, although I’ve regenerated, my mana and stamina are still spent," Tiara added as she closed her eyes while remaining laid upon the destroyed ground, her body refusing to respond any further.

"It’s no different from the very first day we met you, Anthony," Bryan stated, his mind shifting back to Anthony, who had toyed with all of them effortlessly on the exam day, leaving behind a memory that still lingered vividly.

"We were dumb to think we would have a chance even with him limiting himself to the Master Level 1 Mana Rank," Rider couldn’t help but add with a bit of a chuckle, though it was laced with fatigue.

"Indeed we were," Bryan agreed without hesitation.

They had thought they stood a chance with the limitations Anthony had placed on himself, even if they couldn’t win, just one attack, they wanted to land a single attack on this seemingly omnipotent being. They had tried everything, they had used Forbidden Magic, Aura, Mana Zones, abilities obtained from skill books, weapon techniques, weapon arts, literally everything in their arsenal had been used without holding back.

Yet they couldn’t touch the hem of Anthony’s clothes.

"Sometimes I wonder why the heavens are so unfair," Tiara spoke as she shook her head slowly, her tone filled with quiet frustration.

"I’m sure many vampires think and say the same thing when they see you," Bryan stated, his words directed at Tiara. He coughed, blood splashing out of his mouth, but he simply wiped it off, unbothered, although he was in pain, he suppressed it with sheer will.

"Although I limited myself, I only limited my physical strength and mana quantity," Anthony began to speak as he lowered himself into a seated lotus position on the destroyed land, "at the end of the day, I’m still at the Apexus Mana Rank, I possess far greater mana control, superior elemental manipulation, even Aura control too, and I possess literally every element you can think of. Besides, the four of you can’t hope to match my battle experience," his words were calm as he listed why they couldn’t win.

Of course, Anthony could have just stood there and allowed them to attack, but it would have been futile as Infinity would simply block it all. He had even deactivated Sense Dome and a lot of sensory abilities just to match them... sadly, experience in battle and mana control couldn’t be reduced.

"Sigh... honestly, after spending the past eleven days with you, how is anything or anyone supposed to impress us with anything?" Bryan couldn’t help but speak helplessly, as the time they had spent with Anthony had opened their eyes and imagination to many things they never thought possible.

"Honestly, I don’t think anything will again... unless I see something extremely cool," Bringer spoke as he tried rising from his position, but the pain he felt all around his body plus his injuries didn’t seem to allow him to shift into a seated position.

At that thought, he brought out a healing and stamina potion from his space ring, but before he could drink it, Anthony spoke, "No need to waste your potions, since I put you in this state, it’s only natural I heal you too."

[Healing Magic: Grace Of The Loved]

Mana hummed through the air, vibrating softly yet powerfully as the sky itself seemed to churn and shift, forming countless green motes of light that shimmered beautifully before descending downwards upon Bryan, Rider, Tiara, and Bringer under Anthony’s flawless control.

Their bodies began to heal at an astonishing rate, injuries snapping shut in real time as though they had never existed, blood vanishing completely from their skin, their bodies glowing with a soft green radiance just like the motes of light surrounding them as their stamina was fully replenished in an instant, and mana poured into their cores with overwhelming force, restoring them completely.

Within mere seconds, they were all brought back to their absolute peak state, as though the battle had never even happened.

With that, they all sat upright almost simultaneously as they clenched their fists, feeling the surge of restored power within them. They weren’t particularly surprised at the healing itself, they were already aware that various types of healing magic and similar abilities existed, and Anthony was more than capable of performing any of them with ease, but what truly left them stunned beyond words was the fact that their mana had also been completely replenished. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"You can even replenish mana? Is there anything you can’t do?" Bringer asked, his tone filled with disbelief.

"Well, I will have to think to know the answer to that question as I don’t really know," Anthony replied with a smile.

"I don’t think anyone can replenish mana though," Tiara stated.

"My Grandmother can," Anthony replied with ease.

"Well, she is the Saintess Of The World for a reason, I guess," Tiara sighed as she shook her head.

Anthony turned his attention to Bryan as he spoke, "I guess congratulations are in order, Bryan."

Bryan arched an eyebrow, confused, "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Your Aura control increased significantly during our spar, with a little bit of a push, you will awaken your Sword Intent," Anthony replied.

Hearing Anthony’s words, Bryan paused, then immediately burst into laughter, "HAHAHAHAHA!!! Finally, freaking FINALLY!" he shouted to the top of his lungs as though he had won the biggest lottery.

Anthony shook his head and said nothing more, although Aura was easy to master, the path of Intent seemed endless to all who walked it.

With that, congratulations started flying around and they congratulated him despite not having awakened his Intent yet, but the fact remained he was closer to that line than any of them.

Bryan could already imagine how much his battle prowess would soar whenever he awakened it, the mere thought alone sending waves of excitement through him.

’I will be diving straight into Aura training when I return,’ he thought to himself as he smirked, his pride as a Dragon seemingly rising to the surface for a moment, burning with renewed intensity.