She then lifted her head and saw the astonished look on Ethan’s face.

"How is that actually possible?" he asked, his voice filled with genuine disbelief.

Bella smiled through her exhaustion. "What you just saw was the power of the Rage skill. It temporarily raises a Guardian’s strength exponentially by channeling every emotion of anger within them."

"Damn," Ethan said, nodding slowly with genuine intrigue.

Bella straightened up a bit, still catching her breath. "The skill is temporary because it acts like an emotional drain. Once it drains all that anger, you lose the usage of the skill."

Ethan’s expression softened slightly as understanding dawned on him. "The anger you channeled to do this... that was the anger you’ve been feeling all morning."

Bella nodded, with a smile forming on her face. "Thank you for suggesting this."

She gestured vaguely toward the courtyard, referring to the whole outdoor activity.

Then she turned toward Nina. "Don’t think I didn’t notice you were holding back."

Nina immediately bowed again, and said in her reverent tone. "Forgive me... I am unfit to desire a win against my Queen."

"Aww, I love this summon," Bella said with a light chuckle.

Ethan had a smile on his face as he watched the exchange. Then a thought struck him, and he asked, "Do you know the spell that could create the same gravitational conditions in a room? I want something similar to that Load Chamber you mentioned."

Isabella turned toward him with an amused expression. "Ohhh, now you want to raise your foundations?" 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

She was teasing.

Ethan smiled a bit. "After seeing that display? That’s all I wanna be raising right now."

Isabella quickly made a pretentious face of sadness, and said in mockingly hurt tone. "That’s all? What about these legs, my liege?"

She gestured suggestively to her legs, even mimicking Nina’s reverent tone as she said it.

Both Nina’s and Ethan’s eyes widened in shock. Then Ethan cracked into laughter, and Bella joined him, giggling at her own joke.

"Oh, someone’s suddenly in a good mood," Ethan said, shaking his head as he recovered from the laughter.

Bella shrugged, still smiling.

Nina, however, had turned beet red. Her gaze averted completely as she spoke in an embarrassed tone. "My liege, I am unfit to listen to these conversations and will be stepping back to a respectful distance."

Then she leaped backward several meters in one smooth motion and turned her face away entirely.

"Oh my, what is wrong with that summon?" Bella said, now laughing harder.

Ethan shook his head, glancing at Nina’s distant figure. "Nina’s the most dramatic of my summons. And after spending some time around my crazy demon Albedo, she’s learned to pick up on a few sexual contexts."

Bella shook her head in amusement, then turned back toward Ethan. "Now, about that Gravity element spell—unfortunately, I don’t know it. My father’s General was the one to cast the spell into the Load Chamber, and he alone knows it."

Ethan sighed, clearly disappointed.

However, in that moment, Bella’s expression shifted. "But I could do something that might feel similar."

"What’s that?" Ethan asked, his curiosity reignited.

Bella turned toward another corner of the courtyard and pulled off the bracelet that had been suppressing most of her power.

The moment it left her wrist, a sudden wave of mana pressure filled the entire space. The air thickened instantly, and even Ethan reacted, his body tensing instinctively under the weight of it.

Bella stretched out her hand toward the empty corner, and a black mass of energy began forming in the air. It swirled and condensed rapidly, growing into a massive black sphere that hovered ominously above the ground.

Ethan immediately felt a pulling effect from the sphere. It wasn’t strong enough to force him toward it, but he could feel the tug. Small debris around the sphere, however, couldn’t resist.

They were drawn in, vanishing into the dark mass.

"Right... you can make black holes," Ethan said, shaking his head in amazement at her power.

"Ehn, something like that," Bella said casually. "But this one isn’t anything special. The mass I’ve condensed into it isn’t that great, so the gravitational pull isn’t overwhelming. Still, it should be enough weight for you to work with."

"Uh... okay..." Ethan said slowly, still staring at the sphere with a mixture of awe and uncertainty.

Bella turned to him with a grin. "Since we’re just waiting on Eduardo and have nothing else planned, you can start by lifting that."

Ethan gave her a deeply puzzled expression without saying a word.

Bella laughed. "Ah, the look on your face."

Then she began to explain. "I made the base of the mass solid enough that it can be touched. You’ll still feel some of the gravitational pull from it while also being pressed by its weight, so this should be enough for you for now."

She paused, then added reassuringly, "And don’t worry, I’m watching. It’s never going to harm you, even if you let it go."

Ethan nodded, still staring at the hovering black sphere.

Bella smiled. "We’ll keep doing a little bit of this each time I visit. This will help with your Guardian training."

Ethan exhaled, then cracked his knuckles and stepped toward the sphere.

"Alright," he muttered. "Let’s do this."

Ethan exhaled slowly, then stepped toward the hovering black mass.

Bella raised her hand, and the black sphere lifted higher into the air, rising until it hovered above his head.

Ethan planted his feet firmly and lowered himself into a stance; his knees were bent and his arms positioned as if preparing to catch something falling from above. His breathing steadied, and his focus sharpened.

Then his eyes began to change.

They took on a reddish-amber glow, and black scales spread across his right arm. It wasn’t a full draconic transformation, but it granted just enough strength to complement his Warrior and Guardian classes.

Then he layered his Amplification trait over it all, doubling the output.

The mana behind the black mass suggested Ethan had to go this far or he’d never have the chance of holding onto it.

Bella watched him carefully, her hand still raised toward the black sphere. "Alright. I’m going to lower it slowly. Let me know if the weight is too much."

Ethan nodded, his gaze locked on the descending mass.

Bella began to lower it, inch by inch.

The moment the black sphere came within a meter of Ethan’s hands, he felt it.

The weight.

It was everywhere the word "oppressive" meant. The gravitational pull from the condensed mass pressed down on him like a mountain, and as it descended further, the pressure intensified.

His feet dug into the ground, and the earth beneath him cracked slightly under the strain. His arms trembled as he positioned them to catch the sphere, and when it finally made contact with his palms, his knees buckled a bit.

He gritted his teeth as his entire body strained to hold the mass in place. Sweat began to bead on his forehead, and his breathing grew heavier.

Bella stopped lowering it and watched him closely. "Is that fine?"

Ethan’s voice was tight, but determined. "Yes. It’s perfect."

He adjusted his stance slightly, grounding himself more firmly, and then he lifted.

Every muscle in his body engaged at once. His arms strained upward as his legs drove power into the ground. The black sphere rose slowly, trembling in his grip—but it rose.

The sheer force of his effort sent small shockwaves through the ground beneath him, and the air around him distorted a bit.

Bella smiled, actually impressed. She walked closer, to observe him.

"You’re lifting it pretty well," she said, her tone both teasing and genuine.

Ethan’s jaw was clenched, his focus unwavering as he held the mass steady.

Bella continued, "For the record, I adjusted the weight to what someone with S-tier strength would be able to lift."

Ethan’s eyes widened slightly, though he didn’t let the sphere drop. His grip tightened, and he forced himself to keep it stable.

Bella stepped even closer, leaning in so her voice was just beside his ear.

"Maybe when you’re done," she whispered, her tone shifting into something far more suggestive, "we could—"

The rest of her words trailed off into a murmur, but as she spoke, her hand drifted slowly downward, fingers brushing along his thigh in a way that was unmistakably seductive.

Ethan’s concentration shattered.

His eyes widened, and his body jerked slightly. "Woah, woah—"

The black sphere wobbled dangerously in his grip.

"This woman..." he said, his voice strained but amused.

Bella pulled back, laughing now. Her hand slipped away from his leg as she stepped to the side, really pleased with herself.

"You’re evil," he muttered, still grinning.

—

More Mass Release Incoming