Grand Return System-Chapter 62: The Flame That Seeks the Sky

The Flame That Seeks the Sky

Leon looked at the sky.

The sun was sinking low beyond the Yellow Desert, dragging long shadows across the dunes. What had been a blazing golden sea only hours ago now shifted through layers of color—amber melting into rust, rust fading into a soft violet-gray.

The heat retreated.

In its place came the desert’s quiet chill.

Night would fall soon.

Leon watched the horizon for a moment longer before speaking.

"Hmm... before we know it, night is about to fall again."

He turned his gaze toward his two students.

"You should set up camp and rest. Tomorrow, we begin a new training plan."

The wind stirred their robes.

Then Leon’s eyes settled on Rias.

"Rias, I’ll teach you the Blazing Inferno Ascension technique today. This immortal art was comprehended by the first few masters of our Amethyst Summit Division. You already possess the Divine Fire Bone within your body. It is the most suitable path for you."

His tone was calm—but deliberate.

This was not just instruction.

This was inheritance.

"Okay."

The moment she heard she would finally cultivate an immortal technique, Rias’ crimson eyes lit up. The earlier sunset glow reflected in them, turning them molten.

For days she had watched Selena carve through beasts with icy precision, the Divine Ice Bones in her body radiating quiet authority. Rias had admired it... and envied it.

Her Teacher had not rushed her.

He said her state of mind needed to settle.

Now—

He was finally willing.

Her heart thumped against her ribs.

Leon gestured to the sand. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Sit down."

Selena and Akeno did not interrupt. They moved a short distance away, quietly setting up camp while keeping an attentive watch.

This was Rias’ moment.

Rias knelt opposite Leon, crossing her legs with practiced grace. Her red layered silk robes pooled around her like petals of a blazing flower. The golden sash at her waist shimmered faintly in the dimming light.

Leon extended two fingers and lightly tapped her forehead.

"Close your eyes. Calm your breath. Feel the fire in your spiritual core."

Rias obeyed instantly.

The desert wind faded from her awareness.

In her inner world—

There it was.

A core of crimson flame pulsing in her spiritual core. Not wild. Not chaotic. But alive.

Leon’s voice guided her like a thread through darkness.

"The Blazing Inferno Ascension technique does not force fire to burn. It teaches fire to rise."

His Mana flowed gently, entering her meridians in a controlled stream—not overpowering, only guiding.

"Draw your Mana along your Ren meridian. Do not push. Let the flame follow your breath."

Rias’ fingers trembled slightly.

The Divine Fire Bone responded eagerly, heat spreading along her veins like molten gold.

She bit her lower lip—but did not open her eyes.

"Good," Leon murmured. "Now condense it at your dantian. Spiral it."

Her breathing deepened.

The purgatory flames she had inherited from the Inferno Kong flickered brighter. They were fierce by nature—destructive, domineering.

But under Leon’s guidance, they began to change.

They rose instead of raging.

They ascended instead of exploding.

Within moments, faint red light began to seep from her body.

Selena, watching from a distance, paused mid-step.

"That pressure..." she whispered.

The air around Rias grew warmer.

Sand beneath her knees blackened slightly from heat.

Leon withdrew his guiding Mana and let her continue alone.

She understood quickly.

Not as photographic as Selena—but her comprehension was sharp, instinctive. The Divine Fire Bone amplified her affinity, making her adaptation astonishing.

Within a short while, she had already grasped the foundation of the Blazing Inferno Ascension technique.

A spiral of crimson flame coiled around her body, controlled but intense.

Her eyes snapped open.

"I can feel it!" she breathed, laughter bubbling in her voice. "Teacher, it listens to me now."

Leon allowed himself a small nod.

"Control is the first step."

Inside his mind—

[Ding...]

[You have imparted to your student the Mystic-grade cultivation technique, Blazing Inferno Ascension technique, triggering a critical hit return.]

[Activate?]

The corner of Leon’s mouth lifted faintly.

It had been some time since he heard that familiar mechanical echo.

"It’s here..."

"Activate."

[Ding...]

[Congratulations. You have triggered a 100 times critical strike and obtained a Heaven-tier cultivation technique: Inferno Lotus Art.]

Leon’s eyes flickered.

"Inferno Lotus Art..."

[Do you want to learn?]

"Yes."

In an instant, an intricate glyph flooded his consciousness. Streams of scripture unfolded like burning petals in his mind.

He closed his eyes briefly, absorbing it.

The technique was profound—fire not merely as destruction, but as karmic judgment. Flames that bloomed like a lotus, each petal a layer of annihilation.

Yet after analyzing it—

Leon felt a trace of disappointment.

He already possessed the Font Sword Art at a god-level. Compared to that, this seemed... supplementary.

More importantly—

He lacked an innate flame source.

Without a fire seed, its effect in his hands would be diminished.

But—

His gaze slowly shifted to Rias.

She was different.

She possessed the Divine Fire Bone.

She carried purgatory flames from the Inferno Kong.

In her hands—

This technique would not merely burn.

It would transform.

Leon exhaled softly.

"Forget it."

He looked at her.

"Rias, come here. I’ve reconsidered. I will teach you another secret technique."

Rias blinked in surprise, then quickly suppressed the flame around her and hurried over.

"Teacher? What secret technique?"

Her voice carried both curiosity and reverence.

Leon smiled faintly.

"I will teach you the Inferno Lotus Art."

Her breath caught.

"Inferno Lotus Art?"

Even in the Drake Empire, she had heard whispers of such a technique—Heaven-tier, at minimum. Reserved for elite bloodlines and ancient divisions.

And he was simply... giving it to her?

"Thank you, Teacher."

Her heart pounded wildly.

For a fleeting second, she truly wanted to throw herself into his arms again—but she restrained herself, cheeks flushing.

Leon gestured again.

"Sit."

"This art is profound. If cultivated to its peak, it rivals a God-grade existence."

"I will not disappoint you," she said seriously, sitting opposite him once more.

This time, the transmission was heavier.

Leon pressed his palm gently against her back, channeling the scripture directly into her spiritual core. Crimson glyphs formed within her inner world, rotating slowly like a blooming lotus made of fire.

Rias gasped softly.

The sensation was overwhelming—but not painful.

The Inferno Lotus Art layered itself over the Blazing Inferno Ascension technique, refining it, elevating it.

Her Divine Fire Bone resonated violently.

Flame surged outward.

A sphere of deep red fire erupted around her body, but unlike before—it was denser. Compressed. Each flicker sharp like a blade.

Heat rolled across the desert.

Selena instinctively stepped back, cold Mana rising from her Divine Ice Bones to shield Akeno.

"This..."

She narrowed her eyes.

"To think Junior Sister’s flames would carry such pressure."

Even from a distance, the heat prickled against her skin.

Rias remained seated in the center of the blaze, red hair flowing wildly in the heated air. Within the swirling fire, faint outlines of lotus petals appeared and vanished like phantoms.

Leon watched closely.

Not interfering.

Just observing.

The Divine Fire Bone was adapting rapidly, fusing both techniques into a singular path.

In less than a moment—

The flames stabilized.

But their aura remained suffocating.

Selena felt it clearly.

If she were to fight Rias now—

It would not be easy.

The desert wind howled once more, sweeping sand around them in spirals of gold and crimson.

Night fully descended.

And beneath the darkening sky of the Yellow Desert, a new flame had been born.