On one of Everbright Academy’s remote islands, the waves crashed violently against the shore.

The ocean stretched endlessly into the dark horizon, its surface churning under a gray, overcast sky.

From the tidal surge, a figure was swept onto the sand, carried by the force of the water.

The gray-haired boy coughed, sputtering saltwater as he pushed himself onto his hands and knees.

"Cough... cough, damn them."

He glanced up at the sky. A five-meter-long wind falcon circled above him, its translucent wings cutting through the misty air.

The bird descended gracefully, landing on the wet sand beside him.

Its form shimmered, then dispersed, revealing three figures standing where the falcon had been. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

These four were Cael’s clones.

The gray-haired clone who had been swept ashore was the competitive clone, formerly the Moonlight clone.

Now, after the unlocking of Space, this clone had been reassigned.

He was responsible for mastering the Space element, and the journey had been anything but smooth.

The other three clones were Black Lightning, Frostflame, and the Wind clone.

Yes. These three had learned Unification Art.

Cael’s major clones could only wield one special element each, but that limitation did not extend to normal elements like wind, water, or earth elements.

Learning the Unification Technique had been relatively easy for them.

Unlike other practitioners, who struggled to synchronize their mana with partners, these clones shared a single origin.

They were ultimately one entity’s cloning, divided into separate bodies. Their coordination was instinctive, seamless.

That said, when Cael gave the Wind element to the other clones, the Wind clone had made a fuss all day. He had argued, complained, and sulked until Cael finally made a promise.

When Cael unlocked another special element, the Wind clone would be the one to receive it.

The other clones had no objections.

Even the training maniac clone, who had no elements at all, simply nodded in agreement.

The Wind clone took a deep breath and sent a message to the main body.

The response came almost instantly. A single word echoed in the Wind clone’s mind.

"Swap."

In the space where the Wind clone had stood, the air twisted.

Mana rippled like heat shimmering off summer stone.

Then Cael appeared, his boots sinking slightly into the wet sand.

Over the past months, his appearance had changed.

His lean body had gained muscle, not bulky but defined, shaped by months of conditioning and the Mana Strengthening Body Technique.

Standing at sixteen, he now looked closer to twenty in terms of physique.

His long silver hair swayed in the small breeze coming off the ocean.

Cael’s violet eyes paused on the drenched Space clone as he asked,

"Why are you soaked?"

The Space clone glared at the Black Lightning clone and the Frostflame clone with undisguised hatred.

They had clearly been responsible for his ’unceremonious’ arrival.

Cael sighed inwardly.

As time passed, his clones acted more and more human.

They bickered. They schemed. They held grudges. It was useful in many ways. But exhausting to Cael as they became noisier.

He shook his head and stretched his body, rolling his shoulders to ease the stiffness.

"Recover your mana. We will act in a few hours."

The clones nodded and dispersed along the shoreline, each finding a spot to sit and rest.

The wind carried the scent of salt and distant rain. The ocean murmured against the sand.

Cael tied his long silver as he muttered,

"Status"

-----

[Status]

[Name: Caelir Vayne]

[Class: Iridescent Monarch (SSS)]

Elements:

• Wind (49% --> 75% Mastery)

• Water (12% --> 56% Mastery)

• Earth (Locked --> 45% Mastery)

Unique Elements:

• Moonlight (14% --> 33% Mastery)

• Frostflame (22% --> 48% Mastery)

• Black Lightning (24% --> 52% Mastery)

• Space (Locked --> 16% Mastery)

• Death (Locked)

• Time (Locked)

[Rank: Silver 3]

Skills:

• Copy (SS)

• Cloning (SSS)

• Fusion (SS)

• Teleportation (S)

• Wrong Eye (S)

• Faceless Mask Construct (A)

• Mana Sovereignty (SS)

• Time Deceleration (SS)

• Death Reaper’s Requiem (SS)

• +150 skills

[Weapon Mastery: Sword (53% --> 61% Mastery)]

Techniques:

• Gale Weave Swordsmanship

• Mana Strengthening Body Technique

• Unification Art

-----

According to the original story, if Cael had not killed Kaiser, the incident in District Neva would never have happened.

The Tournament of Talents would never have been created.

Without the tournament, the plot would have followed the original academy’s path: the Class-S Selection.

In that version of events, students would have gathered points to participate in a battle royale held on this very island.

Vampires would have lurked in the shadows, waiting to bewitch talented students, to turn them into half-bloods, or worse, to control them through charm, turning them into slaves.

In the original novel, the protagonist, Lucian Vayne, who had grasped the situation, overturned the vampires’ plans.

He held out with his fellow students and instructors until Seraphina arrived to save the day.

But now, in this timeline, everything was different. There was no battle royale. The students would never come.

By capturing the [Commander] rank wraith during the District Neva incident, Seraphina had learned of the vampires’ plot.

They had been hiding on this island, waiting patiently for the students to arrive, unaware that their plans had been exposed months ago.

This was also the reason Seraphina had never allowed the Council to announce the Tournament of Talents immediately.

So, without announcement, the vampires never knew about the changes.

Tomorrow, the tournament will be announced officially to all of humanity.

The world would cheer. The students would prepare.

And the vampires on this island would naturally learn about it when the time comes.

Cael gazed at the ocean.

The sun had not yet risen, but light was beginning to illuminate the horizon, casting pale gold across the vast water surface.

"Let’s begin,"

Cael said as he continued,

"It’s time to clean up."

"But before that, let’s make a bet."

...

The vampires’ hideout was carved into the island’s rocky cliffside, concealed by illusion spells and layered with mana wards.

From the outside, it looked like nothing more than a jagged wall of stone. Inside, lights lined the corridors, casting flickering shadows across the damp stone floor.

The one in charge was a [Diamond 1] rank vampire. His underlings numbered two [Platinum] rankers and twenty [Gold] rankers.

Not a single low-stage vampire among them. Since Vampire’s population was low, they never sent low-stage vampires beyond their lands.

Cael’s three clones moved first. It was a direct assault. With no plans, only brute force.

With a simple breeze of mana nullification, Cael deactivated the illusion spells and mana barriers.

The Frostflame clone stepped into the main hall, his blue-white flames flickering around his fists.

The Black Lightning clone dissolved into shadow, reappearing behind a cluster of [Gold] rankers.

The Space clone stood at the entrance, his eyes scanning the room for threats.

All three activated Battle Reaper’s Focus.

The charm and suppression skills that the vampires relied on washed over them like water over stone.

But it was a wasted attempt.

A [Platinum] rank vampire lunged at Frostflame clone, the vampire’s claws extended, mana coiling around his arms like living threads.

The Frostflame clone raised his hand.

A wave of frost flames erupted from his palm when the vampire came into contact with frost flame, and the vampire’s mana was nullified.

In that moment of brief confusion, Frostflame clone stepped forward and touched the vampire’s chest.

The vampire froze. His claws stopped mid-swing. His eyes widened.

Then the frostflame surged from within the body, and the vampire crumbled onto the ground, dying.

Seven seconds had passed.

On the other side of the hall, the Black Lightning clone moved through shadows like a fish through water.

A [Platinum] rank vampire tried to track him, spinning in every direction.

The clone emerged from the vampire’s own shadow; his hand wrapped around the back of its neck.

Using black lightning as a medium for mana nullification, the clone nullified the mana within the vampire’s body.

Black lightning surged, the vampire’s body convulsed once, twice, then went still.

The clone released him, and the body fell.

Another [Platinum] ranker is dead.

The [Diamond 1] vampire finally sensed the shift.

He had been watching from the shadows, confident in his underlings, certain that no intruder could threaten his domain.

But now his [Platinum] subordinates were dead. His [Gold] ranks were falling. And he could not sense the fourth intruder anymore.

He stepped into the hall.

Cael, who had been hiding, his presence masked by Black Lightning, moved.

In his hand, a sword formed by water, its edge humming with Mana Sovereignty.

Cael thrust it into the [Diamond] vampire’s back.

The vampire gasped. The blade did not pierce deeply, but it did not need to.

The water sword entered his body, spreading through his mana channels like poison.

And the vampire’s control over mana was shattered.

He fell to his knees, one hand clutching his chest, his eyes wide with horror.

"Who are you, people? How can you control mana?"

He had seen it now. His subordinates’ skills had been nullified.

Their mana had been stripped away mid-strike.

And now his own body was betraying him, the mana he had commanded for centuries refusing to obey.

Cael looked down at the vampire. A small smirk played on his lips.

"Who am I? Just a few months ago, you vampires gave me a nickname."

He tilted his head slightly.

"What was that again? Ah, right... the Devil."

The word hung in the air, heavier than the mana that had once filled the hall.

And the Devil smiled.

______

[A/N: End of Arc: Pathway to [Gold].

End of Volume 2: Strongest [Silver] Ranker.

Next Arc: Selection Test for Participants.]