Chapter 358: Alarms Outside the Barracks (1/2)

After some time, the vigorous heartbeats of the six Holy Dawn Academy youths slowly returned to normal as their breathing fell back into a steady rhythm.

The sun was hidden behind the clouds, yet these youths seemed to be glowing with light in the eyes of the referees and medical masters.

“This team will definitely go down in history,” Clancy thought to himself as he watched the six youths undergo their transformations and grow stronger.

“Ayrin,” Leonardo abruptly called out.

“What is it, Mister Leonardo?” Still immersed in the blissful sensation of getting stronger, Ayrin looked curiously towards Leonardo.

“I… have something for you.” Leonardo replied with a slight hesitation as he took a scroll out of his robes and handed it over to Ayrin.

“What is this, Mister Leonardo?” Ayrin asked as he looked curiously at the scroll.

The scroll made of reddish-purple leather was extremely weathered and peeling in certain areas. It looked incredibly ancient.

“It contains an extremely ancient arcane skill,” Leonardo explained slowly.

“An arcane skill?” Stingham interrupted, “Ayrin, it absolutely cannot be something good, or he would not just give it to you like this.”

“Shut up!” Leonardo roared as he resisted the urge to beat Stingham up. Veins bulged atop his face as he said powerfully, “This scroll contains the skill, Lunar God’s Domain!”

“Lunar God’s Domain?!” Clancy and several of the nearby referees trembled in shock.

“What? Is this an extremely powerful domain?” Ayrin asked excitedly upon seeing the reactions of Clancy and the others. His eyes completely lit up as he continued, “What kind of domain is this?”

“Lunar God’s Domain is the strongest domain taboo skill from the Era of the War with Dragons,” Leonardo began to explain. Taking a deep breath, he slowly continued, “When cast, the skill envelops the caster and a spherical area around them in a layer of bright light, forming the image of a moon. The caster’s presence is thoroughly erased within this enclosed area. Afterwards, a force will suck all nearby opponents into the area, forcing them to do battle with the caster.”

After a short pause, Leonardo continued, “But the most critical aspect of this skill is that the domain energy of Lunar God’s Domain is restricting. Within the domain, no other domain energies are allowed. That is to say, if you manage to master this domain and use it in battle, your opponents who are sucked into it will not be able to use their own domains. Furthermore, Lunar God’s Domain contains the arcane energy of three natures, illusion, light, and safeguard.”

“Illusion? Light? And safeguard?” Ayrin’s eyes brightened.

“Illusion. Within the domain, your opponents will not be able to see clearly, and their perception will also be off. Furthermore, illusions of you and your skills will appear every time you reveal yourself or cast a skill. Light. Any skill, or even physical strike, you release within the domain will carry a layer of blinding light, strengthening it. And finally, safeguard. Within the domain, your body will be bathed in a splendorous moonlight which functions as an armor,” Leonardo explained.

Ayrin gulped as he exclaimed, “So powerful!”

“Naturally!” Leonardo nodded vigorously, “Otherwise it wouldn’t have been considered the strongest domain during the Era of the War with Dragons.”

“Mister Leonardo, why are you giving this scroll to me?” Ayrin asked.

“He definitely has a sinister intention,” Stingham muttered off on the side.

Leonardo took several deep breaths to keep calm as he replied with a bitter smile, “It is because I am unable to learn it.”

Ayrin, Rinloran, and the others exchanged looks.

“I obtained this scroll, and the one containing Warlock Variation, when I was around your age. I became renowned as the Cocktail Grandmaster due to the latter, but… all these years, I have never been able to master the former.”

“I no longer know how much time I have spent analysing Lunar God’s Domain,” Leonardo reminisced as his expression became increasingly bitter. In a whisper, he added, “I often can’t help but think that if I hadn’t wasted so much time on it, perhaps I would be vastly more successful than I currently am.”

“Honestly, Ayrin, you are the main reason why I applied with the Office of Special Affairs to become a referee.” Leonardo’s expression turned complicated as he continued, “I believe that only someone like you, who managed to learn Warlock Variation just by observing my battle with Liszt, will be able to master a skill like this.”

Rinloran, Chris, and the others exchanged looks.

They empathized greatly with Leonardo.

It was a regret held by all arcane masters.

When faced with the chance to learn a powerful skill which might transform their life, many arcane masters would decide to pursue mastering it. But in the end, they would fail to, even after pouring countless years and energy into it. It would become their life’s greatest regret.

“Perhaps the paths Teacher Liszt, Carter, and the others chose for us is correct. One must focus on one aspect and progress step by step until the limit is reached,” Rinloran and the youths silently thought to themselves.

“Ah, so it’s like this! Don’t worry Mister Leonardo, I will do my utmost to master this skill and show it to you!” Ayrin shouted as he waved his fist towards the sentimental Leonardo.

“Then you better work hard. Only by opening the fourth arcane gate will you even be able to store enough arcane particles to use the domain. But judging by your current pace, that time is probably not so far off in the future,” Leonardo nodded towards Ayrin.

Images of himself at Ayrin’s age flashed through his mind.