"Could this be the power of an Ascendant?"
As Barrett Gear-Heart watched Julian effortlessly dismantle the Skittering Shadows, his mind raced back to their conversation about mana techniques from the night before. He hadn't fully grasped the concept then, but seeing it in action was a different story.
Julian, focused on the rhythm of the battle, was unaware of the profound shift in Barrett's heart. He shifted his weight, his feet tracing precise patterns in the dirt, while his longsword hummed with golden heat. Each strike was a surgical flash of light, leaving behind nothing but the severed remains of the alien invaders.
In the span of a few minutes, the courtyard of Gear-Heart Manor was littered with the corpses of dozens of Skittering Shadows.
"Brother Julian, do you know these demons?" Barrett asked, approaching while wiping black ichor from his heavy iron saber.
Julian nodded, flicking the blood off his blade. "These are Skittering Shadows, a predatory alien race. Logically, they shouldn't be in this sector, but with the sky fracturing, the barriers between worlds are failing."
"They possess terrifying strength," Barrett noted, looking at a fallen monster in a pool of dark blood. "Even the strongest guards of my manor struggle to match one. It takes three to five men to bring a single one down."
If not for Julian's presence, the Gear-Heart family would have faced a massacre.
"The strength of these creatures is actually quite low—only Mortal Rank 1 or 2," Julian explained calmly. "Ordinary people can kill them with coordination, but because your world lacks mana-based martial arts, you lack the efficiency to resist them without heavy casualties."
"Martial arts…" Barrett muttered the words to himself, his grip tightening on his saber.
"With these monsters appearing, Gear-Heart Manor is no longer safe," Julian said, looking past Barrett toward the dozens of young men slumped against the manor walls. They were panting heavily, clutching farming tools and rusted kitchen knives.
Julian was genuinely surprised. These people lacked refined strength, but they possessed a grit and courage that most noble-born students at the Academy lacked.
They hadn't run; they had fought a foreign race with nothing but sheer will.
"I plan to leave the Sector of Ironside today," Julian stated, making his intention clear.
"You should prepare better weapons. If more of these aliens arrive…"
He didn't need to finish the sentence. He saw the conflict in Barrett's eyes; the man was a warrior born for more, but his loyalty was tied to the manor.
"Barrett."
An elderly man, leaning on a cane but still carrying a trace of the family's legendary sturdiness, stepped out from the main hall.
"Elder, why have you come out?" Barrett rushed forward to support him.
Julian stood his ground, calmly wiping his sword and observing. The old man patted Barrett's hand and looked directly at Julian.
"Barrett, Julian Thorne is a man of great destiny. Why don't you leave with him?"
"Elder! If I leave, who protects the family? Who protects the manor?" Barrett protested.
"You aren't the only man with the name Gear-Heart," the elder replied with a tired smile. "Do you think we would simply crumble without you?"
The elder had seen the difference in Julian from the moment he arrived—the clothing, the calm temperament, and most importantly, the effortless power displayed today. He knew that for a man like Barrett to reach his true potential, he needed to follow a master who could lead him to the Ascendant Realm.
"Go. Gear-Heart Manor will find its way," the elder insisted.
"Actually," Julian interrupted, stepping forward. "I have a proposal."
The Elder looked at Julian with a kind smile.
"Master Thorne, would you take Barrett as your vanguard? He is a rough stone, but he has the heart of a titan."
"Actually, I want more than just Barrett," Julian said, his voice steady. "I want the entire Gear-Heart family to come with me."
The Elder was stunned. "There are 381 people in this manor. Moving an entire family across these broken lands is impossible."
"This world is dying," Julian argued. "These Skittering Shadows are just the scouts. If you stay here, you are waiting for an inevitable end. The place I can take you is far safer than Ironside. There are no alien races there, and the air itself is filled with the mana needed to grow strong."
"How is such a thing possible?" Barrett asked, skeptical.
"Let me show you."
Julian waved his hand, tapping into the power of his Lotus Sanctum. In a flash of white light, Julian, Barrett, and the Elder vanished from the manor courtyard.
The two men felt a momentary blur. When their vision cleared, the dark, fractured sky of Ironside was gone. Above them was the soft, misty gray sky of Julian's Hallowed Realm.
In the center of the vast black soil stood the magnificent Ember-Fall Manor, its golden eaves glowing with gathered mana.
"Is this… the realm of the Immortals?" the Elder whispered, falling to his knees in shock. He looked at the palace as if it were a divine temple.
"Where are we?" Barrett asked, his jaw dropped as he felt the ambient mana of the Ember-Fall Manor surging into his lungs, making his blood boil with newfound energy.
"This is my Hallowed Realm," Julian explained. "It is currently empty, lacking people to manage the land and build its future. Will the Gear-Heart family join me?"
"My Lord," Barrett said, dropping to one knee with a heavy thud. "The Gear-Hearts are yours to command."
The Elder nodded fervently, tears in his eyes. "We would be honored to serve."
"Then let's head back," Julian said with a satisfied smirk. "We have a manor to pack."