Arden and the twins reached the wide doors of the God Gym.
Rynor stretched his arms behind his head. "Heh. Looks like we’re..."
He stopped mid-sentence.
Rynar froze beside him.
Standing in front of the entrance were three familiar figures, already waiting.
Dahlia leaned casually against a pillar, arms crossed.
Clara sat on a crate, swinging her legs.
Eliza stood a little behind them, quiet as ever.
"...They’re already here," Rynor muttered.
Rynar squinted. "And they’re empty-handed."
The twins exchanged a look.
That smug look they always had when they thought they were about to win sothing.
Rynor took a step forward. "Oho? Looks like we’re first..."
He stopped again.
Sothing was off.
Arden was the first to notice.
His eyes widened slightly, and he straightened without realizing it.
"...Wow," he said honestly. "Senior Sister Dahlia, Clara, and Eliza."
The girls looked at him.
"You three..." Arden continued, voice calm but clearly impressed.
"...you’ve already awakened your [Unique Physiques], haven’t you?"
Dahlia grinned proudly. "Took you long enough to notice."
Clara hopped off the crate. "Yep! All three of us."
Eliza nodded once. Quiet, but confident.
The twins stiffened.
"...All three?" Rynar asked slowly.
Rynor frowned. "No way. That fast?"
Dahlia tilted her head, mock-innocent. "What? Surprised?"
Clara clasped her hands behind her back and leaned forward.
"So... about that mocking you were about to do?"
The twins clicked their tongues.
"Tch. So what?" Rynor shot back.
"Awakening is cool and all, but results matter."
Rynar stepped forward and slapped a hand on the massive corpses behind them.
"We brought three third-realm demonic beasts."
He smirked. "Beat that."
For a mont, the air was quiet.
Then Clara blinked.
"...Three?" she repeated.
Dahlia raised an eyebrow. "That’s it?"
Rynor frowned. "Oi. Don’t act like that’s nothing."
Clara smiled wider. Way wider than before.
"Oh, sorry," she said sweetly.
"I just thought you ant sothing impressive."
She snapped her fingers.
The ground behind the girls rippled, and then, one by one, massive shadows slamd onto the stone floor.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
One, two, three, four... until ten bodies piled up.
Ten third-realm demonic beast corpses lay stacked behind them.
The twins’ mouths fell open.
"...Huh?" Rynor croaked.
Rynar’s eyes went wide. "What the hell?!"
Arden froze completely. "...Ten?"
Clara put her hands on her hips. "We might’ve gone a little overboard."
Dahlia laughed. "You know how it is. Stress relief."
Eliza looked down at the pile, then softly said, "...So ran."
Rynor slowly turned to Rynar. "Bro... Are we the weak ones now?"
Rynar clenched his fists. "No. Shut up. This is cheating."
Clara tilted her head. "Cheating? We just trained hard."
Dahlia stepped forward, smiling brightly.
"Looks like you can’t mock us anymore, huh?"
The twins went silent.
Arden cleared his throat politely. "...Congratulations. Truly."
Clara bead. "See? Arden gets it."
Rynor groaned. "Damn it..."
Rynar clicked his tongue, then looked away. "Fine. You win this round."
Dahlia laughed. "Good. Say it properly."
The twins sighed at the sa ti.
"...You’re monsters," Rynor muttered.
Clara grinned. "Thanks. That’s a complint."
Before the twins could fire back, a familiar presence made the air feel heavier.
Garion had been standing a short distance away the whole ti, watching everything with a smirk.
He finally stepped forward, boots tapping against the stone.
"Alright, Clara," he said calmly. "That’s enough."
The laughter stopped.
Rynar blinked. "Huh?"
Rynor frowned. "Enough of what?"
Arden looked between them. "Master...?"
Clara clicked her tongue dramatically. "Aww. You’re no fun."
She snapped her fingers again.
Snap.
Seven of the ten massive corpses vanished instantly, as if they had never been there.
Only three third-realm demonic beast bodies remained on the ground.
The twins stiffened.
"...What?" Rynor said slowly.
Rynar’s eyes widened. "Where did the rest go?"
Arden froze, then inhaled softly. "Don’t tell ..."
Garion nodded. "Clara’s awakening is related to [Illusion]."
The words sank in.
Rynor cursed under his breath. "Damn it."
Rynar clicked his tongue. "So it was all fake."
Clara raised a finger. "Correction. Mostly fake."
She pointed at the three remaining corpses. "These are real."
She leaned forward, smirking.
"We killed three right after awakening. You two? You’ve been awakened for a while."
The twins stared at her.
"...What did you just say?" Rynor asked.
Rynar cracked his knuckles. "Say that again."
Garion cleared his throat loudly. "Enough."
Everyone stopped instantly.
He looked around at all of them, eyes sharp but clearly amused.
"You all did well. Very well."
His gaze lingered on the girls for a mont, then on the twins, then on Arden.
"But this isn’t a competition. Not yet."
Clara shrugged. "Fine, fine."
Dahlia laughed. "He’s right. We can tease them later."
Eliza said nothing but gave a small nod.
Garion turned toward the entrance. "Let’s go inside."
As they moved inside, Rynor leaned toward Rynar and whispered, "We’re never letting her forget this."
Rynar growled quietly. "Next ti, we win."
Clara heard them anyway and laughed.
---
Deep inside the forest, far away from the paths the disciples had walked, the air felt heavy and still.
Two massive figures stood facing each other.
One of them was the huge beast that had been watching Dahlia, Clara, and Eliza from afar.
Its body was covered in rough, ancient-looking scales.
Across from it stood another enormous creature, newly awakened.
Its body was still steaming faintly, as if it had just risen from a long sleep.
Its movents were stiff, stretching its limbs slowly, shaking dirt and broken roots off its back.
The second beast narrowed its eyes.
"Why did you call ?" it growled. "This is not the ti to wake up yet."
The first beast remained calm.
"We were only a week away anyway. Whether you wake now or later makes no difference."
The second beast snorted, clearly displeased.
"Then explain. Why wake now?"
It took a step forward, pressure rolling through the forest floor.
"You don’t disturb my slumber without reason."
The first beast lifted its head slightly. "Because what I saw cannot wait."
The second beast’s expression darkened. "What kind of news?"
It paused, then added coldly, "It had better be worth it."
The first beast nodded once. "It is."
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