Strongest Existence Becomes Teacher

Chapter 269: A World on Fire

"How about..."

"I take them from you?"

Ul’s emotionless voice echoed through the ruined hall as Ron and Maera remained vigilant in front of him.

Both of them immediately sensed danger.

But neither understood what he meant.

Then Ul calmly spoke again.

"Let the feast begin."

Ron frowned.

"What...?"

Before he could even finish speaking—

Everything disappeared.

Darkness.

Absolute darkness.

Ron froze instantly.

"...What the..."

His grip on the spear tightened violently.

"I can’t see..."

Then realization hit him harder.

"Wait..."

"I can’t hear anything..."

Panic surged through his body.

There was no sound.

Nothing.

Meanwhile, from Maera’s perspective, Ron suddenly became horrifying to look at. His eyes had completely turned white, lacking even pupils or irises, while the sides of his head where his ears were—

Had sealed shut into smooth skin.

Maera’s eyes widened.

"What did you do to him?!"

She immediately tried lunging toward Ul—

But the moment she moved, her body collapsed sideways onto the ground.

The world spun violently around her.

Even while looking at Ul standing still—

It felt like he was rotating.

The floor tilted unnaturally beneath her.

Nausea hit instantly.

Her breathing became uneven.

Then another realization struck.

She couldn’t smell anything.

Not blood.

Nothing.

Maera forced herself to concentrate just to avoid vomiting.

"What..."

"What did you do to me...?"

Ul looked down at her calmly.

"You intended to rush me with instincts like those?"

Then—

For the first time since the battle began—

He moved gracefully.

The way he landed.

Balanced and wild.

The movement looked almost identical to Maera’s own combat style.

Maera’s eyes widened further.

"This..."

Ul answered her without emotion.

"Yes."

"It’s yours...it was yours."

"I took them."

"Your beast-like balance..."

"Your instincts..."

"Your sense of smell..."

Then he looked toward Ron.

"And the runt’s sharp eyesight and hearing."

A faint dark satisfaction appeared in his voice.

"Added onto my own superior senses."

Maera felt cold fear.

He can steal senses...

---

Meanwhile, Ron stood frozen in darkness.

With no sight and sound.

Only his own thoughts remained.

Think.

Come on... think...

He tightened his grip around the spear.

He could be standing right beside me and I wouldn’t even know...

Then suddenly—

A thought surfaced.

Iron Pulse.

Immediately, Ron synchronized his heartbeat with his mana.

Boom.

Boom.

Boom.

His focus sharpened.

But then frustration appeared.

No...

Iron Pulse enhances senses...

But it can’t strengthen senses that don’t exist...

Then—

A memory surfaced in his mind.

Zane’s voice.

"Iron Pulse can evolve in many ways."

"You simply haven’t found yours yet."

Another memory followed immediately after.

A younger Ron and Dex sparring with wooden spears under the orange sky years ago.

Dex was fifteen.

Ron only ten.

Ron lay defeated on the ground while Dex rested his wooden spear against his shoulder with a smug expression.

"You’re too strong, brother..."

"I’ll never catch up to you."

Dex snorted lightly.

"That’s because you rely on your eyes too much."

Ron blinked.

"Huh?"

Dex pointed his spear toward him.

"You have a body blessed with extreme fire affinity."

"Your body is naturally sensitive to temperature."

"So use that."

"Enhance your other senses."

"Feel heat."

"If you stop depending on sight alone, you’ll improve way faster."

Young Ron groaned dramatically.

"That sounds way too difficult..."

Dex sighed.

"Anyway, stop whining."

Then a smirk appeared on his face.

"Looks like your fiancée Lia arrived."

Ron immediately grinned mischievously.

"Ohhh? Then are you going to meet big sister Maya?"

Dex nearly choked.

"Pff—!"

"You little brat..."

---

Back in the present—

Ron slowly tightened his grip around his spear.

A small smile formed despite the darkness.

"...I think I understand now."

"Thank you..."

"Professor."

"And brother."

Boom.

Boom.

Boom.

Iron Pulse synchronized deeper with his mana than ever before.

Ron concentrated completely.

Heat.

I need to feel heat.

Visualize it.

Slowly—

Tiny glowing points began appearing within the darkness.

Faint at first.

Then clearer.

The heat signatures.

Mix of Orange ,Red,Yellow.

With cooler areas appearing in blue and green.

He begin to see the shape of bodies and things.

His mana sense instinctively merged together with the thermal perception.

And suddenly—

Ron could see again.

Not through eyes.

But through heat.

Through mana.

The entire world appeared like living flames surrounding him.

His own heartbeat echoed through the burning landscape of perception.

Then—

Ron sensed two intense heat signatures nearby.

First was Maera.

The other—

Ul.

And Ron immediately realized something else.

What is he doing to Maera...?

Without hesitation, Ron moved.

Blue flames exploded around his spear as he thrust directly toward Ul.

--

On the other side of the battlefield, Selene knelt while clutching the remains of her shoulder, her face pale from blood loss. Her severed arm still lay on the ruined floor nearby while blood continued pouring from the impossibly clean wound.

Even so—

She didn’t panic.

Instead, she immediately reached into her pouch with her remaining hand and pulled out several prepared rune papers.

The papers ignited instantly.

Orange glowing runes flowed out from them like living symbols and quickly attached themselves around the bleeding wound on her shoulder.

The bleeding stopped almost immediately.

Then a third rune floated toward the severed arm lying on the ground.

The arm slowly lifted into the air.

Selene winced from pain while guiding it back toward herself.

The floating arm reattached to the shoulder.

Two more runes immediately moved into position around the connection point, glowing brightly while stitching flesh, nerves, and muscle together like magical threads.

Selene clenched her teeth hard.

The pain was intense enough to make her entire body tremble.

But after several seconds—

The arm stabilized.

The runes detached and floated back behind her, rejoining the circular formation revolving around her back.

Selene slowly stood up while flexing her fingers weakly.

"...What even was that attack?"

Across from them, Si observed her with visible curiosity.

"Oh?"

"You reattached your arm."

Her four black eyes slowly focused on the floating runes behind Selene.

"Those orange symbols are strange."

"They continuously absorb mana from the surroundings..."

A monstrous smile spread across her face.

"You are special too."

Lia glanced briefly at Selene to confirm she could still move.

Then immediately focused back on Si.

Before Si could continue speaking—

Lia launched herself forward at full speed.

Boom.

Pink wind exploded behind her as she appeared directly above Si and swung downward with a full-powered overhead slash.

Clang.

The sword stopped instantly against something invisible.

Lia’s eyes confirmed about what happened before.

There was nothing there.

Yet her blade could not move forward even an inch.

Like an invisible barrier

Si looked up at her with an inhuman smile.

"Interesting..."

"This body belongs to your sibling..."

"Yet you attack it with such killing intent."

Lia gritted her teeth and pushed harder, wind mana erupting around her sword.

"Shut up!"

But Si simply smiled wider.

Then casually swished her hand horizontally.

At that exact moment—

Lia felt her ears pop strangely.

Then every instinct in her body screamed danger.

Without hesitation, she twisted her sword defensively.

Clang!

Invisible force slammed against the blade, producing sparks in midair.

The impact sent Lia skidding backward across the floor while struggling to stabilize herself.

"What the hell...?"

Her eyes rapidly scanned the surroundings.

But she still couldn’t see anything.

Only the aftermath.

Which was many cuts.

Lia tightened her grip around her sword.

Selene says

"...What’s happening?"