The Villain's Apocalypse-Chapter 53: Training

Chapter 53: Training

He closed his eyes and silently muttered, "Spiritual Vision."

Woosh—!

A sudden pressure enveloped his body, and in an instant, the world around him... shifted.

His perception over time felt distorted and weirdly unsettling.

He slowly opened his eyes and blinked twice, observing the changes happening around the room.

Particles of dust hung in the air like drifting stars. The curtains swayed with incredibly subtle motion, their loose body catching the faint traces of sunlight from outside. Even the sound of wind brushing against the windows turned sluggish and warped, like a muffled sound of compressed air.

His own breath came slow and deep, echoing within his ears like a distant tide. Raising his hand, he watched as it moved with ghost-like grace, each finger bending so slowly it felt unnatural.

’So this is the full effect of Spiritual Vision...’

He stepped forward, and his footsteps resonated from behind–except they were a few milliseconds late, like a delayed command from a broken mouse on a computer.

His ears twitched slightly, not liking the time dilation surrounding his body. He pondered briefly, thinking about the possible advantages he could gain in a battle through this single skill.

’It’s a broken ability if used properly.’ He thought, testing its limitations. During this state, the time clock within his body was slowed down by half, which meant he had double the time for anything and everything.

’My body needs time to adapt to this setting.’ He glanced at his hand, which was clenching slowly as if affected by the time dilation around it. The ability itself wasn’t omniscient and only granted a limited dilation over time, but he wasn’t sure about the limitation, not yet. It could double, triple, or possibly quadruple his perception of time.

But just as quickly as the wonder settled in, reality came crashing back.

Crack—!

His head throbbed.

Hard.

Cassian dropped to one knee, his vision warping as waves of nausea twisted in his stomach. A sharp, splitting pain stabbed through the side of his head, like something clawing against his skull.

"Urgh–!"

The pressure around him vanished as he canceled the skill, stumbling slightly.

His body broke into a cold sweat.

His breathing grew shallow.

’What... the hell was that...?’

The corners of his vision blurred, and for a moment, the room spun around him.

[Warning: Excessive use of Spiritual Vision may overload the neural pathways. Side effects include migraines, vertigo, and temporary mana instability.]

"Thanks for the early warning, asshole..." he cursed, dragging himself to the edge of the bed.

He collapsed backward, staring at the ceiling, letting his body rest. His right hand twitched slightly from the aftershock.

’Need to pace myself... My soul might be strong, but my body’s still catching up.’

He lay there for a while, letting the lingering pain dull. Eventually, the throb in his head faded, and the room steadied itself.

’Guess I’ll need to build a tolerance over time.’

He let his body sink into the cozy bed and fell asleep, dreaming wonderfully about his previous life.

—

Tap. Tap. Tap.

His boots echoed faintly as he walked across the stone pathway leading to the royal training grounds.

The early morning sun peeked through the clouds, casting soft golden rays over the glistening marble floor. The air was crisp and slightly chilly, brushing against his skin like a reminder of the real world outside magic and systems.

As he stepped into the training arena, his eyes met a familiar figure waiting at the center—arms folded, a calm expression on his face.

Alexander von Luminaire.

His father.

Wearing his ceremonial combat robes with his long golden hair tied back, he looked every bit the war-hardened emperor that he was. His golden eyes narrowed slightly as Cassian approached.

"You’re late."

Cassian exhaled deeply and replied, "I was tired."

Alexander recalled the unknown mana signal he sensed inside Cassian’s room. He pondered briefly before responding, "What were you doing yesterday?"

’I guess he sensed the mana that was leaking from my room yesterday.’ He thought, turning toward him.

Rather than replying, he unleashed his mana from the Starseed, letting him sense the enhancement.

"You...broke through?" Alexander stared at him as if he were some kind of monster. He had never seen anyone break through twice within a span of a single month; that was too much, even for someone of his status.

’There are some records of the previous emperors achieving such abnormal growth, but still, this is amazing.’ His gaze softened slightly as a small smile stretched across his stoic face. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"Congratulations."

"Thank you." Cassian smiled, feeling happy inside. He too was quite proud of himself for achieving such a feat.

"Do you want to start the training today, or do you wanna stabilize your breakthrough first?"

"Let’s start the training." He replied, his eyes gleaming with battle intent. He had already set another goal inside his mind–to learn the way of the Sword and wield Genesis properly.

Genesis was a true one-of-a-kind sword, a divinity, albeit sealed and weakened for now. If he could utilize it properly, then it could become a devastating weapon and a major trump card for him.

It wasn’t some random decision to pursue the way of the sword. No, he had thought about it for a long time before deciding on his weapon.

He had countless options—daggers, bows, staves, even ethereal artifacts—and as the Crown Prince of the Luminaire Empire, he had the privilege to master any path he wished. But the sword... the sword felt right. It resonated with him. It was direct, sharp, unyielding—just like his will.

More importantly, he had the perfect teacher for it right in front of him.

Sword Sovereign–a title revered and feared alike across the entire continent. An individual who has mastered his sword to the extreme, capable of single-handedly slaying a mighty dragon with only a sword in his hand.

That person was, of course, his father, the current emperor, Alexander von Luminaire.

Cassian swiftly took out a slick silver sword from his ring and held it tightly within his right hand. "Sparring is the best way to understand yourself and your opponent. What do you think?"

He covered the sword with his unstable yet majestic golden mana, channeling his lightning and light element on it.

The sword crackled with purple lightning and golden light, jumbled up together forming a destructive halo.

Alexander turned, gesturing to the center of the field. "Show me what you’ve learned."

Cassian smiled, tightening his grip on his blade.

"Gladly."