Chapter 64: The King And His Queen! The Emperor And His Empress!
The scene was brutal. The beast’s massive body hit the ground, bounced, and before it could even wail...
Smash.
Bruce swung it again!
Then again!!
And again!!!
Each slam echoed like a war drum. The ground caved deeper with every impact, forming a wide crater beneath them. Chunks of dirt and rock flew into the air. The shockwaves rippled through the savannah like miniature earthquakes.
The hyena’s roars turned into pitiful howls as its thick fur and hide began to tear. Bruce’s expression never changed. His grip was unrelenting, his movements precise and methodical, like a surgeon dissecting a patient with his bare hands.
When a few of the remaining hyenas lunged at him, Bruce reacted without even glancing their way. With a simple motion, he swung the half-dead leader like a club, smashing them aside one by one. Their bodies flew through the air, bones snapping before they even hit the ground.
Then, without pause, he went back to pounding the alpha into the dirt.
The crater grew deeper. The beast’s skull began to fracture, its blood painting the ground dark red.
Crack.
A sound echoed sharply, followed by another slam that completely caved in its head. A fountain of crimson and white brain matter burst out, splattering Bruce’s arm and chest.
Still, he didn’t stop.
He knew it wasn’t dead yet. He could feel its faint, fading resistance, its trembling pulse beneath his hand.
He continued until there was nothing left but a mangled heap of flesh.
The surviving hyenas hesitated, fear overtaking bloodlust. Some bolted, tails between their legs. The few that dared linger met their end in an instant.
Finally, Bruce exhaled slowly and flung the corpse aside. The once-mighty alpha landed with a wet thud, rolling limply across the dirt before coming to rest among its fallen pack.
For the first time since the trial began, he felt the weight of fatigue press down on him. His body ached, his mana reserves were completely dry, and the air around him shimmered faintly with heat from the destruction.
The sun dipped low on the horizon, painting the battlefield in a blood-red glow.
Bruce stood there silently, surrounded by the aftermath of his carnage, cracked ground, crushed bones, and silence.
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
’The fight was exciting,’ Bruce thought, tilting his head slightly toward the dying light.
And for a moment, the exhaustion didn’t matter. Only the thrill remained.
There was something new flickering within him, something dangerous and raw. A sensation that curled through his veins like fire.
It wasn’t just satisfaction.
It was hunger.
A hunger for battle. For challenge. For that rush of blood and tension that came with staring death in the face and coming out on top.
Bruce had discovered a new kind of thrill that day, one he never knew existed. And deep down, he realized with startling clarity that he was addicted to it.
....
Meanwhile, back in the observation room, Lucen stood frozen in front of the holographic wall of screens. His eyes were wide, his jaw slightly slack.
He had just watched the impossible.
A human, a mere recruit, not even fully simulated, had taken down an S-Ranked beast with his bare hands.
No advanced weaponry. No magic bursts. No skill-assisted finisher.
Just raw, overwhelming brutality.
Lucen’s fingers trembled slightly as he leaned closer to the feed, his voice barely a whisper.
"What... the hell... did I just watch?"
He rewound the footage in disbelief, watching again as Bruce’s form blurred across the screen, grabbing the massive hyena, swinging it, and slamming it repeatedly into the earth.
Each impact sent shockwaves that distorted the VR camera feed. The crater beneath them deepened until the dust completely obscured the image.
Lucen could only stare, completely numb.
"He fought it head-on, no evasion, no fear, no backup plan," he muttered. "He adapted in real time. That’s not just strength, that’s instinct. Pure, calculated instinct."
He looked at the mana-read monitor beside Bruce’s pod, and his expression darkened even further.
"Zero mana... he’s completely drained, yet still moving. That’s not possible. His body should have collapsed minutes ago. What actually is his class?" Lucen swallowed hard, a cold sweat trailing down his temple.
"I knew he was special, but this... this is beyond reason."
The holographic screen flickered, replaying the moment Bruce flung the lifeless corpse aside, his silhouette framed by the setting sun.
The blood, the exhaustion, the eerie calm, everything about it was terrifyingly serene.
"An A-Rank simulation, and he’s treating it like a playground," Lucen muttered, his tone a mix of disbelief and awe. "His physical strength has already reached a level where he can contend with S-Ranked beasts inside the trial."
He paused, exhaling shakily as the realization settled in.
"How would Bale feel when he sees this?" he whispered to himself, eyes flicking back to the footage of Bruce standing calmly amidst the carnage. "The S-Ranked beasts he arranged so the recruits could experience the terror of facing overwhelming power firsthand might actually end up being the ones slaughtered instead."
Lucen ran a trembling hand through his hair, his voice barely a murmur.
"This trial was meant to humble them. But at this rate, it’ll be Bruce doing the humbling."
He ran a hand through his hair again, his pulse racing. "If he’s capable of this in this VR trial, what happens when he reaches his full potential in real life?"
For a moment, Lucen didn’t even realize he was smiling faintly, half in awe, half in fear.
He glanced toward Sophie’s pod, remembering her earlier outburst, then back to Bruce’s feed.
"Now I see why she’s obsessed with him," he murmured quietly.
"Bruce Ackerman... you’re not human."
...
Meanwhile, inside Sophie’s pod, the countdown finally reached zero.
Beep...
A blinding flash of light flooded the chamber.
Then, in the next instant...
Whoosh!
Her vision cleared, and the world reformed around her once more.
She exhaled softly. "I really came back..."
A small smile graced her lips as she looked around.
She was standing in the same place as before, the field where she had slaughtered an entire herd of Bronze-Horned Goats in mere seconds. The aftermath of her devastation stretched across the land before her: shattered earth, cracked stone, and dozens of massive bodies sprawled across the plain, their bronze-tinted horns catching the faint glow of the sunset.
The sky above was bathed in warm hues of crimson and gold. Long streaks of orange light bled into the clouds, painting the savannah in an ethereal glow. The faint rustle of grass moved like whispers in the fading wind.
Everything felt surreal.
Sophie stood silently, her black hair dancing lightly in the gentle evening breeze. Her heart swelled, not with pride, but with relief.
It had taken everything in her to defy her father’s doctrine, to break away from the Reign Family’s rigid teachings and follow her own truth.
And now, standing here beneath the burning sky, knowing she had done it, knowing that it worked, a euphoric sense of freedom washed over her.
Her lips parted as she exhaled a long, trembling breath, her chest rising and falling slowly.
Then, amidst that serenity, an image surfaced in her mind.
A calm, stoic face. Sharp eyes. Black hair.
Bruce.
Just the thought of him softened her expression, turning the sharpness in her gaze into something tender. Her heart fluttered uncontrollably, her cheeks faintly pink as a dreamy smile crept onto her face.
"Thank you, Bruce..." she whispered.
Her soft, feminine voice carried through the silent field, echoing faintly against the still air.
Then, as if the world itself was listening, everything around her fell quiet.
The wind stopped. The light dimmed. The air became perfectly still.
And for that moment, just that brief, fleeting moment, it felt like the world had bowed to her peace.
Sophie exhaled softly, her gaze still lingering on the fading sunset before she finally spoke.
"Rankings."
A soft chime rang beside her wrist as the holographic display flickered into view. Lines of glowing text formed in midair, scrolling until the leaderboard settled.
[RANKINGS]
[Bruce Ackerman — Points: 300]
[Sophie Reign — Points: 300]
[Jean Frost — Points: 155]
[Ozai Thorne — Points: 80]
[Aria Stormheart — Points: 59]
[Dominic Savior — Points: 50]
[Luke Drot — Points: 50]
[Average Joe — Points: 43]
---
For a moment, Sophie simply stared at the hologram, her breath catching slightly.
Then she smiled.
The number beside her name matched Bruce’s perfectly. Exactly three hundred.
"What are the odds..." she whispered softly, almost laughing. "So low it’s practically impossible."
And yet, somehow, it had happened.
Her heart fluttered, an almost giddy warmth spreading through her chest. Seeing his name at the very top, her king, her emperor, standing above everyone else, filled her with quiet pride. It wasn’t just admiration anymore; it was reverence.
"That’s how it should be," she murmured. "The throne belongs to you."
Her voice faded into the quiet breeze as she dismissed the display and summoned another.
"Map."
The holographic interface shifted, expanding outward into a glowing blue projection of the entire simulation zone. Dots of various colors blinked across the map, representing the remaining recruits scattered through the vast outlands.
Her eyes scanned each one carefully, tracing the flickering lights, trying to guess.
Where could he be?
Which of these dots is him...?
Her lips parted with a soft sigh, the faintest trace of longing in her voice. "I’ll find you soon enough."
***
A/N:
My feature ended and I stopped getting powerstones from readers as much as I did before. Pls let’s vote to allow this book reach out to more reades 🙏