Chapter 5358: Being Harsh

Azariel’s consciousness returned faster than the last time.

The realm of darkness didn’t hold him, but as soon as he returned, pain racked his soul. His soul sat on the edge of being crushed, thin as wet paper under a palm, and every thought arrived already torn. He pushed himself up on shaking arms, bones forming cracks.

His vision swam, and the hall tilted in his view as though it would flip on him.

This time, he didn’t try to stand up but crawled as his father said, or maybe advised.

He tried to take a step forward while still crawling when suddenly the pressure fell again.

His knee fell and cracked against the marble stone.

"Ugh..." He caught himself on one hand using his elbow, teeth locked, and lasted three breaths before the world went black again.

When he woke up, pain was waiting for him like it was going to ambush him.

Gritting his teeth as though he was shouldering something mountainous, he stood up, and the pressure met him before his foot settled, and he folded, this time falling shoulder-first. Consciousness left him for longer.

He came back with his cheek against the cold floor and Mira still unmoving in the hallway, her hands clenched at her sides. Esvele turned around and left without saying a word. On the other hand, Mira wondered if she should also leave, as she couldn’t bear seeing Azariel suffer for real, since she would be much more joyous to beat him up for fun instead.

She watched him rise and fall repeatedly, just rise and fall and sometimes not even rise but crawl.

After the seventh collapse, blood ran from his nose in a thin hot line. After the ninth, it came from the corners of his eyes and from his ears, staining the collar of his robe. He did not wipe it. He set his palm on the stone and dragged himself another span toward the doors, his mouth open, his breath scraping, his Will the only thing still holding the shape of his name and his reason.

Azariel was very aware during this extreme stress training.

The memory of his siblings watching him crumple like a child who had never cultivated a day kept flashing in his mind. He had an image to maintain as the first son. It was so embarrassing as the eldest brother to experience, but he understood father wanted that shame tempering him, yet his ego was furious, wanting to override this shame by overcoming this trial.

However, thanks to the Celestial Race’s friends he made in the Elemental Dimension and their studies regarding Wills, he also knew that currently the thin line between his ego winning and shame and anger overcoming him was where the Will tempered itself. Neither should overwhelm him, or he would change for the worse. After all, even if his Will got tempered, could that even be called his own Will or a new Will of his?

"..."

Blood trickled down his lips, not even having time to think through such philosophical notions before he fainted again.

After an unknown number of collapses, Mira could no longer take it.

She walked to the exit and flew out, heading to where Davis was as she landed before him.

"Master, this should be enough, right...? That kind of pressure isn’t something even I would be able to withstand..."

Davis opened his eyes and gazed at Mira, "What a pity. He needs to surpass you if he needs to fulfill his duties."

"..." Mira clenched her teeth.

Clenching her fist, she rushed towards Davis but her flight faltered and she crashed even before she got to him. She tremblingly rose, facing the same kind of pressure Azariel did, if not more.

"Calm down, Mira. You helping him will only shame him more if he were to learn of it, and you better be sure that I will tell him, saying that Mother Mira shouldered half the pressure for him just so he could pass with half the effort."

"You-"

Mira gradually felt the pressure on her loosen as she stood up. She yelled out as she pointed at him, appearing aggrieved before her eyes turned moist.

"You’re so mean!~ I won’t show you my true form today~"

She turned around and flew away after she pounced into the air.

Watching her sulk and cause a scene, Davis sighed lightly, "Her mind still hasn’t matured as her body did. How troublesome."

"How can that be, big brother?" Tia pouted, "She’s just genuinely worried for Azariel like she is his mother. Isabella practically raised Azariel for most of his life, and Mira, who was by her side, constantly played with him. How could she allow you to harm him as you please?"

"I see." Davis pursed his lips.

"But really, you need to stop seeing us as teenagers or something. We’re no longer young...!~" Tia enunciated.

Davis smiled and then shook his head, "You’ve long graduated from that with your arbitrary actions that even keep me on the edge, Tia. You don’t need to worry. In fact, you should let me know when it’s time for us to conceptualize our union."

"You- focus on training Azariel~" Tia’s cheeks reddened a bit as she warned him with her eyes, not spreading their matter.

It was still awkward for her to receive gazes from her sisters, their eyes still asking why she still hasn’t slept with Davis yet, but how could she go around stating the reason?

Davis chuckled at her reaction before closing his eyes, focusing on Azariel once again.

He inwardly reeled from seeing his son turn bloodied from the latter’s blood vessels bursting from sheer pressure of his soul force. He hadn’t even tried to use it to his fullest capacity, yet it was already destroying him from the base of the soul to the nails in his body.

Soon, his third eye also started to shed blood.

This undoubtedly meant that Azariel’s soul was harmed.

Yet Davis didn’t lower the soul force pressure on Azariel, keeping it at the level he’d started.

Hours passed, each second crossing tormentingly.