Godslayer's Legacy: THE PATH TO SUPREMACY

That night, Rui stood alone in the secluded training area he had created on the academy grounds. The sounds of the academy, muffled by the distance, were a faint hum in the background. In this place, he could focus entirely on himself—on the transformation he was about to undergo. The darkness of the night seemed fitting for the internal battle he was preparing to face.

He took the first vial—the bone fortifier—and uncorked it. The liquid inside was thick and viscous, glowing faintly with a pale blue hue. The scent was metallic, tinged with something earthy. As he drank it down, a sharp, cold sensation ran down his throat, settling deep within his chest. The effect was immediate.

His bones felt like they were on fire.

It started as a slow, dull ache in his spine, but within moments, the pain intensified. He fell to his knees, gasping for breath as waves of heat and cold washed over him. The elixir was working, his bones already beginning to strengthen, but the process was excruciating. It felt as though his very skeleton was being reforged from within, the marrow of his bones reshaping under the strain.

Rui clenched his fists, teeth grinding as he fought to stay conscious. The pain was overwhelming, but he refused to surrender to it. He had come too far. He had unlocked power no one from the Eastern Lands had ever seen before, and now he would pay the price for it.

Minutes felt like hours as the pain raked through him, each second more agonizing than the last. But slowly, ever so slowly, it began to subside. The heat in his bones dulled to a steady thrum, a pulse that synchronized with his heartbeat. His bones had strengthened, but at what cost?

Rui stood, his legs trembling beneath him as he fought to regain his balance. He wiped the sweat from his brow, feeling the lingering heat in his muscles. His body felt different—more solid, more grounded. But it was still raw, still vulnerable.

The second vial—the concentrated crimson essence—was next. Rui uncorked it with shaky hands. This one felt different, its aura darker, more potent. He could already feel the slight hum of energy coming from the vial, like the pulse of a storm waiting to burst forth.

He hesitated for only a moment before drinking it down. The liquid was thick, coating his throat like molten lava. Immediately, the pain from the first dose intensified, as if the essence had fanned the flames already burning in his body. His muscles contracted violently, his vision blurred with white-hot pain.

But the essence did more than just reinforce his bones. It began to enhance the density of his muscles, his entire structure. His entire body trembled as it adapted, each muscle fiber growing denser, stronger, more resilient.

The agony was unbearable. Rui screamed through gritted teeth, his body convulsing as the transformation took hold. But he didn't stop. He couldn't. The pain was part of the process, and it would be his crucible.

Minutes passed—though it felt like an eternity—and gradually, the pain began to subside once more. Rui dropped to his knees, panting heavily, his body slick with sweat. He could feel the changes now, coursing through every inch of him. His muscles had become denser, his bones reinforced to withstand the incredible pressure of his aura and mana.

Each dose of the elixirs left Rui drained, his body fighting the changes with every fiber of his being. But with each passing day, he felt himself becoming stronger. His bones no longer felt fragile beneath his power. His muscles, though sore, were beginning to feel as though they could handle the immense strain.

But the mental toll was even greater. The power inside him, still wild and untamed, constantly tested his resolve. He was no longer just training his body—he was training his mind to withstand the chaos within him.

The days after the elixir treatments passed in a blur of discomfort and sharp focus. Rui could feel the changes settling into his body, the bone fortifiers and the crimson essence working their intended magic. His bones had thickened, his muscles had densified, but it wasn't enough. The strain of merging his mana and aura was still too much for his body to bear. Every time he harnessed his power, it was like a volatile storm. He could feel his internal structure struggling to keep up with the ferocity of his own energy.

The worst of it came when he decided to test his progress. Standing alone in the training grounds, the wind picking up around him, Rui took a deep breath. His body was stronger now, but so was his power. He could feel it swirling inside him, eager to burst forth.

But even now, it was still a wild thing—unpredictable, uncontrollable.

"Control it," he muttered to himself, as he began to focus his thoughts.

Rui's aura flared up around him, a shimmering wave of power. His senses were honed to perfection, every minute shift in the air, every ripple of the earth beneath his feet. He felt everything and nothing at once, the raw energy coursing through his veins. He closed his eyes, attempting to channel the energy, to direct it, but it was like trying to hold back a flood.

His aura surged uncontrollably, the energy building faster than he could control. Waves of mana broke free, radiating from his body like a pulse. The earth beneath him began to crack and tremble, as the shockwaves of his raw power rippled outward, threatening to explode.

"Steady..." Rui gritted his teeth, trying to reign it in, but it was too late. His body had been altered, but not enough to handle this immense power. His aura flared brighter, his mana expanding outward like a hurricane.

And then, with a deafening crash, the shockwave from his aura erupted. The ground beneath his feet split, cracks racing outward from him in all directions. A massive explosion of force radiated from Rui, his uncontrolled energy shattering the training ground, sending rocks and earth flying into the air. The surrounding trees splintered like matchsticks, their trunks buckling under the sheer force.

Rui staggered back, the ground beneath him shaking as his power went wild. His silver eyes flickered with exhaustion as he gasped for breath. He had tried to control it, but the fusion of his mana and aura was still too volatile, too unrefined. The aftershock reverberated through his body like a hammer blow, leaving him breathless.

The training ground was completely obliterated. Where once there had been a carefully cultivated space for practice, now there was only a massive crater, the ground scorched and cracked. The trees that once surrounded it were now splintered and scattered like debris from a storm.

Rui stood at the center of the wreckage, his body shaking from the strain. His aura was still pulsing, but weaker now, as though even his energy had been drained by the outburst. He had wanted to control it. He had wanted to see how far he had come. But this… this was beyond what he had anticipated.

It took a moment for him to gather his strength, to steady his breathing, but when he did, he stood tall. His body ached from the explosion of energy, but there was something else—something deeper, more profound.

He could feel it now. His body was stronger. His bones were reinforced, his muscles had grown more resilient, but there was still a massive gap in his control. The power inside him was still too wild, too untamed.

"I need to get this under control," Rui muttered to himself, rubbing his temples. The aftermath of the blast still lingered in the air, a faint hum of energy left over from the release.

But this wasn't just a failure. It was a warning. His power had reached a new level, but it had come with a price. The training ground was gone, obliterated by his own hand.

The next step was clear: he needed to learn to control it. To shape this wild force into something he could command.