For a good few minutes after Raymond shared with him the secrets about the laws governing the universe, Veyr just stood there stunned by the knowledge, his mind still struggling to process the sheer depth of what he had just heard.

The ideas circled in his thoughts like ripples on still water, each one unfolding into something larger, stranger, and more incomprehensible the longer he pondered them.

It was as though the world itself had grown wider around him, the walls of his understanding pushed back by the immensity of what Raymond had revealed.

For the first time, he realized that perhaps strength was not the only path to power, and that perhaps knowledge itself was a weapon far sharper, one that cut silently through the fabric of belief.

*Sigh*

He exhaled slowly, his lips curling faintly in reluctant admiration as he turned to glance at Raymond, who now stood calm and composed, as if the truth he had just shared were nothing but a casual thought.

'He truly knows more than he lets on,' Veyr thought, his respect for the Demi-God deepening. 'If all lessons from him are like this, then perhaps it's worth it for me to continue giving him these lessons.'

He concluded, as he made his decision to continue this exchange and to keep listening and learning, for as long as fate permitted.

—-------------

(Meanwhile, Leo, the isolated residence training field)

In the three days that Veyr spent teaching Raymond the technique of [Enhance], nearly a full year passed for Leo within the Time Stilled World.

During which time, his unbroken string of victories climbed from seven hundred seventy-five thousand to an astonishing nine hundred fifty thousand, leaving him only fifty thousand battles short of reaching his ultimate goal of one million consecutive wins.

*SWOOSH*

*SWOOSH*

Leo ducked beneath the first swing before leaping over the second, his movements so precise that they seemed almost unnatural for someone whose wrists and ankles were bound.

Each dodge was measured to the smallest fraction of a second, every shift of weight balanced perfectly against the momentum of his opponent's attacks.

"Arghhhh—"

The soldier in front of him roared in frustration, his sword slicing through empty air as Leo pivoted on his heel, the sound of fabric brushing against stone marking his controlled movement.

He couldn't see through the blindfold, yet his instincts read the battlefield like open terrain. Every vibration in the floor, every ripple of displaced air, told him exactly where the next attack would come from.

*SWOOSH*

*CRACK*

Leo twisted at the last instant, letting the soldier fist graze the air beside him before stepping into the blind spot of the swing, where with a sharp exhale, he bent his knees, gathered his weight, and thrust forward, his shoulder slamming into the soldier's gut with the force of a battering ram.

*THUD*

The impact sent the opponent sprawling backward, his breath knocked out as he crashed into the ground, the tiles beneath him fracturing under the shock.

*Crack*

"Time to finish this…"

Leo muttered as he no longer hesitated and used the rebound of his restricted legs to propel himself forward again, twisting his body mid-air before landing hard on the opponent's chest, as he pinned him down with nothing but momentum and weight.

*PLOP*

The opponent coughed, before falling silent, as he was knocked unconscious.

"Winner, Lord Shadow Dragon. Win number nine hundred fifty thousand and four."

The referee declared, as the light above the training field dimmed slightly and the safety barrier field disengaged.

*Shift*

Leo moved to the side with a quiet grunt, rolling his shoulders and exhaling through his nose. Sweat dripped down the edge of his jaw, disappearing into the collar of his dark training robes.

He tilted his head toward the referee's booth, signaling with a short nod.

"I'm done for the day," he said, his voice low but firm, as the referee acknowledged the signal, marking the end of the session.

Leo stood there for a moment longer, feeling the steady pulse of his heart slow as silence reclaimed the chamber.

'Fifty thousand left,' he thought, tightening his jaw. 'Just fifty thousand more… and then I'll finally reach it.'

He resolved, before turning and walking toward the exit, his bound steps quiet and deliberate, as the light around him slowly dimmed, leaving behind only the body of his fallen opponent.

"My Lord, your wife is here to see you…"

An attendant informed him as soon as he exited the training arena, as he immediately rescinded his aura as best as possible and walked into his bedroom with his best smiling face put on.

—------------

*Creek*

The heavy door slid open with a soft creek, revealing the familiar dark-blue interior of his private quarters, and for a moment, Leo's steps slowed.

There she was—Amanda—sitting casually upon his throne seat, her legs crossed and a wide, teasing smile playing across her lips.

The faint golden light of the room's mana lamps bathed her in a gentle glow, catching in her brown hair and reflecting warmly in her deep, soft eyes.

The sight alone was enough to make the tension in his shoulders melt away.

All the strain from training, the fatigue from endless battles, the dull ache in his previously bound limbs— all of it loosened in an instant, dissolving under the quiet radiance of her presence.

As for a long moment, he simply stood there, saying nothing, his expression unreadable yet softer than it had been in weeks.

His eyes lingered on her features as though memorizing them anew, the way her hair fell over one side of her face, the mischievous curve of her smile, the faint spark of warmth that only she seemed able to kindle within him.

'So this is what peace feels like,' he thought, the corner of his lips twitching into something faint and human.

Amanda tilted her head, studying him with an affectionate glint. "You're staring again," she said softly, her tone playful but her eyes gentle. "You look like a man who's forgotten what sleep feels like."

Leo exhaled a quiet breath that was half a laugh, half exhaustion. "Maybe I have," he replied, walking closer until he stood just before her.

As he reached her side, her hand rose instinctively, brushing a stray lock of hair from his face. The simple touch, the warmth of her fingers, the familiarity of it, felt grounding, pulling him back from the haze of battle into something real.

"You train too much," she murmured, her voice lowering. "You always push yourself beyond the point of reason. One day, your body will stop before your mind does."

Leo smiled faintly at that, the tiredness in his eyes softening into quiet affection. "Maybe," he said. "But seeing you here makes it worth it."

Amanda's smile deepened, and for a moment, neither of them spoke. The silence that followed wasn't empty, it was warm, intimate, filled with the kind of wordless understanding that only years together could forge.

He knelt slightly beside her, resting one knee on the polished floor, his gaze still locked with hers.

"Welcome home," she whispered, her fingers tracing the edge of his jaw.

Leo's chest rose with a slow breath as he closed his eyes briefly, allowing himself, for once, to simply exist in that stillness.

No battle.

No mission.

No burden.

Just her.

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