Axel chuckled under his breath. "Mr. Vernon," he said softly, drawing his Red Flame Blade and flashing the cannon on his arm, "you've picked the wrong person to threaten."

The instruments glimmered in the dim light, each one a testament to the battles he'd fought to earn them.

Vernon arched a brow, amused. "A show of strength?"

Axel stepped forward and dropped into the chair across from him, unwavering. "No. A reminder. I came from nothing."

"These instruments? I earned them in six months of military service. Mr. Nolan of the Whisper Syndicate has already backed me. Commander Sethan of the Survey Corps is a personal friend. Mr. Tristan of Bloodstone Warfare treats me like his own."

His eyes locked on Vernon's. "Do you really think I'm afraid of you?"

Axel's words rang with the kind of confidence that couldn't be faked. Vernon saw it too. This wasn't some green boy who could be swayed with money or cowed with threats.

Vernon's eyes flickered, and for the first time, he hesitated.

Axel leaned back, his tone softening, his smile faint. "Of course, I know you didn't mean it as a threat. I was being rash. After all, as you said—'do a favor, and you gain a friend.' Isn't that right?"

The silence stretched before Vernon finally drew in a long breath. He stood, smoothing the front of his coat. "Excuse me."

"Goodbye," Axel replied.

He stood at the door, watching the man leave, his gaze cold and unyielding.

......

Downstairs, a black sedan was waiting. Vernon slid into the back seat.

"Mr. Vernon, how did it go?" the driver—another member of the Shi family—asked curiously. He knew why Vernon had come.

Vernon stared out the window as the hotel drifted into the distance. He could feel the boy still up there, watching him from the shadows of the room. With a long exhale, he muttered, "Soft yet firm, firm yet soft. His words were flawless."

The driver blinked. "But… isn't he under twenty?"

Vernon gave a bitter smile. "He doesn't look it." From his coat he pulled a small ornate case, opening it to reveal a thin, gray-black strip of liquid crystal. "The fake rock spinal cord I prepared never even got used."

He had planned for every possible reaction Axel might have. If the boy panicked, Vernon would press hard, shake him with words, then ease off, leaving him grateful—and vulnerable to negotiation.

If Axel got mouthy, he'd have an excuse to put the boy in his place, then quietly switch out the real spinal cord for this forgery. Risky, yes, but if no one caught him red-handed, the reward would be worth it.

But Axel hadn't flinched. He stayed calm, unyielding, even clever enough to hand Vernon an exit without souring things. That, Vernon hadn't seen coming.

"Vaughn didn't lose unfairly," Vernon said at last, shaking his head with a trace of regret. "I should've gone to Yara first."

Word had already reached him that Yara had returned to Bloodstone Warfare with the main force. That door was shut now.

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By the time the sedan pulled up to their hotel, Vaughn was waiting at the entrance, face alight with expectation. "Dad, did you get it?"

Vernon took one look at his son's eagerness and thought again of Axel's composure. A faint disappointment crossed his eyes. "Forget it. Just focus on your training. You're far behind Axel."

Vaughn froze, his father brushing past him without another word. Slowly, his expression twisted, darkening as he clenched his fists so tight his nails cut into his palms.

"Even my own father sings his praises… The rock spinal cord should've been mine!" His breath came harsh, his chest rising and falling until, at last, he forced himself still.

"Calm down…" he muttered, sucking in a long breath before turning toward the hotel.

That was when he heard laughter.

Octavius, Rook, and a few others strolled up, still chuckling about something, and spotted him. "Vaughn, what are you doing? Playing doorman?" Octavius teased.

Normally it would've been nothing but a joke among friends. This time, Vaughn's fury snapped. He leveled a cold glare at them. "You've got some nerve. One of you got knocked out first round, the other nearly pissed himself. What the fuck gives you the right to laugh at me?"

Octavius's smile vanished. "Vaughn, you lost. Don't take it out on us."

Rook scowled. "You jealous? Terrence, Sergio, and Axel already made up. They've agreed to hit Mr. Instrument King's puppet formation together. Maybe they just didn't want to bring you along."

Vaughn's mind reeled. What? They'd already made plans without him?

His fury boiled over. He let out a guttural roar and smashed his fist into a nearby pillar. With a deafening crack, the stone split clean in half. Dust rained down as Octavius and the others jumped back, startled.

Before anyone could react, Vaughn stormed off, jumped into his car, and peeled out with a squeal of tires.

"This guy's lost it," Octavius muttered.

Rook shook his head. "If he doesn't fix that temper, it's gonna ruin him."'

......

"Axel, are you alright?"

Cassia had been waiting downstairs. The moment she saw Vernon leave, she hurried upstairs, only to find Axel and Annabelle packing their things.

"Where are you going this late?" she asked.

Axel hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice. "Somewhere quiet. I need to absorb the rock spinal cord before someone makes another move on it."

He wasn't trying to hide anything from her. Vernon's parting words had made it clear he wouldn't dare act against him openly. But remembering what Sergio said, Axel didn't want to take any chances.

Ideally, he would've followed Bloodstone Warfare back to school. Unfortunately, while talking with Vernon, he'd already gotten the news—they had returned ahead of schedule.

Bloodstone Warfare's stronghold sat on the border wall, more than a hundred kilometers away. Axel didn't want to chase them down, nor did he want to drag Cassia or Annabelle into unnecessary danger.

His mind drifted back to when he first arrived in Shiverstone City. He remembered an abandoned industrial zone on the outskirts. Remote, desolate, and silent at night—it would do.

"Fine, I'll come with you," Cassia said firmly. "I'll leave after you've absorbed it." Without waiting for an answer, she began helping him pack.

Axel considered refusing, but in the end, he let her.

They took a taxi out of the city and stopped at a run-down farm. Once it had housed workers from the nearby factories, but after the plants went bankrupt, the families scattered, and the place fell into decay.

Now, it had been half-heartedly converted into a weekend farmhouse for wealthy city folk. But in the dead of winter, it felt more like a ghost town.

After settling Cassia and Annabelle in a cabin, Axel buttoned his coat. "Stay inside. I'll be back soon."

The last time he'd absorbed a fire spirit, the noise had nearly torn him apart—and if not for Rosaline, he might not have survived. The rock spinal cord was less wild, but its aura could still be dangerous to those nearby.

Two kilometers away, Axel dug into a snow-covered hill until he had carved out a makeshift cave. He sat cross-legged and retrieved the gray-black spinal cord from his Space Capsule. At first glance, it seemed almost liquid, dark and fluid.

He steadied his breathing and pressed it into his palm.

The spinal cord melted into his skin, spreading across his body like a gray-black coating. Compared to the fire spirit, its energy was gentler, but it still hammered at his Yuan Meridian, flooding him with pressure and heat.

Inside his mind, Axel entered inner vision. He saw the fire spirit embedded in the trunk of the Ancient Sky Tree shiver slightly, as though curious about its new "neighbor."

The rock spinal cord's essence seeped into the tree, condensing until it formed a solid sphere the size of the fire spirit.

Then a message carved itself across his mind:

Rock Armor – Physical defense increased by 10%. Grows stronger in proportion to user's defense.

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