In the dimly lit underground vault, massive quantities of Universal Elements flowed in green streams, continuously swirling around.
Aize stood with eyes closed, wielding the activated form of the Black Furnace Demon Sword, bathed in the red light released by the Universal Crystal, giving him an eerily demonic aura.
The green streams of Universal Elements slowly drifted around him under the red glow's pulses, gradually being absorbed into his body.
Throughout this process, Aize could clearly feel his power rising.
His physical abilities were being enhanced, and the Stellar Force within him steadily grew stronger, exuding a forceful presence he had never possessed before.
Surrounding him were still vast reserves of green Universal Ore, indicating that this process of strengthening would continue for quite a while.
That is—if nothing unexpected happens...
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Aize furrowed his brow and opened his eyes sharply.
"Pause for now, Black Furnace."
He halted the Black Furnace Demon Sword, causing the Universal Crystal's glow to subside.
The green streams of energy instantly dispersed, making the Universal Elements blend into the surrounding space like air.
Only then did Aize raise his hand, flexing it experimentally.
"My strength is increasing too quickly. If this continues, I won't be able to control my body or Stellar Force."
That was exactly the issue.
The rapid increase in power had caused Aize's control over his body and energy to deteriorate. If he kept forcing the boost, his body and Stellar Force could spiral out of control.
"I need to adapt properly before continuing."
Realizing this, Aize decisively halted the strengthening, despite the tempting surge of power.
Clang!
The Black Furnace Demon Sword activated again, revealing a pure white blade.
As before, Aize infused his Stellar Force into it. Dark patterns floated up from the white blade and spiraled into the red Universal Crystal. Only then was the sword's true power unleashed, turning the pure white blade into a deep, abyssal black.
Feeling the consumption of his Stellar Force, Aize revealed a faint smile.
"With my current strength, I can maintain Black Furnace's maximum output for tens of seconds."
Previously, he could only sustain its max power for a few strikes.
Now, being able to hold it for dozens of seconds marked significant progress.
"Still, tens of seconds is too short to keep the output at max continuously."
He reduced the energy flow, lowering the sword's output.
In a visible shift, the black blade faded to a dark violet hue.
"This should be Black Furnace's normal state, right?"
He mused, looking at the violet blade.
In the original story, the protagonist could never control the sword's size, always stuck wielding it in a cumbersome greatsword form, limiting its usability.
But now, Aize had full control, keeping the blade in a normal sword size even at the same power level.
"Even at standard output, this version of Black Furnace isn't something just anyone can withstand."
The Black Furnace Demon Sword was said to burn through anything. When fully unleashed, few things in existence could survive its edge.
Even now, at normal power, standard Stellar Arms would be sliced cleanly. Only pure Stellar Arms of similar level could parry its strikes.
"This is good enough."
Satisfied, Aize nodded.
"With my current power, I can probably use Black Furnace in this state for over an hour."
That duration was more than sufficient for regular use in battle.
"At this level, I should be able to rank on the Name Registry of Sacrifices now, right?"
He pondered.
In Asterisk, every academy maintained a ranking system.
Each had its own method, but all ranked students by strength.
At Starlight Academy, the ranking list was called the Name Registry of Sacrifices, containing 72 slots. These top 72 students were the academy's elite. The first 12, listed on the first page, were further honored as the First Page Twelve.
One could only gain a spot by defeating a ranked student in a duel. Victory earned you their rank and placement on the Registry—even a shot at becoming one of the Twelve.
Originally, Aize had merely average ability—unqualified to even sniff the top 72. He was a nobody among hundreds in the high school division alone, not to mention the combined middle and university divisions.
Back then, his rank would've been in the hundreds, maybe the two- or three-hundreds.
But now, judging by his current physical ability and Stellar Force, Aize felt confident he could break into the Registry.
"And with Black Furnace's power, even the First Page Twelve might be within reach."
The thought ignited a competitive fire in him.
He wanted to test his current strength.
"Wait, isn't the official ranking battle this month coming up?"
Aize recalled something important.
In Asterisk, anyone could request a duel—even within school grounds.
But usually, both sides had to agree, or the duel wouldn't be valid.
Because of this, ranked students rarely accepted challenges. Losing meant losing their spot.
Ranking came with privileges—especially for the First Page Twelve, who could borrow top-tier Stellar Arms without the usual red tape. It wasn't something they'd risk easily.
So, to stop students from getting a rank and then hiding from further challenges, the school held monthly Official Ranking Battles.
In these, lower-ranked students could challenge higher-ranked ones without consent. The higher rank couldn't refuse.
This system—the official monthly battle—was what Aize referred to.
"Let's see..."
He raised his hand and opened a floating screen from his phone, checking the schedule.
Sure enough, the next official battle was in three days.
Registration opened the day before.
"Perfect timing."
He smiled.
Three days was plenty of time to adapt to his newfound strength. He could make it in time.
"Now... who should I challenge?"
He opened the Name Registry and browsed the names.
Challenges had limits.
According to the rules, students were grouped into three tiers:
First Page Twelve
The rest of the 72 ranked students
Everyone else (unranked)
You could only challenge one tier above you.
As an unranked student, Aize could only challenge those not in the First Page Twelve—he could aim for anyone in spots 13 to 72.
Given that...
"Guess I'll just go all out!"
He locked his eyes on the
very first name on page two of the Registry.
Then he reached out... and tapped to challenge.
(Chapter End)