Chapter 203: understanding the Void (3)

Leo sat cross-legged, his eyes closed and his breathing steady.

For the past several hours, he had tried to deepen his understanding of the Void. His previous breakthrough had given him a fresh perspective. He had always treated Void Edge, Void Walk, and Void Devour as separate abilities, each with its own function, focusing on mastering them one by one.

Now, he realized they were merely different ways of manipulating the exact same fundamental force.

The Void.

He slowly raised his right hand. A faint black sheen spread across his fingers.

"Void Edge."

The dark energy covered his hand completely, forming a thin layer over his skin. Unlike before, Leo distinctly felt the connection between himself and the Void. It was no longer like activating a skill and waiting for results; he felt the energy respond to his thoughts. He sensed its movement, its fluctuations, and the subtle shifts in its density.

The Void felt like an extension of his own body.

Leo clenched his fist, and the black sheen tightened around his fingers. So that’s how it works...

He examined the energy closely. Previously, he had focused only on its sharpness and destructive power. Now, he understood those were just outward manifestations. Something deeper connected all his abilities. He could feel it hovering right at the edge of his awareness.

Yet, no matter how hard he tried, the final piece remained just out of reach. It felt like standing before a door with the key in hand, unsure how to turn the lock.

Leo frowned. I am still missing something.

After a moment of thought, an idea crossed his mind. His eyelids fluttered open.

"Wait..."

He cancelled Void Edge, letting the dark sheen vanish. Lowering his hand, he took a slow breath.

"Void Devour."

A small black sphere appeared above his palm, rotating slowly and warping the light around it. Leo stared at it. Before, he had only cared about its ability to absorb energy and matter. This time, his focus shifted entirely to the sphere itself. The connection between the tiny orb and the vast Void felt sharper than ever.

His gaze locked onto the sphere, and his consciousness sank deep into the darkness of his mind.

Before him, an immense shape began to take form. A gigantic black sphere emerged from the dark, rotating in total silence. Its surface constantly shifted, as though endless layers of shadow rolled beneath it.

Leo stared wide-eyed. Calling it a larger version of Void Devour was an understatement; the small sphere in his palm was merely a tiny reflection of this colossal phenomenon.

The giant sphere spun without a sound, light, or visible source of energy. Yet, Leo could not look away. Black light shimmered in his pupils as his expression softened.

"So beautiful..." the words slipped past his lips.

He raised a hand, drawn in by the enormous sphere. A faint connection thrummed between himself, the sphere, and everything around it.

Then, clarity hit him.

The Void did not simply destroy. It did not simply absorb. It...

His thoughts slowed as he stared at the giant sphere. For the first time, he grasped that his abilities were only tiny fragments of a much greater whole. Void Edge, Void Walk, and Void Devour were not separate powers at all—they were different expressions of a single underlying principle.

His understanding deepened. He could not put the experience into words, but he knew one thing for certain: he was getting closer. Much closer.

The darkness around him trembled while the massive black sphere kept spinning. Leo remained lost in deep concentration, entirely unaware of time or the world outside his mind.

Meanwhile, near the temporary camp, the children of the Freedom Convoy played in the open air. A few chased each other around the parked vehicles while others sat chatting. Eventually, their talk turned to Atlas and his recent adventure inside the forest.

Atlas had not been very helpful with his explanations. He mostly boasted about how tough the beasts were, how hard he swung his axe, and how Big Brother Leo had beaten several monsters single-handedly.

Fascinated, the children wanted to hear the story straight from Leo. Spotting him sitting cross-legged near Storm with his eyes closed, one of them pointed.

"Look! There he is!"

The rest of the group turned and hurried over.

They were still several meters away when a small black bubble popped into existence beside Leo. It expanded slightly before bursting, sending a faint ripple through the air.

Pop.

Another bubble formed. Pop. A second ripple followed.

Soon, black bubbles appeared all around Leo, floating briefly before vanishing one after another.

Pop! Pop! Pop!

Each burst released a strange wave of force across the ground. The children froze in their tracks.

"Huh?"

"What is that?"

Another bubble drifted near Leo’s shoulder, expanded, and burst with a sharp pop. A stronger wave of force swept outward, making the children stumble backward.

"Ah!" One nearly fell, while another grabbed his friend’s arm. They stared at Leo in wide-eyed astonishment.

The bubbles kept coming—sometimes in clusters, sometimes alone—distorting the air whenever they popped. The children exchanged nervous glances.

"Is Big Brother Leo doing that?"

"I think so..."

"Is he fighting something?"

"I don’t see anything!"

They watched from a distance, too curious to leave yet too nervous to step closer.

Valentine arrived carrying a compact printer she intended to deliver to Leo. The strange phenomenon caught her eye the moment she reached the area. Her expression shifted as she saw the black bubbles surrounding Leo, followed by the group of children standing nearby.

She strode over to them. "Children, get away from here!"

Startled, the children turned to see Valentine approaching.

"Big sis Valentine!"

She gestured firmly for them to back up. "Hurry, move back!"

The children obeyed without hesitation. Once they had put enough distance between themselves and Leo, Valentine softened her tone and crossed her arms. "What are you all doing here?"

They lowered their heads.

"We wanted to talk to Big Brother Leo," one murmured nervously.

"Atlas told us about the monsters in the forest," another added. "We wanted to hear the story from him!"

Valentine glanced toward Leo, then back at the children. "Didn’t you notice he is training?"

The children exchanged glances. Valentine pointed at the black bubbles. "Look at what is happening around him."

Just then, a bubble near Leo’s knee expanded and burst with a sharp pop, kicking up loose dirt. The children instinctively stepped back.

"Training isn’t always about swinging weapons or fighting enemies," Valentine explained, crouching down to their eye level. "Sometimes, people need to concentrate completely on what they are doing. If someone tries to distract you when you are doing something difficult, doesn’t it make it harder?"

The children nodded.

"Then you understand," Valentine said, gently patting a child’s head. "Big Brother Leo is deeply focused right now. You can talk to him when he finishes."

One of the younger kids peeked toward Leo. "We are sorry... we didn’t know."

"It’s alright. You didn’t do it on purpose," Valentine smiled faintly. "Just remember for next time: if someone is training, do not approach them unless they invite you."

"We understand!" the children chorused.

"Good." Valentine pointed across the camp. "Now go play somewhere else. Just don’t wander too far."

"Okay, Sister!"

The children sprinted off. Before disappearing between the tents, one called back, "Please tell Big Brother Leo we wanted to hear his story!"

Valentine chuckled. "I will."

She turned her gaze back to Leo. The strange phenomenon persisted, with black bubbles popping continuously and sending faint ripples through the air. Though she had no idea what he was trying to achieve, she knew better than to interfere.

Placing the printer on a nearby crate, she stepped back and kept watch over the surroundings. If Leo was in the middle of a vital breakthrough, the last thing he needed was an accidental disturbance.

Ten minutes turned into twenty, then thirty.

The strange display showed no signs of stopping. Valentine held her post, waving off a few curious survivors who wandered too close.

"He’s training. Don’t disturb him," she told them firmly. Her warning kept everyone at a distance.

Though she had seen Leo fight before—and knew his abilities defied easy explanation—his training looked unlike anything she had ever witnessed. Just what kind of technique is he practicing? she wondered, shaking her head. That guy really is full of surprises.

After nearly half an hour, the black bubbles began to thin out.

One popped near Leo’s shoulder. Another burst near his knee. Finally, a single bubble formed above his head, swelled for a moment, and vanished with a quiet pop.

The distorted air smoothed out, and the surrounding pressure faded.

Leo’s eyes opened. For a brief second, his pupils remained an intense, pitch black before returning to their normal shade. He lowered his hands, let out a slow breath, and stretched his legs.

Noticing Valentine standing a few yards away, he raised an eyebrow. "Valentine?"

She nodded.