"Clang!"
The Bloodthirsty Blade in John's grasp was directly knocked away by Jonathan's massive sword, leaving him without any form of defense.
"It's over!" Jonathan sneered, his greatsword slicing through the air with a whistling sound, brutally aiming for John's head.
A hit from such a strike would pulverize John, regardless of his abilities.
However, just as the sword descended, a subtle smile appeared on John's lips.
He spoke lightly, "You've been fooled."
Jonathan paused, caught off guard before he could even react.
Suddenly, he saw a dreamlike purple glow emanating from John's eyes.
Unprepared for what was about to happen, Jonathan felt as if everything around him vanished in an instant, leaving only a pair of purple eyes in his sight.
By the time Jonathan came to his senses, he found himself in an utterly ordinary living room.
A wooden table in front of him was set with steaming dishes.
Besides him, there were three other people: a stern middle-aged man who was not fond of talking, a chattering little girl, and a middle-aged woman with crow's feet at the corners of her eyes.
Jonathan had transformed back into the frail boy from his memories.
The woman, donning a floral apron, was serving the dishes, noticing Jonathan's dazed look.
She urged, "You little rascal, what are you daydreaming about? Hurry up and eat. If you wait any longer, your dad and sister will finish all the food."
The familiar voice echoed in his ears.
At that moment, Jonathan felt as if he had been struck by lightning.
Tears involuntarily rolled down his cheeks as he trembled, "Mom."
In the outside world, the colossal broken sword halted right in front of John, mere inches away from splitting him in two.
Yet, Jonathan no longer had the chance to bring it down.
Observing Jonathan, tears streaming down his face, John remained silent for a moment before sheathing the Bloodthirsty Blade, choosing not to strike.
The Hallucination Eye can ensnare an opponent in illusions, with the effect intensifying with the gap in mind power between the combatants.
John had just plunged Jonathan into his most cherished memories.
From Jonathan's murmured words, John had an inkling of what those memories might have been.
The onlookers witnessed this scene, many confused about what had transpired.
From their perspective, Jonathan's attack inexplicably stopped just as it was about to hit John, followed by John retracting his blade.
An audience member voiced their confusion, "So... it's over? What exactly happened?"
Another spectator offered a wry smile, "It seems John won, but how he managed to do so just now is beyond me."
They understood that the brief skirmish must have been thrilling, yet due to their limited capabilities, they were unable to discern the specifics, which was frustrating.
An experienced awakener explained, "It was an illusion skill. As Jonathan knocked John's blade away, John seized the moment of his mental lapse to employ an illusion skill. Though John is not as physically strong as Jonathan, he surpasses him in mind power, essentially outclassing him in that instant. Jonathan was pulled into the illusion, effectively ending the fight right there."
After a pause, the seasoned awakener continued to marvel, "The boy's combat experience and timing are breathtaking. Many veteran awakeners can't achieve this level of mastery. It's hard to believe he's only 18."
Following the awakener's explanation, the crowd finally grasped the complexity of events that had unfolded in that brief moment.
Someone exclaimed in admiration, "I must say, that was a spectacular battle. Even in the Academy Competition, it's rare to witness such a thrilling fight. It was truly worth attending this time."
People from other academies expressed their envy, "The Star Cluster Academy really struck gold this year. In the past few years, they haven't had any notably famous students, but this time they got two incredibly formidable individuals."
Indeed, that was the case.
At the top of the gymnasium, the senior officials of the Star Cluster Academy were practically grinning ear to ear.
The dungeon assessment was nearing its end, with confirmed talents like John, Jonathan, Isabella, Amelia, and Matthew making their mark.
Any one of them would be the envy of other academies, coveted for their genius.
John and Jonathan, in particular, were the biggest dark horses of this assessment, their abilities almost on par with the senior students, astonishing everyone with their strength.
Initially, Geoffrey and the others were concerned that the Star Cluster Academy might, as in previous years, fail to attract any standout students.
But now, they were eager to boast about the prodigious talents newly enrolled in their academy to anyone willing to listen.
Just the thought of the other academies' officials, who had mocked them last year, now showing faces full of envy, jealousy, and resentment, made Geoffrey and his colleagues feel an exhilarating sense of satisfaction, almost too overwhelming to breathe.
...
In the Enchanted Forest.
Cecilia in the sky also noticed something was amiss and hurriedly flew over.
Seeing Jonathan tearful and motionless, she shouted anxiously, "Jonathan, what's wrong with you? Wake up!"
No matter how much she called out, Jonathan didn't respond, continuously murmuring for his parents as if in a trance.
Cecilia, with anger written all over her face, turned to John and demanded, "What have you done to my brother? If anything happens to him, I swear, even if it costs me my life, I'll make you pay."
With that, she drew her staff, seemingly ready to fight John at any moment.
John didn't hold a particularly bad impression of this woman, so even though her attitude was less than pleasant, he didn't get angry.
Spreading his hands in a gesture of helplessness, John explained, "He's just caught in one of my illusion skills. He'll wake up in a bit; there's no danger."
Cecilia eyed the unmoving Jonathan, who looked as though he was made of stone, with suspicion.
"Are you lying to me? What kind of illusion skill is this that he can't be woken up by calling out to him?"
Cecilia was no stranger to illusion skills.
Being a practitioner of the magical arts herself, she wasn't unfamiliar with illusion techniques.
Although her understanding wasn't comprehensive, she knew enough.
Most illusion skills could at best cause momentary disorientation.
Skills that could trap someone in an illusion to this extent were usually advanced illusion techniques.
But John was at most platinum-tier; how could he possess an advanced illusion skill?
John couldn't be bothered to explain further, simply stating, "If I wanted to kill him, I would have done it directly. Do you think I'd waste time talking?"
Cecilia, seeing John's smug "you're all novices" expression, was infuriated to the point her face turned crimson, almost wishing she could bite him.
Though annoyed, she recognized the truth in John's words.
This operation was a misjudgment on Cecilia's part.
John's strength had far exceeded her expectations.
Even her brother Jonathan, who was nearly invincible in close combat at his level, had been defeated by John in just a few moves.
Jonathan was a platinum-tier God's Chosen, and Cecilia could never have dreamed he would lose so swiftly.
She had thought that John, having slain the Titan Stoneape and a host of assailants, had already deployed the bulk of his arsenal.
But now, she realized that John possessed an array of skills so vast it was almost terrifying.
If Cecilia knew that John had yet more abilities unused, she would likely be even more astonished.
Noticing Cecilia had calmed down, John pondered for a moment before suggesting, "If your points aren't sufficient, I recommend you go earn some more. The assessment is about to end."
He found the sibling duo rather interesting; becoming classmates with them could potentially add some fun.
However, John merely offered a reminder without any intention of gratuitously assisting them.
They were neither relatives nor friends, and they had even planned to rob him.
By not eliminating the two, John had already shown mercy.
Having said his piece, John didn't waste any more time there.
Spending his time arguing with a young girl seemed less appealing than seizing the moment to level up.
Not long after John left, Jonathan's body trembled, finally breaking free from the illusion skill.
He looked around, bewildered, then down at the broken giant sword in his hands, utterly confused about what had transpired.
Cecilia sighed and explained, "You were caught in John's illusion skill just now. You lost this fight. He didn't eliminate us, so we owe him a favor."
Although Cecilia found John quite infuriating, she was a girl who clearly distinguished between gratitude and grudges.
She might not say it out loud, but she remembered the consideration John had shown them.
Hearing Cecilia's explanation, Jonathan finally began to piece together what had happened.
He fell silent.
Trying to offer comfort, Cecilia said, "Don't worry, it's just one loss. We'll have chances to win back what we lost. Don't be discouraged."
Cecilia thought Jonathan was struggling to accept his defeat to John.
However, to her surprise, Jonathan shook his head.
Gazing at the broken sword in his hands, he drifted off for a moment before murmuring, "Actually, I knew it was an illusion, but I saw mom and dad in there, just as they are in my memories."
Cecilia was taken aback.
Then, suddenly, she felt a twinge of sadness in her nose.