Sophia was conflicted, unsure whether she should cover Liam's eyes. He seemed to be developing a fascination with the sight before him. Becoming fixated on a deity wasn't good—it was a sign of being bewitched. However, Liam's eyes remained clear, showing no signs of daze or confusion.
Finally, Sophia couldn't help but ask, "Are you okay? If not, close your eyes. Don't push yourself."
"I'm fine. My body can handle it. I'm not afraid of a deity's mental influence," Liam replied, his gaze still fixed on the scene before him. His pupils were burning with the divine light, emitting golden smoke, but his demigod body was rapidly repairing itself. Despite this, he kept looking, as if he wanted to capture every detail.
"What are you thinking? Why do you seem so fixated on this deity?" Sophia couldn't help but ask.
"Have you ever lived through the days before the world was filled with superhumans, before the aura revival?" Liam asked in return.
Sophia rolled her eyes, "The aura revival happened a hundred years ago, and I'm nineteen. What do you think?"
Liam chuckled and shook his head. "Back in my hometown, people often worshipped these mystical yet immensely powerful 'gods.' But those beings never truly appeared in our world. Most were made into statues and worshipped."
"But now...such a being is right in front of me!"
"Maybe you can't understand how I feel."
At this moment, the light in Liam's eyes was filled with something called ambition—a sense of rebellion against ultimate authority, typical of a young man. Of course, Sophia, born into a world of superhumans and accustomed to all sorts of strange abilities, couldn't fully grasp this feeling.
"Where is your hometown?" Sophia asked curiously.
"It's a pretty beautiful place... Let me keep watching for now."
By now, Cain's battle with the golden light mass had reached its climax. Their fight was peculiar, looking nothing like what one would imagine. The entire sky had turned into a golden sea, and with each attack, this sea rolled and surged as if the entire world swayed with their battle.
Liam couldn't discern what ability Cain was using, but it was clear that the old man was completely different from his usual self. His expression was fierce, his beard standing on end like steel needles, and behind him, a massive, indistinct figure loomed. With each palm strike, the entire space seemed to fold forward, engulfing the golden light mass.
Meanwhile, every flicker of that golden light mass would cause the golden sea to engulf Cain. The scene looked less like two entities fighting and more like two halves of the world colliding and compressing each other.
Liam found it hard to imagine the energy fluctuations there, but seeing the buildings beneath them, which had lost their solid form and flowed like liquid, he realized this was the true power of the gods!
"This is too intense. We need to pull back a bit," Sophia whispered into Liam's ear before swiftly retreating with him. In fact, she had been using her energy field to protect him from the overflow of energy for some time.
"Dean Mo… he looks so different from usual. What level of superhuman is he? Can he handle this? Isn't anyone going to help him?" Liam asked, not resisting the retreat. He knew that, in his current state, he couldn't withstand even the residual shockwaves of the battle, but he was curious.
Sophia looked up at the ongoing battle, shaking her head slightly. "He should be able to handle it. Even if he couldn't, there's nothing we can do to help."
"Dean Mo—do you think he's just some unserious guy whose actions and thoughts are completely out of the ordinary, not like a leader at all?"
Liam nodded in agreement.
"You're right; he is that kind of person. The day-to-day affairs of the Eastern Academy are managed by the vice dean. The reason he's the dean is simple—because he's powerful!"
"He's the strongest of the Eight Core Academies, recognized globally as the strongest in the Seventh Realm."
"Superhumans are divided into nine realms. The Fourth and Fifth Realms mark a watershed, as do the Seventh and Eighth. The Fifth Realm transcends the mundane, and the Eighth Realm is beyond the ordinary!"
"After the Eighth Realm, a person's power becomes superhuman enough to earn the title of Marquis, while the Ninth Realm is the Saint!"
"Dean Mo once said, 'Unrivaled below the Marquis level!'"
As Sophia spoke, a look of admiration sparkled in her eyes. Although many believed her future achievements would surpass Cain's, she still aspired to such power.
The battle in the sky was reaching its critical moment, where life and death would be decided. Sophia's hold on Liam had shifted from his arm to his waist, making it easier to retreat. From this angle, it almost seemed as if their roles were reversed.
However, she hadn't noticed that something was seriously wrong with Liam. Unlike most people in this world, Liam had only grasped superpowers for half a month. After barely coming to terms with his newfound abilities, he had been pushing himself to his limits. Now, he was directly witnessing the glory of a god. The pace had been so fast and intense that it had led to some qualitative changes.
As Liam watched, he suddenly felt a tremor in a seemingly indestructible barrier within his mind. And then—he knew nothing more. He fainted.
Sophia: ???
He was just fine a moment ago! Why did he suddenly pass out?!
Realizing this, she immediately carried Liam and retreated swiftly, pulling out her special communication device and shouting into the receiver,
"Any superhuman with healing abilities, get to me right now! Quickly!"
Within minutes, those who had finished their tasks arrived. A few minutes later, Zhong Jing, Dong Wushuang, and others also gathered around. Their expressions were solemn as they looked at Liam lying on the ground. Zhong Jing squatted down to check on him.
After a while, Zhong Jing stood up, his brows furrowed.
"How is he?!" Sophia's heart skipped a beat, and she asked urgently.
"Based on my examination, all his physical indicators are perfect, not even a minor injury!" Zhong Jing continued, still frowning.
"His internal energy is also stable. He doesn't seem to have any issues."
"How about trying artificial respiration?" Zhong Jing suggested, looking at Sophia.