Black Phoenix Heir

Chapter 123: Chapter 123 — A Vow Of Strength

Chapter 123 — A Vow Of Strength

Victor reappeared several miles away.

He remained still for a few seconds, listening to the forest around him.

Nothing.

No presence following behind him.

He slowly lowered his hand from Liam’s sword and let out a quiet breath.

He wasn’t far from the Lava Rock Monkey territory. The massive bridge that marked the entrance was only around the corner.

Normally, Victor would have been looking forward to seeing the familiar territory again.

Instead, his mind remained somewhere else.

With Lyra.

The more he thought about what had just happened, the more unsettled he became.

Lyra hadn’t been completely honest with him.

Victor wasn’t stupid.

He also knew she had been afraid.

Afraid of the older shadow fox.

Even Victor had understood that much the moment he saw him.

If he had actually drawn his sword and fought that man, he probably wouldn’t have survived the first exchange.

Victor understood why Lyra had pushed him away.

Why she had called him a stupid human.

Why she had threatened to kill him if he didn’t leave.

She hadn’t been insulting him because she genuinely thought he was stupid.

She had been trying to make him leave.

She had been trying to save him.

Victor lowered his head slightly as he walked.

That realization hurt more than he expected.

He was used to Lyra calling him a stupid human.

Normally, he barely cared.

But this time was different.

She had looked at him, recognized that he wasn’t strong enough, and deliberately pushed him away because she knew he couldn’t protect her.

That hurt.

More than the insult itself.

Victor walked in silence.

His fingers slowly curled into a fist.

He remembered something Elder Benton had told him long ago.

If you want to survive, you need power.

At the time, Victor had understood those words.

He understood them even more after Jacob died.

Jacob had taught him something different.

Have conviction.

When he made a decision, he needed to stand behind it.

No regrets.

Victor had carried those words with him for a long time.

But lately...

He had changed.

Somewhere along the way, he had become easier on himself.

He had grown comfortable.

He had become stronger, but perhaps that strength had made him forget what it meant to be weak.

He had started accepting limitations.

Victor stopped walking.

He looked down at the bracelet around his wrist.

The same bracelet that had been placed on him when he was a slave In the alchemist Tower.

The same bracelet that still controlled his life.

The same bracelet he couldn’t remove without destroying his soul.

Victor stared at it for a long moment.

Then he clenched his fist.

"No."

His voice was quiet.

But there was no hesitation in it.

"I’ll remove it myself."

Victor raised his head.

"I don’t care how long it takes."

His eyes hardened.

"I don’t care how strong I have to become."

He looked toward the sky.

Even though the cavern ceiling concealed the real sky from view, Victor knew the stars existed somewhere beyond it.

"I’ll rip this thing off with my own power."

His voice grew firmer.

"I’ll control my own life."

He took another step.

"I’ll make my own decisions."

Another.

"Nobody is going to decide that I’m weak ever again."

Victor stopped.

His gaze became unwavering.

"Nobody."

The words seemed to hang in the air.

It wasn’t merely a thought.

It wasn’t an idle promise.

Victor made the vow against his own soul.

Against the existence of life itself.

He would become strong enough that no one would ever force him into weakness again.

And somewhere far beyond the cavern...

Beyond the forest.

Beyond the Alchemy Tower.

Above the vast world beneath the night sky...

The stars seemed to twinkle a little brighter.

Only for an instant.

So subtle that no one would have noticed.

He simply continued walking.

He still felt Lyra’s presence through the Soul Bond.

Even with miles between them, the connection remained.

He could feel the uncertainty within her.

The fear.

The tension.

Victor’s expression softened slightly.

There was nothing he could do right now.

He couldn’t fight Levron.

He couldn’t walk back into the Shadow Fox territory and save her.

Not yet.

But that didn’t mean he would do nothing.

I’ll get stronger.

His steps became steadier.

If Lyra ever needed him...

He would be able to reach her.

Victor finally rounded the corner.

The massive bridge came into view.

He crossed it without stopping.

On the other side, the familiar sight of the Lava Rock Monkey territory appeared before him.

It looked almost exactly as he remembered.

Fire Trees stretched throughout the cavern, their branches glowing beneath the fire-rich environment. Wooden platforms and bridges connected hundreds of treehouses.

And, of course...

There were monkeys fighting everywhere.

Victor smiled.

Yep.

Definitely the same place.

He continued forward.

It had been roughly a month since he had left.

Yet somehow, it felt like much longer.

Then Victor noticed something familiar.

A crowd had gathered around one of the dueling platforms.

Victor slowed.

He recognized the fighting style almost immediately.

"Monkasa?"

He stepped closer.

Sure enough, standing on the platform was Moncasa.

And he was fighting someone Victor didn’t recognize.

Victor’s eyes narrowed.

The battle was intense.

Far more intense than he expected.

The opponent was keeping up with Moncasa’s movements, forcing him to dodge and counter repeatedly.

Victor watched carefully.

That’s strange.

Based on what he had experienced recently the person Monkasa was fighting had to be incredibly strong.

Probably somewhere within the top fifty rankings.

Victor hadn’t expected Monkasa to have improved so dramatically in only a month.

Then Monkasa shifted his stance.

His feet moved.

One step.

Victor’s eyes widened slightly.

The energy gathered around Monkasa’s fist twisted violently.

A small tornado seemed to form around his arm.

Victor immediately recognized it.

Monkey Fist.

Monkasa disappeared forward.

His fist slammed directly into his opponent’s chest.

BOOM!

The other fighter’s guard came up too late.

His body flew backward, flipping several times before crashing onto the ground outside the platform.

He didn’t move.

The crowd erupted.

Monkasa threw his fist into the air.

"YES!"

He roared triumphantly.

"I WON!"

His voice echoed throughout the training grounds.

But halfway through his celebration, Monkasa’s eyes suddenly landed on someone standing at the edge of the crowd.

His expression froze.

Then his enormous toothy grin returned.

"VICTOR!"

Monkasa jumped from the platform.

He practically flew across the training ground.

"VICTOR!"

Before Victor could react, Monkasa threw his arms around him.

"I MISSED YOU, BROTHER!"

Victor stumbled backward.

He couldn’t help but laugh.

"Monkasa, I’ve missed you too."

Monkasa finally released him.

Victor looked toward the dueling platform.

"I see you’ve gotten stronger in the month I’ve been gone."

Monkasa puffed out his chest proudly.

"Yes!"

He slapped his chest.

"I’ve had some luck with understanding the Monkey Fist."

Victor raised an eyebrow.

"Really?"

"I finally reached Intermediate!"

Victor’s eyes widened.

"Intermediate?"

Monkasa nodded enthusiastically.

"I found a trick to understanding it."

Victor became immediately interested.

"A trick?"

"Yes!"

Monkasa’s grin grew even wider.

"I can tell you all about it."

He paused dramatically.

"Over some banana pudding."

Victor stared at him.

For a moment, he considered everything that had happened over the past month.

The crypt.

The Spider Mother.

The Twin Flame Flower.

Liam.

The ring.

The sword.

The Shadow Foxes.

Lyra.

His vow.

Then he looked at Monkasa.

"...You know, I would love some banana pudding."

Moncasa laughed.

"Then let’s go!"

The two began walking through the training grounds together.

Victor glanced back at the dueling platform one last time.

The opponent Monkasa had defeated was still unconscious.

Victor smiled faintly.

He’s really gotten stronger.

And that made Victor even more determined.

His immediate goal was simple.

Reach Peak Rank 10 Body Tempering.

And upgrade the Monkey Fist to intermediate.

If he could accomplish both, Victor believed his combat power would rise dramatically.

He still had countless techniques and mysteries to uncover.

The mysteries surrounding Samal continued to pile up.

Who exactly was Samal?

What had really happened during the ancient war?

Why had the beasts won?

What was the forbidden technique?

Who were the Beast Gods?

Who had betrayed Samal?

What was the meaning behind the ancient alchemical garden?

And why had the Black Phoenix inheritance survived when the clan itself was believed to have disappeared?

There were too many questions.

Far too many.

But Victor had finally begun to understand something.

He didn’t need all the answers yet.

He needed the strength to find them.

Without strength, the mysteries would remain mysteries.

Without strength, he couldn’t return to the Alchemy Tower and remove the bracelet.

Without strength, he couldn’t uncover the truth behind his bloodline.

Without strength, he couldn’t help Lyra if she ever needed him.

Victor looked down at his hand.

His fingers tightened into a fist.

He had made his vow.

Now he intended to keep it.

Whatever waited ahead...

He would become strong enough to face it.

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