Chapter 439 — Northern Military Training Center

Snow fell in thick curtains over Northstar City, the flakes drifting through air so cold it burned to breathe.

Damian stood in front of massive gates made from reinforced steel, the words "Northern Military Training Center" carved into the metal above. Everything around him was white, snow covering buildings and streets and piling against walls in drifts that reached his knees.

Beside him, a woman in a black military uniform shifted her weight, her breath misting in the frozen air as she spoke.

"I can only accompany you this far."

Damian turned toward her, his goggles reflecting the white landscape.

"Thank you for your assistance, Officer Naira."

Officer Naira had escorted him all the way from Norrington City, through the Capitol, and finally to this frozen outpost at the extreme edge of the northern region.

She smiled, the expression warming her otherwise professional demeanor.

"Just doing my job." She paused, her eyes tracking across his face. "But I should warn you... I’ve heard from my colleagues that some of the strongest and oldest A ranks have been sent here."

Her hand gestured toward the gates.

"The people inside won’t be your peers. Veterans who’ve been fighting for decades, awakeners who were already legends when you were born." Her voice became quieter. "You’re talented, everyone knows that. But don’t be disheartened by setbacks here... This isn’t the academy."

’The higher-ups pulled so many of them from across the entire Federation for this crisis.’

Naira had seen the recruitment lists, names that made even Senior Officers go quiet, legends who’d been living in isolation for years, suddenly recalled to active duty, even some young prodigies from the Imperial families who’d been groomed for war since childhood.

’All of them gathered in one place...’

She’d seen enough talented geniuses to know how this usually ended. They walked in full of confidence, then reality crushed them when they realized their academy rankings meant nothing here.

’If he fails spectacularly in front of Senior General Icarus... If he embarrasses himself in front of everyone...’

That would reflect poorly on Arch-Inquisitor Thorne.

Her superior had put his reputation on the line by recommending this seventeen-year-old.

Damian’s lips curved slightly beneath his goggles.

"I appreciate the concern, Officer Naira." His voice came out genuine. "I’ll keep it in mind."

She nodded once, then turned and walked back toward the transport vehicle that had brought them here.

Damian watched her go until she disappeared into the falling snow.

Then he turned toward the gates and stepped through.

****

A vast courtyard spread before him, covered in packed snow that crunched beneath his boots.

Military buildings surrounded him on all sides, their walls reinforced with steel and Aura wards that shimmered faintly in the falling snow.

Whoosh

Wind displaced suddenly as someone appeared directly in front of him.

An old woman in military uniform materialized from nothing, her face lined with age but her eyes sharp as broken glass. The insignia on her shoulder showed three stars.

’Junior General, the same rank as Professor Seraphina... S rank minimum.’

The woman’s eyes tracked across Damian with assessment, cataloging everything about him in seconds.

"State your business."

Damian reached into his coat, pulling out the card Officer Naira had given him before they’d separated.

"Damian Valcor, reporting as recommended by Arch-Inquisitor Ezra Thorne."

He extended the card toward her.

The woman took it, her eyes scanning the details with speed.

Her lips moved slightly as she read, muttering under her breath.

"...desperate enough to send B+ rank academy students now..."

The words carried disapproval she didn’t bother hiding.

She looked up, meeting Damian’s eyes directly.

"There’s a mandatory survival assessment for every candidate before they’re cleared to enter the training program." Her hand moved to his shoulder. "No exceptions, regardless of who recommended you."

The world twisted.

****

One moment, Damian stood in the courtyard.

The next, he stood on a massive snow-covered field, wind whipping across the open expanse.

Behind them, a dome made of shimmering Aura rose like a cathedral, its translucent walls pulsing with contained power.

’That must be where they conduct the survival tests...’

Ahead, dozens of people stood at rigid attention in perfect military formation, their bodies radiating power that made the air thick and heavy.

’Peak A+ rank... Every single one of them.’

Damian’s eyes tracked across faces both young and old. Some looked a bit older than him, others had grey streaking their hair and scars marking decades of combat.

They all faced forward toward a single man.

He looked to be in his early thirties, his face cold and sharp like carved ice, his military uniform pristine despite the falling snow, four stars marked his shoulder.

’Senior General...’

The old woman who’d brought Damian here snapped to attention immediately, her fist coming to her chest in salute.

"Senior General Icarus, another candidate has arrived for assessment."

The words fell like stones into still water as every head turned in unison.

Dozens of eyes locked onto Damian simultaneously, assessment and confusion bleeding across their faces.

A moment of silence, then whispers started spreading through the formation.

"Another candidate?"

"Wait, why is someone so young here?"

"He’s only radiating B+ rank Aura... what’s going on?"

"That face... is that Damian Valcor?"

"The top talent from the younger generation?"

"I heard about him from my granddaughter... She’s in the same year as him."

"Why is an academy student at a military training center?"

Even those who’d been isolated from the world for years, training in remote locations and sealed facilities, seemed to recognize him.

Icarus raised his hand and silence crashed down like a guillotine blade.

Every voice cut off mid-word, the discipline absolute.

Then he turned toward Damian, his cold eyes finding the young man standing alone beside the Junior General.

"Everyone’s dismissed for ten minutes..."

The candidates didn’t move, but their rigid attention shifted slightly, no longer locked forward.

Icarus walked toward Damian with measured steps.

Each boot fall crunched in the snow with deliberate rhythm.

He stopped three meters away, his eyes scanning Damian from head to toe.

"Damian Valcor." His voice came out flat, neither welcoming nor hostile. "Seventeen years old, second-year student at Stormhold Academy. Current rank B+, talent grade unknown."

He paused.

"Adopted son of Alaric and Lyandra Valcor, the Twin Terrors. Recently involved in the Tranquil City incident."

Damian said nothing, meeting the Senior General’s gaze.

"Arch-Inquisitor Ezra Thorne submitted your name to our recruitment division three days ago." Icarus’s tone remained clinical. "The higher-ups approved it over my objection."

His hand gestured toward the formation behind him.

"Do you know what this training center is for?"

"Preparing warriors for deployment against the giant portals." Damian’s voice came out steady.