I am the Only Son of Nyx

Seraphic Rebirth is the name of the formal ritual and ceremony.

It was the gate; new Angels who had passed the Blood Rite needed to go through in order to shed their weakness and come out as Blooded Angels. Defenders of mankind who would be going against the Blue Void.

All of them had earned their right to live.

Now, it’s time for them to serve.

Only death would free them from this eternal servitude.

As the star of the Blood Rite, Kai was the first one to be called to the raised altar.

Kai stood on a circular magic circle of divine symbols and faced the crowd.

"Close your eyes," Dean Lincoln instructed as he walked back, putting a safe distance between them. "Focus. Try to relax. Do not resist the blessing. Do not use your mana until the blessing settles. Accept it with gratitude, and be reborn."

He did exactly that.

Kai closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind of any distractions to focus on the moment.

Closing his eyes meant seeing darkness. And darkness is his friend.

It was easy for Kai to relax.

Once his breaths were steady and rhythmical, Dean Lincoln took out an ordinary staff with a floating golden crystal on top of it. He infused mana into it, and the crystal hummed and fired a smoky golden energy at the golden chalice Hebe’s statue was holding.

Everyone stared at it in anticipation.

As the energy settled, the chalice glowed vibrantly.

A sparkling golden droplet could be seen appearing on the tip of the chalice, and then it fell straight onto Kai’s head. Its energy wrapped around Kai’s body, and before long, steaming energy began to sizzle.

Dean Lincoln tapped the circular formation with the staff, and Kai disappeared.

"Teleportation? It’s real?"

"Where did he go?"

A collective intake of breath swept through the students. Most had seen Demigods teleport on TV before, so it wasn’t a foreign concept for them. But seeing it first-hand as Kai’s entire body warped and vanished into thin air was still something else entirely.

Just then, Aaran found Kai sitting cross-legged to the right.

He still has his eyes closed and is still steaming like he was being heated up alive.

"Next!" Dean Lincoln’s voice snapped them out of their dazes.

Over the next ten minutes, the students took turns receiving Hebe’s blessing. Some stepped forward eagerly, seemingly aware of this ceremony beforehand. Others hesitated, their nerves frayed by the weight of Dean Lincoln’s words.

Other than sounding sacred, being reborn also sounded like it hurts.

But soon, they realized it didn’t hurt at all.

It feels like their entire body was being massaged by an invisible energy.

And the warmth generated from it gathered at a particular spot, at a part inside their bodies that none of them had ever felt before. It gathered at the nape of their necks, and it formed some sort of core that was different than Divine Locks.

It was the source of the seam that was now sizzling from their bodies.

Dean Lincoln walked back and forth slowly, inspecting each student with a hawk-like gaze.

He looked focused and alert, like he was expecting something to happen.

"Who do you think will be reborn first?" Professor Ian asked, watching the students from the side. "Personally, I think Layra would be the first one. The record for this is near ten minutes, and I think she’ll be done in thirteen."

"Of course you’re going to pick your own student," Professor Hera chuckled. "In that case, I’ll pick Matilda. She’s also a High Angel. And she’s also the Supernal of Athena. I’m sure she can be faster than Layra."

"Matilda? Not Kai? I thought you’d for sure pick him."

"Just a feeling... I don’t know."

"How much are we betting? A hundred bucks?"

"Make it a thousand," Professor Hera smirked in confidence. "Do you dare?"

"Come on, professor," Professor scratched the back of his head. "That’s too much, no?"

"You’re already a professor for how long, now? And you’re still broke?"

"Fine. I guess I’ll have to cut back on food this month if I lose..."

"And I’ll be buying more clothes this month," Professor Hera said, patting Professor Ian’s back with the easy assurance of someone who’d already won. Then she glanced sideways. "Care to join the losing side, Professor Richard?"

Professor Richard was standing further away from them.

Since no students from his academy survived, this invitation was a slap to the face.

All students from Team Coeus are dead, so if he accepted, he’d need to bet on another academy’s student.

"Not interested," Professor Richard waved his hand.

"Bummer." Professor Hera turned away, but her eyes lingered longer on Professor Richard. Even from this distance, she could see it. His pallid face and the sheen of sweat at his temple. He looked worried. ’Who is the Demigod who vouched for Lion, I wonder...’

Moments later.

Swoosh—!

A radiant golden light shone brilliantly out of nowhere.

Dean Lincoln snapped his head towards the source and immediately approached the student.

It was Matilda.

Her eyelids and body were trembling, like she was struggling to contain this golden light.

Dean Lincoln’s staff cut an elegant arc through the air. Water gathered in his palm, creating a perfect spinning sphere. At his gesture, it flew to Matilda. The liquid stretched and sealed all around her, a protective membrane that dimmed the golden radiance to a muted shimmer.

It kept the light from enveloping the entire chamber.

"Concentrate on that core in your neck," He murmured, watching Matilda intently. "Let the light flow into you." Slowly, the glow began to retreat, threads of gold sinking into her pores. "Very good. Don’t stop. The more light you absorb, the stronger your Halo will become."

Just then, another light drowned the chamber.

Layra also followed right behind Matilda’s footsteps, but hers were more orange.

Like the color of sunset.

Dean Lincoln covered Layra with the same bubble and instructed her carefully.

On the other hand, Professor Hera and Professor Ian were on edge, watching their two horses race to reach the finish line. Matilda got the early start, but Layra isn’t that far behind, and her absorption seemed to be a tad faster.

It’s going to be neck-to-neck.

And unsurprisingly, Matilda was the first one to finish.

Her eyes shot open first, and her body pulsed with a subtle wave of golden mana.

"As expected," Professor Hera snorted and crossed her arms. "I’ll be waiting for the transfer."

"No..." Professor Ian cried helplessly. He’d really eat less this month. "My money..."

"Congratulations." Dean Lincoln smiled and offered Matilda his hand. "You’ ae now officially a Blooded Angel. Established." He pulled her gently upright. "Go to your professor, quickly now. They’ll guide you through what needs to be done next."

Matilda nodded and then went to Professor Hera.

She glanced at Kai mid-way, and noticed that he was still sitting in stillness.

No sign of the rebirth.

Layra’s eyelids lifted, revealing two suns behind them as she blinked and recovered from her trance. She looked down at her hands and then her body, checking to see what had changed. And she immediately could tell that her raw strength had increased.

Physically, she was far stronger than she was fifteen minutes ago.

She caught sight of Matilda heading towards Professor Hera and clicked her tongue.

Matilda was faster than her, and it rubbed her the wrong way.

"You’re the first one to finish. Good." Professor Hera nodded, but she didn’t sound like she was impressed by the fear. "Thirteen minutes to the dot. As a Supernal of Athena, this much is to be expected."

"I tried my best to be as fast as possible," Matilda bowed slightly in respect. "The Dean told me you’d tell me what to do next."

"Yes," Professor Hera looked behind Matilda and gestured for the other person to come. Layra to come. "Let me explain what exactly happened. I’m sure both of you already have suspicions, but a Blooded Angel is more than a title."

She explained that Seraphic Rebirth is a preparation for them to confront the Blue Void.

Peace reigned on the surface. Delegates spoke in reassuring tones, painting the Blue Void not as a danger but as untapped potential. A wellspring of energy waiting to be harnessed. It was a beautiful lie.

But the truth was far uglier.

Demons and Angels lived in reality, and the truth was that the Blue Void is dangerous.

Incredibly so, and mankind was almost helpless against it.

The weakest Star Beast from it is at least three times stronger than the Awakened Monster that was placed on Ixos. Even new Demons couldn’t fight it one-on-one, and it was far worse for the Angels.

All of the Angels or Demons that appeared on TV had gone through extensive preparations.

Preparations that would help them against the Blue Void.

One is going through this Seraphic Rebirth or Demonic Descent.

The Blessed Drop of Hebe that was given to them earlier was the catalyst to awaken a dormant power that all Divine Bloodlines possessed. And it’s called a Halo. It allowed an Angel to emit a divine aura that could suppress the Star Beasts, giving an edge in battle.

And since it came from the Divine Bloodline, there might be mutations.

Some Halos can also have an additional effect that is derived from the Patron God.

It was common for those with five Divine Locks or more.

Regardless, a Halo would always have a suppressing effect on Star Beasts as it’s the glimpse of divine light. And due to its adaptability, it can grow stronger through training, which makes it one of the most important tools a Supernal would have.

"Now," Professor Hera said—pointing outside. "Run laps. Raise your heart rate. Your body is still absorbing the energy, and being active will help it settle. Keep going until you can’t run anymore, or until the warmth on your nape is gone."

Matilda and Layra nodded and went outside before starting to run.

And slowly but surely, over the course of twenty minutes, more and more students woke up.

Other than the two High Angels, the rest averaged around seventeen minutes, which put them way below average, even for an Angel standard. Only a couple of students woke up around the fourteen and fifteen minutes.

Dorian was one of them.

But regardless, having been through a survival of the fittest, these Angels are passable.

Able to serve mankind.

At the half-hour mark, the students outside who were still running stole glances at the shrine. Everyone had been running for more than ten minutes by now, and yet, there was one more person who hadn’t woken up.

Even Dean Lincoln and the professors were confused.

All four of them stood before the last student, Kai, and watched him closely.

"Thirty minutes?" Dean Lincoln frowned. "I know he has one Divine Lock, but to take this long to adapt to the Blessed Drop of Hebe... I’m starting to doubt that he could pull off what he did."