Solo Cultivating in Superhero Academy
Chapter 139: Solarion Skill

Chapter 139: Solarion Skill

The air grew heavier as they walked deeper into the flickering tunnel.

Electric pulses ran through the floor like veins, and the dim red lights above made everything look like it was soaked in blood.

Elius’s senses sharpened.

"We’re getting close," he muttered. "The boss is near."

Keith nodded, sweat beading on his forehead—not from heat, but from tension.

The path ahead twisted into a large chamber where heat shimmered like a mirage. The ground was scorched black. Suddenly—

CLANG-CLANK-CLUNK!

Several humanoid robots emerged from the walls, stepping out of hidden compartments.

They weren’t the same as before.

These ones walked upright, had burning red cores in their chests, flamethrowers mounted to their arms, and flickering eyes that tracked with eerie intelligence. Each of them had a strange rune glowing on their foreheads.

"Those are... different," Keith said, stepping back.

"Humanoid warbots," Elius replied calmly. "With mission-based AI programming. They’re not here to patrol. They’re here to kill."

Flames erupted from one of their arms, washing the hallway in blazing heat.

But Elius and Keith didn’t flinch.

As Solarion descendants, their bodies could resist extreme temperatures. The fire rolled past them like a summer breeze.

They charged.

THWACK!

Elius’s sword streaked through the first robot’s arm, slicing it cleanly off. Keith followed up with a blast of kinetic force, slamming another into the wall.

The enemies responded quickly. One ducked, spun, and fired flames toward Keith’s legs. Another leaped toward Elius, arms spread like claws.

But they were too slow.

Elius sidestepped and summoned a pillar of earth to rise from beneath his feet, lifting him above the fire. Then he leapt down, sword plunging like a meteor.

BOOM!

The robot crumpled.

Ding!

---

[Fragment of Martial Skill found!]

Martial Skill: Unknown

Type: Fire type.

Fragments: 3 / 5.

Effect: Fragment only.

Collect remaining pieces to unlock full skill.

---

Elius’s eyes flicked to the floating screen. He gave a sharp nod, then turned just in time to parry a flame-coated blade aimed at his head.

More enemies emerged.

Keith gritted his teeth, swinging his fists and releasing bursts of shockwaves to push the robots back. His knuckles bled from repeated clashes, but he didn’t stop.

Elius leapt high, landing behind another robot. His sword flicked once—twice—sparks flew, and a head rolled off.

Ding!

---

[Fragment of Martial Skill found!]

Martial Skill: Unknown

Type: Fire type.

Fragments: 4 / 5.

Effect: Fragment only.

Collect remaining pieces to unlock full skill.

---

The chamber rumbled.

A thick fog of dust and steam rolled in. Keith coughed and waved it away.

Then—

Swoosh!

Something punched through the air.

CRACK!!

Elius flew across the room and slammed into the metal wall, forming a massive crater behind him. The entire chamber shook. Smoke billowed from the impact site.

"ELIUS!!"

Keith cried out and stumbled forward.

The dust settled—and a shadow loomed near the wall.

Elius slowly stood up from the crater, blood dripping from his mouth. He didn’t fall. He didn’t scream. He just raised his head with a grim smile.

But something else moved.

A flash of darkness behind him.

A tall figure.

Its eyes glowed—just for a second.

Then it vanished.

Keith froze, heart pounding. What was that?

Elius didn’t seem to notice. He stepped forward, stretching his neck.

"Haaah... a strong one," he muttered. "Finally."

The massive robot that had struck him stood tall, gears spinning violently on its arms. It charged up its flamethrowers again.

Elius didn’t run.

Instead, he crouched, and his hand touched the floor.

"Earth Style..."

The floor around him twisted and buckled. Metal cracked and rose into jagged ridges. The enemy lost its footing.

"Sand Tomb."

The ground liquified—turning into sand in a small area under the robot. Its legs sunk deep, and suddenly, seven earthen pillars shot up around it, locking it in place.

The robot tried to charge its beam, aiming at Elius—

But the coffin dropped from the ceiling.

A massive slab of stone, shaped like a lid, smashed down from above, crushing the robot completely.

BOOM!

The entire structure shook.

The flames went out.

The robot twitched once. Then nothing.

Ding!

---

[Fragment of Martial Skill found!]

Martial Skill: Unknown

Type: Fire type.

Fragments: 5 / 5.

Effect: Full skill unlocked.

---

Elius paused.

His system screen flickered—and then, something new appeared.

He leaned forward, eyes wide.

"What is it...? Solarion Blast? Solarion Shield?"

But no.

What appeared before him was far more profound.

---

[Martial Skill Learned!]

Skill Name: Solarion Hope.

Type: Fire

Effect: Grants passive adaptation to external forces. For every unique environmental, elemental, or metaphysical challenge faced, the user gains an adaptive buff. Buffs become permanent after repeated exposure. Enhances survivability, resistance, and evolution rate.

—

Elius froze.

Then he started to grin.

Then... laugh.

He threw his head back and laughed so hard it echoed through the chamber.

"Hahahahaha!"

Keith blinked, confused and worried. "Uh... what’s so funny?"

Was the enemy really that strong? Did defeating it feel that good?

He didn’t get it.

But Elius did.

This wasn’t just any Martial Skill.

This was the one he needed.

A power that would make him stronger just by surviving.

The more he faced the impossible, the more he would evolve. Whether it was poison, void, mind attacks, divine curses—it didn’t matter.

Now, he could adapt.

"Now I can touch anyone," he said aloud, eyes shining. "Even unkillable beings. Even monsters that cheat death."

He laughed again, almost like a madman.

His current strongest move—Heavenly Slam—was only useful against simple, F-ranked creatures. But against something with elemental resistance? It failed.

Against something that regenerated?

It was useless.

But this?

Solarion Hope gave him a future. A path forward. A reason to face impossible odds with a smile.

Even better?

It was fire type.

Which meant it wouldn’t weaken when he left the Dungeon. It wouldn’t degrade under sunlight, moonlight, rain, or astral storms.

"Perfect," Elius said, finally calming down.

Keith still had no idea what his brother had seen, but the expression on Elius’s face was terrifying.

Not hatred.

Not bloodlust.

But joy. Pure, dangerous joy.

Then—

WHIRRRR-THUMP!

The massive steel doors at the end of the chamber began to shift and unlock.

A thick wave of pressure rolled out from the final room.

The Dungeon Boss was waiting.

Elius stepped forward, wiped the dust from his face, and turned to Keith.

"Let’s go," he said, his voice sharp with excitement.

"To the last part."

As they walked down the dark, winding tunnel toward the final chamber, the flickering flames along the walls reflected off their metal-streaked armor.

Elius walked ahead with quiet confidence, while Keith followed closely, a little hesitant but still steady.

The faint rumble of machinery deeper inside the dungeon echoed like distant thunder, growing louder with each step.

The heat no longer bothered them.

Their Solarion blood handled it effortlessly. But there was tension in the air—thick, like static before a lightning strike.

For a long time, neither of them spoke.

Then, Keith broke the silence.

"Hey, Elius."

"Hm?" Elius didn’t turn, but his ear twitched slightly, listening.

"I was thinking... after this is over, maybe we should let our mothers meet."

Elius slowed down just a little, a curious flicker in his eyes. Keith, encouraged, continued with a hopeful tone.

"Your mother raised you alone, right? And mine... well, she always said I looked a little lonely, even when I was surrounded by people. But maybe—maybe if they met, they’d become friends?"

Elius chuckled softly. "You think two women who raised walking calamities like us would get along?"

"Exactly!" Keith grinned. "They’d have so much to talk about! Can you imagine the sheer chaos of them sitting in a garden, sipping tea, and discussing how to discipline two monsters who destroy entire training rooms before lunch?"

Elius smirked. "My mother doesn’t drink tea."

"Then your mom can bring her own poison blend," Keith said. "We can let them debate which one of us caused them more migraines growing up."

Elius laughed. "That would be me."

"No way," Keith shot back. "You’re too calm. I was an actual menace as a child."

"My calm is learned. Before I was six, I burned three city walls and blew up a mage’s tower during a tantrum."

Keith blinked. "Okay, that’s fair."

"But she never stopped smiling," Elius added after a moment. "Even when I came home covered in blood. Even when I nearly died... again. She just told me to sit down and eat something."

"Yeah," Keith nodded. "Mothers, huh?"

There was silence for a while again. Not cold—warm, thoughtful.

Keith grinned. "Can you imagine the two of them going shopping together? Your mom with her quiet eyes and deadly smile, my mom with her coupons and full market strategy? They’d dominate the entire street."

"She’d never haggle," Elius said. "She’d just stare until prices drop."

"Exactly! My mom would be the talker, the loud negotiator. And yours would just be the silent executioner. They’d be unstoppable."

Elius nodded slowly, the corners of his lips twitching upward.

Keith kept going, like he was riding a wave that he didn’t want to stop.

"They could even open a business together. Like, I dunno, a therapy clinic for traumatized supers. You know, offer deadly martial advice and emotional counseling in the same session."

"My mother would call that a waste of Qi," Elius murmured.

"Fine! Then maybe a bakery. One that serves only dangerous food. Your mom can prepare Spirit-Infused flamebread, and mine can decorate cakes with explosive mana sugar. Customers sign a waiver before ordering."

Elius gave a rare, genuine laugh.

"And the cakes would judge you," he said, eyes twinkling.

"Absolutely!" Keith clapped his hands. "One bite, and it reveals your deepest guilt. Perfect for birthday parties."

They both laughed for a while.

"Then, on weekends," Keith added, "we could all meet for dinner. Talk about missions, maybe even go camping. Get away from the chaos."

"I don’t do camping," Elius replied.

"Fine. A five-star dungeon resort then."

"That’s more like it."

They kept walking.

Their conversation had turned so absurd and vibrant that even the grim surroundings couldn’t smother it. It felt like something was being stitched together between them—something real, something warm. Something human.

Then, they reached the final gate.

A giant slab of obsidian stood before them, scorched with flames and covered in glowing lines of circuitry. The Dungeon Boss room.

Elius took a step forward.

But then—

He heard the sound of metal scraping.

He turned sharply.

Keith had stopped. His head was lowered. In his hand... was a glowing black cube.

Elius’s eyes narrowed.

"What’s that?"

Keith didn’t look up at first. He stood still for a long moment, like someone who had rehearsed a speech many times before finally saying it.

"I’m sorry, brother," Keith whispered.

Elius’s brows furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"All those things we talked about..." Keith finally looked up, his face full of guilt. "The dinners, our moms meeting, all of it... it can’t happen."

"What do you mean?" Elius took a step forward, but he already knew. Something felt wrong. Wrong in Keith’s aura. Wrong in the cube’s presence.

"I never needed you," Keith admitted softly. "I needed time. That’s all. Time for my real team to escape your Sand Tomb trap. You’ve been keeping us buried since the second chamber. But by now... they’re out."

Elius stared.

His fists clenched, then loosened.

"So this was all an act?"

"No," Keith said quickly, voice trembling. "No! Everything we talked about—every laugh, every joke—I meant those! I swear I did. But... the mission is bigger than both of us. And I had to make a choice."

Elius’s face darkened. "Then choose."

Keith took a deep breath.

"I already did."

And then—

The cube glowed with strange, swirling energy. A ripple bent the air.

In an instant, Keith vanished.

Gone.

Like he had never been there.

Silence fell like a hammer.

Elius stood alone before the final gate, his hand frozen mid-reach. His eyes darted around, trying to understand, trying to feel... something.

Anger.

Sadness.

Betrayal.

But instead, what he felt was clarity.

He took a breath.

Stepped forward.

And pushed open the final door.

THOOOOOOM!

The chamber roared to life.

Flames exploded from the walls. The heat here was alive, sentient, crackling with violent fury. Gears rotated above in a massive turbine dome, and in the center of the arena stood a towering monstrosity.

It was shaped like a knight, but four times taller than any human. Its armor was made of burning metal, like magma trapped under pressure. Two arms, each equipped with massive flamethrower cannons, rotated and clicked into place.

Its head turned slowly, its eyes glowing with intelligent malice. And at its back, a solar furnace pulsed like a beating heart.

BOOM!

Its footsteps were thunderous.

FWOOSH!

A wall of fire ignited behind it.

Elius stepped forward, his face calm once more. His hands lowered toward his sword.

His voice was ice.

"...You’ll do."