The crowd was constantly whispering and murmuring to one another in low, uneasy voices. There was none of the roaring excitement from earlier, none of the cheers that had once echoed through the arena when the first clashes had begun.
Because now, reality was finally sinking in.
The Grand Magus had gone wild during the battle, his attacks tearing through the air like storms, almost striking the crowd themselves. The only reason many of them were even still alive was because the Dark Guild and others had stepped in, protecting the spectators and shielding them from the stray blasts.
But that wasnât what anyone was focusing on.
What they were seeing now... was something almost unthinkable.
The great Grand Magus, the person they had all practically worshipped as an unshakable pillar of Alterian, was lying on the ground, completely beaten, pinned there beneath the weight of the Dark Magus himself.
"Hey... shouldnât we try and stop him?" one voice whispered from the stands.
"Stop him?" another hissed back. "You think someone who could defeat the Grand Magus is going to be stopped by
us
? Look at him, the Dark Magus doesnât even seem hurt."
"But if we donât... if we just stand here, are we really going to say we watched the Grand Magus die without doing anything?"
"Do you actually want to
fight
him? Because if you go down there, youâll be going alone." The manâs voice cracked. "There are still those students who defeated the Principals, and theyâre standing with him. Do you think theyâd let you get close?"
"And donât forget..." another added softly, "many people in this very crowd used Dark Magic. They fought side by side with him. Do you think theyâll just sit there and watch you attack the Dark Magus?"
That simple truth sank into everyoneâs minds like ice.
Even if they wanted to move... none of them dared to take a single step forward.
The most stunned of all were the Central Academy students.
"He... he really did it." Bonesâ voice trembled. "That damned student... he really took down the Grand Magus. How is that even
possible
?"
"We all saw it," Nannan replied, still staring blankly at the arena. "We saw what happened. The power he used... that wasnât just magic. It was something else completely."
"Can you see it now?" George said, folding his arms proudly. "Even someone that strong was using my special affinity! Thatâs how great it is!"
"I canât believe we actually went against someone like that," Kayzel muttered. "No wonder we lost so badly... Now I donât even feel that bad about it."
Standing further back, Alenâs eyes stayed locked on Raze and the fallen Grand Magus.
There was relief flickering in them, because Ibarin was still alive.
This was a delicate, razor-thin line to walk. If Raze simply struck Ibarin down now, it would all be over.
And yet, killing him would undo everything.
People didnât simply believe what they saw, they believed the
story
behind what they saw. And right now, the people had no context. If Raze killed Ibarin on the spot, they would twist it, invent reasons. They would say the Dark Magus only protected them as part of some long, sinister ploy.
So... it was time for Raze to give them the story himself.
Raze stepped toward Ibarin.
The Grand Magus lay crumpled, his body trembling. He couldnât even lift his own head. Without mana to support him, he was nothing more than an exhausted old man.
Raze raised a hand, easing the gravity magic that was pinning him down, just on his head. He left the rest of the crushing force in place, but at least now, Ibarin could lift his face to speak.
Razeâs voice rang clear, carried by magic so that every single soul in the arena could hear.
"Right now, my words, and yours, will be projected to everyone here," Raze said. His gaze was like sharpened obsidian. "Thereâs a reason Iâve kept you alive."
A cracked laugh rattled from Ibarinâs throat, flecks of blood staining his teeth.
"A reason? A reason?" he coughed out, his voice raw and hoarse. "We all know why youâve kept me alive. You want to
humiliate
me. You want to show the world how much stronger you are, so theyâll fear the Dark Magus!"
His voice rose to a roar, echoing off the shattered arena walls.
"You, Raze Cromwell... youâve always had a grudge against me! Since the day we met, you couldnât stop meddling! No matter what I did, you had to interfere, you had to appear, you had to prove yourself, every time!
"And look at what youâve become... You killed countless people, just to prove you were better than me. And now you stand here to do the same again!"
Ibarinâs voice cracked. He wheezed, coughing violently, blood spattering the stone.
Raze stood still, listening silently, his expression unmoving. Then, slowly, he shook his head.
"I thought as much," he said quietly. "So this... this is how you truly saw things. This is the mind of someone who clawed their way into the position of Principal, who stole the title of Grand Magus... and still canât see the truth."
"LIES!" Ibarin screamed. His whole body jerked against the gravity pinning him, but he couldnât even lift an arm. "Lies! Do you think anyone will believe
scum
like you, Dark Magus?"
Raze crouched down. His shadow fell across Ibarinâs bruised, bloodied face.
"Then let me ask you a question," he said. "And I suggest... for once in your life, you answer honestly."
The arena went deathly silent. Even the wind seemed to stop moving.
"Where," Raze said, his voice dropping to a cold whisper, "is Wilton Junior... the Principal of Wilton Academy?"
*****
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