I had already understood something during the exchange.
The center of their coordination—
was William.
Lucinda's precision supported him.
Anastasia controlled the battlefield around him.
But William himself—
was the spearhead.
Break him—
and their formation would destabilize.
A faint smile appeared on my face.
Then—
I rushed toward Anastasia again.
FAST.
The others immediately reacted exactly as expected.
William instantly moved to intercept.
Lucinda shifted to cut off my flank.
Anastasia stepped backward while preparing another arrow.
Predictable.
Good.
WHISTLE.
An arrow flew toward my shoulder.
I twisted my body barely avoiding it before accelerating even further.
William's eyes narrowed.
CLANG.
Our swords collided violently.
The impact echoed throughout the entire tower.
Heavy.
Far heavier than before.
But this time—
instead of redirecting away—
I pushed forward.
Aggressively.
William's eyes sharpened slightly.
I continuously attacked afterward.
One strike.
Two.
Five.
FAST.
The reverse grip transformed my attacks into unpredictable arcs from impossible angles.
William blocked each strike—
but barely.
For the first time—
his footing shifted backward slightly.
Then Lucinda entered instantly.
Her blade cut toward my ribs with terrifying precision.
CLANG.
I blocked without even looking.
Then immediately attacked William again.
No hesitation.
No retreat.
The others slowly realized it now.
I wasn't targeting Anastasia anymore.
I was forcing William into direct combat.
Again.
And again.
And again.
WHISTLE.
An arrow flew toward my blind spot.
I tilted my head barely avoiding it before stepping directly into William's range instead.
Anastasia's support was becoming harder to use.
Because I was staying too close to him.
William's expression slowly changed.
Because now—
he was the one under pressure.
CLANG.
CLANG.
CLANG.
Sparks erupted violently around us.
I continuously attacked without pause.
Each strike became faster.
Sharper.
More aggressive.
Even Lucinda was struggling to find proper openings now because of the speed of the exchanges.
Christopher's eyes narrowed slightly.
Interesting.
Then—
I finally saw it.
A small opening in William's defense.
Tiny.
Almost invisible.
But enough.
My eyes sharpened instantly.
NOW.
I suddenly twisted my reverse grip violently before changing the angle of my strike completely.
William's eyes widened.
Too late.
CLANG.
His sword was knocked aside slightly.
An opening.
I stepped forward immediately.
Victory was right there—
Then—
Lucinda appeared.
FAST.
Her blade slammed directly into mine before stopping the strike entirely.
Tch.
At the same moment—
BOOM.
Pain exploded through my side.
William's knee struck directly into my ribs.
The impact forced the air from my lungs instantly.
Before I could recover—
WHISTLE.
Anastasia's arrow struck my shoulder.
Not deep.
But enough.
My balance broke completely.
Bad.
Very bad.
William's eyes sharpened coldly.
No hesitation remained now.
The three attacked simultaneously.
CLANG.
Lucinda's sword forced my defense upward.
WHISTLE.
Anastasia's next arrow cut off my retreat.
Then—
BOOM.
William's blade crashed directly into my stance with monstrous force.
My arms numbed instantly.
I slid backward violently across the arena floor.
Before I could stabilize—
Lucinda was already there again.
FAST.
Her sword cut across my chest.
I barely blocked—
only for William's kick to slam directly into my stomach again.
Pain exploded through my body.
I crashed hard against the ground.
The sword nearly slipped from my hand entirely.
My breathing became ragged now.
Heavy.
Meanwhile—
the three Imperial Prodigies slowly stood before me together.
Not a single opening remained anymore.
I clicked my tongue lightly before forcing myself back up.
Haah…
Then—
CLANG.
William's sword stopped directly at my throat.
Silence filled the South Tower afterward.
My breathing remained heavy while staring at the blade.
Then—
William slowly spoke.
"You lost."
...
I let the sword slip from my hand.
CLANG.
The metal blade spun across the arena floor as I collapsed onto one knee before finally falling onto my back completely.
"Haaah…"
My chest burned.
Every breath felt heavy.
The fight had drained everything from me.
Above me—
the three prodigies slowly lowered their weapons.
William then spoke while gazing down at me.
"You know…"
"The first time I saw you…"
"…I thought you were just a nobody."
His tone was calm now.
"A new assistant professor."
"Nothing interesting."
I remained silent while staring at the ceiling above.
"Then I saw the way you confronted Lucinda inside the classroom."
"And now…"
"…your swordsmanship."
A small smile slowly appeared on his face afterward.
"You're similar to him."
The others nearby smiled slightly as well.
Well—
everyone except Joseph who still looked irritated.
And Lucinda—
who continued gazing at me strangely.
"To who?" I asked quietly.
William's smile deepened slightly.
"Raze."
The atmosphere shifted subtly the moment that name was spoken.
Even Anastasia's expression softened slightly.
William slowly sat down nearby afterward while resting his sword against his shoulder.
"He leads us."
"With him around…"
"…it feels impossible to lose."
His eyes seemed distant now.
"Back in my first year…"
"…I challenged him for the title of first ranker."
A faint bitter smile appeared afterward.
"And he humiliated me completely."
Joseph snorted nearby.
"You got destroyed Prince."
William ignored him entirely.
"Ever since that day…"
"…I wanted to surpass him."
His grip around the sword tightened slightly.
"In second year…"
"I challenged him again."
"And again."
"And again."
A quiet laugh escaped him afterward.
"But it was pointless."
"No matter how much stronger I became…"
"…Raze remained ahead of all of us."
The others quietly listened.
Even Lucinda didn't interrupt.
Then William glanced directly toward me again.
"In third year…"
"…I finally lost all my pride."
"And I asked him to teach me."
A faint silence followed.
Then—
William smiled slightly.
"Your arrogance reminds me of him, Zio Norken."
My eyes narrowed slightly.
Raze.
The strongest prodigy of the Astryx Empire.
The disciple of the headmaster.
...
Soon Christopher stepped forward.
"All of you leave now."
The Imperial Prodigies quietly left afterward.
William gave me one final glance before walking out.
Anastasia waved lightly.
Even Joseph clicked his tongue before leaving reluctantly.
Only Lucinda paused briefly near the door.
Her crimson eyes lingered on me strangely for a moment.
Then—
she silently left as well.
The South Tower became quiet afterward.
Christopher sighed lightly before glancing at me.
"Fine."
"I'll help you."
My eyes narrowed slightly.
"Even though you lost the bet…"
"…you managed to interest me."
A small smirk appeared on his face.
"Follow me."
We soon arrived inside the Vice Headmaster's office.
The room itself barely resembled an office.
It looked more like a forbidden research chamber.
Massive bookshelves stretched toward the ceiling, filled with ancient tomes and arcane records.
Floating constructs of light rotated slowly in the air, displaying complex formulas and symbols impossible to understand at a glance.
Strange metallic devices covered one side of the room while unfinished circles and abstract Arcane symbols glowed faintly across the floor.
The air smelled faintly of ink, metal, and ozone.
At the center—
Christopher calmly sat behind a dark obsidian desk before tossing me a portrait.
I caught it instinctively.
My eyes moved toward the woman inside it.
Around fifty years old.
Long crimson-red hair flowed behind her elegantly.
Her beauty was overwhelming despite her age.
Sharp golden eyes.
Cold.
Wise.
Yet strangely lonely.
Even through a mere portrait—
her presence felt immense.
Christopher quietly spoke afterward.
"You want to know why creating an Arcane Core is considered impossible, Zio?"
He leaned back slightly.
"Let me ask you something first."
"Do you truly think nobody attempted this before?"
"Since the beginning of humanity…"
"…do you think no one ever tried what you're attempting now?"
I remained silent.
Then he spoke again.
"Let me ask something else instead."
"Do you know who gave humanity the power of Arcane?"
I answered calmly.
"The Goddess of Eternal Light."
"Celestia."
Christopher nodded slowly.
"Yes."
"It was Lady Celestia who granted humanity Arcane."
"A chance to resist evil."
"A chance to survive."
His eyes slowly darkened afterward.
"But even Arcane itself has laws."
Then—
he pointed toward the portrait.
"That woman…"
"…was my master."
My eyes narrowed slightly.
"She taught me how to wield Arcane."
Christopher's voice remained calm.
Too calm.
"Do you want to know how she died, Zio?"
Silence filled the office.
Then—
he answered his own question.
"She died attempting the same thing you are."
My eyes widened slightly.
"She succeeded."
Christopher's fingers slowly tightened.
"She truly created an Arcane Core."
For the first time—
his expression became grim.
"And then…"
"A flash of golden light engulfed the entire laboratory."
His eyes lowered slightly.
"Then everything vanished."
Silence.
Heavy silence.
"It was Divine Punishment."
"From the Lady herself."
The room suddenly felt colder.
Christopher slowly looked directly into my eyes afterward.
"There are laws humanity is forbidden from crossing."
"Rules imposed by the gods themselves."
"And your dream…"
"…is one of them."
...
The room was silent.
Only the faint glow of the moon filtered through the academy dormitory window, casting pale silver across the floor.
Rio sat on the edge of the bed.
His golden eyes remained fixed on nothing in particular.
Yet his thoughts were elsewhere.
Rules imposed by the gods themselves.
Christopher's words echoed endlessly within his mind.
Like a curse.
Or perhaps—
a warning.
Was it truly divine punishment?
Did Lady Celestia truly strike down Christopher's master?
The very thought felt absurd.
And yet...
Christopher wasn't the type of person to lie about something like that.
His gaze slowly shifted toward the black cat curled atop the blanket.
Astarax.
The creature lazily sleeping before him was once a being capable of rivaling gods themselves.
The Chaos Dragon.
A calamity from an age long forgotten.
If anyone knew the truth—
it should have been her.
Rio broke the silence.
"Do you know anything about these so-called rules?"
One golden eye slowly opened.
The black cat stared at him for a few moments before yawning.
"I would."
"But currently..."
Astarax stretched her small body.
"I do not."
Rio blinked.
The cat sighed.
"Ever since arriving in this world, I have merely been a fragment of my true self."
"A very small fragment."
"My memories are... incomplete."
For the first time—
there was genuine frustration in her voice.
"A void."
"A sea of missing pieces."
"I remember names."
"I remember power."
"I remember destruction."
"But many truths..."
"...are simply gone."
Rio leaned back slightly.
"I see."
The room fell quiet once more.
Then Astarax suddenly spoke.
"If you truly wish to learn more..."
"You should return to Verilian."
Rio raised an eyebrow.
"The Saintess."
The title immediately brought back old memories.
Lily
A woman whose gaze seemed capable of seeing through the soul itself.
His first mission.
His first encounter with one of the most important figures in the kingdom.
Rio remained silent for several moments before shaking his head.
"No."
The answer came immediately.
"I can't."
Not yet.
He had barely begun uncovering the mysteries surrounding Astryx.
The strange path unfolding before him.
Leaving now would mean abandoning everything.
And Rio hated abandoning things unfinished.
Astarax merely closed her eyes again.
"I expected that answer."
Knock.
Knock.
A sharp sound interrupted the room.
Rio frowned slightly before standing.
Opening the door—
he found the same clerk from earlier waiting outside.
Oddly enough—
she looked almost as confused as he felt.
"The Vice Headmaster has requested your presence."
Rio blinked.
"At this hour?"
She nodded.
"I was told to bring you immediately."
...