The disintegration of the D-Rank golem sent a shockwave through the academy that was far more potent than the flash of light that had accompanied it. The clip of Kael tapping the golem out of existence, captured by the academy's recording crystals, became the single most-watched file in the institution's history overnight.
Theories ran rampant. Had House Thorne secretly developed a new form of enchantment? Was Kael a vessel for some ancient, slumbering god? Was he a demon in human skin? The one thing no one believed was the official ruling from the flustered tournament committee: "A critical failure in the golem's containment matrix, triggered by an unforeseen resonance with the participant's unique mana." It was a technical-sounding excuse that explained nothing and fooled no one.
Kael was, of course, advanced to the main tournament bracket. The gruff professor who had sneered at him now avoided his gaze and spoke to him in hushed, respectful tones. The students of Class 1-F, once the academy's laughingstocks, were now treated with a strange mixture of awe and fear, as if Kael's impossible power might be contagious.
Kael found the newfound attention tedious but useful. Students would part for him in the hallways. No one dared challenge him or his classmates. Elara, now firmly in her role as his personal researcher and aide, handled all the administrative fallout, fielding questions from professors and crafting elaborate, fictitious reports on Kael's "latent but wildly unstable" abilities.
Lyra von Argentis sought him out a few days later, finding him in the quiet solitude of the academy's Grand Library.
"You violated the tournament equipment regulations," she stated, her voice low, her usual icy demeanor replaced by a raw, searching intensity.
"Did I?" Kael asked, not looking up from the book he was "reading" (by absorbing its data). "I used the academy-issue sword, as required."
"You transformed it," Lyra countered, her fists clenched at her sides. "You turned a piece of scrap metal into an artifact that could threaten a city. I felt it. The laws of enchantment were screaming."
"The rules say you can't bring a personal weapon," Kael finally looked up, his eyes holding a hint of amusement. "They don't say you can't improve the one they give you. It's a loophole."
Lyra stared at him, speechless. He had used the logic of a rules-lawyer to justify a miracle. The sheer audacity of it was as stunning as the power itself. "You... you are the most infuriating, terrifying person I have ever met."
"Thank you," Kael said with a smile.
Before Lyra could formulate a reply, a new presence made itself known. It was not a sound, but a scent—a dizzying mix of exotic perfume, cinnamon, and something wild and faintly sulfuric.
A figure emerged from between two towering bookshelves. It was a woman of breathtaking, predatory beauty. Her skin was a shade of pale crimson, her hair a cascade of fiery red waves from which two elegant, black horns curved gracefully. Her eyes were molten gold, slanted like a cat's, and held a look of profound, ancient mischief. She wore a form-fitting dress of black silk that did little to hide a figure that was all dangerous curves, and her lips were curled in a knowing, seductive smirk.
Kael's vision instantly supplied the data, and this time, it was alarming.
=== ENTITY: Zylpha, the Crimson Deceiver ===
CLASS: Succubus Archfiend, ???-Rank
LEVEL: ???
SKILL: [Charm of Ruin, Lv.Max], [Shadow Step, Lv.Max], [Heartseeker, Lv.Max]
...and ??? more.
STATUS: Intrigued, Amused, [Disguised as Human]
WARNING: ENTITY POWER EXCEEDS SAFE SCANNING PARAMETERS. KERNEL-LEVEL THREAT DETECTED.
================================
This was no student. This was a being of immense power, likely from the Demon Continent, walking through the heart of the human capital as if she owned it. The final member from the image. The horned demoness.
"Well now," the demoness purred, her voice a velvety alto that seemed to vibrate in the air. Her golden eyes flicked from Lyra's tense, guarded form to Kael's relaxed one. "An Ice Princess and... something else entirely. I came looking for the source of the delightful little ripple in reality I felt a few days ago, and it seems I've found it."
Her gaze lingered on Kael, and it was the look of a connoisseur admiring a rare vintage. "Kael Virein. The boy who turns training swords into god-slayers. You have become quite the topic of conversation, even in the circles I travel in."
Lyra stepped forward, a murderous frost gathering around her hands. "Demon. You are far from your realm. State your purpose before I-"
"Before you what, little princess?" Zylpha interrupted with a throaty chuckle. "Throw icicles at me? How quaint." She waved a dismissive hand, and Lyra's gathering frost magic simply... unraveled. It didn't hit a wall like it did with Kael; it was elegantly deconstructed, its mana returned to the atmosphere. "Your magic is strong for a mortal, I'll grant you that. But I am in a different league."
She turned her full attention back to Kael. "I, on the other hand, prefer more... intimate forms of power."
She swayed closer, the air around her shimmering with a faint, pinkish haze. Kael felt a subtle, invasive force trying to worm its way into his mind. It was pleasant, alluring, promising power, pleasure, and everything his heart desired, if only he would bow his head.
It was her [Charm of Ruin] skill. A mental attack of the highest order, capable of enslaving kings and corrupting saints.
INCOMING ATTACK: [Charm of Ruin]
EFFECT: Overwrite target's loyalty, instill absolute devotion to caster.
...
SYSTEM KERNEL_ACCESS DETECTED. DO YOU WISH TO [Allow] OR [Deny]?
Kael almost laughed. Her skill wasn't just a magical effect; it was a crude piece of malware trying to gain administrative access to his mind. His mind, the very seat of the administrator. It was like trying to hack the god of the internet using a pop-up ad.
He didn't just [Deny] it. That was too simple.
He selected the incoming attack packet. And edited one variable.
TARGET: [Kael Virein] -> SOURCE: [Zylpha]
He then added a multiplier.
EFFECTIVENESS: 100% -> EFFECTIVENESS: 1000%
He re-routed the packet and hit [Execute].
In the real world, Zylpha's seductive smile froze on her face. Her golden eyes widened in shock as her own irresistible charm magic, amplified tenfold, slammed back into her own mind.
Her carefully constructed facade of a cool, dominant Archfiend shattered into a million pieces. The sultry confidence vanished, replaced by a look of utter, flustered panic. A deep, crimson blush spread from her cheeks all the way to the tips of her elegant horns. She stared at Kael, her heart hammering in her chest, her mind suddenly filled with a single, overwhelming, mortifying thought: He's magnificent.
She had come to enslave a powerful mortal, to add an interesting new toy to her collection. Instead, her own ultimate power had turned on her, inflicting her with a catastrophic, all-consuming infatuation.
"I... you... what did you...?" she stammered, her voice losing its seductive purr and gaining a high-pitched, girlish tremor. She took an involuntary step back, her hands flying to her burning cheeks. She, a succubus who fed on desire, was drowning in her own.
Kael gave her a lazy, unconcerned smile. "Is something wrong? You look a little flushed."
Lyra watched the entire exchange, completely baffled. One moment, the terrifying demoness was about to enslave them all. The next, she was blushing and stammering like a schoolgirl with a crush. Kael hadn't moved. He hadn't chanted. He had just... looked at her.
He had done it again. He had weaponized an enemy's own power against them in the most humiliating way possible.
Zylpha, struggling against the torrent of her own amplified emotions, tried to regain her composure. She took a deep breath. "You... you are more interesting than I could have possibly imagined," she managed to say, though her voice was shaky. She fumbled in a hidden pocket of her dress and produced a small, obsidian card, handing it to Kael with a trembling hand.
"The Red Masque," she said, her golden eyes unable to meet his gaze directly. "A private club for those who... appreciate the finer, more chaotic things in life. We are having a gathering tonight. Be there."
It was meant to be a seductive, mysterious invitation. Instead, it came out as a desperate, hopeful plea.
With that, she turned and fled, her [Shadow Step] skill activating in a puff of crimson smoke, a retreat far hastier than her grand entrance.
Kael looked at the obsidian card in his hand. It was cool to the touch.
Lyra finally found her voice. "What was that? What did you do to her?"
"I introduced her to herself," Kael said, pocketing the card. "It seems she was quite taken." He glanced in the direction the demoness had fled. A private club for powerful beings, run by a succubus archfiend who was now hopelessly infatuated with him.
This, he thought, could be very, very useful.