Alex stepped toward the massive double doors, ready to enter the [Grand Mage Meeting].
The doors were supposed to open automatically when someone infused their mana into them, an enchantment designed to recognize the magic of those worthy of entry.
Yet, as Alex reached out and poured his mana into the doors, nothing happened.
The door didn’t budge.
A few of the [Grand Mages] lounging nearby took notice immediately.
“Heh, he passed the test but can’t even open the door?” one of them chuckled.
“The judges need to make better calls,” another smirked, shaking his head.
A few others watched in amusement, already assuming he would fail.
If the doors didn’t recognize his mana, it meant he wasn’t truly meant to be here, and if that was the case, they had the right to remove him.
Alex ignored them and tried again, placing his palm against the cold surface of the doors and channeling more mana into them.
But still, nothing.
Frowning, he tried to push the doors physically, but they didn’t budge an inch.
“Let us pass,” a voice behind him commanded.
Alex turned to see several [Grand Mages] approaching.
Unlike the ones mocking him, these mages were simply here to attend the meeting.
The moment they were about three meters away, the doors suddenly hummed with energy, glowing faintly as they opened automatically.
Alex, thinking this meant he could walk in, stepped forward, only to slam into an invisible barrier that kept him out.
He scowled.
The [Grand Mages] behind him smirked.
“Better luck next time, kid,” one of them snickered as they walked past him and into the meeting room.
The doors closed behind them, sealing Alex outside again.
Five minutes left before the meeting starts.
Alex remained where he was, staring at the doors in irritation.
He had more than enough mana to enter, he had literally beaten Arceus in a fight.
There was no reason the doors shouldn’t recognize his magic.
Unless…
His gaze shifted upward toward the [Crown of Calamity] resting on his head.
Could it be because of this? It was possible.
The crown was an [Artifact] of destruction, something that embodied chaos and calamity itself.
Maybe the doors were rejecting him because they sensed the crown’s influence.
Three minutes left.
Alex clenched his jaw.
He didn’t have time to mess around.
If the doors wouldn’t let him in through magic, he’d use brute force.
He took a step back, then lunged forward, slamming his palm against the door with all his strength.
The impact echoed through the hall, but the door remained unmoved.
Alex exhaled sharply, already considering using [Fated Cataclysm] to obliterate the entire entrance.
But before he could, something unexpected happened.
[The Crown of Calamity will help you.]
His eyes widened slightly.
Before he could even react, a massive black and crimson tendril erupted from the crown.
“…What the hell?”
The tendril pulsed with dark energy like always.
Alex had expected the [Crown of Calamity] to mostly be able to defend him and absorb items he had.
But it seemed like he had been wrong.
That thing could actually fight as long as Alex was alive.
And if that was the case… then that meant it could probably be useful in the fight against the gods.
“Do it!” Alex grinned, allowing the [Crown of Calamity] to act.
Hearing its user’s approval, the tendril coming out of the crown suddenly shaped itself into a massive fist.
Alex instinctively stepped back, not that he could actually move away, since the crown was literally on his head.
The tendril-fist curled, tightening as if preparing to strike and then—
BOOM!
The fist shot forward like a battering ram, slamming into the doors with a deafening explosion.
The enchanted metal, which usually wouldn’t budge no matter what, groaned under the impact before shattering entirely.
And the doors were immediately knocked from their hinges and sent flying backward into the [Meeting Room].
A heavy silence followed.
Alex blinked.
He hadn’t expected that the [Crown of Calamity] to something enhanced by Grand Mages so easily.
It hadn’t even taken any momentum to do so.
‘Just… how powerful are you,’ Alex looked up, touching the crown.
Through the now-ruined entrance, he could see the [Grand Mage Meeting Room], a vast chamber even larger than the lobby.
In its center was a massive circular table, glowing with arcane energy and engraved with intricate runes.
Fifty-three chairs, each uniquely crafted for its respective [Grand Mage], were arranged around it.
And now, fifty-three pairs of eyes were staring at Alex in absolute silence.
It took a few seconds before someone finally spoke.
“…What the hell just happened?”
The voice came from the far end of the table.
A man with striking green hair and a sharp beard stood up, his piercing green eyes locked onto Alex.
His presence alone was overwhelming, he wasn’t just another [Grand Mage].
He was the [Grand Mage Master].
The strongest and most respected mage in this room.
Several other [Grand Mages] had already reacted by gripping their staffs, some even pointing them at Alex.
“The door didn’t let me enter,” Alex said casually, dusting off his sleeve, “Had to break it, my bad.”
He stepped forward into the room, completely unfazed.
Among the seated mages, Alex noticed Arceus, who was struggling not to laugh.
But the moment Alex took another step—
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A barrage of spells erupted from the mages who had already drawn their staffs, unleashing a combined assault of arcane energy at him.
[Do you want the Crown of Calamity to protect you?]
A notification appeared in Alex’s mind.
Time seemed to slow.
He smirked.
“No need, save that help for later when I actually need it.”
[Very well.]
Time resumed.
BOOM!
The spells hit him, triggering a massive explosion of color and energy.
The sheer force of the combined attacks sent shockwaves rippling across the chamber.
A normal person would’ve been obliterated instantly.
Even a [Grand Mage] would have died dozens of times over.
The smoke from the explosion thickened, filling the room with a haze of residual mana.
Isolde, the [Grand Mage Master], sighed, rubbing his temple.
“Whose apprentice was that?” he asked.
“I think it was mine,” Arceus raised his hand lazily, his expression completely calm, “He passed the judgment test.”
“Probably just had a problem with the door.”
Several [Grand Mages] turned to look at him.
“Wait, that kid was with you?”
“And you’re just… okay with this?”
“Didn’t even flinch when we vaporized him.”
Arceus simply grinned.
“I mean, there’s nothing that could’ve been done, right?”
The other [Grand Mages] stared at him.
But then…
A shadow moved within the smoke.
And before anyone could process it, Alex stepped forward, completely unharmed.
He brushed off some lingering dust from his shoulder and exhaled.
“Don’t do that again,” he said in a neutral tone, his gaze sweeping over the [Grand Mages] who had attacked him.
And the moment they saw his eyes, a shiver ran through several of them.
There was something in his presence, something overwhelming.
Even though there were fifty-three [Grand Mages] in this room, the instinctual feeling was clear.
If they fought him… they would not survive.
Silence settled over the room.
For the first time in a long while, the [Grand Mage Order] had no idea what they were dealing with.
And Alex could already tell, this meeting was going to be very interesting.