I walked into the arena, dressed in a sleeveless black combat vest and matching track pants.
The field was flooded with people, and as soon as I appeared, their gazes shifted to me. Some looked on with rapt attention, while others glanced my way with pure disdain.
Some wanted to see me fail instantly, believing I deserved it for everything I had said. Others hoped at least for an entertaining fight.
Nevertheless, everyone’s eyes were on me.
…Just as I wanted.
Most of what had happened so far was part of my plan.
But I wasn’t the only one planning things.
I wasn’t the only one playing this game.
There were many reasons I orchestrated that scuffle between those Cadets and forced both the noble and commoner factions to get involved.
It was all so I could challenge their leaders — and their strongest members — to a ten-against-one match.
Why did I do that?
Because by crushing them here today, I’d ensure that in the future they’d have no choice but to consider me before making their next move.
This wasn’t just about winning.
This was about ending the conflict between aristocrats and peasants in a single decisive stroke.
To tell them that instead of senselessly fighting amongst each other, they should be focusing on what actually mattered — getting stronger.
They should be trying to match my level.
But that wasn’t my only reason.
As I said, I wasn’t the only one playing this game.
I knew that.
…Juliana didn’t.
She thought she alone was pulling the strings.
She had a plan.
For the past few weeks, she had been subtly manipulating different members of the two factions, stoking tensions between nobles and commoners, and letting the flames of conflict spread.
She was patient and careful while waiting for the perfect moment to let it all explode.
Because if the two factions clashed hard enough, it would create the chaos she needed.
Why was she doing all that? Because she wanted to remove the BloodWorm from her heart.
To do that, she needed two things.
First, she had to divert my attention.
If she could keep me occupied with the faction war, I’d be too busy dealing with the fallout to notice what she was up to.
The less time I spent watching her, the less I’d be able to figure out her plan.
So, she intended to bury me with work.
The second thing she needed was an item.
A special item.
One that wasn’t very easy to acquire under normal circumstances.
But if the Academy was distracted — if everyone’s focus was elsewhere — she could slip away and take what she needed without anyone noticing.
That was her real goal.
To create the perfect distractions.
So, she fed the flames and slowly escalated the feud between nobles and commoners while I was away on my first mission, waiting for it to reach the point of no return by the time I came back.
If she had kept going, the factions would’ve ended up clashing in an all-out war. As the Ace, it would have fallen on me to diffuse that situation.
Most of the first-years would have also been involved in that situation.
…But that still wouldn’t have been enough.
Eventually, Juliana would’ve created more distractions and unleashed them all on the same day — throwing both the first and third-year Cadets into complete chaos.
Then, and only then, would she have made her move and stolen the item she needed.
But that plan would have taken too long — another week or two, at least.
So, I didn’t let her wait.
Instead of stopping her, I sped things up.
By staging that scuffle between a noble and a commoner out in broad daylight, I forced the factions to react.
Then, I openly insulted their leaders, mocking them in front of everyone.
I called myself superior and trashed every single Cadet present there.
Which, by the way, was all true.
I was indeed above them.
But naturally, the first-years didn’t take kindly to my unfiltered arrogance.
…Just as I planned.
And then, I went even further.
I challenged them all!
Both factions…
Every Cadet ranked eleven to twenty…
In a ten-against-one fight!
It was an outrageous challenge, so absurd that it instantly became the biggest event in the Academy.
The conflict escalated faster than anyone had expected, and before long… everyone was watching me.
Everyone’s eyes were on me.
The higher-ups wouldn’t interfere. The factions wouldn’t focus on anything else. Even the Cadets who weren’t involved would be watching.
And that gave Juliana exactly what she wanted.
A perfect distraction.
It wasn’t enough, of course.
She’d have to do something herself as well.
But right now, I had given her the perfect opportunity — an opening that she could exploit for her gains. And I knew she’d take it.
I smirked.
She must be thinking that she had tricked me into setting up the ideal conditions for her.
That I had unknowingly played into her hands, handing her the window she needed to steal the item for her plans.
But the truth?
The truth was that this was my game.
She was moving exactly as I wanted her to, at precisely the moment I had anticipated.
I let her think she was in control. I let her believe she was winning. I was giving her a false sense of victory.
But in the end, every piece on the board — even her — was moving according to my will.
Just the way… I liked it.
“Heh.” The smirk on my face widened as I stretched my arms, slowly walking toward the center of the arena.
There was not a wrinkle of hesitation on my face, nor a hint of doubt taint my steps. My posture was loose and my movements unhurried.
It was as if, despite going up against some of the best Cadets in our batch, I felt no pressure at all.
Seeing that, the booing crowd fell silent for a short moment. But only for a moment.
Then, the uproar came back louder than before as everyone started throwing curses and boos again.
Amidst the noise, a familiar voice called out to me.
“Hey, Samael.”
I frowned and turned my head only to see Michael pacing beside me with an uncharacteristically bright smile plastered across his face.
Something was off.
“Uh… hey, Michael.” I greeted.
His smile twitched, then dropped entirely. His eyes darkened. “What the fuck are you doing?”
I blinked. “What?”
He gestured around us at the arena full of people. “Why did you issue an open challenge?!”
I rolled my shoulders. “To put an end to their faction nonsense.”
Michael gave me a blank stare.
I sighed. “To put everyone in their place.”
Michael dragged a hand down his face. “You realize you just painted the biggest target imaginable on your back, right? Even if you win, they won’t just accept it and move on. They’ll hold grudges.”
I smirked. “That’s the point.”
He gave me a look that suggested he thought I had lost my mind. “How the hell is that the point?!”
I stopped and turned to face him fully. “I don’t need them to like me. I need them to fear me. If I beat the top Cadets here, no one will dare move against me for a long time. They’ll have no choice but to acknowledge my strength.”
My gaze swept over the crowd. “You’d be surprised how many problems can be solved by unrestrained violence.”
Michael stared at me, unblinking. Then he exhaled sharply. “You know what? I don’t even care. Do whatever you want. Just don’t expose ‘that,’ got it?”
I didn’t need to ask what he meant.
He was talking about the Essence Circulation Technique.
If anyone realized the truth, they wouldn’t just come after me — they’d come after him too.
So, he was indirectly asking me to hide it and, by extension, not use my full strength.
I waved a hand dismissively. “Yeah, yeah, I know.”
Michael didn’t look convinced. He opened his mouth, likely about to say something else, when—
“What are you guys whispering about?”
Another voice chimed in from behind.
We both flinched and immediately whipped around to see a petite ginger trailing after us, her sightless gray eyes locked in our general direction.
It was Alexia.
Michael stiffened before hastily laughing her off. “Nothing important.”
Alexia tilted her head, clearly not convinced. “Hmmm. If it’s not important, why do you both sound so suspicious?”
Michael shot me a desperate look, silently pleading for backup.
I smiled. “Oh, we were just discussing how Michael thinks I’m an idiot who’s biting off more than I can chew.”
Michael groaned. “That is not what I said.”
Alexia hummed as an amused smile formed on her lips. “I mean… he’s not wrong. This fight is going to be tough.”
Before I could respond, she proudly puffed out her chest. “But I believe in you, Lord Samael! I even placed a bet on you!”
I scowled. “There are bets going on?”
She nodded, grinning.
Arghh.
I had a very strong suspicion that Vince was behind this. That profit-driven opportunistic bastard.
Michael, meanwhile, turned to Alexia with a stony look. “By the way, it’s bad manners to sneak up on people and eavesdrop!”
Alexia glanced at him and then scoffed in mock disbelief. “Wow, how the days have changed. I, a high-noble, am being lectured on etiquette by a peasant.”
Michael outraged. “Hey! That sounded very discriminatory!”
Alexia rolled her eyes, barely holding a laugh. “Oh, cry me a river.”
Shaking my head, I reached the center of the field as those two continued their ridiculous back-and-forth.
A stern-faced faculty member impatiently stepped forward.
“Cadet Samael,” he addressed me, “you still haven’t appointed an officiator. Choose one and begin your match immediately — you’re already the last to arrive.”
Ahhh!
Right. I needed a referee.
The faculty and third-years were only here to intervene if someone was about to die. They weren’t here to officiate the match.
I sighed, then patted Michael on the back. “Well, there you go.”
He wrinkled his nose. “Huh? Why me?”
I gave him a flat look. “What do you mean why? Because you’re already here. And because only the Top Ten can officiate a match.”
Michael opened his mouth, closed it, then tried again. “So ask any other Top Ten.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know most of them.”
Michael squinted at me.
I patted him again. “Also, as the Ace, I’m well within my rights to assign you. So, go ahead.”
He pointed accusingly at Alexia. “Then pick her!”
Alexia gave him a deadpan stare. “Yes, Mikey. Because appointing a blind girl as referee is definitely the better option. Sometimes, I am truly in awe of your boundless wisdom.”
“Tsk.” Michael clicked his tongue, crossing his arms before letting out a resigned grunt. “Fine.”
Alexia grinned, wished me luck, then walked off to find a spot to watch the match from.
Michael turned to the faculty member, who gave a nod before stepping back. The match would begin as soon as everything was set.
I rolled my shoulders, inhaling deeply as I finally looked at the ten Cadets who were about to face me.
Five of them stood to my left, and the remaining five were on my right.
Their expressions varied. Some were brimming with confidence, others looked tight with tension.
Most, however, wore a smug look. The kind that told me they thought they would definitely win this.
Michael strode to the far center and raised a hand. “Alright, everyone. This is an official match for the title of Ace. Whoever takes down the current Ace, Samael Kaizer Theosbane, wins. If all of you fail, you lose. There is no time limit.”
He lowered his tone slightly. “You can fight however you want. All Cards and artifacts are allowed. Lethal attacks are allowed. If anyone is about to die, the faculty will step in. The only rule is no outside interference. Other than that…”
He glanced between me and my opponents. “You’re free to do whatever you want.”
One of the noble Cadets, a broad-shouldered guy with short dark hair, scoffed. “We’ll make this quick.”
I didn’t respond.
Michael sighed and raised his hand even higher. “Alright. On my count.”
I exhaled, relaxing my stance.
“Three.”
The crowd’s jeering intensified.
“Two.”
My Origin Card began materializing above my shoulder.
“One.”
And I felt the rush of adrenaline in my veins.
Finally, Michael dropped his hand. “Fight.”