BOOM–BOOM–BOOM!!
A torrent of fiery weapons exploded onto Raven’s figure like a divine judgnt.
The entire arena shook under the overwhelming force.
If this tower were normal, only a crumbled ss would be left after that attack.
But it wasn’t.
The barrier around the arena was still active, not a scratch on its surface.
However, no one was looking at that.
Everyone’s eyes were stuck on the spot where Raven was standing.
A massive cloud of dust and smoke rose, blinding the arena for a few precious seconds.
Cheers erupted.
So already stood, their fists pumping, convinced Raven had been crushed.
But then—
A sudden gust of wind swept the dust aside.
The crowd fell silent.
Raven was still standing.
Kneeling slightly, steam rising from his body as black dragon scales shimred along his forearms—tattered and cracked.
Beneath the broken scales, the flesh had burned away. Bone glead in places where skin should’ve been.
His sleeves were in tatters, his shoulders bleeding. And yet...
He was healing at a breakneck speed.
Charred skin reford, muscle fiber twisted back into place, and veins stitched themselves under the skin.
Before the eyes of hundreds, the monster nad Raven began to piece himself back together.
Rufus, staring intently at the scene, sighed. "I guess he wasn’t joking when he said that he had learned all of our techniques."
Ilzara, standing stunned at this scene, turned her head toward the guy.
"What does that an?" Lia asked the question Ilzara was about to ask, and the one to reply was Jessy.
Leaning back on her seat, the Wal Vaise replied. "That stance is similar to my strongest technique, called Unbreakable Fortress."
Indeed. The only reason Raven wasn’t minced at was that he had briefly summoned a magic defense formation—a mimicry of Jessy’s signature technique—shielding his body like a last-minute shield.
But his arms?
He took the brunt of the attack there.
On purpose.
"Who the hell does that?!" A junior mage, sitting near them, exclaid.
"Soone who’s pissed," Jessy smirked.
...........................
At the Arena Center.
Galeon staggered slightly, sweat on his brow.
He hadn’t held back.
That was a sixth-circle barrage. He had ant to end the fight there.
"Stay down," he muttered, eyes narrowing.
But Raven—eyes crimson and alive—stood up straight, his eyes fixed on Galeon.
Then, before Galeon could even breathe, he vanished.
It was Jake’s quick sword technique.
A thunderclap echoed.
By the ti Galeon looked around, Raven was gone.
"Wha—?"
CRACK!
A fist slamd into Galeon’s jaw with a dull thud, lifting him an inch off the ground. His body staggered, vision blurring.
He couldn’t even see clearly.
Raven was standing right before him, his eyes cold.
"I was going to go easy on you and waste ti, but, man, why did you have to bring my mother into this?"
In this life, there was only one person he wanted to find, and that was his mother.
He believed that she was alive and that with so effort, he could find her, but now this guy ca out of nowhere and touched that one nerve he shouldn’t have.
The results were pretty obvious.
With a snap of Raven’s finger, the mana in the surroundings shook before—
SCHLINK—SHHHHHHHHHK!
From the ground, burning red-hot chains shot up, coiling around his arms, legs, and chest.
Earth and fire magic fused into one—hot iron born of molten mana—clamping down with terrifying force.
Raven was using his fourth circle power to combine two weaker spells, turning them into sothing excruciating for Galeon.
"AHHHH!!" The guy scread as the tal seared into his skin, burning through his robes.
His magic sputtered.
No more spell circles.
No more elegant incantations.
Just the sll of burning flesh.
...........................
"Lesson one." Raven’s voice was calm now. Too calm.
He cracked his knuckles.
"What’s the square root of 289?"
Galeon blinked through the haze of pain. "Wha—?"
BAM!
A punch to the gut.
"Too slow."
"Lesson two." Raven tilted his head. "How many protons in a Carbon atom?"
"S-Six—!"
CRACK!
Uppercut. "You hesitated."
"Lesson three: Newton’s Second Law."
"F=ma!" Galeon wheezed desperately.
"...Very good." Raven smiled softly.
Then he kicked him in the chest anyway, sending the bound mage skidding ten feet across the arena, the chains dragging lines through the stone.
"It was a trick question. That was Newton’s first in this context. You fell for it."
The crowd watched, stunned and silent.
...........................
Up in the VIP seats—
Jessy was sipping tea. "This is better than I expected."
Siris clutched her pillow to her chest. "He’s... dreamy."
Lia stared in horror and awe. "He’s giving him... a quiz beatdown?"
Jake, arms crossed, said nothing—but the slight smirk on his face betrayed satisfaction.
Alex was furiously scribbling. "This is it. My Shonen manga arc begins now. I call it: Genius Fist Chronicles."
...........................
"Lesson four!" Raven called, looming over the writhing Galeon. "Define Schrödinger’s Cat. Ten seconds."
"Wh-What?!" Galeon scread, the chains glowing brighter with each second.
BOOM!
An elbow to the shoulder.
"Fail."
"Lesson five—long division. 6234 divided by 9."
"I—AHHHHHH—"
SLAM.
"Wrong."
Raven leaned in close, eye level with Galeon, whose pride now lay in fragnts around him.
"You called arrogant. You called unworthy. But now look at you."
He tapped Galeon’s forehead with a single finger.
"Your knowledge is weak. Your mouth is big. And your fire?" Raven leaned back, cracking his neck. "Your fire’s just light without heat."
Suddenly, a voice rang out.
"Stop this madness!" The Vice Tower Master stood, red-faced and furious. "This duel is over! This is cruelty—humiliation!"
All eyes glanced between Raven and the Vice Tower Master.
Raven paused mid-punch, then slowly turned his head to look up toward the man.
His voice was cold and clinical.
"Is his mana depleted?"
The Vice Tower Master hesitated.
"No."
"Has he surrendered?"
"No—"
"Is he unconscious?"
"...Not yet."
"Then sit down."
The words echoed with authority no one expected from a nineteen-year-old.
And before the Vice Tower Master could retort—
Tower Master Vernix stood.
"Vice Master Dervan," he said, his voice stern but... amused. "The terms were set. And unless you would like to forfeit your position as well, I suggest you do as the young Vaise says."
Gasps erupted from the crowd.
Galeon’s father paled visibly.
Ilzara, in the corner, covered her mouth to hide her grin.
’He... really did it. He actually put that bastard in his place.’
...........................
Back in the arena.
"Final round," Raven said, looking down at Galeon, who was barely clinging to consciousness.
"One last question."
He leaned in.
"Spell humility."
Galeon’s lips trembled. "H...U...M..."
Raven raised a fist.
Galeon’s eyes widened at that, and before Raven could move, he yelled.
"I... GIVE UP! I SURRENDER!!"
The entire arena went dead quiet.
Then—chaos.
Cheers, gasps, curses. So stood in disbelief; others looked away in sha.
But it was official.
The duel was over.
Raven Von Vaise had won.
He stepped back, wiped a speck of blood from his lip, and walked away without a word.
As Galeon collapsed, still twitching slightly, the crowd parted like the sea before Raven’s slow, unfazed steps.
Only one thought echoed in everyone’s minds:
"This... is what a Vaise really is."
But was this really over?
Neither Raven nor his group mbers thought that.
The demons were nowhere to be seen, so there was no way things would be over like this.
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