The Fall of Nyx
Whispers rippled through the gathered crowd like wildfire.
Gasps. Murmurs. Some students couldn't even believe what they were seeing.
But far in the back, seated casually on a stone bench, one boy sipped his steaming black coffee. Golden eyes gleamed under the hood of his cloak.
"As planned," Arthur murmured, lips curling into a faint smirk.
Drake really was a genius. The video had gone viral through every major house and dorm in less than three hours. Doctored audio. Subtle aura fluctuations. Even false mana traces. It felt real.
Elaris whispered in his mind, "You really are heartless."
Arthur didn't blink.
"Don't be like that. It's better this way. He has to break to rise."
The atmosphere was electric.
Students had gathered in waves, forming a ring around the battered arena floor. The air shimmered from residual mana, and the cracked stone beneath their feet pulsed faintly under the weight of rising tension.
Nyx Akers stood at one end, chest heaving, sword trembling in his hand. His indigo mana raged around him like a storm — raw, unstable, desperate.
Across from him, Elias Vale Elydrion, calm and cold, radiated a chilling nobility. His blue mana flowed like glacial water, coiled and focused, without a hint of waste. He looked like a prince from a painting — beautiful, lethal, and far too proud.
Then—
Elias vanished.
A blue blur streaked across the battlefield. Nyx's instincts flared. He raised his katana just in time—
CLANG!
The shock of the strike nearly knocked the blade from his hands. He slid backwards, boots scraping against the ground, arms rattling from the impact.
But Elias didn't stop.
He advanced like a storm, raining down strike after strike — fluid, relentless, unforgiving. His movements were surgical, precise. Every swing of his blade carried a weight of superiority. His eyes burned with contempt.
Nyx gritted his teeth.
"You think I'm trash?" he growled. His indigo aura flared.
He ducked a strike, twisted his body, and launched a wild counter — a flurry of slashes fueled by fury.
"S-Rank Skill: Phantom Fang — Second Form!"
His body blurred. For a moment, there were three of him. His strikes came from every angle — unrefined, but fast, chaotic, and vicious.
Elias was forced to retreat, parrying tightly, eyes narrowing. The crowd gasped.
But just as Nyx closed in — Elias raised his hand.
Six ethereal glyphs spun into the air, blazing with radiant blue light.
"Divine Technique: Starpiercer — Azure Fang."
Mana gathered in a heartbeat — a spear of condensed energy shot forward like lightning.
Nyx couldn't dodge.
BOOM!
It slammed into his ribs and sent him hurtling backward, smashing into the dueling wall. Cracks exploded along the surface. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he crashed down, coughing violently.
But he stood.
Barely.
Sword shaking in his grip. His eyes were wild — bleeding and furious.
"I'm not done!" he roared.
Indigo flames burst from him — his mana twisting like wings behind his back, unstable and explosive.
"Oblivion Arc — Full Release!"
The blade in his hand shimmered, then ignited. The ground trembled. His body surged forward, the world narrowing into a single strike. Heart, soul, body — everything he had went into it.
He roared and swung.
The sky flashed.
For a moment, it looked like Elias would be overwhelmed.
But the prince stepped sideways, turned his sword just slightly, and caught the strike's edge with infuriating ease.
Redirect.
Twist.
Strike.
Elias's blade whipped across Nyx's chest. The sound was final.
Nyx collapsed.
Dust swirled. His sword clattered beside him.
He didn't move.
Footsteps. Light and cruel.
Georgina.
She stopped beside him, face twisted in scorn. Her knuckles clenched.
"Do it," Elias said coldly, eyes still glowing.
She hesitated — then slammed a punch across Nyx's bruised face.
"You're a fucking loser," she spat. "Your fucking parents must've known it. I should've never—"
She choked mid-sentence, voice trembling with rage.
Elias stepped forward and hugged her from behind, gently.
"Calm down. It's over."
Far off, coffee still in hand, Arthur chuckled.
"Poor girl. But I have to say, she's quite good at acting."
Elaris said, "Yes. But she must be pissed she can't figure out who spread the video."
Arthur's eyes gleamed.
"That's the best part."
Elaris laughed, low and amused.
"Well, anyone with eyes can tell Nyx didn't say those things. But that Elias guy — he's a fucking idiot."
Arthur stood now, brushing nonexistent dust from his uniform.
"Now… Phase 3."
And as he turned, cloak fluttering behind him, not a soul knew that the real puppeteer had already begun laying threads for something far darker.