I Tricked a God V2. Chapter 26 — Professor Dukhlas

The corridors of the Imperial Academy buzzed with the voices of young mages.

The break was coming to an end, and the students, quickening their pace, hurried toward their classrooms, forming a dense stream of students that forced everyone to constantly adjust their pace. Footsteps, conversations, the rustling of clothes—all of it rged into a single noise that filled the space.

Kael moved through this crowd with quick, confident steps, never losing his rhythm.

In one hand, he held the sheets received from Vice Headmaster Kairos, and without stopping, he quickly skimd through them, checking nas, tis, and classroom locations.

“Scholars’ Guild…” he noted to himself as his eyes slid across the lines. “History, languages, the origins and mysteries of mana… Most of the lectures I need are scheduled closer to the end of the day.”

He shifted the sheet slightly, continuing to read while walking.

“Military training…” he continued ntally, piecing together the overall picture. “Classes run throughout the day… If I attend them in the mornings…”

His fingers tightened slightly around the edge of the parchnt while he ntally pieced the schedules together.

“Alchemy and inscription magic…” he thought inwardly, letting his gaze drift lower. “Mostly in the middle of the day…”

For a mont, he narrowed his eyes, considering possible overlaps and the workload, but he did not slow his pace, continuing to move forward with the flow of students.

He lingered on the lines for a second, quickly putting everything together before ntally summarizing, “Considering my abilities… lectures are practically useless to . If I attend only the practical classes in alchemy and inscription magic, I should be able to study everything at once.”

The decision ca quickly, without hesitation.

At that mont, he lifted his gaze.

Up ahead, a set of massive open doors ca into view, more resembling gates, beyond which stretched a spacious training hall.

“I’m here…” Kael quietly muttered, storing the schedule sheets in his spatial ring.

Without slowing his pace, he headed forward, passing through the entrance with the flow of students.

Crossing the threshold, Kael found himself inside a vast hall.

The room imdiately differed from ordinary classrooms—there were no rows of desks or a lecturer’s podium. A wide arena paved with solid stone occupied the center, while around the periter stood training equipnt: striking dummies, weapon racks, and strange devices—gravitational platforms, runic pillars, and tallic spheres floating in the air, slowly rotating around their own axes.

The noise here was different.

The voices were louder, the movents sharper, and the air carried a constant sense of activity—so were already training, so were talking among themselves, while others simply watched.

Without stopping, Kael swept his gaze across the hall, quickly assessing the number of students and the situation.

“More than a hundred…” he gauged, letting his gaze slide across the groups of students spread throughout the hall.

For a mont, he recalled the schedule, matching it against the ti.

“I thought there would be more people here…” he noted to himself calmly. “Although the classes run all day… perhaps this hour simply wasn’t as popular.”

But at that mont, Kael’s gaze naturally caught on several familiar figures, and a mocking grin slowly spread across his face.

“Knew it…” he muttered with amusent, never taking his eyes off them.

Valkeris stood near the edge of the arena, just as before surrounded by his entourage. But now several more girls were with them, and among them Kael easily recognized Lidia.

His gaze slid across her, lingering for only a mont.

The girl seed to sense it and slowly turned her head in his direction.

Their eyes t almost instantly. In that very second, her expression changed—her composure vanished without a trace, giving way to open anger that twisted her features and made her eyes sharp, almost cutting.

Nothing remained of the timid and fragile girl.

In response, Kael rely inclined his head slightly, giving her a friendly nod, but the mockery in the gesture was far too obvious, and he made no attempt to hide it.

Lidia sharply turned away, almost imdiately leaning toward Valkeris and quickly whispering sothing into his ear. He listened without changing his expression, but a mont later their entire group turned toward Kael, and an unmistakable, intensely focused attention appeared in their gazes—more like predators who had spotted their prey.

However, they were not the only ones who noticed him.

Almost simultaneously, Kael felt a heavy hand land on his shoulder from behind, without the slightest trace of caution, as though its owner had no intention of hiding his presence. Turning around, Kael saw a short young man with long bluish hair and a sleepy, slightly unfocused gaze, as though he had only just woken up.

The guy gave him a lazy smile, openly studying him with interest.

“I thought all of that was just rumors!”

The young man looked familiar, and a mont later Kael effortlessly pulled the na from his mory.

“You’re Laslo, right?” he calmly asked, slightly raising a brow.

The other let out an easygoing laugh and, without losing the casual carelessness in his movents, extended a hand.

“So the tavern owner still rembers his regulars.”

Kael returned the handshake without losing his faint smile.

“How could I not rember? You always leave good tips.”

Their handshake lasted only a mont, but it was enough to draw additional attention from the crowd.

Others seed to be recognizing Kael as well, and quiet whispers started spreading throughout the hall.

“Hey, isn’t that one of the owners of the ‘rry Drunkard’…”

“Yeah, that’s definitely him…” another replied, leaning closer. “So he really is a student at the Academy?”

“You didn’t hear?” a third voice interjected, sounding more certain. “He’s one of those mages the Scholars’ Guild discovered. Looks like so of them were finally allowed into the regular lectures.”

Kael caught these fragnts almost automatically without turning his head, and the corner of his lips twitched faintly.

“The tavern brought an unexpected advantage…” he noted to himself calmly, sensing how sothing more than re curiosity was gradually forming around him—a certain image people had begun forming on their own.

But he did not have ti to dwell on it.

Laslo had already turned halfway around and gestured toward his group with a nod. Kael imdiately recognized several regulars among them. Almost all shared similar features—hair with a cold blue tint and calm, slightly detached expressions.

“If soone starts bothering you—just say the word,” Laslo lazily drawled, returning his attention to Kael. “We’re from the Lunar Mage Branch… so we’ve got a bit of influence around here.”

He said it without boasting, more as a simple statent of fact that required no confirmation.

Kael quietly chuckled, briefly glancing toward Valkeris’s group.

“I prefer dealing with my own problems,” he calmly replied, giving Laslo’s hand a slight shake before turning back to him. “But refusing help outright would be foolish.”

Laslo rely laughed, clearly pleased, motioning for Kael to co closer to his group.

✦ ✦ ✦

Valkeris watched all of it from the sidelines.

Standing slightly apart from the main crowd, he kept his gaze fixed on Kael, and at so point his lips slowly twisted into a displeased sneer.

“That trash has beco quite popular…” he hissed through his teeth, not bothering to hide his irritation.

Shifting his gaze aside, he sharply glared at Seiran and Bert, and his voice imdiately filled with cold anger: “If you had completed your assignnt, that trash wouldn’t be standing here…”

But at that mont, Lidia cut into the conversation.

Adjusting her black curls, she stepped forward without taking her eyes off Kael, and restrained yet palpable anger rang through her voice: “Allow to finish what I started, Valkeris.”

Bert raised a brow, glancing sideways at her.

“You sure?” he drawled lazily. “Maybe I should go instead?”

Lidia did not even turn her head toward him.

Her gaze remained locked onto Kael, and with every passing mont it filled with more and more open hatred.

“No,” she snapped. “That bastard will pay in full for setting up.”

The words hung in the air, but no one had ti to continue.

A rough, booming voice suddenly cut through the hall: “Silence! Form up!”

The command rang out sharp and harsh, and the reaction followed instantly—as though a shockwave had swept through the hall, silencing conversations and making the students flinch.

✦ ✦ ✦

At that sa mont, Laslo, standing beside Kael, leaned slightly closer and whispered, barely parting his lips, “Professor Dukhlas is here. If you don’t want trouble, just do as he says.”

Kael gave a short nod without asking unnecessary questions and, straightening his back, quickly fell in with the others. Rows were already forming around them—students took their positions, shifting and reorganizing until the scattered crowd began forming a clear, orderly structure, as though each person knew their place.

Kael slipped into one of the rows, matching the spacing and posture of those beside him without drawing unnecessary attention to himself, and only then allowed himself to lift his gaze.

Now he finally saw the one who had given the order.

A limping man around forty strode before the formation, and even without words there was a harsh, almost oppressive presence about him. Dark skin, short, coarse red hair, and the right side of his face drawn tight by an old burn scar, leaving his features slightly distorted.

When he slightly turned his head, Kael’s eyes were involuntarily drawn to the man’s eyes.

One was cloudy and lifeless, as though it had long since lost every trace of vitality.

The other was bright red, with a narrow, elongated pupil more reminiscent of a beast’s than a human’s.

Kael narrowed his eyes for a mont, noting the detail.

“Looks like he cos from the sa place as Valeria…” the calm thought flashed through his mind.

But in the next mont, Kael’s attention shifted to the sound of Dukhlas’s footsteps. There was sothing strange about them.

And the mont he lowered his gaze, he imdiately realized why—Dukhlas’s left leg, below the knee, had been replaced with a tal prosthetic. The dark rune-covered tal struck the floor with a particularly sharp clang.

“So that’s it…” Kael calmly noted.

At that mont, another sharp clang rang out, and Dukhlas stopped, turning toward the formation. Folding his arms across his chest, he slowly swept his gaze over the students.

“Not many of you today,” he said evenly. “Though that’s true for every sparring day.”

He snorted, a note of mockery creeping into the sound.

“But I don’t bla you. Most of you are ordinary cowards.”

A faint ripple passed through the rows—so grimaced, others looked away.

Dukhlas, however, continued without changing his tone, “You’re not here for humanity’s victory over the Beast God Horde. You want a quiet life in the Capital.”

So straightened slightly, as though trying to prove otherwise. Others, on the contrary, lowered their eyes in sha.

“Only a few of you will ever see a real war,” Dukhlas declared. “Those who possess enough courage… and dignity.”

But at that mont, Kael’s attention shifted away from Dukhlas’s words to his hands—or rather, to his weapon.

From the tips of his fingers to his elbows, his arms were covered in steel gauntlets assembled from hundreds of small plates, making them look solid while still allowing flexibility and movent.

Kael narrowed his eyes slightly, and they began to gleam.

“Thick plates, reinforced joints, rigid edges on the knuckles… and sharpened claws…” he calmly ran through the details in his mind, evaluating the design. “Those are combat gauntlets…”

For a mont, his gaze lingered longer than usual.

“A weapon like that would be perfect for my combat style…”

But in that sa instant, Dukhlas sharply jerked his head, as though sensing sothing, and his gaze snapped toward Kael.

“Hey, you! Thinking of daydreaming while I’m talking?!”

Kael imdiately straightened as though pulled by a string and answered without pause, “No, sir. I listened to every word you said.”

And, without giving himself ti to think, he imdiately added, repeating Dukhlas’s own idea, “Only a few here deserve any respect.”

A wave of tension ran through the formation, while others smirked at Kael with undisguised malice.

Dukhlas narrowed his eyes.

His gaze grew heavier, more focused, and he slowly, without haste, sized Kael up from head to toe, as though evaluating not his words, but the man himself.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on .

“And who exactly are you…” he drawled, tilting his head slightly. “First ti I’ve seen you here.”

Kael answered just as quickly and clearly, “I’m one of Professor Valeria’s students. Starting today, I was cleared to attend the general classes.”

And the mont Valeria’s na was spoken, interest briefly flashed in Dukhlas’s single living eye, while his lips imdiately twitched into a predatory grin.

At that smile, an unpleasant chill ran down Kael’s spine, as though he had just stepped into sothing he wouldn’t easily escape, while quiet chuckles sounded from sowhere off to the side—several students, including Valkeris, exchanged glances, clearly recognizing that look in Dukhlas’s eyes.

Without taking his gaze off Kael, Dukhlas uncrossed his arms and casually waved him forward, beckoning him closer.

“So you’re the newcor…” he drawled with that sa predatory undertone in his voice. “And on top of that, you dare daydream—you’ll be first.”

For a mont, Kael hesitated, as though considering his options, but almost imdiately Laslo’s quiet voice ca from the side: “Step out to the professor. Just do what he says.”

Kael gave an almost imperceptible nod and, without hesitation, stepped forward, leaving the formation.

The distance was small, but with each step the feeling changed.

Dukhlas did not look massive—only half a head taller than Kael himself, lean, without bulky muscles. But the closer Kael approached, the more distinctly he felt the pressure, as though the very space around the man was becoming denser and colder.

And the mont Kael stopped before him, Dukhlas, without wasting words, curtly said, “Na.”

“Kael,” he answered imdiately, without looking away.

Dukhlas gave a faint nod and, already turning back toward the formation, raised his voice:

“Any volunteers for the first sparring match? Or should I choose myself?”

Catching the aning, Kael almost imdiately realized that he was not going to be punished, and the tension inside him eased, giving way to another feeling. He exhaled slightly, sensing familiar anticipation rising within him, and, letting his gaze drift across the crowd, ntally added:

“I wonder how good I am compared to students of the Imperial Academy… They’re all part of the elite, but it’s unlikely any of them have encountered magic like mine…”

The crowd froze for a mont, as though expecting Dukhlas to personally point out Kael’s opponent, but the pause lasted far less than expected.

“May I, Professor Dukhlas?” a woman’s voice called out from the formation.

A wave of movent imdiately spread through the hall—heads turned toward the source of the voice, and within a mont many recognized Lidia.

Dukhlas narrowed his eyes slightly, shifting his gaze to her, and the corner of his lips twitched.

“For a second there… I thought this might be love at first sight,” he drawled with lazy mockery.

Quiet chuckles rolled through the formation.

He held his gaze on her for a second longer before adding more evenly, “But judging by your eyes… there’s not much tenderness in them right now.”

With a wave of his hand, he curtly said, “Step out.”

Lidia only narrowed her eyes further and, without saying a word, confidently headed toward the weapon racks.

anwhile, Dukhlas turned toward the arena and, without raising his voice, yet loud enough for everyone to hear, said, “Choose your weapons and step into the center.”

Pausing briefly, he cast a sideways glance at Kael and added specifically for him, “Killing your opponent is forbidden. So is inflicting permanent injuries. The fight ends when soone surrenders… or when soone gets beaten badly enough.”

And without changing his expression, he coldly added, “There will be no leniency in war. So I have no intention of giving any either.”

At that mont, Lidia had already reached the weapon rack and coldly threw at Kael, “Prepare to beg for rcy.”

Kael, also approaching the rows of weapon racks from the other side, rely smirked without slowing his pace.

“What a surprise to see you again, Lidia…” he calmly said. “Did I really change your opinion of Academy students so much that you beca one yourself?”

She rely snorted, glancing over him.

“Keep talking while you still can.”

In response, Kael only shook his head slightly, no longer continuing the exchange, and shifted his attention to the weapons.

His eyes quickly swept across the racks, passing over swords, spears, rapiers, staves, and wands without lingering on any of them. The movent was deliberate—he was not choosing from what was offered, but searching for sothing specific.

“I never really gave much thought to what weapon suited …” he calmly noted, continuing to inspect the rows. “But combat gauntlets would suit perfectly…”

His eyes settled on a pair of steel gauntlets lying slightly off to the side, and lingered there for a second.

“They channel mana well… and I’ll be able to control both their weight and the weight of everything I touch…” he added, already ntally picturing how to use them.

At that mont, Lidia’s voice rang out from the side once more. Lifting a spear, she spun it lightly in her hand and called toward Kael with a cold smirk, “You’ve already seen my gentle side. Now it’s ti to show you the other side of .”

With those words, she sharply swung the shaft, testing the balance, and whispers almost imdiately spread through the crowd:

“They’ve t before?”

“Looks like it…”

“Feels like there’s bad blood between them.”

Kael did not react at all.

Without changing his expression, he walked a little farther toward the open crates at the base of the racks and, bending down, pulled out a pair of gauntlets assembled from steel plates.

At that, Dukhlas, standing nearby, narrowed his eyes with interest.

✦ ✦ ✦

A wave of whispers swept through the hall, discussing Kael’s unexpected choice.

Without taking his eyes off him, Laslo quietly muttered to his group, “A spear against combat gauntlets…”

Beside him, a blue-haired girl leaning against a rack slightly frowned and added, “Considering Lidia’s magic… the newcor is at a disadvantage.”

Laslo narrowed his eyes, his gaze moving from the spear to Kael’s hands, where the gauntlets were already settling into place, and thoughtfully added, “If he specializes in speed… and has fire-aspected mana, then he’s not in such a bad position.”

Similar whispers spread in other parts of the hall—so exchanged glances, others nodded toward Lidia confidently gripping her spear, while others instead watched Kael with interest, clearly expecting sothing unusual.

anwhile, Kael and Lidia continued walking toward the center of the arena without slowing down.

✦ ✦ ✦

Kael slowly walked toward the center, checking the gauntlets as he moved, clenching and unclenching his fingers.

The steel plates shifted smoothly, never restricting his movents.

Running his thumb along the rivets and making sure the fit was tight, he rotated his wrist slightly, testing the feel of it—the weight was noticeable, but not obstructive, if anything, making him feel more confident.

Raising his hands to chest level, his gaze lingered on his palms for a mont, now completely hidden beneath tal, and smiled faintly, feeling anticipation rise inside him.

“This should be interesting…” he quietly muttered.

Taking a few more steps, Kael stopped and lifted his gaze toward Lidia.

She had already taken her stance, holding the spear at a slight angle, and her eyes were completely focused on him.

Dukhlas’s voice sounded from the side: “Ready?”

They nodded almost simultaneously.

And unexpectedly for Kael, Dukhlas’s next command ca without warning: “Begin!”

Lidia burst forward that very second—her body lunged ahead, her foot drove sharply off the stone, and she practically shot forward, closing the distance instantly. The spear in her hands snapped into line, and a mont later the tip thrust directly toward Kael’s chest.

Kael reacted instantly.

His body moved on its own, slipping into the defensive stance of the Path of Silent Pillar, while his right hand, without any wasted motion, shot toward the spear.

So in the crowd flinched at the sight, unable to understand what exactly he was trying to do.

But the mont the spear tip slamd into the center of Kael’s palm—a dull crack rang out, as though the air between them had abruptly imploded.

The impact traveled through Kael’s body, throwing him backward, but he did not lose control—landing lightly on the balls of his feet, he slid several steps across the stone, bleeding off the remaining force, and a mont later had already returned to his stance.

To most onlookers, it might have seed that Lidia held the advantage in the first exchange.

But there were no fools among those present.

Many had already leaned forward, craning their necks, trying to better understand what had happened.

“He… stopped the strike.”

“How did he do that? I’ve never seen a technique like that…”

Dukhlas himself narrowed his eyes, thinking, “He created a concentrated burst of mana at the mont of contact… completely canceling out the force of the strike. And he did it instantly… without preparation…”

Interest finally flashed in his gaze, while a single question lingered in his mind: “What kind of fighting style does this brat use?”

Kael, anwhile, calmly looked toward Lidia, noting how she hesitated for a fraction of a second after the clash, and with a faint smirk said, “So you decided to test first? Admirable.”

Lidia snorted, shifting her grip on the spear, and cold confidence returned to her eyes.

“You think too highly of yourself,” she sharply replied. “If you fight on the defensive, you’re finished.”

And in that very instant, a wave of blue mana burst from her body, spreading across the stone floor and bringing a biting cold with it.

A thin layer of ice swept across the arena’s surface, rapidly freezing and expanding in all directions.

“Ice-aspected magic…” Kael ntally noted. “Interesting…”

At the sa ti, he felt his footing slip against the ice, while his balance faltered for a fraction of a mont.

In the next instant, Lidia smirked and rushed forward without hesitation.

And it imdiately beca clear—the ice did not hinder her at all. On the contrary, her steps were confident and precise, as though the surface beneath her feet obeyed her.

She closed the distance in an instant.

Kael barely managed to react, once again throwing his palm forward, and in that sa mont the familiar impact rang out, throwing him backward.

But this ti, everything unfolded faster.

The mont his feet left the ground, Lidia abruptly changed direction, gliding across the ice with almost unnatural speed.

Her silhouette blurred.

An instant later she was already behind him—exactly at the point where he was supposed to land.

While moving, she twisted her body, drawing the spear aside, and without slowing down raised it for a wide sweeping strike, ready to et Kael the mont he landed before her.

But at the exact instant she completed the swing, her eyes flickered.

Sothing was wrong.

Instead of falling into the exact spot she had calculated, Kael continued flying farther, as though his trajectory had shifted.

“What the—!” burst from her lips as she sharply twisted her body, trying to adjust her attack on the fly after realizing the previous swing would miss.

That brief hesitation was enough.

Still in midair, Kael twisted his body inward and thrust his hands forward, eting the attack from a new angle.

The spear and steel gauntlets collided once again.

A sharp clap rang out, louder than before, and the impact hurled them apart.

This ti Kael was thrown even farther back, preventing Lidia from circling behind him again. He rolled through the air to bleed off part of the force, then landed lightly on the balls of his feet and slid across the ice, leaving a thin trail behind him before finally slowing at a considerable distance from his opponent.

Silence imdiately fell over the arena, as though everyone watching had frozen in confusion.

No one hurried to speak, but their eyes sharpened with focus—students stared at Kael as though trying to piece together what they had just witnessed.

It seed they clearly saw the result, yet could not understand how Kael had done it.

“He… changed his trajectory midair?” soone uncertainly said.

“Maybe it’s wind magic…”

“No…” another imdiately responded. “I never even saw him release mana… I’d sooner assu he’s a body-enhancent mage.”

The whispers gradually intensified, becoming more animated, but no greater clarity erged from them—only guesses, each sounding less than convincing.

Dukhlas, standing to the side, watched in silence.

His gaze never left Kael, and unlike the others, there was no agitation in it—only focused analysis.

“Wind magic? No…” calmly passed through his mind as he replayed what he had seen. “His trajectory had already shifted from the start… The montum doesn’t line up.”

He narrowed his eyes slightly, replaying the mont of impact in his mind.

“His weight seed to beco lighter right before the collision…” The thought ca to him with unexpected clarity, but imdiately made him doubt it. “But… is sothing like that even possible?”

For a mont he froze, after which another, far more practical question surfaced in his mind: “Could this be the power of his contracted spirit? But what kind of spirit could grant such an ability?”

anwhile, Kael, as though not noticing the growing commotion, rely smirked in satisfaction, feeling excitent igniting within him.

Looking toward Lidia, he said with light mockery, “Is that all, beautiful?”

Lidia sharply clenched her jaw, and open anger ignited in her eyes.

“You run like a coward… and still dare provoke ?!” she hissed.

At that very mont, another surge of mana erupted from her body.

This ti far denser, as though she had poured all her strength into it.

The spear in her hands began to coat itself in ice, which almost imdiately ford sharp spikes along the shaft and spearhead, transforming the weapon into sothing far more dangerous.

But she did not stop there.

Across the entire arena, the ice surged upward, cracking and rising—thin, curved spikes began erupting from the floor, all aid toward Kael like fangs ready to snap shut.

Lidia tilted her head slightly, and a cold smile appeared on her lips.

“You still have a chance to surrender,” she calmly said. “From here on out, you won’t walk away with just a few scratches.”

The crowd noticeably tensed as well, realizing this was a genuine threat.

Several students involuntarily leaned forward, judging the distances and angles.

“If Lidia knocks him back again…” soone whispered from the crowd.

“He’ll get impaled right on those spikes,” another finished.

It seed everyone had already decided how the fight would end.

In a situation like this, any reasonable student would simply surrender rather than risk severe injuries.

But Kael rely smirked and, to everyone’s surprise, said, “Co on then, beautiful.”

For a mont, complete bewildernt hung over the hall—so mouths even fell open slightly, but no one had ti to object or call out.

The next instant, a sharp surge of mana erupted.

Lidia launched herself forward, pouring all her strength into the attack, rushing straight at him, clearly intending not rely to knock him away, but to hit him hard enough to drive the spikes deep into his body.

In response, Kael rely shifted his body slightly and, instead of answering with his usual palm strike, crossed his forearms in front of himself, eting the strike with a solid block.

The crowd froze in horror, seeing that Kael did not even intend to dodge.

“Madness…” was all soone managed to utter.

For a fraction of a mont, ti itself seed to slow.

Everyone’s eyes locked onto the spear tip.

But at that imperceptible instant, a split second before the collision, sothing strange happened.

The ice beneath Kael’s feet suddenly cracked, spreading in thin spiderweb cracks as though a weight far greater than before had abruptly fallen upon him.

And in the next mont…

BOOOOM!

Instead of the expected sound of impact sending soone flying, there ca a thunderous explosion, followed by a sharp female scream.

The ice coating Lidia’s spear exploded into fragnts, scattering in every direction, while blood sprayed from her palms. The shoulder she had been driving forward with jerked violently backward, as though it had slamd into an immovable barrier.

But what shocked the crowd most was sothing else—Kael had not moved even a single step.

He stood there, still holding the block, as though nothing had happened at all.

To the spectators, it looked as though Lidia had crashed at full speed into an unmoving cliff.

And almost imdiately afterward ca sothing that frightened the spectators even more.

Kael suddenly surged forward, as though going from immovable to weightless.

With a short strike, he hit the spear shaft, and it instantly tore free from Lidia’s bloodied fingers, crashing into the icy floor with a deafening clang, as though it had suddenly beco ten tis heavier.

He did not stop for even a mont.

Pushing off, Kael imdiately slid forward, using the sa ice, and in one smooth motion slipped beneath Lidia’s arms, closing the distance completely.

His palm closed around her throat. And with the very next step, he was already behind her, locking her in place.

Everything had happened too quickly.

No one managed to follow the sequence of movents, catching only fragnts—the impact, the slide, the blur of motion.

And then—silence.

Before everyone’s eyes stood an impossible scene.

Lidia froze, trapped in his hold, her face twisted with pain and shock, while Kael, standing behind her, calmly held her by the throat, completely in control.

Lowering her gaze, Lidia saw her spear—driven into her own ice as though hamred there by force, leaving no chance of pulling it free.

Horror appeared on her face, and her lips trembled with humiliation.

“What… How is this…?” she rasped, unable to tear her eyes away.

Standing behind her, Kael tightened his fingers around her throat slightly and, with the sa calm, almost friendly tone, said, “So then, beautiful? Do you surrender?”

Her vision blurred, and tears glimred in the corners of her eyes—from anger, from humiliation, from complete disbelief at what had just happened.

But she never managed to answer.

“In a real battle, Lidia would already be dead,” Dukhlas’s even voice cut through the silence, cold and unwavering. “Kael is the winner.”

The words sounded like a sentence, and Kael imdiately released his grip.

Having lost her balance, Lidia instantly collapsed to her knees, and at the sa ti, the entire structure she had created began to fall apart—the icy spikes across the arena cracked and crumbled, leaving behind only a thin layer that quickly lted away.

As for Kael himself, as though nothing particularly remarkable had happened, he calmly pulled the gauntlets off and headed toward the edge of the arena, lightly gliding across the remnants of ice.

“Good fight, Lidia,” he said without even turning around.

It seed he did not even notice the silence behind him.

To the spectators, the entire scene looked strange—even absurd.

The contrast between how Kael had just fought and how carelessly he was now sliding across the ice while taking off his gauntlets was too jarring to process imdiately.

It almost felt as though they were two entirely different people.

Silence hung over the hall, yet it felt as though, if not for Dukhlas’s presence, the crowd would already have exploded into shouting. Laslo in particular looked as though he desperately wanted to rush toward Kael, laughing, and bombard him with questions.

But for now, all the students restrained themselves, rely exchanging glances and whispering among themselves.

Dukhlas, anwhile, stood off to the side, paying no attention to anyone else.

His gaze remained fixed on Kael’s retreating back, and two emotions mixed in his eyes—confusion and a strange anticipation.

One corner of his lips lifted slightly, and a persistent thought passed through his mind: “I can’t hand a guy like that over to so pathetic Scholars’ Guild…”

Pausing for a mont, he gave a short nod to himself and whispered, “I need to write to General Salazar…”