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Chapter 66 – Seizing Control (4)

Crackle-!

Sparks surged violently.

Flashes of light.

The high-voltage current dyed Judas’ vision white before twisting together and exploding.

A powerful flash streaked toward him, like lightning crashing down from the sky.

"Tsk."

Judas barely ducked in time to avoid it.

The missed strike slammed into the ground, and the resulting roar left his ears ringing.

Boom!

The terrifying power shook the arena.

He had narrowly escaped being electrocuted.

Even though it seemed like a simple strike, the voltage was strong enough to knock out most students instantly.

Judas calmly adjusted his stance.

"As expected, you’re not an easy opponent."

He muttered to himself, sounding troubled.

It had been ten minutes since the duel started.

The battle was fierce.

As I shook off the soot left on my fingers, someone emerged from the thick smoke.

It was Ian, wearing a smug expression.

"You’ve been running away this whole time. Squirming around like a snake—quite the impressive display."

His voice oozed with provocation.

Ian was grinning.

Electric currents crackled between his hands again.

As he charged up another spell, he pointed a finger at me.

It was a clear taunt.

"Didn’t expect to be struggling this much, did you?"

"Heh… I wouldn’t say that."

Judas shrugged.

"I haven’t been struggling at all."

"It’s obvious you’re avoiding a fair fight. If you’re confident, why don’t you face me head-on?"

"Let’s just call it a strategy."

"A strategy? You’ve done nothing but dodge."

Maybe it was his pent-up frustration, but Ian was relentless in pressing the attack.

He seemed to be enjoying himself now that he felt he had the upper hand.

"You may be considered a genius among the freshmen, but in the end, you’re still just a brat."

When Judas first challenged him to a duel, Ian could hardly believe it.

Some first-year punk had dared to look down on him.

He’d wanted to crush him right then and there.

But.

"I’m a patient guy."

Ian had waited.

To truly crush someone, you had to break them so thoroughly they’d never rise again.

Over the past few days, Ian had studied Judas carefully.

"Judas Snakes."

He was clearly a talented kid.

Magic, swordsmanship, written exams—Judas excelled in every area, but his standout talent was illusion magic.

"But."

Ian had identified a flaw.

"No matter how good your illusions are, they’re worthless if I don’t let them work on me."

All he had to do was avoid the magic.

Of course, dodging mental magic was easier said than done.

But Ian could do it.

He was one of the fastest students at the academy, and when he covered his body with electricity, he could briefly move as fast as some professors.

In other words, he was Judas’s worst possible matchup.

"Let’s see if you can keep up with my speed."

Not only did Ian have incredible speed, but his explosive power was overwhelming too.

For Judas, this was the worst kind of opponent.

"…"

The golden snake remained silent.

Judas stood perfectly still, as if lost in thought, without even the slightest movement.

Ian took it as a sign of fear.

His lips curled into a sneer as he mockingly spat out his next words.

"Looks like you’re finally figuring things out."

Crackle-!

Ian unleashed a burst of sparks and leaped forward.

A bolt of lightning shot toward Judas.

"…!"

The snake, who had been standing still, finally moved, raising his sword.

The blade, forged from shadows, barely deflected the incoming lightning, but even so, the impact chipped away at the weapon.

Clang!

The dark blade shattered, and Judas quickly drew a new sword.

Ian, refusing to give him any time to breathe, lunged forward again.

The two clashed at full force.

For a while, the arena echoed with the sounds of fierce combat.

Clang! Crackle! Slash!

It was a close fight.

Light and darkness clashed relentlessly, biting into each other with savage intensity.

Their speed was almost too fast for the eye to follow.

"Ugh…!"

However, the snake was clearly starting to falter.

Though Judas was holding his own against Ian’s speed, he was gradually being pushed back.

It looked like he was struggling just to defend himself against the relentless bursts of electricity.

"Haa, haa…!"

It seemed like the duel was reaching its conclusion.

The time had come to finish things.

Ian backed off briefly, then began chanting, preparing for a final attack.

Dark clouds gathered above the arena.

"O sky of storms."

He was finally pulling out his ultimate move.

"Strike them all down."

—Ian’s signature technique, Thunderclap—

‘Lightning Strike.’

As soon as he finished his chant, thousands of bolts of lightning rained down from the clouds.

Crackle!

Lightning poured down like rain.

Streaks of white light split the sky, blinding everyone as they carved through the air.

The spectators had to shield their eyes.

Beeeeeep!

A ringing noise echoed in everyone’s ears, and after a moment of dazed silence, they opened their eyes again to see the snake kneeling on the ground.

The fierce battle had seemingly come to an end.

"…"

Judas was silent, unable to speak.

Ian paced around his defeated opponent.

Drunk on the satisfaction of finally crushing him, Ian couldn’t help but sneer.

"See? You should’ve known better than to act cocky."

"…"

"Now, for the price of this duel… I think I’ll demand your withdrawal. If you don’t want that, you’d better get on your knees and beg me all day."

"Pfft."

"…?"

A sudden laugh.

The snake was smiling.

"What’s so funny?"

Was he so beaten that he’d gone mad?

Ian frowned, but then he heard Judas’s voice, steady and composed.

"It’s laughable. You haven’t figured it out, even now."

How could he speak so calmly after being struck by lightning?

Ian froze in disbelief.

"But, but I hit you directly! How…?"

"Honestly, I’m disappointed."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I thought you’d be a little more suspicious."

Judas calmly brushed the dust off his knees and stood up.

Their gazes met.

Ian found himself holding his breath without even realizing it.

"You said that no matter how powerful illusion magic is, it’s useless if the target doesn’t fall for it, right?"

"…"

"Here’s a question for you."

For the first time, Judas’s usually closed eyes opened.

His irises were stark white.

Staring straight into Ian’s soul, Judas asked with a piercing gaze.

"When exactly did you start thinking… that I hadn’t already used illusion magic?"

Crack! Crackle!

At that moment, the space around them began to fracture.

It was like the air itself was shattering.

The entire arena, the world surrounding them, broke apart like a mirror splintering into pieces.

Ian was too shocked to speak.

The snake whispered.

"Shatter."

Crack-!

The world flipped back to its original state.

***

Thud!

When Ian snapped back to his senses, he found himself standing in the center of the circular arena.

In the exact same spot where they had first faced off.

He hadn’t moved a single step.

"…?"

The scene in front of him looked normal.

It felt like waking up from a dream.

He tried to make sense of his confusion, but his mind was clouded, unable to process what had just happened.

"What the hell…?"

It had all been illusion magic.

The intense battle, the way he’d pushed Judas to the brink with his lightning, and even the moment when he had thought he’d won—none of it had actually happened.

It had all been an illusion.

In other words.

He’d been toyed with the entire time.

"This is insane."

In reality, nothing had happened at all.

He couldn’t believe it.

He wanted to look around, but his body wouldn’t move.

It was as if he had lost control of himself.

"Why… can’t I move?"

As his lips trembled, someone spoke from beside him.

Of course, it was the golden snake.

"Oh~ You’ve finally come to your senses?"

Judas smiled brightly, throwing an arm over Ian’s shoulders and speaking with a sinister grin.

He offered the explanation Ian desperately sought.

"Senior, you’ve been under hypnosis for a while now."

"Hypnosis…?"

"It’s another application of illusion magic. Until I release you, you won’t be able to move."

"Dammit, so you’ve been playing with me from the start!"

"I was just entertaining you."

"Shut up!"

Ian was furious.

He’d been crushed so easily, and the shock of it was too much to handle.

He looked as though he was about to lose his mind.

But it wasn’t time for him to check out just yet.

"Do not raise your voice, Ian Ternado."

While Ian had been wandering through the illusions, Judas had been lost in thought as well.

Thinking about how best to destroy the arrogant student before him.

How could he break that inflated ego in the most brutal way possible?

And Judas had come up with the perfect plan.

"There’s a stage prepared just for you."

"Wait. What are you going to—!"

Judas lazily flicked his fingers.

In response to that simple gesture, Ian’s body began to move on its own, step by step toward the center of the arena.

Now facing the audience, he struck a pose.

"Let’s show them."

The students’ eyes were now all on Ian.

Judas’s grin widened with sinister glee.

"Your passion."

It didn’t take long for Ian to understand what that meant.

***

"…"

The students in the audience sat in stunned silence.

No, perhaps it was more accurate to say they were speechless.

Their expressions were frozen in disbelief.

<Aaaaahhhh!!!>

They stared coldly at the center of the arena.

<Stop it!! I’m begging you!!!>

There, a boy was screaming.

A scream filled with pure despair.

It was none other than Ian Ternado, who had participated in the duel.

This arena, once the scene of a fierce battle, had now become a stage for…

<I-I admit I was wrong!!!>

…A dance party.

Ian was grotesquely wiggling his hips, flipping off the audience with both hands.

He’d been swaying and writhing for over an hour.

<I’d rather just forfeit—! Mmph!>

Every time he tried to concede, his lips would magically seal shut.

The students could only stare.

<Fuuuuuuuck!!!>

Ian Ternado.

A once-proud figure, an elite hailed as a genius, and a leader of the second years.

"…"

His honor was shattered in an instant.

Even as he suffered the ultimate humiliation, Ian couldn’t stop his wild twerking.

A single tear rolled down his cheek.

"Heh."

Only the snake who had orchestrated the entire ordeal smiled within the chaos.

As if dopamine was flooding his system.