Rise Of The Villain : In a World Ruled By Anomalies

As soon as Diana and her team completed Round 4, the Puzzle Relay, they were teleported into a cave-like chamber adorned with ancient drawings.

The walls were covered in faded murals depicting battles, strange creatures, forgotten civilizations, and mysterious figures whose identities had been lost to time.

Small blue crystals were embedded between the cracks in the stone ceiling, providing just enough light to illuminate the enormous chamber.

Diana slowly looked around.

"So, this is where the final round will be taking place?"

As they examined the cave, they soon noticed something unusual.

Invisible barriers divided the chamber into eight separate sections, each clearly designated for a different academy team.

And to their surprise, they discovered that one team had already arrived.

The students from Plum-Blossom Academy were already inside their designated area, frantically examining the contents of their section.

"T-They have already arrived before us?" Aegon stuttered in disbelief.

"We don’t have time to waste. Let’s hurry up."

Diana immediately began moving toward their designated area.

The Celestias Academy flag was positioned near one of the invisible boundaries, directly beside the Plum-Blossom Academy’s section.

The rest of the team quickly followed her.

Once they reached their designated area, they found a stone pedestal positioned in the center.

A scroll rested on top of it.

Beside the scroll was a red button.

Diana immediately picked up the scroll and unrolled it.

She began reading its contents aloud.

{Welcome to the thrilling final round: The Mystery Challenge!

In this ultimate test of knowledge and skill, teams must use their wits and expertise to examine mysterious artifacts and uncover their true purpose.

But that is not all.

The teams must also unlock the full potential of these ancient relics by discovering the secret to activating them.

The stakes have never been higher, so prepare yourselves for an intense battle of the minds.

The time limit for this round had been set at one hour, beginning the moment an academy reached the final round.

[Time Remaining: 45 Minutes, 29 Seconds]

May the most cunning and resourceful team emerge victorious.

Good luck!}

The round had already begun the moment Cherry Blossom Academy reached the final round.

They had been given a total of one hour to complete it.

Now, only 45 minutes remained.

As soon as Diana finished reading the scroll, she pressed the red button without hesitation.

Click.

The ground beneath them suddenly began to tremble.

Rumble—

The pedestal slowly sank into the ground.

Then, several meters in front of them, the stone floor split apart.

A hidden mechanism activated beneath the ground.

With a deep grinding sound, an ancient stone sarcophagus slowly rose from beneath the floor.

The entire team froze.

For several seconds, nobody said anything.

Then Diana quickly regained her composure.

"Aegon, Riley! Get over here and help me open this. There must be an artifact inside, and we need to find it quickly!"

Her urgency immediately snapped everyone out of their daze.

Aegon and Riley rushed forward.

The three of them grabbed the edges of the massive stone lid and pushed.

Groan—

The ancient stone shifted with a deafening creak.

Dust fell from the ceiling as the lid slowly moved aside.

Then they finally saw what was hidden inside.

Everyone froze.

Resting within the sarcophagus was an enormous circular artifact made from a strange silver-black metal.

It resembled a large metallic disc, almost the size of a shield, with several rotating rings surrounding its center.

Dozens of tiny crystals were embedded along its outer edge.

Unlike ordinary gemstones, however, these crystals weren’t glowing.

Instead, they seemed to absorb the surrounding light.

Several ancient symbols had been engraved across the surface of the artifact.

Clarice’s eyes widened.

"What... is that?"

Diana stepped closer.

Her gaze remained fixed on the mysterious relic.

"This is definitely enchanted."

She carefully reached out and touched its surface.

The moment her fingers made contact with the artifact—

Buzz—

A faint vibration traveled through her hand.

Diana immediately pulled back.

"It’s reacting to mana."

Clarice nodded and began examining the artifact.

"It doesn’t look like any weapon I’ve ever seen."

Liana walked around it, studying its strange circular structure.

"Maybe it’s some kind of magical device."

Aegon leaned closer.

"Whatever it is, I’m getting the feeling that activating it won’t be easy."

Beside the artifact was another object.

A thin ancient book rested inside a small stone compartment.

Aegon picked it up and carefully opened the cover.

"This might contain information about the artifact."

James glanced over his shoulder.

"What does it say?"

Aegon quickly flipped through several pages.

"Most of it is written in an ancient language. But there are diagrams."

Diana immediately looked toward the artifact.

"Then let’s start there."

She pointed toward the strange rings surrounding the device.

"Examine everything. The crystals, the symbols, the rings, and the book. We need to figure out what this thing does and how to activate it."

Everyone nodded.

The team immediately divided the work.

Diana examined the crystals, using her knowledge of magic to determine their properties.

Liana studied the artifact’s construction and the strange symbols engraved across its surface.

Aegon carefully compared the diagrams in the ancient book with the artifact.

Clarice focused on the runes.

Riley began translating the fragments of text that he could understand.

Time passed rapidly.

The team debated different theories and tested several possibilities.

At first, they believed the crystals were storing mana.

Then they suspected that the rotating rings were connected to elemental magic.

But every theory they tested failed.

Suddenly, Clarice stopped.

Her eyes shifted toward the wall.

"Wait."

Everyone turned toward her.

Clarice pointed at one of the ancient murals.

"Look at that."

Diana immediately walked over.

The mural depicted an enormous circular object floating above a ruined city.

Around it stood several robed figures.

Diana examined the painting carefully.

"The artifact..."

Clarice nodded.

"It’s the same shape."

They looked back at the relic.

Then Clarice pointed toward the symbols surrounding the painted artifact.

"Those symbols are also engraved on it."

Diana’s eyes narrowed.

"You’re right."

Liana stepped closer to the mural.

"But what were they doing with it?"

Aegon studied the image.

"They weren’t fighting."

Everyone looked at him.

Aegon pointed toward the figures surrounding the artifact.

"They’re standing around it in a circle."

Riley’s expression changed.

"And look at their hands."

The figures in the mural were each holding a different object.

One held a crystal.

Another held a piece of metal.

Another held what appeared to be a small stone.

Diana immediately turned toward the artifact.

"Maybe the crystals aren’t meant to be activated individually."

She examined the outer ring.

"They’re supposed to be arranged according to something."

Clarice’s eyes lit up.

"Like a sequence."

"Exactly."

The team immediately returned to the artifact.

They began examining the crystals one by one.

Each crystal contained a different pattern.

Some resembled flames.

Others resembled waves, clouds, mountains, stars, and shadows.

Liana carefully compared them.

"These aren’t elemental symbols."

Diana looked at her.

"What do you mean?"

"They represent natural forces."

Liana pointed toward several crystals.

"Fire. Water. Wind. Earth. Light. Darkness."

She then pointed toward two others.

"And these two represent life and death."

Riley opened the ancient book again.

He quickly turned several pages.

"There’s something here."

Everyone gathered around him.

Riley read the translated passage.

"The eight forces must return to their proper positions. Only when balance is restored will the sleeping eye awaken."

Diana’s eyes widened.

"The sleeping eye..."

She looked toward the center of the artifact.

There was a circular depression in the middle.

It looked almost like an eye.

"So that’s what we’re supposed to activate."

Aegon nodded.

"But how do we know the correct order?"

The team fell silent.

Diana looked toward the mural again.

The answer had to be somewhere.

She studied every detail.

Then her gaze stopped at the bottom of the painting.

There were eight symbols arranged in a circle.

Diana’s expression changed.

"Wait."

She quickly returned to the artifact.

"The mural isn’t showing the order in which the people activated it."

She pointed toward the symbols.

"It’s showing the order of the forces."

Clarice quickly compared the symbols.

"Life..."

She pointed to the first.

"Then water."

Liana continued.

"Earth. Wind. Fire."

Aegon followed.

"Light and darkness."

Riley looked toward the final symbol.

"And death."

Diana nodded.

"That’s it."

They began rearranging the crystals.

One by one, they placed them into the corresponding positions.

Click.

The first crystal locked into place.

Click.

The second followed.

Then the third.

The artifact began vibrating.

Buzz—

The entire chamber suddenly became quieter.

Diana’s eyes widened.

"It’s reacting!"

They continued.

The fourth crystal locked into position.

Then the fifth.

The sixth.

The seventh.

Finally, Liana placed the final crystal into its slot.

Click.

For several seconds, nothing happened.

Then—

BOOM!

A powerful wave of magical energy erupted from the artifact.

The crystals suddenly began glowing.

The eight rotating rings started moving simultaneously.

The artifact began spinning slowly in the air.

Clarice gasped.

"Look!"

A beam of light emerged from the center.

It struck the ceiling.

A gigantic magical formation appeared above them.

Riley quickly opened the ancient book.

"There should be an activation phrase!"

He began scanning the pages.

"Wait... here!"

He found a passage.

"These symbols describe the final activation."

Diana looked at him.

"What do we have to do?"

Riley studied the instructions.

"We need to synchronize the eight crystals with the formation above us."

Aegon frowned.

"How?"

Riley pointed toward the rings.

"The symbols on the rings correspond to the formation."

Liana immediately understood.

"So we have to rotate the rings into the correct positions."

"Exactly."

The team immediately got to work.

Diana adjusted the first ring.

Liana handled the second.

Aegon moved the third.

Clarice focused on the fourth.

Riley followed the instructions in the ancient book.

One by one, the symbols began aligning.

The magical formation above them grew brighter.

"We’re close!" Riley shouted.

The team continued.

Then suddenly—

Click.

All eight rings locked into position.

The artifact stopped spinning.

A deep pulse of energy erupted from its center.

The entire cave shook.

BOOM!

A massive pillar of light shot toward the ceiling.

The artifact had awakened.

Everyone stared at it in amazement.

"We did it!" Liana cheered.

Clarice smiled brightly.

"We actually figured it out!"

Diana, however, didn’t celebrate immediately.

She was staring at the artifact.

Something about it felt familiar.

Then she suddenly realized what they had discovered.

"This isn’t a weapon."

Everyone looked at her.

"It’s a magical gateway."

Riley’s expression changed.

"A gateway?"

Diana nodded.

"The artifact wasn’t created to attack anything."

She pointed toward the glowing formation.

"It was designed to open a connection between the physical world and a higher magical realm."

The team stared at the artifact in disbelief.

Before anyone could respond—

Tap—Tap—Tap—

Footsteps echoed through the cave.

Everyone turned around.

A team had just entered the chamber.

The students from Glacier Peak Academy rushed into their designated area.

Diana immediately regained focus.

"We don’t have much time. Focus on the artifact!"

With only five minutes remaining before the end of the challenge, she knew every second mattered.

The Glacier Peak team scrambled toward their own artifact.

Diana wasn’t too worried about them.

They had arrived too late.

There simply wasn’t enough time for them to completely analyze their artifact and activate it.

But there was something else that concerned her.

The Plum-Blossom Academy team had already been here before them.

They had probably been working on their artifact for much longer.

And if they had already figured out its secret...

Diana shook her head.

’Don’t think about them.’

She forced herself to concentrate.

The artifact before them continued to glow.

Riley quickly checked the ancient book again.

"There’s one final step!"

"What is it?" Diana asked.

"We have to activate the central core."

He pointed toward the glowing circular depression in the middle.

"But it requires all eight forces to be synchronized."

Aegon stepped forward.

"Then let’s do it."

The team positioned themselves around the artifact.

Diana counted down.

"Three..."

The crystals began glowing brighter.

"Two..."

The rings started rotating.

"One!"

Diana pressed her hand against the central core.

The others followed.

BOOM!

A massive wave of energy erupted from the artifact.

The entire chamber trembled.

The magical formation above them expanded.

The gateway opened completely.

The team stared at the phenomenon in awe.

"We did it!" Liana cheered.

Clarice’s eyes sparkled.

"That’s incredible!"

Then—

Beep—

Beep—

Beep—

Three sharp sounds echoed throughout the cave simultaneously.

Everyone froze.

Diana’s expression immediately changed.

Three teams had completed the challenge.

At almost exactly the same time.

Her heart sank.

"...Looks like we have some tough competition."

She turned toward the other sections.

The Glacier Peak Academy team had also completed their challenge.

And the Plum-Blossom Academy team had done the same.

The three teams stood silently in their respective areas as the final seconds of the challenge disappeared.

Then the magical formations beneath them activated.

Golden light surrounded every team.

The final round had ended.

As Diana and her teammates were teleported away, she looked back toward the other teams.

She couldn’t help but wonder how they had fared against the remaining academies.

The competition had reached its final stage.

And now, there was only one question left.

Which academy had performed well enough across all five rounds to claim victory?

And who will be the unfounate one’s to be sacrificed.

____________

Meanwhile, Arthur was watching his team’s performance from another section of the arena.

A white-haired woman stood beside him, watching the ongoing challenge with a faint smile. Without warning, she reached over and gently brushed her fingers along Arthur’s cheek.

"Your team has performed really weIl, it’s unfortunate for others, isn’t it, Mr. Arthur? " she asked.

Arthur turned his gaze toward her, his expression calm.

"You say that as if you already know the outcome."

The woman’s smile widened.

"But I do."

Arthur flicked her hand away from his face.

"You’re the one who was trying to kill Layla back at the academy, aren’t you?"

For the briefest moment, the woman’s eyes sharpened.

Arthur noticed it immediately.

A faint smile appeared on his lips.