Chapter 285 - 283 : Athena
The golden and crimson domains pressed down upon the arena. The Dragon King’s Domain filled the stadium with an ancient, sovereign pressure, while the Domain of the Blood Monarch followed it, spreading like a sea of crimson mist over the shattered floor.
Together, the two domains created a terrifying prison.
The demonic crowd stopped cheering. The vampires froze. The dark elves clenched their teeth, while the werewolves growled but could not move.
Even the four peak S-Rank leaders who had entered the arena with complete confidence found their bodies locked in place.
Rikishi’s crimson eyes widened. Alima’s fingers trembled around the hilt of her curved sword. Pazuzu’s horns shook as he tried to force his demonic mana through the oppressive pressure, while Velkan’s claws scraped against the stone floor.
But none of them could escape.
None of them could move.
The nine human students were trapped as well. Their bodies trembled under the pressure, and their knees threatened to collapse.
But one person could still move.
Aaron.
Aaron stood in the center of the arena, his dark-blue hair moving faintly in the suffocating wind of mana. His breathing was uneven, and his hands trembled.
But his eyes had changed.
Arthur had given him a skill.
A C-Rank skill.
Something that seemed ordinary at first glance.
But Aaron was not ordinary.
And neither was his talent.
Dimension Walker.
Spatial Locations.
Together, the two abilities created something terrifying.
Aaron looked at the four enemies before him.
Rikishi.
Alima.
Pazuzu.
Velkan.
Through Spatial Locations, Aaron could feel space itself.
He could see it.
Not with his eyes.
But with something deeper.
He could perceive the invisible structure surrounding everything—the locations of objects, the distance between bodies, the angles of movement, and the coordinates of the arena.
And now, he could perceive the spatial points within the bodies of his enemies.
Every part of the four leaders appeared within his perception.
Their positions.
Their limbs.
Their mana cores.
Their blind spots.
The exact space they occupied.
Aaron’s fingers tightened around the sword Arthur had given him.
’It is all or nothing.’
Then countless invisible points appeared within his perception.
Every position.
Every movement.
Every distance.
Every coordinate.
Aaron’s eyes focused on the four leaders.
He drew his sword.
Slash~
Slash~
Slash~
Schlk~
Several swings cut through the air.
There was no explosion. No tremendous shockwave. No visible projectile.
Aaron simply swung his blade toward empty space.
Princess Salima, along with the other chosen students, could not move. But they could see everything.
Salima watched Aaron swing his sword into the air.
Her eyes widened.
’Is he insane?’
’Instead of running or attacking, what is he doing?’
Aaron sheathed his sword.
The sound echoed across the frozen arena.
Click.
Salima looked ahead.
Then her eyes widened.
The space in front of Aaron split apart.
A thin, black spatial fracture appeared in the air.
For a brief moment, the four leaders did not understand what had happened.
Then their expressions changed.
Rikishi’s body split from shoulder to waist.
Alima, the dark elf, was severed cleanly through the center.
Pazuzu’s massive demonic body was cut apart as though it were nothing more than butter beneath a heated blade.
Velkan did not even have time to react before the spatial slash passed through him.
Their bodies remained standing for one brief moment.
Then—
Thud.
All four collapsed at the same time.
Silence descended upon the battlefield.
Aaron lowered his blade.
He had not cut them directly.
He had cut the space they occupied.
And because their bodies existed within that space...
Their bodies had been cut apart with it.
Aaron stared at the four fallen S-Rankers. He could not believe what he had just done.
It had all happened within a few seconds.
Above the arena, Maya’s eyes widened.
She tried to move. Her fingers began twitching.
The effect of the domains was weakening.
But before she could fully regain control, another unbelievable sight unfolded.
The vampires in the stadium suddenly turned.
Their eyes became unfocused.
Dazed.
Possessed.
Then they attacked.
They lunged toward the demons. They tore into the werewolves. They struck the dark elves and other races seated near them.
Absolute chaos erupted throughout the demonic stadium.
Screams filled the stands.
Demons fought vampires.
Werewolves attacked dark elves.
Beastmen ran through the crowd.
The humans watched in shock as the creatures that had come to enjoy their suffering began slaughtering one another.
Then something enormous appeared behind Layla.
A massive shadow rose from her body.
The shadow stretched across the arena.
Then it took form.
Barbatos.
The enormous Shadow Dragon appeared behind Layla.
Its black scales reflected the crimson glow of the arena. Its hollow eyes burned with violet fire, while its wings spread across the stadium, blocking out the strange sky above.
Then seven wyverns emerged from Layla’s shadow.
Their bodies formed from darkness. Their wings were enormous, their claws were sharp, and their jaws dripped with black smoke.
The demonic crowd fell silent.
Arthur’s cold voice echoed through the arena.
"Barbatos."
The Shadow Dragon lowered its head toward him.
"Do not spare a single one."
Arthur’s crimson eyes burned.
"Kill them all."
Barbatos roared.
The seven wyverns followed.
Then they attacked.
The Shadow Dragon opened its mouth.
Black flames erupted across the stands.
The fire did not burn like ordinary flames.
It consumed mana.
It devoured flesh.
It swallowed screams.
Several demons were caught in the blast and vanished beneath the black fire.
The wyverns swooped through the stadium.
One crushed a group of werewolves beneath its claws.
Another ripped through dark elves trying to escape.
A third devoured several beastmen, dragging them into the air before throwing their broken bodies across the arena.
The remaining shadow wyverns attacked without mercy.
The demonic stadium became a battlefield.
Maya looked down at Arthur in shock.
Her entire plan was falling apart.
The human students she had believed would be powerless had turned the arena into chaos.
Arthur smiled at her.
Then his body blurred.
In the next instant, he stood beside Aaron.
Aaron looked at him with exhausted eyes.
Arthur placed one hand on his shoulder.
"Good job."
Then Arthur walked toward the corpses of the four leaders.
Rikishi.
Alima.
Pazuzu.
Velkan.
Arthur stopped before them.
His shadow stretched across the ground.
Then he spoke one word.
"Arise."
The arena darkened.
Shadows poured from Arthur’s body. They moved across the floor like black water before entering the fallen bodies.
For several seconds, nothing happened.
Then the corpses twitched.
Black smoke rose from their wounds.
Their eyes opened.
Hollow.
Dark.
Expressionless.
Rikishi rose first.
His crimson eyes had become empty black pits.
Alima stood next. Her dark-blue hair moved in the mana wind, while her violet eyes had become hollow and lifeless.
Pazuzu rose slowly. The massive demon’s black markings now glowed with shadow energy.
Velkan stood last. His gray-black fur was covered in dark smoke, and his yellow eyes were now empty voids.
The four S-Rank Shadow Soldiers stood in front of Arthur.
Then they bowed.
They waited for his command.
A notification appeared before Arthur.
[ Four S-Rank Shadow Soldiers Obtained. ]
Arthur pointed toward Maya.
"Kill her."
Maya stared at the four Shadow Soldiers.
Her plan had collapsed.
The four peak S-Rank leaders she had brought to slaughter the chosen students had been defeated in seconds.
And now their own shadows were walking toward her.
For the first time, Maya understood something.
She had severely underestimated Arthur.
She had believed he was simply a System user she could kill whenever she wanted.
But the boy in front of her was something else.
Something much more dangerous.
Maya took a deep breath.
"Looks like you do not deserve a painless death after all."
Her eyes became cold.
"I will show you the power a Sentinel possesses."
Her voice echoed through the stadium.
"And why System users like you should fear us."
Maya raised her hand.
"Override Nexus Log."
Golden symbols appeared around her.
"Identity: Maya Sterling."
"Authority Level: A-Rank."
A message appeared before her.
[ Nexus Authority Confirmed. ]
[ User Identified: Maya Sterling. ]
Maya smiled.
"Use the first Authority."
Her eyes became colder.
"70% Limiter."
A new message appeared.
[ Confirmed. ]
[ One of the Seven Core Authorities of Maya Sterling has been activated. ]
[ All System users within the user’s vicinity will have their powers reduced by 70%. ]
[ 10,000 Nexus Points Consumed. ]
[ Remaining Nexus Points: 100,500. ]
Maya clicked her tongue.
’That is why I did not want to use my Authority.’
Her expression darkened.
’It costs far too many points.’
The effect was immediate.
Arthur’s four Shadow Soldiers disappeared.
Their forms dissolved into darkness.
The massive shadows that had been attacking the arena weakened.
The wyverns faded.
Barbatos’s body trembled.
Arthur felt a chill run down his spine.
His domains became unstable.
His mana fell rapidly.
The System’s voice rang inside his mind.
[ Host, something is wrong. ]
Arthur clenched his fists.
’What happened to the Shadow Soldiers?’
[ For some reason, all your abilities have been severely restricted. ]
[ Your mana pool has been reduced from three million to nine hundred thousand. ]
[ Exactly seventy percent has been removed. ]
[ You cannot maintain the shadows and domains at the same time. ]
[ I believe it is the white-haired bitch’s doing. ]
Maya smiled as she watched Arthur’s expression change.
"I was going to give you a painless death."
Her voice was quiet.
"But you do not deserve it."
Maya’s body blurred.
Arthur’s eyes widened.
A strike landed directly against his ribs.
Crack!
Almost every rib in Arthur’s body broke at once.
Boom!
Arthur was thrown across the arena.
His body crashed into the stone floor.
The impact formed a crater.
Layla and the others rushed toward him.
But their path was blocked.
Werewolves.
Demons.
Dark elves.
And other creatures had surrounded them.
The only thing saving the humans was the vampires.
Arthur’s control over them had not completely disappeared.
The vampires continued attacking the demons, dark elves, and werewolves.
But it was not enough.
Layla drew her sword.
"We have to help Arthur."
Her voice shook with fury.
She looked toward the other academies.
"If you want to survive, fight!"
The students hesitated.
Then they nodded.
They had no other choice.
Spells erupted throughout the stadium.
Layla moved first.
Her sword flashed.
With one sweeping strike, she cut down several enemies rushing toward her.
Her movements were quick.
Precise.
Terrifying.
Arina raised both hands.
Telekinetic force burst from her body.
Several enemies were lifted into the air.
Then they were slammed violently into the stone walls.
Isabella and Victor moved together.
Their swordsmanship was flawless.
They cut through their enemies with clean, efficient strikes.
Julia’s aura erupted.
Void Arts spread through her body.
She moved into the enemy formation.
Her fist struck.
Boom!
Several enemies were thrown backward.
One creature’s body crumpled beneath the force.
Another was slammed into the ground.
Julia moved through the battlefield like a storm.
Evangline raised her Desert Eagle.
Bang!
One enemy fell.
Bang!
Another creature’s head snapped backward.
Bang!
A third enemy collapsed.
Jasmine raised her hands.
Ice spread across the stadium.
Frozen spikes erupted from the ground.
Several enemies were trapped.
Others were pierced.
Healers and support students stood behind the fighters.
They cast recovery spells.
They treated injuries.
They strengthened barriers.
The human students formed a desperate battle line.
Meanwhile, Arthur slowly stood from the crater.
Blood ran from the corner of his mouth.
His ribs screamed with pain.
But he smiled.
"Good thing I deployed Infinity with whatever mana I have left."
He coughed blood.
"Otherwise, I might have actually died."
Maya stood before him.
Her voice was quiet.
But her anger was obvious.
"Do you think you can survive by doing this?"
Arthur smiled.
"Maybe."
He straightened himself.
"Or maybe not."
Arthur’s crimson eyes became cold.
"But I will not give you an easy death."
His voice was steady.
"That much I can swear."
Maya laughed.
"We will see."
Her smile became cruel.
"Let us get this over with."
She raised one hand.
"I will cut off your arms and legs."
Her eyes glowed with hatred.
"And I will make you watch your friends die."
"Only then will I be satisfied."
Arthur looked at her.
Then he smiled.
"But first..."
Maya frowned.
Arthur pointed behind her.
"Can you look behind you?"
His smile widened.
"Do you really think I would risk all of this with such a simple plan?"
Arthur’s eyes gleamed.
"I was only buying time, you bitch."
Maya felt a chill run down her spine.
She turned around.
At the center of the arena, a massive spatial rift had formed.
It twisted through the air like a torn wound in reality.
Beside it stood Aaron.
His face was pale.
His breathing was ragged.
But he smiled.
"I did it."
Aaron raised one shaking fist.
"I fucking did it, Arthur."
A figure stepped out of the spatial rift.
Golden hair.
A veil covering her face.
A cold and terrifying aura.
Athena was here.
She stepped into the demonic stadium.
Then her gaze fell upon Arthur.
Even through the veil, Arthur could feel her glare.
Arthur took a huge gulp.
’She will not kill me instead, right?’