I am the Only Son of Nyx

Lion was now in a sorry state.

Saliva was trickling down his mouth, his eyes opened wide, and fear was etched inside them.

No sign of the usual Lion was present, and Kai was the one who put him in this state.

Lion refused to repent and apologize for all he did throughout the third trial, so there was no longer any reason for him to still be breathing in the real world. It was time for him to die and live in the underworld.

But someone doesn’t want him to die.

"Stop!"

Kai paused and glanced over his shoulder.

He turned around to look only with his head, and then turned his body around when he saw that it wasn’t a student. Judging from the animal mask this person was wearing and also his attire, he was no doubt one of the professors. And even as Kai was now face-to-face with the professor, he didn’t stop the Deep Slumber from devouring Lion.

"Go back to your place, professor. You don’t belong here." Kai said with an icy, cold voice.

"Let him go," the professor insisted. "He’s an important student of our academy. You cannot kill him."

"Cannot...?" Kai snorted in contempt and then intensified the devour. "How come?"

"You’ve proven your point. You’ve avenged your classmates. Let’s stop here," He asked. This time, his voice was less demanding than earlier. "You don’t need to finish him. Just take him into your team and win this trial. Our academy will be thankful if you do it."

"That’s asking for a lot. I’ll pass," Kai raised his hand and shooed the professor away.

No matter what, Lion dies tonight.

"If you kill him, then you’re going to be in big trouble."

"Really? Where is this bravado when Lion killed the others?"

"All of them are weak. We have no use for weak Angels."

"If my memory served me right, Lion also killed a High Angel," Kai tapped on his chin, almost like he was contemplating. He was exposing the professor’s favoritism. "You don’t show your face then. And what about Wolf? I killed him, and you didn’t come to stop me."

Clearly, the professor was cherry-picking the student.

A High Angel is given one better thing that would help survive the third trial, but Lion got his hands on something that was clearly better than the rest. And not to mention, he also got his hands on crucial information freely.

Even among the High Angels, he got better treatment.

"Spare him right now and take your win, Lesser Angel," the professor said with a threatening tone. He glanced at Lion and clenched his jaw. The darkness had already reached his chest. "A Lesser Angel can kill an Angel, but they can’t kill a High Angel. So, stop this right now.

"A Demigod took a liking to Lion. If you do this, you’ll make a Demigod your enemy."

Kai gritted his teeth.

He was seconds away from killing Lion, but this happened.

As much as he wanted to kill Lion right now, making a powerful enemy is not ideal.

It was especially so when his status was nothing more than a Lesser Angel.

But he wanted to kill Lion right now, especially when death’s door was within his grasp.

He was in a dilemma.

What do I do...?

Kai pressed his fingers harder against Lion’s face, digging into the skin, barely restraining himself from ending Lion then and there. His mind clawed for an escape, for any solution to this predicament.

But no matter how hard he tried, he came up empty.

He found himself wishing for Professor Hera to appear and help. She didn’t.

She didn’t show her face.

"What is it going to be, Lesser Angel?" The professor smirked at the sight of Kai’s hesitation. A little bit more persuasion, and he would buckle. "Just spare that kid and win this trial. I am sure your academy would reward you handsomely since no Lesser Angel has ever won. Take it. Savor it. Do not add an enemy that’ll complicate things."

Kai retracted his Deep Slumber.

Even though it took him gritting his teeth so hard that his gums bled, he managed to keep a level head and stop the Deep Slumber. Many would be disappointed at him, but dealing with a Demigod is out of the picture.

Just then, something cuts through the air sharply.

Before the professor and even Kai could react, a knife stabbed into Lion’s chest.

It pierced through the body and exploded the heart, killing him on the spot.

"Who did that?!" the professor’s voice thundered across the area, but he couldn’t find anyone else around. He rushed toward Lion, desperate to save him, but stopped short. Kai, without hesitation, already activated the Deep Slumber again, devouring what was left of Lion.

The professor’s eyes went wide, "Y-You?!"

"He’s already dead," Kai sneered. "If you have a problem, take it out to the killer."

"How dare you..." The professor ground his teeth and turned around. "I’ll remember this!"

Swoosh—!

Desperate to find the killer, the professor dashed away.

Kai stared at where the knife came from and frowned, wondering who threw it.

...

"Are you sure you killed him?" Dorian asked dubiously.

Kai doesn’t sound confident, and it was worrying.

"Yes, I really did," He assured and waved his hand dismissively. "If I hadn’t, do you think I’d be loitering around like this? No way I can relax if Lion somehow survived and was still out there, wanting to kill me."

"I guess so."

"What about the other High Angels? Snake and... Matilda?"

"Snake is not dead. He’s still restrained—on the other side of the camp. Layra decided not to make a decision while you’re still away. As for Matilda... She fendded off Layra and managed to escape."

Kai looked away.

Is it Matilda? No other explanation other than her.

Throwing the knife to kill Lion at the right moment seemed deliberate. He could kill Lion for good because of that, so he was one hundred percent sure that it was Matilda. And then, he recalled what Professor Hera said.

Given another option, Matilda would’ve picked the other one rather than siding with Lion.

But even so, it doesn’t change the fact that what she did harmed many people.

And it almost killed Kai.

"Please tell me that if she came back, you would kill her," Dorian clasped his hands together, like he was praying to the Gods that Kai would not be stupid again. "Because...she will come back. There’s no other way to survive this trial other than joining our team."

Kai didn’t answer.

Frankly, he was feeling complicated right now.

"Sigh..." Dorian shook his head, already knowing what the face Kai was making meant. "Just promise me that even if you let her return, don’t make it easy for her. Rub it in her fucking face that you are now in control. Make her beg to return. Just make it damn hard for her."

"That I can promise," Kai nodded.

Kai stepped out to assess the situation of the team. He was pleasantly surprised to see that it was orderly, and some students were even smiling and laughing now. This was the kind of air that an academy should have.

And at the sight of him, the students immediately crowded around him.

All of them offered their gratitude for what Kai had done for them.

Not only did they appreciate how he defeated Lion and freed them from his terror for good, but they are also thankful that he snapped Layra back to her usual self. She had always been a good leader, but the weight of everything had drowned her in stress and grief, pulling her far from the person she used to be.

Had he not come that night, she might have gone too far to return to who she used to be.

Once Kia managed to free himself from them, he went to check on Snake.

Snake was placed right outside the camp, tied by an enchanted rope to a big tree. One student was watching over him. It’s quite dangerous to leave only one student, as even though Snake was tied, he’s still a High Angel.

Realizing what he was thinking, the student shook his hands.

"No—I wasn’t alone," He said, smiling assuringly. "The others went to see you when they heard the commotion."

"Oh, alright," Kai nodded and turned to focus on Snake.

Even now, with Team Crius standing triumphant over Ixos, Snake refused to break. His eyes met Kai’s head-on, unafraid. No tremor. No sign of surrender. "Go ahead. Laugh," His voice rasped chillingly. "Laugh while the opportunity is still yours."

"Do you still believe you can somehow win?" Kai asked, tilting his head.

"Yes. Once Lion returns, he’ll kill you for sure."

"Lion is dead," Kai paused, and then leaned in. "Dead. He’s never coming back."

"You may fool these morons, but not me," Snake spat to the ground. "Lion wouldn’t die that easily. Even if you somehow managed to put him under your mercy, you simply couldn’t kill him. So, don’t lie to me."

"I know the professor backed him," Kai’s lips curled into a cruel smile.

And as expected, Snake was taken aback by this.

He wasn’t expecting Kai to know about that.

"But even the professor couldn’t save him," Kai pointed skyward with his index finger. "The Fates had written that last night would be his death, and there’s no escaping it."

"Y-You’re lying..." Snake rebutted, but the confidence wasn’t there anymore. "You’re lying!"

"Am I?" Kai grinned.

For him to know that Lion was backed by the professor was already a sign that Kai didn’t lie. That he had driven Lion past his breaking point. And with the conviction Kai carried when he declared that Lion was dead, it seemed he was really speaking the truth.

One that Snake didn’t want to believe.

"Tie him up tighter," Kai ordered, glancing back at the student behind him. "Make sure he cannot break free, no matter how hard he tries. Once you’re done, go back to the others. Don’t waste your time on him." His gaze dropped to Snake, dripping with contempt. "Just leave this... High Angel right here." He spoke of the status as if it were an insult. "Let him patiently wait for Lion to come save him."

"It’ll be my pleasure," the student smiled sinisterly.

He had been holding back a lot since Layra prohibited him from touching Snake.

At least not until Kai returned.

And now that Kai did, there’s no reason for restraining himself anymore.

Once Kai returned to the camp, he saw that Layra had returned.

Her eyes sparkled at the sight of him. She approached him with wide strides, and to his shock, went in for a hug. Layra held him tightly, and her enthusiasm made it hard for Kai to refuse, so he hugged her back, though awkwardly.

Layra wanted to say a lot of things, but nothing came out of her lips.

But Kai knew that this was her way of saying thank you.

"Everything fine?"

"Yes, I’ve hunted a lot to keep all of us to eat like kings for more than a week. All we need to do right now is find the Awakened Monster and take the Blue Gem."

"No need for that."

Layra looked up at him and tilted her head slightly, confused.

"No need?"

"Yeah, I already got it."

"What?"