Chapter 34:The Beast Breaks the Cage
The arena wasn’t meant for this.
It was meant for matches.
Controlled fights.
Rules.
Limits.
But tonight—
Those things didn’t exist.
It started small.
Too small for most to notice.
A whisper in the crowd:
“…Did you hear? He lost control before…”
“…They say he killed someone…”
“…He’s not human…”
Draven stood at the center.
Still.
Head lowered.
Hands trembling.
Not from fear—
From restraint.
“…You shouldn’t be here.”
Kael’s voice cut through the noise.
Clean.
Sharp.
Final.
Draven didn’t respond.
Kael continued:
“You’re unstable.”
“You endanger everyone.”
A pause.
“…You don’t belong in this academy.”
Draven’s fingers twitched.
His breathing changed.
Slower.
Heavier.
“…Say that again.”
Kael didn’t hesitate.
“You don’t belong—”
BOOM.
The ground shattered.
Not from a strike.
From pressure.
Draven’s aura exploded outward—
Wild.
Violent.
Uncontained.
Students collapsed instantly.
Some screamed.
Some couldn’t even breathe.
From the edge—
Lucifer stood still.
Eyes narrowed.
“…There it is.”
Chirin’s voice trembled:
“…That’s not normal…”
Lucifer didn’t answer.
Because he already knew.
Draven’s body shifted.
Not fully.
Not monstrously.
But enough.
Veins darkened.
Muscles tightened unnaturally.
His eyes—
Gone.
Replaced with something feral.
Something empty.
Something hungry.
A student tried to run.
Draven moved.
Too fast.
Caught him.
Lifted him by the throat.
Silence.
For one second.
Then—
CRACK.
The body dropped.
The crowd froze.
Kael didn’t hesitate.
Blade drawn.
Stance perfect.
“…This ends now.”
He stepped forward—
Lucifer spoke.
“…Careful.”
Kael didn’t look at him.
“I don’t need your advice.”
Lucifer’s voice dropped.
“…You do.”
Too late.
Kael struck first.
Perfect angle.
Perfect timing.
The blade hit—
And stopped.
Draven caught it.
Bare-handed.
Blood dripping—
But no reaction.
Then—
He smiled.
BOOM—
Kael was thrown across the arena.
Crashing through stone.
Dust exploded.
The crowd panicked.
“…That’s not the same level—”
“…What is that—?!”
Lucifer exhaled slowly.
“…Annoying.”
He stepped forward.
Chirin panicked:
“Lucifer—don’t—”
Too late.
Draven turned.
Locked onto him instantly.
Instinct.
Recognition.
Target acquired.
He moved.
Faster than before.
Lucifer dodged—
Barely.
“…So you dropped thinking completely.”
Draven didn’t respond.
He attacked again.
Relentless.
No pause.
No pattern.
No hesitation.
Lucifer blocked—
But this wasn’t a fight anymore.
It was survival.
“…You’re not fighting to win…”
He slid back.
Avoided another strike.
“…You’re fighting to destroy.”
Draven lunged again—
Lucifer didn’t dodge.
He stepped forward—
and grabbed his arm.
BOOM—
Shockwave exploded.
They stood locked.
Force against control.
Lucifer’s eyes sharpened.
“…This is what happens when you lose.”
A pause.
Then—
his voice dropped.
“…Pathetic.”
Draven roared.
Aura surged again.
Even stronger.
Even more unstable.
The arena began to crack apart.
Students screamed.
Some fainted.
Even instructors couldn’t move.
From the dust—
Kael stood again.
Bleeding.
But steady.
“…We stop him. Together.”
Lucifer didn’t look at him.
“…You finally learned.”
Kael stepped beside him.
“…Don’t misunderstand.”
“I’m stopping a threat.”
Lucifer smirked.
“…Sure.”
They moved together.
Kael controlled angles.
Lucifer controlled flow.
For a moment—
It worked.
Draven was pushed back.
Forced to react.
Forced to defend.
Draven stopped.
Completely.
Still.
Silent.
The air froze.
Chirin whispered:
“…Lucifer… something’s wrong…”
Draven lifted his head slowly.
His aura—
collapsed inward.
Condensed.
Compressed.
Then—
Exploded.
Silently.
No shockwave.
No noise.
Just—
presence.
Lucifer’s eyes widened slightly.
“…Oh.”
Kael whispered:
“…Impossible…”
Draven moved.
They didn’t see it.
They felt it.
Lucifer blocked—
Too late.
Kael dodged—
Barely.
The gap—
was gone.
Lucifer stepped back.
For the first time—
truly serious.
“…This isn’t loss of control.”
A pause.
“…This is evolution.”
“ENOUGH.”
The principal descended.
Aura overwhelming everything.
Reality itself bent under her presence.
Draven froze.
Not by choice—
By force.
Chains of mana wrapped around him.
Sealing him.
Containing him.
Silence.
Heavy.
Broken.
Draven collapsed.
Unconscious.
Still breathing.
Barely.
Kael stood there.
Quiet.
“…That shouldn’t exist.”
Lucifer smiled faintly.
“…It does now.”
Chirin whispered:
“…He almost killed everyone…”
Lucifer turned away.
“…No.”
A pause.
“…He almost became something useful.”
As Draven was taken away—
His eyes opened slightly.
Just for a second.
Locked—
on Lucifer.
Not rage.
Not madness.
Recognition.
Then darkness.
Lucifer smiled.
“…Good.”
“…Don’t die yet.”