Chapter 22: End of the Rising Ceremony
I looked at the monsters that surrounded me. They were the same monsters that had surrounded Lux before. I chose the same type of monsters with the same number. I just wanted to outperform everyone. I didn't have any desire to break record or anything.
The audience was unable to view the arena properly because the sun had already set, and the crystal light was not sufficient to cover the entire arena. Additionally, the monsters were releasing smoke, which was a side effect of entering another environment. They had previously lived in demon land and consumed demon energy, but now they were consuming mana, causing them to release black smoke.
I stood still in the center of the arena, surrounded by monsters, wearing a bored expression. I thought to myself, 'I won't take as much time as Lux.' I observed the silence in the entire stadium. They must have been thinking about how I would do the same thing Lux did. After his inspiring performance, everyone already expected that Lux had the greatest talent and was unrivaled. They all wanted to know if I could do the same thing or I would die like a dog.
All the monsters started running toward me, channeling their abilities. Some shot beams at me, while others ran toward me at incredible speeds. I remained still, not moving an inch. When they were about a meter away from me, I said, "Black bullet," in a low voice.
Around 20 balls of dark energy formed in front of me. As all the attack beams were about a foot away from me, I said, "Atomic rotation," in a low voice. Upon saying that, all the balls started rotating in an atomic manner. I had learned this trick when I was with Luna in the forest. The rotation was so fast that the balls became invisible to the naked eye. All the attack beams started vanishing as they approached me. It looked like an invisible shield was protecting me from any attack.
As all the beams vanished, I whispered, "Expand," causing all the balls to expand their radius. As the radius expanded, all the black smoke was sucked into the motion. The atomic motion was so fast that it created a tornado of black smoke. I stared in awe at the unexpected result. I found myself at the center of the tornado.
The tornado resembled a natural disaster. All the monsters that were running toward me came to a halt. They took a step back, turned around, and started running in the opposite direction, screaming as if they had seen a real devil.
'That's enough,' I thought, and again whispered, "Expand." As I said that, the tornado expanded at a terrifying speed. In an instant, all the monsters were consumed by the tornado. Within a minute, they were all dead, their existence erased from this world. All the dark energy entered my body as if returning to its home.
After a while, the tornado stopped. No one cheered or shouted anything. In just a minute, all the monsters were dead, and even their bodies were nowhere to be seen. It was as if they had never existed. The audience still vividly remembered the scene when the black tornado formed and the monsters died, like ants trampled by a human. They screamed and ran for their lives, but it was all in vain.
No one clapped; some even forgot to breathe. No one believed what they had just witnessed was real. They all had the same thought in their minds: 'What is this?' The black tornado, the screams of the monsters, and the ability to kill all 50 level-five monsters in just a minute—let alone the mystery of the vanished bodies.
Everyone was too shocked to say or do anything. Even those seated on the 8 thrones remained silent. Some looked to Maximum Blackthorn for answers, while others were busy processing the mind-boggling spectacle they had just witnessed. They had already deemed Lux's feat as impossible. Now, faced with this, they were left questioning, 'What is this?
Maximum Blackthorn was no different from the others. He, too, was busy processing what his son had just done, but unknowingly, a smirk formed on his face. He felt proud of his son's accomplishment but remained curious about his abilities.
I looked around, taking in the dead silence that filled the stadium. Well, it's understandable. That tornado was akin to a natural disaster. I have no idea how it happened. It could be a property of dark energy. I'll have to research it, I thought to myself as I turned towards the exit of the arena.
'This caused more commotion than I anticipated,' I thought as I observed the still and silent stadium. 'But I know that it will all fade once the real surprise arrives.' I gazed towards the 8 thrones, knowing that the true spectacle was yet to come. The man in the middle rose from his throne and shouted in a loud and frightening voice, "Seize the capital!" He flew towards a specific location at a terrifying speed. Everyone watched this scene with confused expressions, as it was rare to see the King so angry. The King even forgot about the heads of the families, pushing aside the nearby thrones as he flew.
'The plan succeeds,' I thought to myself as I exited the arena. A smile crept onto my face, knowing that the most dangerous part of the plan was completed.
...
As I entered my VIP room, my gaze fell upon Olivia, who was standing near the couch. She looked at me, and I nodded my head. In return, she nodded, giving me a sense of relief, knowing that she had also completed her task perfectly. Now, all I had to do was wait.
...
It has been a week since the conclusion of the Rising Ceremony. I am still staying in the room provided by the royal family within the royal palace. They have been searching for a culprit for a week but have yet to make any breakthroughs. Finally, they have allowed everyone to leave the capital after an extensive investigation.
Many families protested against this decision, but their efforts were in vain. We are talking about the royal treasury here. After completing my own checks, I stood at the exit gate of the royal palace, with Olivia standing silently behind me in her role as my personal maid.
My father sent a servant to inform me that I needed to go to the Blackthorn's main palace immediately.
'Yes, I can already smell money,' I thought, already guessing the reason why my father wanted me at the Blackthorn's main palace. I looked towards Isabella, who was approaching me. She must be here to apologize on behalf of the royal family.
"I apologize for the inconvenience. The stolen jewelry belonged to my mother, and it was her favorite. My father overreacted because he loved her dearly," she said as she drew closer.
'Please come up with a more reasonable excuse. No one will believe this. Well, it's not like you can say something like our treasury was robbed or anything,' I thought to myself, inwardly laughing at the absurdity of the situation.
"No problem. The King truly loved the Queen so much that he even kept the head of the family in the capital," I replied teasingly. Even she knew that nobody believed such nonsense.
"Well, your performance was really... I mean, amazing," she said, attempting to change the subject. I didn't want to discuss it either, so I accepted the shift in topic.
"Thanks," I replied with the best smile I could muster at that moment. My mood was quite sour as I had spent the entire week confined to my room. They didn't allow anyone to leave their rooms until the investigations were completed.
"So, are you heading straight to the Blackthorn estate?" she asked, causing a look of confusion to cross my face. It was an unexpected question.
'Why does she want to know that?' I pondered silently, but nevertheless, I answered, "Yes," while mentally adding, 'before stopping somewhere,'.
She nodded, saying, "Let's meet at the academy. I have to apologize to more people." She took a step back, still wearing her usual amazing smile.
"Okay, see you at the academy," I replied, and she turned around and left. I, too, entered my carriage.
...
I was standing in a forest near the capital. This was the place where I needed to make a stop. Olivia stood beside me as we both looked in a specific direction.
After some time, a figure appeared in the distance. As the figure got closer, it became clear that it was a girl of about 7 years old, lacking in beauty. She knelt down and presented a red ring to me, holding it with both hands. I glanced at the red ring and nodded my head.
Taking the ring from her, I examined it closely. I tightly gripped the ring, causing its color to change to blue. I handed the ring to Olivia, who was standing beside me. Then, I turned to the girl, who remained kneeling with her head lowered.
I commanded her to stand, which she did, but her head still remained lowered. I reached out my hand and delivered a tight slap to her cheek. The force of the slap made her stagger backward. Her cheek turned bright red, yet she did not retaliate. She simply kept her head lowered. This was the first time I had slapped a woman, but she truly deserved it.
"Seriously, trying to kill a person just because you feel inferior," I remarked, recalling how she had attempted to kill Olivia. Yes, she was Miss Firestone. I had instructed Olivia to control her and use her in our escape plan. It had been challenging to control her, as she had shadow guards, but with the chaos caused by the royal family its was somewhat easy. we had managed to change the color of the ring and give it to Miss Firestone to wear. I couldn't wear women's jewelry, and Olivia couldn't afford something so expensive. This can cause suspicion, so we used her. I also wanted to repay her for what she had done. I despised her. I had no idea how many girls she had killed due to her inferiority complex.
"Go and never kill anyone," I ordered her, then turned around and began walking towards my carriage. I had already asked Luna to keep an eye on our surroundings, ensuring that no one overheard our conversation. Just as I was about to enter my carriage, Luna materialized in front of me and said, "Someone saw everything." Her voice remained calm, but her words ignited panic within me. Who could have seen us? Could it be someone from the royal family? For the first time in a while, I lost my composure.
"Who saw us? H-How can... You were observing," I stammered, trembling at the end of my sentence. This was nothing short of a nightmare to me. Everything started crumbling in my mind. I envisioned my own merciless death and excruciating torture until the end of my days.
"I can't see that far. Someone must be using some sort of artifact to do so. I only just noticed it," she replied in the same calm tone as before, which only fueled my anger. She was immortal, unafraid of death, and even seemed to welcome it. I looked around and immediately entered my carriage, followed by Luna and Olivia. If that person was from the royal family, they might have seen the blue ring artifact in my possession. They might be on their way to apprehend me, I thought as I ordered my coachman to drive as fast as possible.
I had become so arrogant that I believed no one could touch me, but I had forgotten that I was still a mere baby compared to these seasoned monsters. "Can you catch that person?" I asked Luna, who was sitting beside Olivia. I was truly angry with Luna for her carelessness, but now I needed her more than ever.
"No, that person must have already left," she replied, which further heightened my anxiety. I truly didn't know what would happen to me now. All I could do was pray to God and wait to see what would unfold. Would I be exposed or not?
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Author's Note:
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