My F-Rank Sagea is Secretly an EX-Rank Calamity

Chapter 26: The Sol-Aura Beast

The crowd’s murmurs swelled into a roaring, toxic wave.

"That’s not fair! He’s known to have a trash squirrel, not a Sol-Aura Beast!" one of the detractors yelled.

"He cheated!"

"Someone like him can’t possess a Sol-Aura Beast, let alone two Sageas!"

The accusation caught fire. Soon, the entire arena was stamping their feet, chanting in a synchronized, deafening rhythm: "He cheated! He cheated!"

Without warning, Marnie broke through the dissipating smoky barrier, coughing violently.

Asher stumbled backward, suffocated by the thousands of angry faces and accusing fingers pointed dead at him.

"Seriously, Asher? You actually did this?" Marnie asked, clutching her chest, her eyes wide with betrayal.

"Wait - what? No! Kaito is mine!" Asher tried to defend himself, but his voice was instantly trampled under the sheer volume of the roaring stands.

He shook his head, a bitter taste rising in his throat. ’Just what do they want from me? I won fairly.’

Suddenly, Lord Malovik’s voice boomed through the arena, cutting through the chaos.

"Asher Flynn."

Asher tensed, his head snapping up toward the massive floating Aetherscope.

"Do you realize the consequences of cheating?"

The question hit him like a physical blow. His shoulders grew impossibly heavy, his hands trembling as a cold bead of sweat rolled from his temple down to his chin.

A volatile mixture of frustration and raw fury bubbled up in his chest. Asher let out a low, guttural growl - it sounded almost inhumane.

"I swear, the Sol-Aura Beast is my Sagea!" Asher barked back, his voice echoing. "I fed it a Sol-Aura spore I found during the merit trials!"

Lord Malovik’s eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. He turned his gaze to the other lords, who offered slow, calculating nods.

"And how do you intend to prove that?" Malovik asked coldly.

A ripple of snickers echoed from the elite students. They leaned forward, smirking, waiting for the fraud to pull evidence out of thin air.

"What?!" Asher snapped, throwing his hands into the air, completely losing his cool.

"Isn’t the Order of the Veil supposed to know all this stuff? You know, because you’re all so much more powerful and wiser than we children?"

The arena went dead silent, but Asher wasn’t done.

"If Kaito isn’t my Sagea, then why does it respond to me?!" he yelled at the sky.

"Asher Flynn, you do not speak to a Lord in that manner!" Lord Ignatius warned, his voice crackling with dangerous, latent heat.

"Like hell I won’t! I’m getting sick of these accusations every single minute! I breathe them in like oxygen! It’s frustrating!"

A collective gasp rippled through the stands. The students looked terrified - no one had ever dared to scream back at Lord Ignatius.

Instantly, the venomous whispers started up again.

"To think he was also this disrespectful and arrogant..."

Rowan gritted his teeth, his knuckles turning white. He could bear the humiliation no longer.

Without hesitation, he vanished, teleporting directly in front of his younger brother. His eyes were sharp with a warning challenge, yet perfectly respectful toward the dais.

The crowd fell hushed at the sudden intervention of the Academy Captain.

Rowan bowed deeply, then straightened his spine. "Lord Malovik, please forgive my brother’s severe lack of manners."

Asher flinched, his anger flaring hotter, but Rowan shot him a lethal glare over his shoulder.

"I will personally see to it that he never displays this kind of attitude again." With a swift, unyielding grip, Rowan forced Asher’s head down, bowing once more alongside him.

"Say you’re sorry," he hissed under his breath.

"But-"

"Just say it!"

Asher swallowed his pride, the words tasting like ash. "I’m deeply sorry, Lord Malovik... Lord Ignatius."

An oppressive, agonizing moment of silence hung over the arena before the Lords gave a dismissive wave, allowing the brothers to straighten up.

"Apology accepted," Lord Malovik stated, his gaze piercing. "So, Asher. This Sol-Aura Beast of yours... it is actually your squirrel, having undergone a forced evolution?"

Asher gave a stiff, tight nod.

"Lord Malovik, we all know an anomaly like this hasn’t occurred in decades," Lord Zephyr interjected.

"How can a mere child possess such absurd luck?" Lord Ignatius muttered.

"But is it really just luck?" Lady Vespera mused softly.

"Hmm."

"Lord Malovik," Lord Ignatius called out, his eyes locked on Asher. "It is best we investigate the validity of this evolution further after the Sovereign tournament has concluded."

"Agreed," Lord Malovik confirmed, returning his attention to the stadium. "The Order of the Veil has officially approved it. Asher Flynn wins this round."

The crowd exploded into furious boos, mixed with genuine shock. No one expected the notorious F-rank to walk away clean.

’I won, huh?’ Asher thought, his fists clenching so hard his nails bit into his palms. ’After all this humiliation, winning doesn’t even feel good anymore.’

"Come on, Kaito," he muttered, turning on his heel. He walked right past his brother, completely ignoring him, as Kaito trailed quietly behind his boots.

By the time Asher and Rowan reached their respective seats, Lady Kaelen had stepped back to the center of the dais, her voice amplifying across the restless crowd.

"The Quarter-Finals have officially concluded, which leaves the wildcard ’Jump’ card to be drawn right now!"

The atmosphere grew incredibly tense.

In a flash, another massive, crystalline Aetherscope materialized in the sky.

The five remaining participants’ names glowed against the glass: Rowan Flynn, Fang Richter, Seraphina Malovik, Asher Flynn, and Remi Faye.

"Brace yourselves! The ’Jump’ selection and the updated tournament board begin now!" Lady Kaelen announced, a subtle, knowing smile playing on her lips.

In the blink of an eye, the names began to shuffle violently.

Asher held his breath, burying his face in his hands. ’Please let me get someone I can handle! Just give me a fighting chance!’

A second later, a sharp, metallic chime echoed through the arena, confirming the lock-in.

The crowd let out a massive, unified gasp.

"No way!"

"How the hell is that fair?!"

Asher’s chest tightened painfully as a heavy, suffocating silence dropped over the stadium.

"What a lovely surprise!" Lady Kaelen said in awe, though her voice was entirely too calm, as if she had anticipated this exact outcome.

"And there we have it! For the upcoming Semi-Finals, Round One: Rowan Flynn vs. Seraphina Malovik!"

The students remained frozen.

’So that leaves me, Remi, and Fang... please, please let me fight one of them!’ Asher prayed, his heart hammering against his ribs.

"And Round Two will be Fang Richter..."

’And me! Come on, put me against Fang!’

"...versus Remi Faye!"

Asher felt his heart flatline.

"Which means," Lady Kaelen finalized, her voice echoing with finality, "Asher Flynn has drawn the wildcard and is selected to move straight up to the Finals!"

Asher jolted upright, his eyes widening in pure horror.

His name had a golden bright glow.

’No... no, no, no! That’s not right!’ An icy wave of panic flooded his veins.

Beads of cold sweat broke out across his forehead, trailing down his neck and freezing against his back.

The absolute silence of the arena felt like iron weights pressing down on his lungs. They were all staring at him. He could feel their glares cutting into him.

’There is no way in hell I can pull this off!’

"Now, do not forget the rules," Lady Kaelen concluded, smiling down at the arena.

"Both Semi-Final rounds must take place first. The two emerging winners will then face Asher Flynn at the same time in a handicap match. However, if Asher fails to defeat both of them, those two winners will spar against each other, and the victor will move up to the Sovereign Challenge! Best of luck to our competitors. Take a short break; announcements regarding the commencement of the Semi-Finals will begin soon."

The Aetherscope vanished, leaving only the glowing projection of the tournament board hovering in the sky.

Slowly, the elite students began to disperse, whispering fiercely. But Asher remained entirely rooted to his seat, staring blankly ahead. He couldn’t breathe.

[NOVA VESTA NOTICE]

[CRITICAL HEART RATE DETECTED: FORCING SAGEA MANIFESTATION]

A bright flash illuminated his lap. Kaito materialized right on top of Asher’s trembling thighs, instantly activating his Radiant Nuzzle skill.

A warm, soothing golden light pulsed from its fur, desperately trying to anchor Asher’s spiraling mind back to reality.