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

Chapter 27: Breaking Point

Within minutes, the arena emptied out completely, leaving only Asher, Kaito, and the other four remaining Semi-Finalists behind.

[NOVA VESTA NOTICE]

[CRITICAL DISTRESS DETECTED]

[INCREASING RADIANT NUZZLE EFFECTIVENESS BY 10%]

Kaito purred softly, scaling up Asher’s uniform to nuzzle his head tightly against the boy’s trembling chest.

Asher let out a ragged, defeated sigh, burying his face deep into his palms as a wave of cool, artificial calm washed over his frantic nerves.

Suddenly, a shadow fell over him. The other four students had surrounded his seat.

"Well, congrats on moving up, Asher," Seraphina declared smoothly. She crossed her arms, looking down at him with a piercing gaze. "However, you shouldn’t let your guard down. Because I will be taking you down myself."

Asher didn’t respond. He couldn’t. His face remained buried in his hands, completely unresponsive while Kaito sat protectively on his shoulder.

"What? Too scared to even come up with a comeback?" Seraphina taunted, her brow furrowing as her eyes flickered down to the Sol-Aura Beast.

Having had entirely enough, Remi stepped directly between them, cutting off Seraphina’s line of sight. She crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing into a dangerous, icy glare.

"Why don’t you try sitting in a corner and coming up with ways to humble yourself out there?" Remi countered sharply. "You know, for someone of your rank, you’re embarrassingly egotistical."

Seraphina’s jaw tightened. "Excuse me?!"

"Oh, you’re excused," Remi fired back with a sweet, mocking smile.

Fuming, Seraphina spun on her heel and stormed off, the others watching her retreating figure.

Fang and Rowan, having witnessed the brief clash between the two girls, exchanged a heavy look and decided to give Asher space.

"Asher... I’ll be in the dorm if you’re ready to talk," Rowan admitted quietly, his voice laced with guilt. "And I’m sorry if you feel burdened by all of this."

With a final, lingering look, Rowan turned and exited the tunnel alongside Fang, leaving only Asher and Remi in the massive, quiet arena.

I can’t do this! Asher screamed in the silence of his own mind. There is no way!

[NOVA VESTA NOTICE]

[YES, YOU CAN]

I can’t! Asher fiercely argued back. You literally disappeared the exact moment I stepped onto the battlefield!

[YES. YOU. CAN.]

"I SAID I CAN’T!" Asher roared out loud.

He clutched his head in sheer agony, his sudden outburst startling both Remi and Kaito.

With a sharp chirp, Kaito leaped off his shoulder, landing directly onto Remi’s chest, purring frantically.

"No one even validates my success," Asher trailed off, his voice cracking as hot tears blurred his vision.

"What’s the damn point of being at the top if everyone just hates me anyway...?"

"Hey..." Remi called out softly, stepping closer.

"Not in the mood, Remi," Asher snapped coldly, pushing himself up from his seat. He glared at the floor. "Kaito, recede."

With a sudden flash of golden light, the Sol-Aura Beast dissolved into raw mana particles, flowing back into Asher’s core.

"Asher! Just listen—"

"Remi, I said not right now!" Asher snapped, turning his back to her completely.

The heavy, suffocating tension hung like iron between them. Remi lowered her hand, her expression falling into deep disappointment.

"Okay..."

Without another word, Asher retreated.

>>>>>>>> VEILED SANCTUM <<<<<<<<

Within the inner sanctum, the High Lords of the Order of the Veil sat in their traditional grand circle.

"Well, that officially concludes the Quarter-Finals," Lady Vespera noted, her voice echoing off the stone walls.

Before anyone could reply, the heavy chamber doors burst open. Maverick rushed into the room, dropping to one knee in absolute haste as every single Lord snapped their head toward him.

"Please pardon my sudden intrusion, my Lords... but-!" Maverick gasped for breath, pulling a blood-red scroll from his robes. He tossed it into the air, where it instantly materialized into something terrifying.

A red Aetherscope.

The Lords tensed up uniformly, the temperature in the room instantly plummeting.

The crimson projection flickered to life, revealing the ominous silhouette of Lucian Morgaunt, casually leaning back on a throne constructed entirely from fused human skulls.

"Isn’t it nice to be back, hmm? Order of the Veil?" Morgaunt’s voice echoed through the chamber, so crystal clear it felt as though he were physically standing in the room.

Lord Zephyr’s hands gripped his armrest so tightly the ancient wood groaned. His pupils dilated slightly at the sudden, horrific return of his infamous cousin.

The projection chuckled, a low, rasping sound.

"It must be quite a shock to see I have returned. Thanks to the Elite Five I have raised, my resurrection was nothing short of apocalyptic."

He paused, his dark eyes locking onto the screen. "I must say, you all know the exact reason for this transmission. After all... we share the same blood. Oh, and I wonder how my dear little cousin is doing? Get ready, Zephyr. We are due for a one-on-one visit."

Morgaunt offered a slow, sadistic smirk before the red Aetherscope shattered into a cloud of harmless red dust.

Maverick remained perfectly still on one knee, awaiting orders.

"Lord Malovik... what do we do?" Lord Ignatius asked, his fiery demeanor completely replaced by grim realization.

Lord Malovik let out a long, heavy sigh, rubbing his temples.

"Maverick. Tighten all security parameters along the borders of Ravenwood. Increase the guard within the academy walls as well. We will figure out the rest."

"Yes, my Lord," Maverick responded instantly, rising and retreating from the chamber to execute the command.

Down on the central table’s interactive holographic map, the dark purple blotch spreading across the continent suddenly pulsed with a violent, erratic rhythm.

"We weren’t expecting them to move this quickly," Lord Ignatius admitted grimly.

"We cannot send these children out there. Not anymore," Lord Zephyr warned, his voice shaking slightly. He knew exactly what his cousin was capable of.

"Then who else is supposed to tackle them?" Lady Kaelen asked, the weight of the question settling heavily over the council.

"Deploying the students remains our best tactical option, Lord Zephyr," Lord Ignatius countered, leaning forward. "They are exceptionally strong. The Merit Trials proved their combat readiness."

"Perhaps our direct presence on the battlefield would play right into their hands," Lady Vespera reasoned thoughtfully. "Lucian Morgaunt is expecting us to react. He does not expect them."

Lord Malovik remained completely silent, his calculating eyes locked onto the quickening pulse of the purple anomaly on the map.

"Their lives will be entirely forfeit," Lord Zephyr insisted, turning his gaze directly to Malovik to voice the dark truth none of them wanted to admit.

"Lucian Morgaunt has already bypassed the catastrophic consequences of the ancient Bond Laws. He claims lives without hesitation. And so do his Five Elites."

An oppressive, absolute silence fell over the Order of the Veil.

>>>>THE ACADEMY HALLWAYS<<<<

Asher trudged slowly through the stone corridors, navigating his way back toward the dorms. His eyes had gone entirely blank, a mask of pure, unadulterated frustration painted across his face.

As he walked, the passing students actively veered away from him, their expressions twisted in open disgust.

"Oh look, it’s the fraud."

"Deceit is practically written all over his face."

How long is this crap going to last?

Asher questioned bitterly, his fists clenching inside his pockets.

I never even wanted a damn Sagea in the first place. Why the hell can’t I just be normal like everybody else?

Sensing a presence, Asher realized a small crowd was trailing closely behind his boots.

The constant pressure finally pushed him over the edge. Stopping dead in his tracks, Asher violently spun around and snapped.

"What the hell do you want from me?!"

The students flinched, a few instinctively taking a step back.

But as Asher’s eyes scanned the group, his anger momentarily evaporated.

He recognized the faces. It was a group of twelve students - the exact ones he had protected and led out of The Forbidden Sector Salvage during the deadly Merit Trials.

"What do you all want?" Asher asked again, his tone dropping from fury to genuine confusion.

Riley Cloverwick stepped forward from the front of the group, a nervous but genuine smile on his face.

"Well... we just wanted to properly thank you for saving our butts back then. And to congratulate you for making it to the Finals."

The other eleven students nodded eagerly behind him.

Asher stood completely frozen. His gaze dropped down to their hands, only just realizing that every single one of them was holding a gift wrapped up for him.