Chapter 123: The Lumen’s Wrath
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Leah shrieked in rage. She swiftly got to her feet and attacked Evelyn relentlessly with her spear, strike after strike, but Evelyn dodged every single one. They both moved so fast that the audience was left in a state of shock to see a lumen, matching a vampire’s speed.
Ivan watched the entire fight with his sharp gaze, though nothing showed on his face, but if one were to look closely, they would notice how his jaw clenched hard at the sight of someone trying to harm Eve. Every single cell in his body flared with protective instincts, urging him to step in and end it all. But he struggled to hold back, wanting Eve to shine on her own, and choosing to believe in her strength.
Back in the arena, Eve’s sword flared with golden light as she swung gracefully to attack. Leah used her spear to block her, but the sword cut the weapon in half, and the tip of Eve’s sword grazed Leah’s shoulder.
Leah stepped back in shock, blood dripping onto the ground in small, glistening drops.
She gritted her teeth and glared viciously at Eve, "You’ll pay for this!"
With that, she sprinted towards Evelyn, moving in a blur that made it nearly impossible to track her. Dust swirled around the arena from her swift movements. Before Eve could react, Leah’s hand curled around her in a crushing grip from behind, drawing a hidden dagger aimed at Eve’s neck.
The onlookers gasped in shock. Ivan moved instinctively to protect Eve, but Damien grabbed his shoulder. "Don’t! Watch closely."
Through the haze of dust, Ivan narrowed his eyes. When the dust settled a little, they saw Eve pressing her palm against the dagger with a thick golden barrier surrounding her palm, keeping the blade inches away from piercing her throat.
Just then, Leah dug her fingernail into Eve’s neck and snarled, "You should have died by those beasts!"
’Beasts?’ Eve thought, and her eyes suddenly flashed with a memory of the moment when Leah met her and Ivan back during the PE Examination, and had deliberately touched Eve’s sleeve.
Eve’s golden eyes widened, and she whispered, "It was you..."
Before Leah could respond, Eve’s powers suddenly surged. A blinding golden light pulsed from her body, forcing Leah to loosen her grip from Eve’s neck, and with a violent burst of energy, she was thrown backward, crashing on the ground from the sheer force of Eve’s powers.
Leah groaned in pain, feeling as though she had just been run over by a speeding carriage. Trembling, she struggled to push herself up, while Eve walked towards her with unnerving calm. Her expression was composed, yet her presence carried an overwhelming pressure that weighed on everyone watching, including the professors who were witnessing the true power of the lumen princess for the very first time.
Everyone felt the weight of her powers, except Ivan, whose keen eyes remained fixed on her as she approached Leah, who was still struggling to get up from the ground. He had heard Leah’s and Eve’s earlier exchange, and his expression darkened as he connected the dots.
Eve came to stand in front of Leah and raised her hand, and instantly golden beams of light shot out from her palm and coiled tightly around Leah’s arms and legs. She struggled to break free and barked as panic flooded her, "W-what is this?! What are you doing to me?!"
Eve remained composed as she stared at her with an unwavering gaze and spoke in a calm, almost ethereal voice, "Confess...confess what you did."
Leah’s eyes widened as she glared at Evelyn in a mix of fear and fury. "What’re you rambling about-" She trailed off mid-sentence, her voice faltering as she looked at Evelyn again. The woman standing before her no longer seemed like some weak, fragile princess. There was something otherworldly about her, something divine and terrifying. Under those piercing golden gazes, Leah instinctively felt small...inferior. And something in those eyes compelled her to speak the truth.
Before she knew it, her lips began to move on their own, "I-It was me!! was the one who rubbed the beast-attraction potion on your uniform, so that you’d be attacked and torn apart!" Leah’s voice trembled in shock, realising her own confession spilling out against her will.
Eve’s eyes sharpened, "Why?"
Again, Leah tried to resist, but the words forced their way out, "Why?! Because His Highness is mine! He should be with me and not you, some outsider who just entered his life and took him away from me!!" she shrieked, before clamping her lips shut, realising it was too late that everyone around them had heard every word.
Gasps rippled through the audience as the truth settled like a heavy storm.
Eve’s golden eyes bore into Leah’s and asked, "There are other victims...aren’t there?"
"Yes...I removed all those noble ladies who tried to covet him! Some were poisoned, some were taken care of by the servants to get rid of them!" Leah blurted out again, unable to stop herself.
She stared at Eve in disbelief, her voice trembling. "You...what are you?" she whispered. Then, her fear twisted into rage as she screamed, "What are you doing to me, you witch!!!"
Eve’s expression remained cold and unaffected. "You have sinned; there is blood on your hands. May the divine judgement fall upon you." She raised her hand, golden light surging around her, ready to obliterate Leah where she lay.
The ground trembled beneath them as Eve’s power swelled, making Leah scream in primal fear.
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But before the blast could be released, a blur of motion cut through the crowd. Ivan appeared behind her in an instant to stand behind Eve. He wrapped one arm firmly around her waist and the other one caught her raised hand, halting the strike. Leaning close, he whispered against her ear in a calm voice, "That’s enough, Eve. Come back to your senses. You’ll kill her at this rate...come back to me."
Eve heard Ivan’s voice, and instantly realised what she was about to do. The heat building in her palm was ready to burst. She tried to pull it back, but it didn’t work.
She struggled and spoke in a trembling voice, "I-Ivan, I can’t...it’s going to burst through my hand."
Ivan glanced around at the sea of eyes watching the spectacle and knew it would be disastrous if Leah died here at Eve’s hands. The officials would be out for blood.
"Listen to me," he said firmly, his voice low but commanding. "I’m here...call it back, just like you did last night."
Eve turned her golden eyes over her shoulder and met his blazing molten orange gaze. His aura flared fiercely, reacting to hers, and as it did, her golden light seemed to respond, spreading and brushing his fiery energy, like caressing a lover.
Suddenly, another vision flashed before both of their eyes:
A woman with golden hair stood clad in golden armor beside a man with raven-black hair. Together, they faced burning fields as thousands of shadowy creatures advanced towards them.
The golden-haired woman reached out, and the man intertwined his fingers with hers. In that moment, her body blazed with a brilliant golden light, while his aura ignited in fierce, molten orange.
And just like that, the vision was swallowed by light, leaving Eve and Ivan staring at each other wide-eyed. Their powers slowly subsided, fading into stillness, but neither of them moved.
As she read his expression, she whispered softly, "You saw it too...."
He didn’t say anything, only gave a silent nod as he slowly released her hand and lowered his own. She parted her lips, ready to ask more, but before she could, Professor Seira and Professor Leo came running towards them.
Ivan stepped to Evelyn’s side, letting go of her waist, but remaining close to her in a protective stance.
Professor Seira asked, "Are you all right, Princess Evelyn?"
Evelyn snapped out of her daze and looked around to find both professors staring at her as if she were some otherworldly being. When her eyes moved to Leah, she saw the woman lying wide-eyed on the ground, looking as though her soul had left her body.
Seeing them still waiting for an answer, she finally spoke softly, "Yes."
Professor Leo crouched down beside Leah to check her pulse and said, "She’s fine, just in shock, it seems."
Then, glancing behind him, he noticed that almost all the students and several professors were on the ground because of the commotion caused by his students. He let out a long sigh before saying, "Somebody call the guards to escort Lady Leah to the headmaster’s office for all the crimes she’s confessed to."
Professor Dante made his way to them, followed by some guards, who lifted the still shaken Leah and escorted her away towards the headmaster’s office.
"Princess Evelyn, you are also required to meet the Headmaster in his office." Professor Dante said with a smile, though his red eyes studied her curiously.
Ivan’s brows furrowed at that, and he took a dangerous step forward, "And why does she need to go anywhere?"
Dante raised his hands in mock surrender, "Well..don’t ask me. It’s Headmaster Charles’s orders."
Eve also became worried and feared that she might be in trouble for losing control of her powers and causing such a scene. Not wanting Ivan to get dragged into it, she quietly raised her hand and touched Ivan’s arms, "It’s fine," she said softly, then turned to Dante, "I’ll go."
"Then I’m coming with you," Ivan said in a tone that left no room for argument.
Dante chuckled, "Well, well, it thrills me to see my star pair getting along so well." He then turned around and gestured to them to follow, "Come along now, chop chop!"
