Chapter 366: Inter-Academy Tournament (XVIII)
Outside the island challenge area, in the grand viewing hall of the Inter-Academy Exchange, a massive crowd had gathered.
Huge projection screens floated in the air, showing live footage of the battles happening across the island.
The final day was the most anticipated part of the event, and the hall was packed with students, professors, nobles, and important figures from all over the kingdom.
Headmistress Gloria stood at the front, her golden eyes fixed on the screen showing her academy’s camp.
Her expression was cold and focused, but there was a faint tension in her posture.
Beside her, Aurora stood with her arms crossed, her voluptuous figure drawing many glances, but her eyes were locked on the same screen with a small, satisfied smile.
The crowd erupted in cheers and gasps as Gray’s [Severing Pursuit] played out on the screens.
"Did you see that?!" a young student shouted.
"He cut through everything with one move!"
A nobleman standing nearby nodded in awe.
"That technique... doesn’t it look like Miss Clementine’s? The way it locked onto the real students and ignored the clones... terrifying."
Aurora’s smile widened slightly as she watched Gray stand calmly in the middle of the destruction.
"He got even better than I expected," she murmured.
"That move was just perfect."
Gloria’s expression remained cold, but her fingers tightened slightly on the railing in front of her.
’...He’s strong... really, even with the limitations we placed on him, he’s still dominating my students...’
The crowd’s reaction was electric. People were standing up, pointing at the screens, and talking excitedly among themselves.
"Did you see how he didn’t even draw his rapier at first?" a girl in the crowd said. "And when he did... it was over in seconds!"
An older professor nodded.
"That’s the power of a true genius. The way he adapted to the curse and still turned the fight around... I’ve never seen anything like it."
In a private viewing box near the front, a beautiful woman with long, flowing blue hair and elegant features watched the screen with great interest.
She was the Northern Duchess, Selene’s mother, a powerful mermaid who had been watching the tournament from the beginning.
Her eyes were fixed on Gray, and a small, intrigued smile appeared on her lips.
"So that’s the boy my daughter has been so interested in," she murmured to herself. "Gray Vireux... he’s even more impressive than the rumors suggested."
She leaned forward slightly, her eyes sparkling with curiosity as she watched him stand calmly after the technique.
"The way he moves... the precision of that strike... he looks extremely dangerous... I really like that."
A servant standing beside her bowed slightly.
"Duchess, should we send a message to Lady Selene?"
The Northern Duchess shook her head, her smile widening.
"No. Let her handle it herself. But I’ll be keeping a close eye on this Gray Vireux. He might be worth meeting in person after the tournament."
Back in the main hall, Aurora chuckled softly as she watched Gloria’s reaction.
"You look worried, Gloria," she said teasingly.
"Your students are putting up a good fight, but Gray is on another level. Are you regretting not letting him take the late exams now?"
Gloria didn’t look at her, but her voice was cold.
"He’s still just one student. My academy has many talents. This isn’t over yet."
Aurora’s smile didn’t fade.
"We’ll see," she replied.
"But I think your students are about to learn a hard lesson."
She grinned widely, looking with pure satisfaction at the screen.
There, Gray moved, and in a blur of motion, he appeared in front of Maelis, who was still trying to maintain the gravity field on Seraph.
Gray lightly tapped her wrist, breaking her concentration. The gravity field vanished instantly, freeing Seraph.
Before anyone could react, Gray reached Seraph in the next step.
He pulled her into his arms in a bridal carry, one arm under her knees and the other supporting her back.
"Ahh?!" Seraph let out a small, surprised gasp as she was lifted, but she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on tightly.
The sight caused a clear flash of jealousy in the eyes of Selene, Selina, and Claire.
Selene’s cyan aura flickered as she watched Gray holding Seraph so protectively. Her grip on her sword tightened, but she didn’t attack.
Selina’s eyes narrowed slightly, her staff lowering as she stared at the scene.
Claire’s face flushed again, but this time it was with clear jealousy as she watched Gray carry Seraph so effortlessly.
Gray smirked teasingly as he looked at the remaining Gloria students.
"The supposedly number one academy getting eliminated in the first challenge, huh?" he stated calmly, but his voice was laced with mockery.
The words hit hard.
Adrian’s face darkened, his sword lowering slightly as he realized the fight was lost.
The other students stood in silence as their confidence had been completely broken.
But then, Adrian suddenly started laughing.
"Pfft... phwahahaha!!"
It started as a low chuckle, then grew into a full, cold laugh that echoed through the corridor. The sound was unexpected, and it made the other Gloria students look at him in confusion.
Adrian raised his head, his eyes still dark but now filled with a triumphant glint.
"You really thought it would be that easy?" he stated coldly.
"We knew how powerful you were, Gray. We prepared for this."
FWOOOOSHH!
THRUUUUUUUUUUUM!
Exactly twenty-two arrays appeared around Gray in an instant.
They glowed with different colors and runes, each one designed for a specific purpose.
Some were weakening arrays that tried to drain his mana and strength, others were trapping arrays that locked the space around him, and some were curse arrays that targeted his body and mind.
The arrays formed a perfect cage, surrounding him from all directions and leaving almost no gap.
Adrian’s lips curled into a cold smile.
"We prepared this just for you. The moment you showed up, we activated the trap. You’re not getting out of this one."
The other students stood up with triumphant smiles, their confidence returning as they saw Gray trapped in the arrays.
"We did it," Maelis said quietly, her voice filled with relief.
"He can’t escape all of those at once."
Selene lowered her sword slightly, her cyan aura fading as she watched the arrays.
"It’s over," she said.
Outside the island, in the grand viewing hall, Gloria stood with her arms crossed, a rare smile on her face as she watched the screen.
She turned to Aurora, her voice filled with mockery.
"Didn’t I tell you? My academy has plenty of talented students...!"
But then, she noticed that Aurora was smiling.
The headmistress of Clementine’s Sword & Magic Academy simply looked at the screen with a calm, confident expression.
"Do you think that’s enough to stop Gray?" Aurora asked, her voice soft but filled with certainty.
Gloria froze slightly, her smile fading as she looked back at the screen.
The arrays around Gray glowed brighter, trying to drain his power and trap him completely.
The weakening arrays pulled at his mana, the trapping arrays locked the space, and the curse arrays tried to numb his senses.
"...Hmn. Duable..." he nodded to himself.
The pressure, of course, was immense, but he didn’t panic. Instead, he raised his rapier, the blade gleaming under the dim light of the ruin.
"Soul Chasing Extremities..."
The air around him changed, just like before.
A faint, almost invisible trace of Soul Chasing Qi began to flow through his body and the rapier, making the blade glow with a subtle, ethereal light.
"[Third Move, Soul Reaving Pursuit]"
In the next instant, Gray moved.
Swoop!
The rapier became a blur as he swung it in a wide, controlled arc.
The Soul Chasing Qi surged forward, locking onto the arrays themselves.
The technique was designed to sever not just physical things, but the very connections and flows of energy that held them together.
The first array, a weakening one, shattered with a loud crack, its runes breaking apart as the Qi cut through its core.
The second and third arrays followed, their trapping and curse functions collapsing as the Soul Reaving Pursuit tore through their structures.
One by one, the twenty-two arrays began to break.
The weakening arrays that had been draining his mana exploded into sparks.
The trapping arrays that had locked the space around him cracked and dissolved.
The curse arrays that had been trying to numb his senses shattered like glass.
The entire cage of arrays collapsed in a brilliant display of light and mana, the runes fading into nothing as Gray’s technique severed their connections completely.
The place fell silent once again.
Gray stood in the middle of the broken arrays, his rapier still raised as the last traces of Soul Chasing Qi faded from the blade.
He looked at the Gloria students with the same calm expression.
The fight was far from over, but the trap they had prepared for him had been completely dismantled.
Adrian’s face paled as he stared at the destroyed arrays.
"...How?" he muttered, his voice filled with disbelief.
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