The Villian Who Broke The Story

Chapter 90: Chapter 90: Aftermath

Kael looked down at Hulk’s unconscious body and slowly let out a long breath.

Only after the battle had ended did he truly begin to feel the consequences of everything he had forced his body through.

His arms trembled uncontrollably.

Not just his arms.

His entire body shook violently.

It wasn’t from fear.

Nor was it from exhaustion alone.

It was the backlash of forcing Darkness Mana through every mana conduit in his body.

He slowly raised one hand before his face.

The slight trembling became more obvious the longer he stared at it.

"So this is the price..."

He flexed his fingers.

A sharp pain immediately shot through his arm, causing him to wince.

Every mana conduit in his body felt frayed, as though tiny cracks had formed throughout them after enduring the violent flow of Darkness Mana.

Trying to emphasize an element throughout his entire body had never ended well during training.

Even now...

After countless failed attempts...

The consequences were still severe.

The only reason he wasn’t lying unconscious beside Hulk was because of one thing.

[Infinite Adaptation].

Kael silently observed his trembling hand.

He could already feel the unique ability working inside his body.

The damaged mana conduits were slowly beginning to recover.

The process wasn’t fast enough to remove the pain immediately.

But it was happening.

Without Infinite Adaptation...

He doubted he would have been capable of standing after that battle.

A group of academy mages hurried onto the arena carrying healing staffs.

One of them immediately approached Kael.

"Student, hold still."

"We need to examine your injuries."

Another healer looked at his trembling arms with a worried expression.

"You’ve severely overstrained your mana pathways."

"If left untreated—"

"I’m fine."

Kael interrupted before the healer could finish.

The mage frowned.

"This isn’t something you should ignore."

Kael simply shook his head.

"I appreciate the concern."

"But I’ll recover."

The healer hesitated.

Normally, students gladly accepted healing after difficult matches.

Yet Kael calmly stepped past them.

His body still trembled slightly, but his footsteps remained steady.

The academy mages exchanged helpless glances before ultimately shifting their attention toward Hulk, whose injuries were far more severe.

Kael stopped briefly.

He turned around one last time.

His gaze rested on the unconscious dwarf.

A faint grin appeared on his face.

"...That ferocious bastard."

Despite everything...

Despite nearly getting his head crushed...

Kael couldn’t help but respect Hulk.

Among every opponent he had fought since entering the academy...

Hulk had pushed him the furthest.

He had forced Kael to reveal one of the trump cards he had been hiding ever since Miss Stella’s training began.

Mana Emphasization.

Kael quietly left the arena.

As he walked through the tunnel leading away from the battlefield, he lowered his head slightly.

"I never planned on using it this early..."

The technique had been nothing more than an idea at first.

It all began when he repeatedly attempted to apply his element directly to the Celestial Star Sword Art.

Every attempt ended in failure.

Sometimes the mana dispersed before taking shape.

Other times it exploded inside his body, leaving him barely able to move for the rest of the day.

Even after countless attempts...

The results never changed.

Yet Kael refused to give up.

Instead of abandoning the idea...

He changed his approach.

If he couldn’t force the mana into the sword technique...

Then he’d become the conduit himself.

That single thought eventually gave birth to his version of Mana Emphasization.

Even then...

The training had been brutal.

His body had suffered countless internal injuries before he could barely maintain the technique for a few seconds.

And today’s battle proved one thing.

He still hadn’t mastered it.

Far from it.

As Kael disappeared into the corridor, the cheers erupting from the stadium continued echoing behind him.

The battle between Kael Draven and Hulk had already become one of the most talked-about matches of the tournament.

But Kael paid the noise no attention.

His thoughts were already fixed on the battles that still awaited him.

Zion.

And beyond him...

Aurelia Voss.

While Kael quietly left the arena, the discussions inside the stadium were only becoming louder.

Most of the students were still replaying the battle in their minds.

Some couldn’t believe Kael had fought a Combat Dwarf barehanded.

Others were still trying to understand the Darkness Mana that had covered his body during the latter half of the fight.

Up in the VIP lounge, Master Crawford watched the arena with a satisfied smile.

"So that’s the strength of a Combat Dwarf..." he muttered. "And a top-level one at that."

Garrick burst into loud laughter.

"Are you telling me you’re worried because one of them tanked one of your techniques like it was nothing?" he asked with a grin.

Master Crawford chuckled and shook his head.

"Nah."

"That doesn’t bother me at all."

He folded his arms before continuing.

"At this stage, the first seven forms of the Celestial Star Sword Art are performed using mana."

"But from the Eighth Form onward..."

"You must be capable of using Aura."

His gaze remained fixed on the arena.

"I doubt Combat Dwarfs are as Aura resistant as they are Mana resistant."

"And for someone like me..."

"...who already uses Aura even while performing the First Form..."

He smiled faintly.

"I doubt any Combat Dwarf below my rank would survive it."

He paused for a brief moment before adding,

"Though even that is debatable."

Garrick smirked.

"So..."

"Would you like to test that theory?"

Master Crawford turned towards him.

"Would you like to find out?"

The two stared at each other for a moment before Garrick laughed again.

"Already itching for a fight because you saw the younglings battle?"

Madam Voss spoke before either of them could continue.

Her voice remained as emotionless as ever.

"How pathetic."

Garrick rubbed the back of his head.

"I wasn’t that serious."

"You never are," Madam Voss replied without even looking at him.

Master Crawford merely smiled.

"I was actually wondering how Zion feels right now."

That remark caused Garrick’s expression to change slightly.

"You think Kael’s performance affected him?"

"It would be strange if it didn’t," Crawford answered.

"He just watched Kael defeat an opponent without his primary weapon." Crawford continued.

For the first time since the conversation began, Madam Voss shifted her gaze toward the arena.

"Whether he used a sword or not doesn’t matter."

"What matters..."

"...is whether he can keep doing it."

Master Crawford nodded.

"That’s true."

"The backlash on his body wasn’t small."

"He hid it well, but anyone paying attention could see it."

"He’ll need time before using Mana Emphasization like that again especially with his element."

Garrick folded his arms.

"Still..."

"That boy keeps surprising everyone."

"He keeps pulling out something new every time he fights."

Master Crawford laughed softly.

"I suppose that’s what makes this tournament interesting."

His gaze drifted toward the tunnel Kael had disappeared into.

"I’ll admit..."

"I’m looking forward to seeing how far that boy can go."

Madam Voss remained silent.

Though her expression never changed...

Her eyes lingered in the same direction for a brief moment before returning to the arena, where preparations for the next battle had already begun.

Charlotte remained seated in the stands, her eyes fixed on the tunnel Kael had disappeared into.

She hadn’t moved since the battle ended.

The image of Kael fighting Hulk with nothing but his fists replayed repeatedly in her mind.

She had watched every one of Kael’s matches since the tournament began.

She had seen him defeat Felix.

She had watched him copy Zion’s Guiding Light.

She had witnessed him overwhelm the Tigerkin.

Yet...

This battle felt different.

It was the closest she had ever seen Kael fight at full strength.

More importantly...

It was the first time she had seen him use his mana in such a strange way.

The upperclassmen around her were still discussing it.

"That was Mana Emphasization."

"I didn’t think a first year could use it."

"No... not even most upperclassmen can."

Charlotte lowered her head slightly.

"Mana Emphasization..."

"How come he never told me about something like that?"

"He never even tried teaching me..."

"How exactly do you expect him to teach you something he has barely learnt himself?"

A familiar voice answered her thoughts.

Charlotte jumped slightly before quickly turning around.

"Miss Stella!"

"When did you get here?"

Stella ignored the question entirely and stood beside Charlotte, her gaze resting on the now-empty arena.

"What did you mean by Kael teaching me something he hasn’t learnt?" Charlotte asked.

Stella remained silent for a moment before answering.

"Kael’s growth over these past two months has almost been like a cheat."

Charlotte blinked.

"A cheat?"

Stella nodded.

"Everything he learnt came from two things."

"The basics..."

"And copying."

She folded her arms.

"Before the two weeks of intense training I put Kael through..."

"...ninety percent of his strength came from copying his opponents’ techniques."

"He barely created anything by himself."

"The only thing he truly developed on his own before then was the foundation he built through gravity training."

Charlotte quietly listened.

She had always known Kael possessed a frightening ability to learn.

But hearing Stella explain it so plainly still surprised her.

Stella continued.

"But Mana Emphasization..."

"That shocked even me."

Charlotte looked up at her.

"He actually learnt that himself."

A faint smile appeared on Stella’s face.

"And the funny part..."

"It’s the only skill in his entire arsenal that wasn’t copied."

She paused briefly before correcting herself.

"Well..."

"It was inspired by something he copied."

"But what he eventually created..."

"...is completely his own."

Charlotte looked toward the tunnel Kael had left through.

For the first time...

She felt as though she had underestimated him.

After a moment of silence, she finally spoke.

"...Could I attempt to do what he just did?"

Stella immediately turned toward her.

Her expression became unusually serious.

"Never."

Charlotte froze.

Stella’s voice remained calm, but there wasn’t the slightest hint of hesitation.

"Never attempt it."

"You’ll most definitely die."

Charlotte instinctively swallowed.

Stella looked back toward the arena.

"At the end of the day..."

"...you are not Kael."

With those final words, Stella turned around and quietly walked away, leaving Charlotte sitting alone.

Charlotte watched her disappear into the crowd.

Her gaze slowly drifted back toward the tunnel Kael had exited moments earlier.

She lowered her head.

"Not Kael..."

Those words echoed repeatedly inside her mind.

For the first time...

She truly understood just how abnormal Kael Draven had become.