Chapter 24: The Forbidden Blade and a Peculiar Score

The tension in the arena was palpable. Lulu drew a sharp breath, her gaze fixed on the young Demon King on stage. Despite the ferocity of his approaching enemy, the Demon King appeared remarkably composed, standing his ground with eyes keenly tracking every movement of his opponent.

The very next second, just as Kassius anticipated the young Demon King would stand firm to parry and defend, the Demon King executed an unexpected move. He swiftly stepped to his left, then unleashed a powerful sword strike.

With a resounding ‘bang,’ the demonic flames imbued in the Blazing Dragon Sword struck Kassius’s dagger. The fire instantly ignited a potion coating the blade, releasing a noxious purple gas that permeated the air.

Alexius’s brows furrowed deeply. Lulu, too, had spotted the anomaly. ‘On his dagger!’

“He used poison! That man’s weapon is tainted with poison!”

Lulu leaped to her feet, shouting with fervent indignation. Yet, the arena remained eerily silent. The surrounding judges wore expressions of utter bewilderment, one of them muttering under their breath:

“The other student’s sword is literally wreathed in demonic flames, you know…”

“Uh… is that actually permitted?”

“It’s quite alright. We have high-level priests standing by here, Lulu. Please, take a seat.”

From behind her, Principal Brook suddenly approached, gently patting Lulu’s shoulder. He leaned in, speaking softly into her ear. “I understand your concern for your apprentice, but you must also have some faith in them, mustn’t you?”

Lulu’s eyes widened slightly in mild embarrassment. She then quietly resumed her seat, watching the young Demon King on stage with anxious apprehension, muttering inwardly:

[Be careful, young Demon King.]

On stage, Alexius continued their standoff, a helpless smile playing on his lips. ‘I’m actually getting distracted by this… *unique* teacher of mine.’

In close-quarters combat, a longsword inherently held an advantage over a dagger, which explained why the young Demon King chose to initiate the attack. Lulu grasped this much. However, the Demon King’s actions in the very next moment left her utterly dumbfounded.

The young Demon King suddenly retracted his sword, then deliberately stepped forward, feigning an opening without attacking. Kassius, no fool, naturally seized this perceived chance, snatching his now damaged dagger and lunging forward with a fierce stab.

But then, in the blink of an eye, the young Demon King silently chanted a spell, and then…

Spinning magic, Blade Storm!

The young Demon King executed a lunge combined with a Blade Storm, moving in the opposite direction from Kassius. The initial flurry of blades swiftly disarmed Kassius, knocking the dagger from his grasp, and inflicting a wave of damage. Kassius, however, reacted with impressive speed, instantly activating a magic shield, thus narrowly avoiding an instant defeat.

Simultaneously, having completed his lunge, the young Demon King effortlessly widened the distance. Then, spinning around, he unleashed another frontal Blade Storm directly upon Kassius, who was still stiff and attempting to dodge backward.

In an instant, the whirlwind of blades sent Kassius spinning, flinging him to the very edge of the arena. The young Demon King observed the incapacitated figure, shaking his head with a slight smile.

‘He still needs a lot more practice,’ he mused. ‘A Tier 1.3 fighter performing like a Tier 0.3. His magic skills only provided a slight boost to agility and strength, and even his magic shield was remarkably weak.’

The young Demon King cast his gaze toward the audience below, where Lulu and the panel of judges were staring, utterly dumbfounded.

“Alexius is the victor!” the referee declared loudly.

Now came the scoring segment.

“I can barely contain myself! Bring out the scoring cards already! Ninety-eight points! To defeat an opponent half a tier higher—giving him a perfect score wouldn’t even be an exaggeration!”

One judge, clearly impressed, awarded the young Demon King a high score. Another chimed in:

“Hmm~ So fresh, so incisive. This swordsmanship, I award it ninety-nine points!”

‘Why do these two colleagues’ choice of words sound so uncannily familiar?’

Lulu picked up the slightly yellowish tea that had been prepared on the table, took a delicate sip, then raised her own scoring card.

[0]

A collective gasp rippled through the audience.

Every person present was utterly bewildered, their faces etched with confusion. They initially assumed Lulu was scoring Kassius. ‘No, surely she’s made a mistake?’

[Not a mistake at all. I’m rating the young Demon King a zero! Ugh… why is he so incredibly fierce! Damn it all…]

A moment later, Lulu slowly, almost reluctantly, raised a card displaying a perfect ‘100.’ The young Demon King simply smiled. ‘And what happened to the promised low score?’

With all three judges having given high marks, the young Demon King nodded naturally. Just as he prepared to leave the arena, Kassius, still sprawled on the ground, suddenly erupted in a fit of rage. He snatched up his dagger from the floor and hurled it directly at the young Demon King.

Alexius instantly sensed the impending danger. Lulu, too, wanted to cry out a warning, but it was all too late. The young Demon King turned, only to be struck and wounded in the arm by the thrown dagger.

“Alexi—”

Lulu’s cry was cut short as the Principal, from behind, firmly grasped her shoulder. He shook his head at her, then swiftly led her and the two remaining judges onto the stage.

“Ugh…” The young Demon King clutched his arm, his face paling slightly. A priestess, who had been on standby, rushed onto the stage to cast healing magic upon Alexius. The Principal carefully withdrew the embedded dagger, while Kassius was simultaneously pinned to the ground by the referee.

“Oh… oh no…”

Kassius watched the unfolding scene with growing panic. In his fit of humiliated rage, he had acted impulsively. Only now did he recall the crucial fact: the dagger he had just thrown *must* remain in his possession.

It was coated with a forbidden substance…

Josen, standing nearby, shot him a sharp, warning glance, then turned a worried gaze towards the Principal.

The Principal carefully examined the dagger, his expression instantly darkening. After a brief pause, he spoke in a low voice:

“This isn’t just ordinary poison; it’s a substance that disrupts magical pathways. Are your inspections truly this negligent? Kassius… for using a forbidden substance and ambushing another contestant after the match, you are immediately expelled! This academy will never accept you as a student again!”

Having delivered his verdict, the Principal turned, a hint of apprehension in his gaze as he looked at Alexius, whose wound was already visibly healing. “Child, how do you feel? Have your magical pathways been damaged?”

[Hmm? Damage magical pathways? The young Demon King’s magical pathways were sabotaged?]

Lulu, listening from the side, suddenly brightened. [Such a good thing actually exists?]

Alexius: ‘…’

[Ahem, I’m not wishing any misfortune upon the young Demon King, it’s just… if his potential is too immense, I fear I won’t be able to rein him in. Just a slight reduction in potential, ideally limiting his strength to Tier 5 or 6 at most, would be perfectly fine!]

Alexius: ‘Well, isn’t that something? She’s just lopped off half of my potential maximum.’

‘However… I might have to disappoint Teacher Lulu.’

The young Demon King smiled faintly. ‘So, those forbidden substances were meant to disrupt magical pathways?’

‘No, that’s not quite right,’ he corrected himself. ‘Based on my own perception, it should be something that interferes with the efficiency of transcription factors. Of course, for humans who practice Holy Light magic, there’s little practical difference between the two effects.’

‘But for me, the young Demon King, this tactic is utterly useless. I don’t rely on transcription factors at all.’

Alexius replied, “It’s nothing, Principal. The dosage was far too small; I didn’t feel any adverse effects.”

[Eh? Hmph~ All that excitement for nothing.]

Upon hearing the young Demon King’s words, Lulu shook her head, a hint of dissatisfaction clouding her features.

Alexius: ‘…’

Alexius: ‘A ‘fun-seeker,’ are we? Fine then, revel in it all you want.’

Lulu, still oblivious to her apprentice’s thoughts, merely pinched her chin, then shook her head as a new thought occurred to her:

[Well… with the young Demon King performing like this, his admission is certainly secured.]

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