In the classroom of Class A, first year, at Saint Diyashi Academy.

Inzack stared gloomily at the textbook in his hands, paying no attention at all to what the instructor was saying at the front of the classroom.

He’d used magic to erase the bruises and swelling on his face, but no matter what, Inzack would never forget the humiliation he’d suffered yesterday.

And that humiliation wasn’t just from yesterday’s class, when he’d challenged Class S with the Blade Queen and Yu Ge had turned the battle around with Forced Transfer, leaving him defeated. It also included last night, when he’d used the forbidden Spell Card Sloth’s Prison—which he’d gotten from someone he didn’t know—to attack Yu Ge, only to get beaten to a pulp with the other guy’s bare hands.

It was a crushing humiliation. If word got out, people would probably mock him for the rest of his life, and his family would see him as a lost cause and strip him of his right to compete for the position of family head.

Inzack clenched both hands into fists. His heart was full of burning hatred for Yu Ge, but also the bitter frustration of being powerless. Even a forbidden Spell Card like Sloth’s Prison couldn’t hurt Yu Ge at all. So who in this world could possibly hurt him?

Sloth’s Prison could seal the effects of all Spell, Monster, and Weapon Cards within a certain range. Once activated, it gave its holder an absolute advantage that no opponent could match. After all, even the strongest Mage was no different from an ordinary person once they couldn’t use Spell Cards.

But Inzack had never imagined that Yu Ge would have a Continuous Spell Card: Deus Ex Machina.

Its golden card back was something Inzack had never seen before, and its effect was absurdly powerful. As long as the card remained on the field, its holder was invincible. Even Inzack, who’d had all his spell activations sealed, hadn’t stood a chance—and he’d even been beaten up with bare hands.

Inzack hated Yu Ge with all his heart. He desperately wanted the guy dead and buried, but after their battle last night, he’d realized he was no match for Yu Ge at all.

“Damn it.”

Inzack punched the wall, his face twisted with frustration. Why? Why did that guy get to have such a powerful Spell Card, while he had nothing? The spot in Class S that should’ve been his, the position of family head that should’ve been his—now they were both slipping away.

Inzack was consumed by hatred. He wanted to tear Yu Ge limb from limb and throw him into the sea for the fish, but he didn’t have the strength to defeat him. All he could do was rage helplessly, bitter and powerless.

“Inzack, what’s wrong?”

The instructor, who was teaching at the front of the classroom, looked puzzled when he saw Inzack punch the wall.

“I’m sor—”

Just as Inzack was about to apologize for what he’d done, he suddenly noticed a line of golden text slowly appearing on his desk.

“If you want to defeat Yu Ge, come to the rooftop of the teaching building.”

The line vanished as soon as it appeared. It had clearly been formed from some kind of magical element, but Inzack didn’t know who’d sent it. Still, he could more or less guess: it was the Mysterious Figure who’d given him the forbidden Spell Card yesterday afternoon.

“Sorry, sir. My stomach’s bothering me. Can I go to the restroom?”

Inzack asked the instructor for permission, then hurried out of the classroom. He went straight up the stairs to the top floor, pushed open the door, and stepped onto the rooftop.

“Pfft.”

Inzack looked around, but there was no one in sight. As he wondered what was going on, a golden laser suddenly shot through both his legs. The bone-breaking pain was so excruciating that he cried out—but with class in session, there was no one on the rooftop to hear him.

“Thud.”

With his legs broken, Inzack collapsed helplessly to his knees. As he searched furiously for the person who’d attacked him, a male student wearing a mask slowly appeared before him.

“You really are useless. I gave you such a powerful card, and you still couldn’t defeat Yu Ge.”

Xibolai looked down at Inzack, kneeling on the ground, through his mask. His expressionless voice dripped with disdain. He hadn’t watched Inzack’s fight against Yu Ge, but Yu Ge had arrived at class this morning looking excited, without a trace of having been in a battle. Meanwhile, the guy in front of him looked miserable. The outcome was obvious.

“That transfer student had a Spell Card I’d never seen before. I miscalculated.”

Inzack gritted his teeth and forced out the words through the pain. He knew that someone as powerful as the man before him could kill him as easily as breathing. His life was in the other man’s hands, so he didn’t dare act out of line. He lowered himself as much as he could. Staying alive was the most important thing now.

“Hmph. You’re all failure and no use. I can’t believe I ever thought you were worth choosing. Now that you know about Sloth’s Prison, I can’t let you live. Don’t blame me. If you have to blame someone, blame yourself for being useless.”

The forbidden Spell Sloth’s Prison was one of the organization’s most closely guarded secrets. Anyone outside the organization who’d seen or heard of it had to be silenced—especially Inzack, who’d actually used it. If Inzack had succeeded in killing Yu Ge, Xibolai might have considered training him as a subordinate. But as things stood, the guy wasn’t worth training at all.

“Piercing Holy Light.”

Xibolai slowly raised his right hand. Golden light gathered at the tip of his index finger, as if in the next moment it would form a laser capable of piercing anything and execute Inzack.

“Please, don’t kill me! Give me one more chance!”

Inzack was drenched in sweat and trembling with fear. He had no way to fight back. All he could do was beg for his life as he watched the light at Xibolai’s fingertip slowly gather.