“Stop.”

But just then, a sinister voice suddenly came from beside Xibolai. It sounded like bones scraping against each other, sending a chill down anyone’s spine. Inzack looked around in alarm for the speaker, but Xibolai was the only other person there.

“Your Highness?”

When Xibolai heard the voice, he first froze in surprise. Then he quickly withdrew the holy light radiating from his body and bowed respectfully toward the left.

“Heaven values every life. You shouldn’t kill people at the drop of a hat. Why don’t we give this child another chance?”

The next second, a figure cloaked in black suddenly appeared in the direction Xibolai had bowed. It floated in midair. There was no body beneath its cloak, and all that lay beneath its hood was darkness. It was impossible to make out what it looked like.

“Yes. I’ll do as Your Highness commands.”

Xibolai nodded. This was an influential figure within the organization; he had no choice but to obey. Still, he couldn’t help wondering why Their Highness had suddenly come here.

“My child, get up.”

The black-cloaked figure waved a hand and looked at Inzack.

“Huh? Thank you, sir! Thank you!”

Inzack suddenly realized that the wounds on his legs had vanished. The healed skin looked brand-new. This miraculous magic left him utterly awestruck, and he understood that the black-cloaked figure before him had saved his life. He quickly bowed to the figure, touching his forehead to the ground.

“All right. Tell me—do you have a target you want revenge on, no matter what?”

the black-cloaked figure asked.

“Y-yes.”

Inzack nodded.

“Good. Then tell me: are you prepared to sell your soul if that’s what it takes to get your revenge?”

“I am! I am! As long as I can make that transfer student wish he were dead, I’ll give up anything!”

Inzack’s face twisted with vicious resolve. Yu Ge had humiliated him again and again. He wouldn’t be satisfied until he killed him.

“Then I’ll grant you forbidden power. But the moment you use it, your soul will belong to me, and you’ll become my servant forever. Think carefully. This power can destroy everything in this academy.”

The black-cloaked figure reached out to Inzack. Only then did Inzack notice that the figure beneath the cloak was a skeleton. It seemed to be some kind of magical puppet—just a doll. The one truly speaking was somewhere else.

“I’m willing!”

Inzack nodded without hesitation. Even the masked person beside the black-cloaked figure was terrifyingly powerful, let alone the figure whom the masked person treated with such respect. Inzack had already decided he’d pay any price to kill Yu Ge. Now he could gain power and get in with someone this influential. Wouldn’t he only grow stronger from here? Becoming head of his family would be just a matter of time.

If it meant achieving his goal, what was wrong with bowing before someone this powerful?

“Very good. Now go, my child. Show the world what you can do.”

The black-cloaked figure placed a skeletal hand on Inzack’s head. A stream of black smoke flowed from the skeleton into Inzack’s body. Inzack felt a pain so intense it seemed to tear him apart, but at the same time, he felt a tremendous power entering him. Then his brown eyes turned blood red.

“Yu Ge, this time I’ll make sure you die without a grave!”

When Inzack stood up again, his whole presence had changed. He seemed like a completely different person. After bowing to the black-cloaked figure, he turned and left the rooftop.

“Your Highness…”

After Inzack left, Xibolai looked at the black-cloaked figure, hesitant to speak. He knew he wasn’t important enough to question the figure’s actions, but he was still intensely curious.

“The Soul Resonance Project needs test subjects. That boy will make excellent material. Anger is the best way to bring out a soul’s potential. And Xibolai, don’t interfere in such meaningless matters. How are things with the catalyst?”

The black-cloaked figure’s voice held no emotion.

“Yes, Your Highness. I’ll have Luna in my hands very soon.”

Xibolai answered quickly.

“Good. The catalyst is the most important part of our plan. Don’t let anything go wrong.”

After saying this, the black-cloaked figure vanished into thin air.

“Phew…”

Once the black-cloaked figure had disappeared, Xibolai let out a long breath. Their Highness’s presence was crushing. If even he, an A-rank Mage, felt so oppressed, then they had to be an S-rank Mage.

Meanwhile, Inzack walked down the hallway with a blank expression. He passed the first-year S Class classroom. It was already break time, and he stopped outside the door to look in. Yu Ge was sitting with Luna, chatting and laughing, while quite a few girls gathered around them. It seemed that after yesterday’s battle, Yu Ge had become the hero who’d restored S Class’s reputation—and grown much more popular with the class.

Inzack narrowed his eyes and fixed his gaze on Yu Ge. Sitting beside a beautiful girl, admired by his classmates—that should have been his life. But now this transfer student had stolen it from him.

If you’ve stolen something precious from me, then I’ll steal something precious from you.

“Luna, huh…”

Inzack glanced at Luna, then turned and headed for his own classroom. If he wanted Yu Ge to feel his pain a hundred, a thousand times over, then hurting innocent people didn’t matter.

Tell me, Yu Ge—what kind of face will you make when you watch the girl you love being violated right in front of you, unable to do a thing about it?

“Hahahaha…”

The thought made Inzack burst out laughing. With the sinister look on his face, he drew stares from the students around him.