Saint Diash Academy has a place unlike any other.
It is called the Stellar Garden.
Within this garden, magical energy flows abundantly, making it perpetually spring-like, with exotic flowers blooming endlessly.
The environment is elegant and serene, reserved exclusively as a leisure retreat for the noble students of the academy.
Ordinary students aren’t even allowed to come close—they cannot step inside, not even half a step.
At the very center of the Stellar Garden stands a magnificent and exquisite white tower, known as the Stellar Tower.
The facilities inside are lavish to the extreme, serving as an elite venue where noble students socialize, host salons, and hold private gatherings.
On the very top floor of the Stellar Tower is an even more exclusive and opulent lounge.
Here, even among the rich and noble students, this space represents the pinnacle of status and influence—a place far beyond the reach of ordinary people.
Only the top students, collectively known as the “Stellar Seven,” who have reached the highest echelons of power and influence in the academy, are qualified to enter.
At this moment, four people with varying postures sat on comfortable leather sofas inside this lounge, which boasted a superb view and lavish décor.
Their eyes were all fixed on a clear projection in the center of the room made of magic—a live broadcast of the intense confrontation between Aiden and Rufus in the old classroom.
“Pfft! Rufus, that self-righteous idiot! Isn’t he completely at the mercy of that transfer student? Hahaha! Look at that dumb expression! Like a clown! I’m dying laughing!”
A green-haired young man wearing a second-year noble uniform lounged lazily on the sofa.
After initially being stunned by the audacity of Aiden broadcasting the scene live, he burst into uncontrollable laughter as if he had just witnessed the greatest joke, even pounding the sofa armrest in exaggerated amusement.
“Rufus really picked the wrong opponent this time. I heard that transfer student Aiden scored perfect marks in every subject on the entrance theory exam. He must be extremely clever and strategic. Rufus’s loss isn’t undeserved.”
Another noble student in a second-year uniform, a girl with soft brown hair, gracefully sipped her tea and shook her head helplessly.
Every movement she made exuded noble elegance and poise, as if lamenting Rufus’s foolishness and defeat.
A third-year male student with long red hair and a signature long braid slightly turned his head to look at a black-haired beauty seated alone on a single sofa not far away, who had maintained an expressionless face the entire time.
“Akane, after this incident, Rufus’s reputation and influence in the academy are completely ruined—he’s basically been sentenced to death. I suggest kicking him out of the ‘Stellar’ ranks. What do you think?”
The black-haired beauty named Kurokami Akane wore the female second-year uniform but, unlike other nobles, didn’t wear any extravagant accessories, giving her a stark and austere appearance.
However, the special badge on her sleeve marking her as the “Disciplinary Committee Chair” silently indicated her authority and unique status above ordinary nobles.
Kurokami Akane had watched everything with an expressionless face from the start, a sharp contrast to the noisy green-haired youth beside her.
She never uttered a word; her crimson eyes were calm and undisturbed, as if the entire farce unfolding before her was utterly irrelevant.
“Decide on that yourselves by vote.”
Upon hearing the red-haired youth’s question, Kurokami Akane showed no change in expression.
Her crimson eyes remained coldly distant as she gracefully stood and walked straight toward the lounge’s exit.
“I’m not interested in such matters.”
“Akane, where are you going?”
The red-haired youth’s face immediately lit up with an eager smile, asking with concern.
Without stopping her steps or looking back, Kurokami Akane dropped a cold remark.
“To deal with the trouble that idiot is about to cause.”
The red-haired youth was momentarily stunned, confused, and then looked back at the central projection.
Sure enough, the screen showed Rufus now completely furious and humiliated.
His eyes were bloodshot, and his magical energy fluctuated wildly, as if he was about to recklessly attack Aiden.
The scene shifted back to the old classroom.
Aiden and Rufus were still confronting each other.
Rufus clenched his fists so tightly his nails almost pierced his palms, trembling violently with rage.
After being blatantly deceived and publicly humiliated across the entire academy, his carefully built reputation and prestige at Saint Diash Academy had been utterly destroyed.
This was an unbearable disgrace for someone who valued face and status as much as Rufus!
And the root cause of it all was the seemingly harmless transfer student before him who had utterly defeated him!
At last, Rufus could no longer contain the murderous rage and fury boiling inside.
His reason snapped completely.
He no longer cared about noble decorum, rational judgment, or the academy’s strict prohibition against private fights.
His sole thought now was to tear this disgraceful rival to pieces!
“You damn bastard! I’m going to kill you!!”
Rufus suddenly surged forward with a beast-like roar, not caring at all that his furious shout was clearly transmitted throughout the academy by the communication stone.
He abruptly raised his hand, and fiery Fire Element gathered crazily in his palm, forming a blazing fireball full of destructive power which he hurled violently toward Aiden.
Aiden was now a far cry from when he first dueled Rufus.
With the enhancement of numerous magic cards, his physical fitness, reflexes, and combat awareness had improved significantly.
Seeing the fireball coming, he swiftly and nimbly sidestepped at a very sharp angle.
“Boom!”
The fireball grazed the edge of Aiden’s clothing and smashed into a pile of old desks, chairs, and books behind him, instantly igniting fierce flames.
Thick smoke mixed with a burning smell quickly spread.
“Rufus senior! You’re not seriously going dark side from anger, are you?!”
Aiden put on a deliberately frightened expression and shouted loudly.
“Dark side my ass!”
Rufus lost all noble composure at this insult and let out a coarse roar.
His eyes blazed crimson like a madman, continuously conjuring blazing fireballs in his palm and furiously pelting them at Aiden.
Although Aiden’s agility had greatly increased, the old classroom was cramped and far narrower than the training grounds, leaving less room to evade.
As the fire spread, igniting desks and debris, the safe space for Aiden to maneuver shrank rapidly.
Aiden furrowed his brow, starting to calmly assess the situation.
While using some magic cards to defeat this now-rabid Rufus wouldn’t be difficult, revealing his full strength too early under a live broadcast watched by the entire academy would be unwise.
So the best option now was to stall.
Just stall—hard stall.
The academy’s administration and the disciplinary committee wouldn’t allow Rufus to run rampant like this on campus.
Aiden only needed to hold out until help arrived.
In short, no unconventional methods unless absolutely necessary for survival.
But Rufus was clearly enraged to the extreme this time.
With a fierce roar, his magic violently fluctuated as he activated a fire-based enhancement spell.
Crimson flames like living creatures surged from within him, enveloping his entire body with an overwhelming and terrifying aura—it was obvious he was serious now.
“Die!”
Rufus clenched his right hand, and a Flame Sword appeared out of thin air.
Charging through the burning obstacles with unstoppable momentum, he lunged fiercely at Aiden.
Five minutes earlier, in the first-year classroom.
After Cerise’s misunderstanding was cleared up, the atmosphere in the classroom turned awkward and silent.
The students were all hushed, realizing they had easily believed the rumors and misjudged Cerise.
Though many were unwilling to admit their mistakes internally, some shamelessly stepped forward one after another to awkwardly apologize, hoping to maintain a surface relationship with a gifted and stunningly beautiful classmate like Cerise.
Cerise merely nodded politely with no special expression—neither forgiving nor reprimanding.
Because she had long seen through the hypocrisy of these people and decided, as Aiden had said, not to care about these fickle opinions anymore.
Right or wrong, she would let them say what they wished.
From now on, she wouldn’t let these things trouble her unnecessarily.
Just then, the communication device inside the academy that had yet to be turned off suddenly crackled to life with Rufus’s furious and murderous roar.
Cerise’s expression changed drastically—Aiden was in danger!
Ignoring everything else, she abruptly stood up, pushing past the apologizing classmates, and rushed out of the crowd.
The surrounding students seemed intimidated by Cerise’s imposing aura or perhaps felt guilty, instinctively stepping aside to give her a clear path.
Back at the battlefield in the old classroom.
Aiden was already backed into a corner by the roaring flames.
The scorching heat blistered his skin, and thick smoke made him cough.
There was almost nowhere left to dodge.
“Then I’ll have this annoying transfer student—die completely!”
Rufus’s face twisted grotesquely, his whole body ablaze like a fire god descending, advancing step by step as he bellowed.
Just as Aiden hesitated whether to use his trump card, a pitch-black flash of a blade streaked through the air with deadly precision.
The sharp edge struck Rufus’s Flame Armor, and with a crisp “crack,” the seemingly solid armor shattered instantly like fragile glass.
“Ahhh!”
Rufus didn’t even have time to react before he screamed and was blasted flying backward, crashing hard into the distant wall, utterly unconscious.
With a clear and chilling sound of a blade sheathing, a black-haired, crimson-eyed beauty silently appeared—her appearance unnoticed until now.
Standing tall, holding a black longsword half sheathed, her stunning face was expressionless, and her red pupils swept coldly over the scene, as if the fierce battle and destruction were completely irrelevant to her.
Aiden squinted slightly as he recognized the newcomer—the Disciplinary Committee Chair of Saint Diash Academy, Kurokami Akane.
She was also one of the key targets listed in his system’s mission objectives.
Almost simultaneously, another urgent figure arrived on the scene.
At the moment Kurokami Akane’s blade neutralized Rufus, Cerise displayed astonishing magical control.
An intense frost spread out from her in an instant like the bloom of a magnificent ice crystal flower, instantly freezing and extinguishing the raging flames in its path.
“Aiden! Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
Ignoring the mess around her, Cerise hurried to Aiden’s side, carefully supporting him.
Her face was full of concern and worry, her voice even trembling slightly.
“I’m fine, just a bit choked.”
Aiden steadied himself with Cerise’s help and shook his head, signaling that he was unscathed.
Kurokami Akane’s gaze swept over the dazzling icy frost Cerise had conjured, capable of freezing fire in an instant.
Her usually impassive face barely twitched as if surprised that this typically low-key, somewhat indifferent girl was hiding such an incredible and finely controlled Ice Magic talent.
“Cerise, please take Aiden to a safe place to rest. I’ll handle what comes next.”
Kurokami Akane sheathed her sword and strode forward with steady steps.
“I understand, Senior Kurokami.”
Cerise immediately nodded and carefully helped Aiden, preparing to leave the ruined area.
“Thank you for your assistance, Senior Kurokami.”
Aiden paused beside Kurokami Akane and sincerely expressed his gratitude.
Kurokami Akane merely nodded slightly; her crimson eyes didn’t even glance at Aiden, showing no intention of replying.
Aiden couldn’t help but smile bitterly to himself as he slowly walked away with Cerise’s support.
This black-haired beauty senior… really lives up to the rumors—completely disdainful of men.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.