How to Take Revenge as an Academy Scoundrel

Chapter 65. Unleashed

“No! What are you fools doing?!”

A commander, appearing to be an Awakened, shouted, his face flushed with anger.

It had been over a minute since the battle began, yet dozens of Awakened had failed to subdue a single one of their kind—a disgrace for the Karasma family.

No, it was worse than that; they hadn’t even managed to land a scratch, which was a dire predicament.

“Damn it! I never expected such a powerful intruder to appear! But… with that small frame and that level of skill, could it be the Astrid Lindell?!”

Though her face was obscured by a mask, there were hardly any Awakened of such diminutive stature who possessed such strength.

Thus, he strongly suspected it was Astrid Lindell, yet he could not definitively conclude it.

If they had managed to inflict even a minor wound, they could have confirmed her ‘Regenerator’ abilities, but alas, that was not the case.

“Come to think of it, it seems she’s fighting while deliberately concealing her regenerative powers…”

Indeed, his suspicions were correct.

Currently, Astrid Lindell was fighting as defensively as possible, contrary to her usual nature, in order to keep her identity hidden.

Had she not been restrained and unleashed her other powers, dozens of Awakened present would likely already be dead.

‘…Thank goodness.’

Now that the commander grasped the gravity of the situation, a chill ran down his spine as he collected his thoughts.

“What in the world is happening here?”

If that monster before him truly was the infamous Astrid Lindell, why had she invaded this place?

And what of the man who had left to do something else while she bought time?

“Damn it.”

Though he couldn’t comprehend the full scope of the situation, one thing was clear: events were unfolding beyond his capabilities.

“At this rate, if I can just inflict a small wound, I might at least salvage some face…”

If he could reveal that the intruder was none other than Astrid Lindell, he would not be held accountable to a great extent.

The commander swallowed hard, tension coiling in his throat, and began to slide his hand toward the sword at his waist.

* * *

At that moment.

Kim Do-jin raced down the long corridor within the building, searching for Karasuma Ryota’s secret chamber.

And after some time had passed.

– Thud!

Suddenly halting, Kim Do-jin narrowed his eyes and pressed against a wall.

‘It must be just beyond this…’

To the eye, it appeared to be merely a smooth marble wall, yet Kim Do-jin sensed that somewhere within it lay a hidden door.

And that door could surely be opened by some secret mechanism nearby, but…

– Crash!

Kim Do-jin chose instead to smash through the wall.

Of course, this would cost him a significant amount of magical energy, but it was better than wasting time.

– Rumble…!

Beyond the shattered wall, at last, the vast interior of Karasuma Ryota’s secret chamber unfolded before him.

And in that moment.

– Wailing!

A deafening emergency alarm blared throughout the sprawling mansion.

Had it been any other intruder, they would have flinched instinctively, but Kim Do-jin remained unfazed.

It was, after all, something he had anticipated, something he had been waiting for.

– Bang!

The event occurred almost simultaneously with the alarm’s activation.

Kim Do-jin propelled himself forward like a bolt of lightning, his destination none other than Karasuma Ryota himself.

* * *

“What!?”

Karasuma Ryota—more precisely, the eyes of Karasuma Seishiro, who ruled over him—widened in disbelief.

“How did you find it!?”

Karasuma Ryota could hardly believe that his secret chamber had been so easily discovered and breached.

Yet, the three-tier emergency alert blaring from his smartwatch was undeniably confirming the truth.

Thus, there was no time for other thoughts now.

“Dammit!”

With a fierce curse erupting from his lips, Karasuma Ryota clenched his teeth and made a resolute decision.

“Just you wait, you b*stards. I will catch you and make you suffer.”

It seemed he was deeply displeased at having to leave his prey right before him.

Karasuma Ryota, for a fleeting moment, wore a face like a demon as he threatened Jin Seohyun and Misaki Ai, before finally releasing his psychic power of ‘mind control.’

– Sluuurp.

In that instant, Karasuma Seishiro’s body crumpled to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

“…Has the possession been lifted?”

Jin Seohyun and Misaki Ai, standing before him, kept their guard up, watching with bated breath, and after a while, Karasuma Seishiro’s body began to show the slightest movements.

“……”

Indeed, he started to twitch his fingers, displaying minute signs of life.

And shortly after.

“Ugh!”

Suddenly, he gasped for air and shot upright.

“Ugh!”

As he clutched his head, bewildered, it seemed that the ‘mind control’ had indeed been broken.

“W-What the hell…!”

After being freed from oppression for nearly half a year, he had regained his original body, but there was no time to rejoice.

The moment Karasuma Seishiro took in the scene around him, his eyes widened in shock.

The glass windows that filled one wall were all shattered, and the interior was barely recognizable due to multiple magical explosions.

What on earth had happened in his home?

Karasuma Seishiro instinctively lowered his stance in caution and turned his head, only to spot Jin Seohyun and Misaki Ai huddled together in one corner, their eyes sharp with alertness.

“Did you… do this?”

In response to his question, Jin Seohyun cautiously replied.

“That is true. But it was not you; it was Karasuma Ryota, who had taken over your body, that was the target.”

The moment he heard those words, Karasuma Seishiro’s eyes suddenly gleamed as he muttered to himself.

“Right… my body was… taken by my brother.”

His hazy memories began to sharpen, slowly coming into focus.

And after some time had passed.

At last, he was able to fully reclaim the memories of the time when his body had been usurped.

—

It was a tale of how his brother, Karasuma Ryota, had sought to commit the most vile and horrific acts with his own body.

“So, it was you. I thought I was the target… Then, what is happening now?”

With a complex expression, Karasuma Seishiro cautiously inquired, to which Jin Seohyun responded with equal caution.

“I cannot say how you might perceive it, but… things are progressing well.”

Though the subject was omitted, Karasuma Seishiro understood.

What they were undertaking was the assassination of his brother, Karasuma Ryota, by locating his true form.

“…….”

Jin Seohyun had worried, if only slightly, that he might defend his blood brother, but fortunately, that was not the case.

Karasuma Seishiro agreed that, aside from the matter of forcibly taking his own body, his brother Karasuma Ryota was a villain deserving of death.

Yet, what troubled him was the question of whether it was truly possible.

Having seen Karasuma Ryota release his ‘mind control’ ability after half a year, it seemed they had succeeded in locating and infiltrating him, but fighting him and escaping unscathed was an entirely different matter.

“Finding that secret space is an impressive feat. However, your brother is under our father’s protection. Do you truly believe it is possible to breach the defenses of that mansion and escape safely?”

As Karasuma Seishiro narrowed his eyes and asked, Jin Seohyun nodded confidently, responding with bravado.

“Yes. We will succeed.”

At that, Karasuma Seishiro’s mouth fell slightly open in surprise.

His judgment was that at least three S-rank Awakened Ones were necessary for success, and deploying three S-rank Awakened Ones in a single operation was not something just any organization could manage.

“Who are you?”

Though their face was hidden behind a mask, it was only natural to assume they were Korean, given the language spoken.

And there lingered a vague notion that to stand against the ‘Karasuma Clan,’ one must at least belong to the same ‘Top 10 Guilds in the World’… and only one name came to mind.

“Are you perhaps from the Celestial Guild?”

It was a guess that seemed obvious enough.

Without Cheonsangseok, who could dare to confront the ‘Karasuma Clan’ if not the strongest guild in South Korea, the ‘Celestial Guild,’ which contended for the top ranks among the ‘Top 10 Guilds in the World’?

However, judging by their indifferent reaction, it seemed he was mistaken.

Karasuma Seishiro tilted his head slightly and asked again.

“Or perhaps the Fame Guild?”

This time, it was half-right, but Jin Seohyun shook his head in denial.

“It’s a secret. And more importantly… I need your help to escape immediately.”

Having accomplished the mission of provoking Karasuma Ryota to reveal the location of his true form, only the matter of escaping safely remained.

Of course, several plans had been laid out for that, but the best option was to receive assistance from the now-recovered Karasuma Seishiro.

There was indeed a question of whether he would help, but fortunately, it seemed he would.

—

“Do not feel the need to call it help. This is merely my duty, something I must do as one who has received assistance.”

With that, Karasuma Seishiro bowed his head politely, quickly assessing the situation.

Some of the stationed troops from the Karasuma Building had deployed to Karasuma Ryota’s mansion, while others were on their way as reinforcements.

Though Jin Seohyun was ensnared in a trap laid out according to the operation, it was of little consequence.

In any case, Karasuma Seishiro’s task was simple.

“I will prepare a vehicle that can safely transport you to your desired location after the troops have been engaged.”

Karasuma Seishiro promptly picked up his smartphone and issued commands.

Then, he personally guided Jin Seohyun and Misaki Ai to the designated spot where the vehicle was to arrive.

But it was during this journey that—

– Thud!

Karasuma Seishiro suddenly halted, and Jin Seohyun and Misaki Ai turned to him with puzzled expressions.

“What’s happening?”

With a face that had grown pale, Karasuma Seishiro replied.

“Yes.”

* * *

“……!”

The eyes of Karasuma Ryota, lying quietly atop a mechanical device, suddenly snapped open.

The consciousness that had been within Karasuma Seishiro returned to its original body after more than half a year.

“What kind of b*stard is this?”

Karasuma Ryota erupted in a torrent of rage, springing to his feet.

He then attempted to discern the identity of the intruder who had entered his secret chamber.

“…….”

The intruder seemed far more skilled than he had anticipated.

The bodyguard tasked with protecting him lay already incapacitated within the secret chamber, while the intruder stood casually over him.