Infernal Blade

Lance's eyes were wide with disbelief as he stood near the admissions office, clutching the massive stack of bronze coins he'd won from his bet. It had seemed impossible that Xavier would not only defeat Colby, but do so effortlessly.

As Lance walked away from the betting counter with his newfound fortune, Jessica's presence beside him caught his attention. She approached the counter with a confident stride, her gaze sharp as the staff behind the counter read out her winnings.

"Ma'am, I've never seen someone win so much," the attendant said, eyes wide with astonishment. "We have to hand you this storage ring." With that, they placed a gleaming ring in front of her. "In total, you've won 2,000 herbs for cultivation, 10 million silver coins, and a Golden Sun Blade."

Jessica's face remained composed as she nodded politely, accepting the storage ring and slipping it safely into her bag. Lance couldn't help but whistle in admiration as she turned toward him.

"That's some haul you've got there," he said, still in awe.

"Wouldn't be surprised if you placed half the bets for me," Jessica teased, though her eyes were already on the arena, where Xavier and Headmaster Dean remained locked in a tense standoff.

Meanwhile, on the battlefield, the tension was rising. Xavier stood at the center of the arena, his expression cold and unwavering as he turned his attention to Headmaster Dean. His words cut through the thick silence.

"Where is my mother?" Xavier demanded, his voice firm with authority, his anger palpable.

Before Dean could answer, the earth beneath them seemed to tremble. A dark, suffocating aura flooded the arena, emanating from the Headmaster with the force of an avalanche. It was an Earth Rank aura—one that could suppress even the mightiest warriors.

Xavier's knees buckled under the pressure, and he spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground. Jessica gasped in horror from the sidelines, her heart sinking as she saw her fiancé struggling.

Just as the situation seemed to reach its breaking point, a sudden flash of lightning split the sky, heralding the arrival of someone far more powerful. A figure emerged from the storm, stepping into the arena with a commanding presence.

It was Lord Sylvester Cedric, a renowned master from Vice-Land Academy. With a casual flick of his wrist, Lord Cedric sent Headmaster Dean flying across the arena, his body crashing into the ground with a heavy thud.

The audience watched in stunned silence as the Vice-Land Academy master's power rippled through the arena, the air vibrating with the force of his arrival. Without skipping a beat, Lord Cedric turned to Xavier, his voice deep and resonant.

"Young warrior, would you like to be admitted to the Vice-Land Academy? I would also like to take you on as my disciple. You may decline, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Xavier struggled to push himself to his feet, wiping blood from his mouth. His body still trembled from the immense pressure, but his eyes remained sharp. He glared at Lord Cedric, his tone skeptical.

"What's the catch?" Xavier asked, his voice steady despite the lingering weakness in his limbs.

Before Lord Cedric could respond, Jessica dashed into the arena with surprising speed, her footsteps quick and determined. She arrived beside Lord Cedric, and without a hint of hesitation, she bowed dramatically—almost sarcastically.

Xavier's eyes widened, confusion flooding him. "Why is she—?" he began, but his words caught in his throat.

Lord Cedric, who had been watching the scene unfold with mild amusement, suddenly turned to Xavier with a nervous edge to his voice.

"No catch at all," Lord Cedric said, scratching the back of his head with a nervous smile. "I wouldn't dream of it. But… do you know Madam Jessica by any chance?"

Jessica stood up from her exaggerated bow, eyes flashing with mischief. "He better know me," she said with a sly grin. "After all, I'm his future wife."

Xavier's jaw nearly hit the floor as he stared at her, his heart skipping a beat. His thoughts scrambled, trying to process the absurdity of what just happened.

"F-future wife?" Xavier stammered, his mind struggling to make sense of the situation.

Lord Cedric looked back and forth between the two with a look of pure confusion, then broke into a wide grin. "Well, I guess that makes things a bit more interesting," he said, clearly amused by the turn of events.

Xavier shot Jessica a desperate look, half horrified and half bewildered by her boldness. She simply winked back, and Xavier could do nothing but sigh.

Lord Cedric chuckled, his voice lightening. "I take it you'll be accepting the offer then, young warrior? To study at the Vice-Land Academy and become my disciple? It's a rare chance, one that most would give anything for."

Xavier, still trying to recover from the shock of everything happening around him, gave a slow, deliberate nod.

"Alright, I'll accept," Xavier said, his voice steady, though his mind was still swirling with the rapid developments. "But only if you give me one condition."

Lord Cedric raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "And what would that be?"

"I want the Reyes family to face consequences for their actions," Xavier replied, his voice cold and firm. "I don't care about the legacy, but my mother's honor cannot go unavenged."

Lord Cedric's smile widened. "Agreed. Consider it a part of your training, young warrior."

The crowd, still reeling from the recent events, began to murmur among themselves. Xavier had just been offered the position of a disciple under one of the most powerful figures in the continent, and yet, the future of the Reyes family still hung in the balance.

And Jessica, with a playful glint in her eyes, turned to Xavier and whispered, "I think this is going to be quite the adventure, don't you?"

Xavier shot her a wary look, but deep down, he knew she was right. His life was about to change in ways he couldn't even begin to imagine.

Xavier's heart raced as he turned to Lord Cedric, desperation in his eyes. "Could you find where the Reyes family took my mother?" His voice was strained, and the weight of the question hung heavy in the air.

Lord Cedric, who had been watching Xavier with a thoughtful expression, gave a solemn nod. "I'll help you find her, young warrior. I won't let such an injustice stand." His voice was calm but powerful, as if he knew the gravity of the situation.

"Thank you," Xavier muttered, his voice laced with gratitude but also unrestrained anger. His mother's torment had pushed him to the edge, and every moment she was in captivity made his heart burn with rage.

But Lord Cedric wasn't done. "You and Jessica should go home and rest. As my disciples, you may be part of the outer core for now. You won't have immediate access to high-level cultivation resources, but you'll be under my protection. Take this time to strengthen yourselves."

Xavier nodded, though a flicker of frustration passed through his mind. The road ahead would be long, and the Reyes family's influence seemed boundless. But the promise of Lord Cedric's backing, even in the outer core, was a lifeline.

Still, all he could think about was his mother, her face, and the cruel actions of the Reyes family.

As they made their way through the crowded streets, the reality of their victory—and the Reyes family's loss—began to settle in. People who had placed their bets on Colby now walked with heavy hearts, realizing their silver was gone, wasted on a sure bet that had been shattered in a single moment.

There were murmurs in the air, people whispering in hushed tones about the fall of the Reyes heir, and even more so about the rise of Xavier—the man who had crushed Colby without effort.

Jessica noticed how people avoided their gazes as they walked down the streets, their heads lowered in respect. The aura of Lord Cedric still hung over them, unspoken but undeniable. Xavier, normally uncomfortable with attention, found himself tense under the pressure of it all.

When they arrived at the ruins of the Yorks' farmland, the scene was grim. The land was scorched, with broken and trampled crops, a testament to the ruthless destruction caused by the Reyes family. The memory of the butler's cruelty toward his mother resurfaced, igniting an uncontrollable fury in Xavier's chest.

He clenched his fists, his anger bubbling to the surface.

"This is where it all started," Xavier muttered, his gaze fixed on the smoldering remains of what had once been a peaceful place. The thought of his mother's broken arm at the hands of the Reyes family's butler made his blood boil.

He remembered the pain, the helplessness he had felt when Colby mentioned the Reyes Family's butlers visious assault on his mother, and the vow he had made to one day avenge her.

As he moved toward the front door of the farmhouse, Xavier's sharp eyes spotted a figure stepping out. A slender man, dressed in the uniform of a servant, was walking toward them. Xavier's blood boiled. He could smell the arrogance, the malice, in this man's every step.

"Who are you?" Xavier's voice was low and deadly, his bloodlust simmering beneath the surface.

The butler's sneer was immediate. He recognized Xavier and Jessica but didn't feel threatened. "I'm the butler of the Reyes family," he said with disdain, clearly preparing to mock the young warrior for the defeat of his family's heir. "You think you can challenge the Reyes family? You're nothing but a pup."

The words were barely out of his mouth when Xavier's aura exploded outward, suffused with a dark, furious energy. The butler's smirk faltered as the oppressive weight of Xavier's bloodlust hit him. Before he could react, the world around him went pitch black.

Xavier's vision sharpened into nothingness for a heartbeat, and when it returned, the butler was frozen in place. The mocking expression on the butlers face was still there, but it was clear he had no idea what had just happened.

The butler blinked, his body trembling as he looked down at his torso. He felt nothing—no pain, no warmth, no sensation at all. It wasn't until his head, still frozen in an arrogant sneer, slid off his neck and flew across the yard that the realization hit.

The world around him had gone silent. The butler's body collapsed to the ground with a dull thud as his head rolled away, his lifeless eyes staring vacantly into the sky. The scene was over before anyone could comprehend what had happened.

Xavier stood there, his breath heavy, his chest rising and falling in ragged breaths. The violent surge of rage that had erupted within him now slowly ebbed away, leaving behind a cold emptiness. His hand, still holding the hilt of his sword, twitched, the taste of vengeance still fresh on his lips.

Jessica stood at his side, her expression unreadable. She had known that Xavier was capable of great things, but this… this was a side of him she hadn't seen before. The calm, collected warrior was now someone who had just taken the life of a man in the blink of an eye, and though she couldn't help but feel a small pang of discomfort, there was also a strange sense of pride.

"You did what needed to be done," she said softly, her voice steady but gentle.

Xavier didn't reply immediately. He looked at the body on the ground, his expression cold and unmoving. "This won't bring her back," he muttered, his voice distant. "But I will make them pay. Every last one of them."

The quiet realization that his journey had just taken a darker, more dangerous turn settled in. The Reyes family's actions had sparked something inside of him that could no longer be contained. There would be no mercy, no hesitation from here on out. Every last one of them would fall, and he would make sure his mother was freed.

But for now, the path ahead was unclear. With Lord Cedric's offer to become his disciple, Xavier was stepping into a new world of power, one where the rules of the past would no longer apply. His destiny had been written in blood, and he would stop at nothing to see it fulfilled.