Chapter 90 - Crow VS Minze Dong

After witnessing Minze’s actions and strategies, I changed my plan. No more holding back.

Cut down the weaklings first.

Activating the dragon seal, I opened with a front AOE half‑circle slash ULT toward the flanking students.

"W‑What?!"

Black flame engulfed them, catching bodies alight and knocking everyone airborne.

Minze sank into the earth and emerged from my shadow, daggers aimed at my groin.

Okay, that was rude, buddy.

Repelling the strike, my body excreted crude oil, soaking everything in tar. His daggers grazed my pants, stomach, and chest, which missed my skin by millimeters.

The oil touched my flame sword, igniting everything, including Minze.

Yet Minze sneered, unfazed.

"Flame is not your only ally, brat."

Blue fire erupted from his eyes, repelling my black flame. His body glowed in a layer of azure fire, and the two forces canceled each other out.

Dear lord, what kind of plot armor was this?!

With fire nullified, we exchanged blows. I activated bullet time, but he moved just as well. Both of us had the same abilities.

My flame sword hacked at him, and his daggers countered mine. Each clash shifted our stances, but his footing was firmer, as though he had just orange‑countered my moves.

His daggers lunged for my chest. I tilted aside and smacked his face with my sword’s hilt. His head snapped back.

I stomped, repositioning.

Hiten Mitsurugi‑ryu technique!

Lowering my posture, I swung upward. My blade struck his twin daggers, shattering them.

Upon impact, I spat a fireball at his feet, then spun.

Minze gritted his teeth, ignoring the fireball.

Bad move, buddy.

Miniature-sun’s gravity activated. Minze froze and stopped on the spot, unable to move.

My 360 spin was completed, and my blade rose from below, aiming at the same spot.

Be proud, Lord Kenshin. This one’s for you.

The blade bit into Minze’s flesh.

Die, punk!

SWOOSH!

Minze vanished. He reappeared ten meters away. My sword cut only air, though its edge bore his blood.

Beside Minze stood a tall man in black. His face and head were concealed like a ninja, but I could see his dark skin color and his crimson eyes.

The sense of dread loomed. My instincts screamed not to fight him. His aura was heavier than Zoli’s, though weaker than Sylveria’s or other level‑7 generals.

Was he level 6?

The mysterious man muttered, tossing me a pin. "Playtime is over. You win, child. Leave him alone."

I caught it and lowered my sword. "Who are you? You’re breaking the rules."

"The same applies to you. You tried to kill a prince. If word spreads, your head will roll."

I smirked. "Oh, don’t worry. The duke and the general will protect me. He had it coming."

"...You won’t live long with that attitude."

Whoops. My bad.

The mysterious ninja glanced at Minze. Minze scowled, complaining.

"I could have killed him."

The ninja’s tone was cold.

"You lost, Your Highness. Without me, you would be dead."

"...Tsk." Minze turned to me, sneering.

"You are dead, outsider!"

I shrugged.

"Sure. Go ahead. Cry to your mama, Mr. Otherworlder."

"...You."

The ninja sighed, then vanished along with his master.

I guessed Minze had lost twenty points today. The others were the same. This reminded me that I needed to hurry and finish my tasks.

But as I turned, silhouettes appeared atop the trees, surrounding me. Their presence carried the same oppressive weight as Zoli’s.

Oh, dear. More level fives. What now? 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Several descended, picking up the burning students I had ULT’ed. They repelled my fire with their musou energies. However, a group glared at me with resentment.

An old man in a butler’s uniform stepped forward.

"Did you kill Lord Alphonse?"

Welp. Shit. Kill the young, and the old come knocking. Some philosophies never change.

I didn’t answer, only met his gaze.

"...I see no corpse," another elder butler muttered.

"What difference does it make? He killed Rock Norg, now our lord. He also attacked the prince. That crime alone is enough to see his seven generations beheaded!"

No one argued, yet none dared to strike.

The butlers turned away, leaving me with a warning.

"Consider yourself a dead man, brat. Once you step outside the academy, you’ll have to sleep with your eyes open."

Haiya.

From behind, a hand patted my shoulder, yet his grip was firm. His fingers dug into my flesh as though he was also angry.

Looking behind me, I found Joss.

Welp. I had it coming.

Joss sighed. "I warned you. No killing."

I smiled bitterly. "I tried my best, but they were trying to kill me too."

"Cripple them next time. No killing."

"That’s going to be hard."

"I know. It’s harder than killing them, but that’s your homework. Train harder. Outdo your classmates like your seniors did. Once you reach level 4, this won’t happen again... Wait."

Joss suddenly pushed me, flipping me around. His eyes narrowed.

"Have you just reached level 3?"

"Well, sort of." I laughed awkwardly.

Joss nodded, then slapped my back.

"The class is canceled today. No points will be deducted. But I’ll award points if you managed to find items. Did you? I didn’t see the ravens."

I handed him seven number‑five tokens and one number‑one token. He examined them, giving me a meaningful look.

"Seven of the same type still count as one. I’ll grant you twenty points. That puts you at one hundred and twenty total. Now, you’re dismissed. Go back to your dorm."

I sighed with relief. Finally, rest. It had only been a few hours, but it felt like days or weeks had passed. What a long morning.

.

Returning to the gathering area, I found Lia and Lenitia waiting. The other groups had already left.

Both ladies looked displeased as their hands were on their waists.

Lenitia sighed. "Now you’ve done it."

Lia explained. "We saw the explosion and heard the commotion. You fought the prince, didn’t you?"

"...Yeah."

Lenitia grumbled. "We’re dead. The prince and the emperor will send assassins after us now."

"You don’t have to worry about that." Joss had followed me. He declared firmly.

"Lord Zen’s men have been monitoring the prince’s movements. He’ll assign extra level‑6 bodyguards to your dorm. You can rest assured."

Lenitia frowned. "Why is General Louis Zen supporting us? Could you explain?"

Joss smirked. "As much as you want Minze Dong dead, our lord wishes the same. He knows Minze’s assassins killed the other princes. He’s already told the king and the duke. It’s only a matter of time before a new heir is chosen."

I raised an eyebrow. Something about this felt... off