Reborn as the General's Useless Daughter-Chapter 322: The Tri-Academy Exchange Arc (Part-14)

With a sharp swing, Marcus slashed forward. A fiery-red sword light tore through the air and struck the ground, instantly scorching it black and leaving behind a charred mark that radiated heat.

A wave of astonished cries erupted from the crowd.

"This... this is almost identical to Caius’s inscription!"

"So strong! That flame effect is terrifying!"

"With this inscription, even evenly matched opponents would be forced into a disadvantage!"

Shock spread across everyone’s faces. There was no longer any doubt. This inscription was a true weapon of war.

For a moment, countless eyes turned toward Zora with unconcealed envy. Being her teammate was practically a blessing from heaven. With a single inscription, combat power could be elevated by an entire level.

Why hadn’t they known her earlier? Why hadn’t such fortune fallen into their own hands?

Even the students of Thunderclap Academy, who had previously looked down on Zora, now wore entirely different expressions. A teammate like her was someone anyone would dream of having.

Even Ragnor Blackstar and the others, normally calm and restrained, could not suppress the flicker of amazement in their eyes. The effect of this inscription was undeniable. Its assistance in battle was enormous.

Unfortunately, no matter how many inscriptions Zora possessed, they had no way of obtaining them. The distance between them was already too great.

Cecily Blackstar’s face darkened slightly, her voice tinged with irritation. "What’s so impressive about that? They’re just a few inscriptions. The inscriptions from Sapphire’s Exchange are just as good."

Her own inscription had been personally crafted by a master from Sapphire’s Exchange, and it had taken no small amount of effort to obtain. Inscription masters were lofty figures who rarely acted, and ordinary people were not even qualified to ask for their help.

Even the three masters of Sapphire’s Exchange preferred quiet research over selling inscriptions. The few inscriptions placed for sale were merely incidental.

As a princess, Cecily Blackstar naturally demanded the very best. With the emperor’s support and a wealth of precious materials, she had finally persuaded a master to design an inscription tailored specifically for her.

That inscription had always been her pride.

Compared to that, she refused to acknowledge the significance of Zora’s inscriptions. In her eyes, Zora was simply seizing the spotlight and drawing unnecessary attention.

Ragnor Blackstar and Dravenor Blackstar exchanged a glance. They knew better than anyone how favored Cecily Blackstar was. Only she had been granted the privilege of a master personally crafting an inscription for her.

They had once planned to request inscriptions of their own in the coming days. But after the incident involving Zora angered their father, those plans had quietly dissolved.

As for when they might receive another chance... even they could not say.

And in the midst of it all, Caius stood frozen, his face pale as ash, watching the blazing sword light fade from Marcus’s blade.

Because now, there was no room left to deny it.

Marcus himself had not expected such a terrifying effect after branding the inscription onto his weapon. Its power was no longer a slight improvement, but a leap to an entirely different level.

That scorching flame effect was simply too difficult to guard against. Aside from dodging, trying to face it head-on would only invite disaster. Even now, the lingering heat seemed to cling to the air.

Vaguely, he felt that the effect of this inscription was even stronger than the one Caius possessed.

At this moment, Marcus’s admiration for Zora had reached the point of wholehearted worship. He could not imagine how she had accomplished all this. For ordinary people, such matters were nearly impossible, yet for her, they seemed as effortless as breathing.

Now, whenever something unbelievable happened around Zora, he no longer found it difficult to accept.

Because Zora was simply not someone who could be measured by common standards.

Just the fact that she had married the emperor was already something most people would never dare to imagine in their lifetime.

"Caius," Marcus said with a smug, mocking grin, "it seems our inscriptions are exactly the same."

At last, it was his turn to strike back. The ridicule he had endured earlier now returned in full force.

At this moment, Caius could no longer find a single excuse to refute him.

Everything before his eyes proved that Zora had spoken the truth. But when it came to abolishing his weapon... that was simply impossible!

All his previous efforts had been for the sake of achieving outstanding results in this academy exchange. If he destroyed his weapon now, what would he rely on in the next battles?

Zora’s red lips curved into a light, bewitching smile. Her tone was calm, yet every word cut sharply.

"A man’s word is his pride. Once spoken, even a galloping horse cannot chase it back. Caius, you’re not planning to deny it now, are you?"

Her gaze swept across the surroundings as she further added. "There are so many people here watching. If you refuse to fulfill what you promised, wouldn’t that be rather disgraceful?"

Zora knew very well that Caius was unwilling to destroy his weapon. But when it came to dealing with opponents, she had never been soft-hearted.

Caius’s expression grew increasingly ugly. Zora had clearly anticipated his thoughts long ago, leaving him no room to maneuver.

She was forcing him into a corner.

Once the weapon was destroyed, his next advancement would become extremely difficult. It would be no different from voluntarily giving up the competition.

Caius stood frozen, his gaze darting about as countless eyes locked onto him. The pressure was suffocating, and the choice before him felt unbearably heavy.

"Caius," Reesa chimed in without hesitation, "don’t tell me you’re admitting you can’t keep your word? If that’s the case, I really can’t look down on you."

She had never been one to miss the chance to kick someone when they were down, especially when that someone was Caius. Being able to humiliate him like this was something she would absolutely not pass up.

Seeing this scene, Malrick could only think that Caius was truly foolish. Digging a pit for himself and then jumping straight into it was nothing short of idiotic.

He couldn’t understand why Caius had ever said something as reckless as destroying his own weapon. Now that the situation had reached this point, even he had no way to help.

After a long, suffocating silence, Caius finally made his decision. Gritting his teeth, he said coldly, "You deliberately led me into this trap earlier. I will not destroy my weapon!"

He had made up his mind.

So what if everyone mocked him now? So what if he lost face?

As long as he could achieve good results in the academy exchange, all these humiliations would eventually fade away. In the end, only strength and victory truly mattered.

The moment Caius shamelessly spat out those words, the surrounding crowd fell into stunned silence.

This skin was simply too thick.

To be able to deny his own promise so brazenly, and still say it with such confidence, was something ordinary people simply could not manage. This level of shamelessness was practically a talent of its own.

Marcus was so angry that he almost laughed. He stared at Caius for a long moment before coldly asking, "Caius, are you even a man?"

Caius’s expression darkened. At this point, no matter what he said would only invite more ridicule. Saying nothing was the least humiliating option left to him.

Without another word, he turned around and walked straight back to the Lunar Academy resting area. He had already made up his mind. No matter what others said, he would grit his teeth and endure it until the academy exchange ended.

"This Caius is really disgusting. I didn’t expect Lunar Academy to have such a ’talent.’"

"I’ve always heard how terrible the college was, but now it seems the Spirit Warriors of Lunar Academy are the real trash!"

"And forget strength, just look at his character. Lunar Academy is rotten to the core!"

The murmurs rose one after another. People were utterly speechless. No one could understand how Caius could say such words without a trace of shame.

If it were anyone else, they would have already fled the scene in embarrassment. Yet Caius acted as if nothing had happened at all.

Marcus clenched his fists, furious. "This guy is beyond shameless. I swear, I’ll make him destroy that weapon!"

Just as he was about to move, Zora reached out and stopped him. Her expression was calm.

"Marcus, don’t be impulsive."