The Return Of The Exiled Villain-Chapter 203: Power Examination (II)

Cassandra stepped onto the platform without any hints of hesitation.

The moment her foot touched the runes, they reacted differently than before, gaining a sharper and more precise glow rather than overwhelming one like Maelis.

The crystal pillars adjusted, and their light thinned slightly, as if recognizing a different kind of power.

A group of girls noticed it immediately.

"...It feels strangely quieter."

"Yeah... but somehow... sharper? Maybe, because she’s an Aura User?"

Ellen’s eyes narrowed with interest.

"Aura Users tend to produce focused pressure rather than wide output," she slowly explained.

"Watch carefully, as her power is leagues above the average."

Cassandra stood still at the center, with a straight and relaxed posture. She didn’t draw her soul weapon yet; instead, she closed her eyes and exhaled slowly.

Swish...

The air around her shifted.

It wasn’t heavy like Maelis’s gravity, nor explosive. It was very tight, compressed, like the space itself had been pulled inward.

A faint, colorless shimmer wrapped around her body, slowly turning into a slight lilac color.

"Is that her aura?"

"It’s so dense..."

Ellen nodded at the student’s words before adding lightly, "Passive aura reinforcement. She’s reinforcing her body before even attacking."

"Begin output," Ellen instructed.

Cassandra opened her eyes.

The ground beneath her feet cracked lightly, from pressure being pushed downward with perfect balance.

Her aura thickened slightly, now forming a quick, thick layer around her entire body.

Then, she reached behind her back.

A scythe formed in her hand.

It wasn’t summoned with any kind of effects.

It simply appeared, as if it had always been there. The blade of the scythe was dark, curved, and faintly outlined by her lilac aura.

A few girls gasped.

"T-that scythe..."

"Is that a soul weapon?!"

"A Soul Weapon at that age, huh? Just alone to control it requires extreme control! This is another pleasant surprise!" Ellen nodded at their words with a faint yet satisfied smile.

"Then we’ll switch to the movement test," Ellen stated.

"Three targets."

At Ellen’s signal, three crystal constructs instantly rose from the ground at different distances and heights.

Cassandra looked at them for a while, and then she took a single step forward, before vanishing in the next moment.

Fwoop!

A sharp wind cut through the testing ground.

Before anyone could properly track her movement, Cassandra reappeared behind the farthest target, and her scythe passed through it in a clean arc.

Fwip!

The construct is split in half.

Before the pieces could even fall, Cassandra had already moved again.

Fwip, fwip!

Two more flashes.

Two precise swings.

The remaining targets shattered into clean fragments, their energy dispersing without any explosion.

Silence followed.

"...She didn’t waste anything during that half-second," Ellen muttered in a delightful tone of surprise.

"That means that she still has enough experience to move her body coordinately with the scythe to attack her opponent."

"I didn’t even see her move..."

One of the girls swallowed.

"Final test. Aura pressure," Ellen raised her hand again.

A larger crystal pillar rose at the center, its surface glowing brighter than the others.

"Release your killing pressure, but keep it directed at the crystal," Ellen instructed calmly.

Cassandra’s grip tightened slightly around the scythe.

"Phew..."

The air around the platform dropped in temperature.

Several girls felt a chill run down their spines, instinctively holding their breath. It felt as if something invisible was pressing against their throats.

Even the crystals vibrated faintly.

Gray’s eyes narrowed at his.

Cassandra’s aura sharpened even more than before, no longer just reinforcing her body but also actively strengthening her soul weapon.

Fwooom!

The pressure slammed into the crystal pillar.

Cracks spread across its surface, not exploding outward, but collapsing inward, as if the crystal itself was being forced to submit.

The sensors rang sharply.

[Maximum directed pressure reached.]

"That’s enough!" Ellen quickly raised her hand.

The pressure vanished instantly.

The chill lifted, and the air quickly returned to normal.

Cassandra lowered her scythe, and it dissolved into nothing. She stepped back, her breathing steady, as if she hadn’t done anything taxing at all.

Crack...!

The crystal pillar shattered quietly a second later, crumbling into dust.

No one spoke for a few seconds.

"That was terrifying!"

"Right? She didn’t even look tired!"

Ellen stared at the readings, her eyes going wide behind her glasses.

"...Perfect control. Extreme lethality. Zero instability," she stated slowly. "Just like Maelis... a flawless-grade, almost reaching the point of perfection!"

Cassandra gave a small nod and stepped off the platform, walking back to Gray’s side.

Rustle~

As she passed him, their hands brushed again, and in that single second, her index finger tightened around his before separating as quickly.

Ellen looked up, excitement burning in her eyes once more.

"...Finally," she exclaimed, her gaze turning to the man she had been waiting to test.

"Gray Vireux. You’re last."

Gray gave a small nod and stepped onto the platform, but the moment his foot touched the runes of the platform...

THRUUUM!

The entire testing ground shook.

An overwhelming pressure exploded outward, slamming everyone to the ground. Even Ellen was forced down, her palms scraping against the stone as she struggled to breathe.

"Gurrghhh!"

"I-I can’t move!"

"My chesttt!"

The air felt crushed, like the world itself had suddenly gained weight.

"S-shit! Gray! Control your power!" Ellen forced the words out, as her voice was being restrained by the pressure itself.

At her shout, Gray paused.

Snap!

He casually snapped his fingers.

The crushing pressure instantly collapsed inward, condensing into a small, dense ball hovering above his palm.

"Haaagh!"

"Phew...!"

The students gasped as the weight vanished, coughing as they pushed themselves off the ground.

Slowly, all eyes turned toward Gray.

He stood there calmly, casually tossing the small ball of pressure into the air and catching it again, as if it weighed nothing.

Ellen stared at him, frozen.

"Y-you.... already compressed it?" Ellen stammered in complete surprise as she looked at Gray, more precisely, the ball in his hand.

"Yes. What’s the next test?"

Ellen swallowed hard, then nodded absently before raising her hand.

At her signal, the ground trembled, and a massive crystal pillar rose in front of Gray, far larger than the ones used before.

"Attack it with maximum power," she said, regaining her composure.

"No restraint."

Gray frowned slightly.

"That isn’t needed."

"What do you mean?" Ellen blinked at his words.

Instead of answering, Gray lifted one hand, and slowly, a tiny ball of mana formed at the tip of his finger.

He flicked it forward.

BOOOOM!

The pillar was directly pierced by the small ball of mana.

A clean hole tore straight through the crystal, and a second later, the entire structure collapsed into countless fragments, raining down across the platform.

The testing ground fell silent.

Ellen’s mouth hung open.

The girls stared in complete disbelief.

"...Next one?" Gray asked, turning back to her.

"R-right... ahem, final test!" Ellen shook herself, coughing lightly.

Her eyes sharpened.

"I’ll activate the hardest test this academy has ever used," she said seriously. "Even a few professors struggle with this one."

With a sharp gesture, the runes across the entire testing ground lit up. Barriers rose, and dozens of magic circles formed in the air, overlapping and spinning violently.

"Endurance, precision, and lethality.... All at once."

Seeing this, Gray looked a bit more hesitant as he knew that he couldn’t one-shot this exam without his sword.

So, he reached to his side.

Shing.

His silver rapier suddenly appeared as it slid free from its sheath, the blade catching the light for just a moment.

The girls held their breath.

Step...

Gray took a single step forward and swung it vertically.

Fwip...

Just a simple, casual slash.

...But that was enough for the air split.

Crack!

Every magic circle froze, then shattered.

Crack, crack, crack!

The barriers cracked and dissolved, and the pressure readings spiked before instantly dropping to zero as the entire system shut down due to Gray’s power.

This caused an awkward silence to fly through the air.

Until a moment later, the sensors chimed.

[PERFECT SCORE.]

Ellen stared at the readings, then at Gray.

"...Maximum grades," she whispered.

"Perfect... across all categories."

"That’s all?" Gray calmly sheathed his rapier and looked at her.

Ellen let out a shaky laugh at his unchanging expression.

"...Yes," she said softly.

"That’s all."

For a brief moment, the testing ground was completely silent.

"DID YOU SEE THAT?!"

"That was just one swing?!"

"He didn’t even try!"

The silence swas hattered as the girls erupted all at once, their voices overlapping in pure excitement.

"That was insane!"

"I’ve never seen mana behave like that!"

"He shut down the whole system!"

Several of them leaned forward, eyes sparkling as they stared at Gray like he was something unreal.

"So cool..."

"Is he really a student?"

"How can someone be that calm after that?"

Before the chaos could grow any louder, a sharp clap echoed across the testing ground.

Clap! Clap!

"Enough."

Ellen’s voice cut cleanly through the fangirling, calm but firm. The sound alone was enough to make the girls flinch and straighten up.

"I understand your excitement," she continued, adjusting her glasses, "but remember where you are."

She turned toward the group, her expression returning to that of a strict instructor.

"Now that the exchange students’ tests are finished, it’s your turn."

A wave of tension washed over the girls.

"Ah..."

"So soon..."

Ellen pointed toward the platform. "You’ll be tested in the order on your roster. Step forward when your name is called."

She paused, then added with a faint smile, "And don’t worry. You’re obviously not expected to match what you just saw."

Several girls sighed in relief.

Gray stepped off the platform, moving back beside Cassandra and Maelis. As he did, more than a few eyes followed him, lingering with open admiration.

Ellen raised her voice once more.

"First student."