[Master... Vexion's emotional state has become unstable.]
Dante lazily carried the severed head of a female demon by one horn. He examined it for a moment before clicking his tongue.
"...Dirty."
With a flick of his wrist, he tossed it into the forest. The head bounced twice before disappearing beneath the marsh.
He sighed.
"You know, System..."
"I've walked far too much today."
Without waiting for a reply, he pulled a stone from the ground, flattened it into a chair, and sat down. He then lifted himself into the air using Spatial Manipulation, allowing the floating chair to drift lazily above the forest.
"I think..."
"...this might actually be the first time I've used this much mana."
[Incorrect.]
[Prince Jeremiah exhausted Master's mana considerably more during your childhood training.]
Dante visibly shivered.
"...Let's not revisit traumatic memories."
Silence followed.
Then—
[Master.]
"Hm?"
[Vexion's emotional state has reached a critical threshold.]
Dante blinked.
"...Someone used emotional manipulation?"
A brief pause followed.
"...That's a filthy skill."
The System remained silent for several seconds before responding.
[Master manipulated both Emperor Justin and Empress Aurora on numerous occasions without the use of a skill.]
"..."
"...That's different."
[Please elaborate.]
"I manipulated them honestly."
Another pause.
The System chose not to pursue the topic.
[No skill is influencing Lady Vexion.]
[She has entered an uncontrolled emotional state.]
Dante frowned. That was unusual. Very unusual. Vexion rarely lost control, even in battle.
"...Who's closest?"
[Lady Lexa.]
Dante nodded.
"Then let's—"
.....
Far away, something changed.
Not gradually. Instantly.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
The world bent.
Every bird within the surrounding mountains dropped from the sky. Thousands of trees bowed simultaneously, as though an invisible emperor had ordered them to kneel. Branches snapped, entire forests groaned, and the mountain beneath Vexion's feet released a deafening crack.
Stone shattered.
The ground sank.
Within seven kilometers, the air itself became heavy. Not metaphorically, but literally. Breathing became difficult, mana slowed, and the mist that had covered the mountains for centuries suddenly stopped drifting. It simply hung motionless, as though even the wind had submitted.
The crimson sky spread outward, dark red mixed with black, like fresh blood dissolving into ink.
No attack had been launched. No skill had been activated.
This was merely Vexion standing still.
Her ruby eyes had darkened. Not with hatred, nor with bloodlust, but with absolute rage.
The fake Dante instinctively took a step backward. His body wouldn't move properly. His knees shook, and his breathing became shallow.
'What... What is this pressure...?'
'Impossible... She's only Legendary...'
Vexion slowly raised her head. Her voice came out frighteningly calm.
"...Who..."
"...are you?"
The illusion smiled.
"My love..."
"It's me—"
"DON'T."
The single word exploded across the mountains.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
The pressure tripled.
The mountain behind the fake Dante fractured, hundreds of enormous cracks racing through solid stone. The forest flattened as thousands of trees bent nearly horizontal before exploding apart beneath the invisible weight.
The illusion finally understood.
He wasn't fighting Vexion. He was forced into surviving her existence.
His illusion flickered, and sweat poured down his forehead. Even maintaining his mana became difficult beneath her suppression.
Vexion took one slow step forward. Every phantom echo around her disappeared. She no longer needed speed. She no longer needed movement.
The battlefield itself had become hers.
Her voice trembled, not with fear, but with fury.
"YOUR..."
"...NOT..."
"...MY..."
"...MASTER."
Another step.
The fake Dante coughed blood. His internal mana circulation had become unstable simply from remaining near her.
Vexion's crimson eyes never left him.
"ANSWER."
Her voice cracked.
"WHO..."
"...ARE..."
"...YOU?"
More than ten kilometers away, students froze simultaneously.
Everyone.
Regardless of race, strength, or what they had been doing, every head turned toward the same direction.
The crimson sky.
A pressure, barely detectable from this distance, still reached them. The stronger students immediately understood something terrifying. If this tiny fragment of pressure had travelled over such a distance , how overwhelming must the centre be?
The surrounding monsters reacted first.
RAAAAAAAAAAAWR!!
GROOOOOOOOOOOO!!
SKREEEEEEEEE!!
Creatures that moments earlier had been hunting students now fled without hesitation. Others, the stronger ones, didn't run. Instead, they lowered their heads instinctively, acknowledging something far above them.
Gorgon slowly lowered the massive axe resting across his shoulder. His expression became serious.
"...Vexion?"
He glanced toward the crimson sky.
"...Who pissed her off?"
Nearby, Eliosphere's wings stiffened. For the first time since entering the examination, she felt genuine fear.
"...Vexion...?"
"...What happened?"
Across another mountain range, Lexa suddenly stopped walking.
The pressure reaching her was only a tiny fraction of its original strength. Yet she recognized it instantly.
Her pupils contracted.
"No..."
Her breathing quickened.
"...She's not fighting."
She knew this pressure. She had trained beneath it, been crushed beneath it, and seen only glimpses of it.
This...
Was Malevolent Reign.
Without restraint.
Her heart began pounding.
'Who...?
Who was stupid enough...
...to push Vexion this far?'
For the first time in days, Lexa began running. Not toward danger, but toward her friend.
As she ran, she whispered a single sentence under her breath.
"...Master."
"...Please get there before she does any more damage and turns the whole academy against her."