Chapter 250: Making Entrance
High Angel Hensen watched Kai closely the whole way to the stadium.
A smile bloomed on his face—satisfied to see how weak Kai was from the way he walked and how his shoulders slumped like they weighed a ton. For him, Kai’s condition was his personal masterpiece that he had worked for days.
Seeing what he did under the sun pleased him.
’Ragnar was extremely paranoid, so I’m guessing he’s making a big gamble.’
Over the few days, other than stalling the students from asking questions about the incident, Ragnar had been visiting High Angel Hensen. He stressed that Kai needed to be weakened to the point of falling over.
No matter what, High Angel Hensen must make sure that he can’t win.
Give no reprieve so that he’d lose even before he could reach Chester.
It was obvious that Ragnar was gambling with something.
Regardless, seeing the condition Kai was in, there was no need to worry about anything.
High Angel Hensen completed his task flawlessly.
Before entering the underground chamber where the participants were preparing themselves, he grabbed Kai’s shoulder and pulled. "I’m sure you’re going to be pitted with the others first, and my advice—go down. No need to make it harder for yourself. Just go down."
Kai stared High Angel Hensen in the eyes.
His cold eyes drilled into the person who had tortured him for days, and then he turned away.
No need to entertain this psychopath anymore.
Kai pushed the door open and stepped into a spacious square-shaped chamber. He wasted no time and went to the empty spot, far away from the other participants who were also armed to the teeth.
As he walked, he kept his head down, making no eye contact with the other participants.
Even as he waited for the tournament to start in silence, he kept his head down.
Just merging with the darkness and closed his eyes.
Despite the thick stone walls, the lively atmosphere outside could still be heard, but it did not disturb Kai’s peace at all. Among the muffled noises, he heard Chester being mentioned. So— Chester was already in the arena.
Unlike what he expected earlier, there were only four other participants in here with him.
One by one, the participants were called out.
All of them cast a glance at him as they walked out, but he didn’t return their glance.
In the silence and calmness of his mind, Kai replayed what had happened to him. Specifically, what Chester and Ragnar had done to trap him and wear him down solely for the sake of his downfall, which now includes weakening him before the Dragon Ring tournament.
For people who viewed him as merely a Lesser Angel, it was surprising that they went ahead to go this far to make sure he lost. It was unfair. Frustrating. Angering. But in the end, a small smile crept to his lips.
Not because he was fine with his situation.
But because their actions showed that deep down, they were no longer viewing him the same.
Kai was a nuisance at the start. Now, he’s a legitimate threat.
Someone who really can break the stigma that the sky had held on for so long.
Even though it was a good sign, a win for his personal side, he didn’t let it get to him. Instead, he gathered the pent-up emotions, anger, and frustration, letting it fuel him with the flame that he could use to come out as the victor.
Dorian and Bryan hadn’t come back after the first night.
He wasn’t aware of Talitha’s and Abigail’s condition, or whether they were even alive.
Just to get to him, those bastards attacked the innocents.
And then, he also recalled the pain and suffering he endured inside the chamber. Every whip that seared across his back, his body remembered it clearly. And the throbbing ache that still persists even after the whippings stopped reminded him how excited High Angel Hensen was in torturing him.
Nobody should experience something like this in their lives.
On one side, he was thankful.
A few months ago, Kai would probably never believe that he could endure a torture that lasts for days. Even if his body was strong enough to endure it, his mind wouldn’t. His mind would break first.
And yet, now, he not only endured the torture but also thrived through it.
An eye for an eye will make the world go blind, but the world must first know what an eye is worth. Until the world understands the worth—blood must be paid with blood. And the first step to achieve that was to be listened to.
Kai would make them listen by winning this tournament.
For a moment, inside the embrace of the darkness, Kai meditated to recover his mana.
As much as he could.
In fact, any amount would do right now.
Even with his eyes closed, he could feel the darkness of the chamber drawing toward him like he was a magnet, which was abundant as the chamber only relies on a few candles as its light source, making the entire place dim.
It stroked his skin as if to soothe him after what happened.
Beside him, there was another presence that gave him more strength.
Bella answered his call and was now channelling strength to him through her presence.
A reminder that no matter where Kai was, he was never alone.
"And for the last participant, the leader of the Ambrosia Pact—!"
Outside, the introduction for his entry rang.
Kai walked to the gate without even opening his eyes, and stood there, waiting to be called.
In the last few seconds he had before the tournament started, he let out a whispering chant.
"Deep Slumber..."
Casting the Deep Slumber on himself required almost no mana, so he made use of it without hesitation. Throughout the duration of the torture, he hadn’t gotten the chance to use the Deep Slumber at all.
Now is the time to use it.
Inside the underground chamber, dark and isolated, his mind drifted away into the House of Night. He stood at the dark, misty expanse for a few seconds, and then stared ahead with clear struggle on his face.
Kai debated doing something, but he decided not to.
He returned to reality again.
For others, it looked like he was simply resting his eyes for a second before the tournament.
But these seconds of rest were much more than that for Kai.
His weary shoulders, seconds ago dragged low by exhaustion, squared themselves as if they had regained their strength. His spine, forced to hunch beneath the weight of the wounds on his back, straightened like an arrow as though the pain no longer affected him.
And inside, the exhaustion that gripped him from days of torture disappeared.
Vanished like it never happened.
Casting the Deep Slumber on himself allowed him to sleep. And though his mind drifted to the House of Night only for a few seconds, it was still the same as a full night of good rest, and now his body was rejuvenated.
Pulled out from the pit of weariness.
Exhaustion had dulled his mind and feelings.
Now, once his stamina returned, the anger that had been piled ever since the incident began to surface inside his chest with even more strength. He felt a burning flame that threatened to swallow him whole from the inside.
He thought he was already angry enough before, but this put it to a whole other level.
It was so hot and overwhelming that his arms twitched.
Darkness in me... I see.
Kai remembered what Matilda had said to him—about a darkness she sensed within him. He had assumed she meant something deeper that he wasn’t aware of, but he was wrong. She was talking about the other side of him, the one born in the Blood Rite.
Right now, he could feel that side of him again taking over.
One that lacked sympathy and acted ruthlessly.
It was replacing his normal side for this tournament, and Kai let it take over.
He had to win.
So, what good was restraint when his enemies had already tried everything to destroy him?
"Lesser Angel Kai!"
Once the announcer called out his name, Kai’s eyelids fluttered open.
And behind them, a pair of sharp and focused ink-black eyes were revealed.
Slowly, the steel gate rose, spilling harsh light into the chamber. Kai waited, keeping his eyes forward, unblinking, watching the other participants who had already stood in the arena like five hardened warriors.
Around, the crowd’s roar swelled with every inch the gate climbed.
Dust-ridden air filled his lungs. Heat grazed against his exposed skin.
His first step into the light was heavy, like the darkness was clinging onto him, not wanting to let him go. However, the next steps were easier. Kai strode towards the arena, and this time, he maintained eye contact with the participants.
His first step into the light was heavy—the darkness clung to him like it didn’t want to let go.
But the next steps came easier.
Kai strode along the spacious pathway toward the arena, and this time, he didn’t look away, holding them for a good second until he fixed on Chester, who was staring at him intently. His face was covered by the same white draconic mask, but Kai could tell that he was smiling from how his eyes squinted.
Smiling as if Kai had already lost the battle.
And as soon as he entered the crowd’s view, black steam began to seethe from his back.
It swayed upward like smoke as the Reckless Ruin began to take hold of his wounds.
Moreover, the air he was emanating struck shock into the crowd.
"You’re telling me that—is the Lesser Angel?"
"I can’t believe it... His fighting spirit is unbelievable."
"Someone must be playing a joke on us. Not even the participants for our year’s tournament radiated as much fighting spirit as him. And though he should be the weakest—it did not feel that way at all."
"And that smoke... It’s not made of mana. What the fuck is that?"
Seeing the Lesser Angel in the flesh sent an uproar across the crowd as they weren’t expecting him to be like this at all. In their minds, the Lesser Angel must be someone worn down. Just a dead weight that Lady Luck would give to anyone who was pitted against him.
But they were wrong.
Not many students had a bearing as dominating as the Lesser Angel.
On the other side, Ragnar’s body froze, and his eyes widened in complete shock.
’What...? How?’ Ragnar’s eyes naturally shifted towards High Angel Hensen, seated not far away, and found the same shock mirrored on his face. ’I told him to push the Lesser Angel to the breaking point. So, how? How is he still looking like this? Where is this strength coming from?’