Chapter 246: I Will Win
"Hmm?"
High Angel Hensen looked to the side at the light that illuminated the outer rim.
He saw something move there from his periphery.
A frown settled on his brow as his gaze drifted upward to the barred window. He stared at it for a good moment, eyes narrowing with every silent second. Only when no movement stirred beyond the bars did he finally look away.
"Must’ve been my imagination," He murmured, and then focused on Kai’s ruined back again. "Forgive the interruption. Now, where were we?"
Giving no thought about how Kai’s back was already covered entirely with blood, High Angel Hensen continued the whipping. His smile spread even wider when he realized that Kai was still strong and kicking.
His reaction made that clear.
High Angel Hensen was afraid that Kai would be too exhausted to give a satisfying reaction.
And he was glad to find that wasn’t the case.
For almost an hour, Dorian and Bryan sat with their backs against the wall. Both of them had their hands covering their mouths and focused on suppressing their mana so that High Angel Hensen wouldn’t sense them.
Naturally, throughout that hour, they were forced to listen to Kai’s screams.
Forced to listen to the sound of the leather whip slamming into flesh.
More than once, Dorian had been on the verge of smashing his way into the chamber—to do unspeakable things to High Angel Hensen and drag Kai out. But every time, Bryan held him back, voice low and insistent, reminding him that acting now would only bury them both.
Intervening would mean interfering with the academy’s business, an act that would drag them straight into the spotlight. Additionally—they were almost certainly standing in a restricted area.
None of it would look good.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if the grey-masked Angels also apprehended them.
Locked them up as they did to Kai.
Both of them would be far more useful outside than trapped inside for Kai. So, Dorian ground his teeth and forced himself to endure the sound of every strike. High Angel Hensen wielded the whip with sadistic precision.
Each lash was spaced at a deliberate interval.
Times to let the pain fully register in Kai’s nerves before the next one tore it fresh.
Dorian was having a hard time.
Listening to the one who almost got him killed laughing in satisfaction was hard to do.
Especially when the source of his laughter was torturing a friend.
It took everything in him to stay completely still—his body twitched constantly from the fire burning beneath his skin. But somehow, he held on until the end. Dorian lifted his gaze when the sounds of suffering finally stopped.
And then, he heard the sound of a door closing hard.
Dorian wasted no time and took a peek.
Just as he expected, High Angel Hensen was leaving.
Probably to pause the torture for a bit.
He took a break only to let Kai catch his breath and his wounds recover even a little bit. Just enough for the torture to resume with the same sharp effectiveness as before. Another one of his sadistic calculations.
"Where are you going?" Kai asked in a small whisper, but audible enough to be heard.
"Hm?" High Angel Hensen stopped mid-track and turned. "I’ll be back soon. Don’t worry."
"What happened? Tired already? I thought you liked torturing people."
Kai raised his gaze slightly, and then cast a taunting smirk at High Angel Hensen.
"If you want to break me before the tournament, then it would take more than this. I suggest you hurry and work harder—or else I’m only going to be more motivated to win rather than lose hope."
"Is that so...? I’ll heed your advice then. I’ll come back with more fun toys."
High Angel Hensen laughed and then exited the chamber.
Regardless of his reason for leaving, this moment was a gift for Dorian and Bryan.
"Psst!"
Dorian called out to Kai, but gained no answer.
He took a few pebbles beside him and threw them into the chamber before calling again.
Only then did Kai finally move.
Slowly, weakly, he lifted his head and saw a face peering through the bars—a woman’s face, or so he thought, until his blurry vision sharpened and he realized it was Dorian. Beside him, another figure tried to squeeze through, but his head was too large to fit between the bars.
"How did you get here...?" Kai asked, raising his voice enough to reach them.
"Never mind that," Dorian shook his head. "Why the fuck do you feel the need to taunt him?"
"It’s hard to explain."
"Hard to explain? Just say that you’re a fucking masochist. Did you lose your mind already?"
"I don’t—have any strength to argue, right now."
Dorian sighed, watching Kai’s back that was sleek and glistened with his own lifeblood.
Considering the pain that his friend had gone through, Dorian was glad that at least Kai didn’t seem to be in a dark place. He was suffering, yes, but his mind wasn’t broken as many students would have if they were in this situation.
Being treated unfairly and then falling into a trap.
"Do you want to get out of here? We can hide you for the next few days—and let you recover until the tournament day. Bryan got a place where you can hide. He is confident that you’ll be safe there until the tournament day."
"Hm. Hm. Very confident."
Kai looked up again, cast a faint smile, and then raised a thumb-up.
"Don’t worry about me. I’m right where I want to be."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Like I said, hard to explain, but know that I’m fine. Just trust me, will you? If you really want to help, then tell Bree and Matilda not to worry about me. And look after Abigail and Talitha. Both of them got hurt because of me."
"I’m seriously doubting your sanity right now, but I’m going to trust you."
Dorian pulled his head out, lay down, and leaned his head against the steel bars as he looked up to the sky. He thought back to the Blood Rite and remembered how he doubted Kai when he was in Lion’s hands.
In the end, despite all odds, Kai was able to get them through that brutal trial.
And unlike back then, he wanted to believe Kai this time from the start.
"Are you saying that you’re going to win the tournament?" He asked to confirm.
"Yeah, that’s still the plan," Kai answered as he moved to a more comfortable position. "I will win the Dragon Ring tournament. This... trap is doing nothing but make me more determined to take Chester down. And then Ragnar."
"And then that psychopathic guy."
"Yeah... I think at this point, I can admit that you’re right to want to kill Hensen."
"Good for you to admit your mistake."
"Oh, right," Bryan snapped his fingers, remembering something. "Once you become the Red Prince—can I be the one to use the special training chamber? I heard it has equipment that can’t be broken. I need it for my divine bloodline."
"A Red Prince has that privilege?" Kai questioned—not aware of all the perks of winning the Dragon Ring tournament. "Even if I have that privilege, then can I let others use it?"
"You don’t know? A Red Prince is a special, special student. So, his group would also gain great privileges. One of the privileges was being allowed to use the Red Prince’s things as long as the Red Prince is fine with it."
"Then go for it, I don’t mind."
"Hah! My blood is boiling even from imagining it."
"In that case," Dorian raised his index finger like he was asking permission from the professor in class. "I want to be the first one to try the mantle exclusive to the Red Prince before anyone. Not even the girls.’
"Why would you want that?" Kai frowned at the request.
"You’re asking why? For a badass photo—of course. Its color matched my hair and eyes. It’s perfect for me. In fact, it probably suits me more than it suits you."
"Just for a photo? Seems like Tiana’s blood is really in you."
"Fuck you! It’s not gay to like taking photos, you cunt."
"Erm..." Bryan tilted his head and flicked a brow. "It’s—kinda gay."
"Alright, first of all, fuck both of you. Second of all—don’t change the fucking subject." Dorian groaned in annoyance. He was getting sick of these gay allegations. "Let me be the first one to wear the mantle. Even if Bree asked, you have to give it to me first. Bros before hoes."
"Fine," Kai chuckled inwardly, though it was more like coughing from how weak he was right now. "I won’t let Bree or Matilda wear it after me even if they asked. Heck, I’ll hand it over to you the second the ceremony is done."
The three of them chuckled at their banter.
And then, silence enveloped them again.
"Win the tournament, Kai."
"I will."
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the Fire Swamp.
Chester walked through the swamp with a mild smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
His mind replayed the message he read earlier, saying that Kai had fallen into their trap.
Ragnar sent a message to him while he was on the way to the Fire Swamp to avoid any trouble with the other students. He also learned that Ragnar couldn’t kill Kai due to the students being outraged by the incident, but it’s fine.
On the day of the tournament, Kai would be weakened from the torture. Hollowed out.
It wasn’t the fair battle Chester wanted, but he decided to heed Ragnar’s advice.
Fairness was a luxury, while victory was a necessity.
No need for him to worry about the antics.
As long as he won in the end, the details could be forgotten.
Chester made a turn around a cluster of gnarled trees; someone emerged from behind a tree.
"Boo!"
He flinched as he wasn’t paying attention to his surroundings.
It was a female student—her green eyes bright as polished jade and her curly black hair spilled over her shoulders beautifully. She was holding a single stem of blue rose that shimmered like a lamp.
"Pasia, you almost gave me a heart attack. What are you doing here?"
"Congratulations, Chester. I heard the news that Kai’s finished."
Chester blinked, and the tension in his shoulders slowly eased.
"It’s only because of that?"
"Only because of that? The tournament is as good as yours! You’re practically already the Red Prince! Come on, aren’t you going to at least accept this flower?"
"I never got a flower before," Chester accepted the flower in disbelief.
"I took your first time, then," Pasia winked at him sweetly.
"Thank you for this, really," Chester lifted the rose—and then walked past her. "Come on, we should still hunt tonight."
Just then, Pasia grabbed his wrist and pulled him to face her.
She took a step closer and leaned forward before pulling the collar of her black shirt to reveal a provocative black bra underneath that barely covered anything. "Tonight is for celebration—and I got another present for you."
Chester looked down at her blessed breasts and gulped down his saliva.
Even though it was too soon to celebrate, his lips curled into a perverted smile.
’I guess I already won. No need for me to worry about anything.’