Chapter 242: I’m Still Alive
Kai spat blood to the ground and then raised his gaze.
He was taken aback by Ragnar’s hostility.
As far as he could remember, the last time they had met, their exchange had been passive.
But then he remembered how Bree had cornered—and intimidated Ragnar to secure the sixth and last spot of the freshmen group so that the Ambrosia Pact could be made. And suddenly, the hostility made sense.
For Ragnar, he probably thought Kai had sent Bree to do that.
"Bree would not like this," Kai whispered weakly.
He wasn’t the one who instructed Bree to intimidate Ragnar, but he might as well play into it, as there’s really no other choice. If he can’t somehow find a way out of this, then he would die in this cold, isolated chamber.
"Bree... That woman’s background is annoyingly strong. Her siblings are Demons with a high standing," Ragnar turned, still cleaning the blood from his knuckles. "Not many people in the First Sky could stand up against her. And now, I no longer need to be afraid of her."
Kai’s brows furrowed.
He stared at Ragnar with a clear question behind his eyes.
And he got his answer when Ragnar smirked mischievously.
"Yes, that’s right." Ragnar nodded eagerly. "One of the people who can stand up to her—has taken my side, can you believe it? Someone that powerful actually took interest in this matter. And that’s all thanks to you."
"Me?" Kai was puzzled, but then his mind clicked. "Lion..."
From the very start, Professor Richard had already warned him that Lion was under the umbrella of someone extremely powerful. A Demigod. And he also had advised against killing Lion. It would be better to spare him and take the win.
But Kai’s emotions were high back then, and he decided to kill Lion anyway.
It had bitten him on the back several times already.
And that Demigod had intervened again, backing Ragnar and Chester in this matter.
"Nobody can save you now, Lesser Angel," Ragnar stated—like it was a fact that could not be refuted. Something that the Moirai, the three sister Goddesses of Fate, had already set in stone. "You are going to die here," he gestured at the knife in Hensen’s hand, "that knife would open your stomach and let you bleed to death.
"But don’t worry, your suffering would not end. Once you’re dead—I will offer your flesh as a sacrifice to Hades, so that your spirit would be taken to the Underworld and punished for every wrong you have done."
Kai listened to the words attentively.
Listened to the threat that could put a chill down anyone’s spine.
However, at this very moment as he listened to those words—he didn’t feel anything. He was angry and desperate, yes, but the threat didn’t stir anything in him, as if the words were only the passing wind.
"But before that—I’m curious about one thing." Ragnar continued. "I know that life had been unfair for you, but you could have simply died peacefully. Or, if you really want to live, then it would be better to use your stubbornness to strike a deal with the Chancellor.
"Let you live—and in exchange, you’re going to live a silent, mediocre life. Why fight like this? Why be ambitious and risk offending people who you can’t offend?"
Kai paused at what Ragnar said, contemplating.
It was true that if he really wanted to survive, with his power, he could strike a bargain with the Chancellor. Perhaps other than living a mediocre life—he could also help the High Angels to grow even faster by protecting them.
Even though he’s a Lesser Angel, his strength is undeniable.
No reason for the Chancellor to refuse that proposition.
But he didn’t do that.
Instead, he went on to continue going against the current, offending everyone along the way.
"Bree had also asked me a somewhat similar question to yours on my first day here, and my answer remains the same." Kai blinked his eyes and stared straight at Ragnar’s. "Because my life... is simply out of my hands. It’s not only mine anymore."
"I see," Ragnar nodded, and then sighed in pity. "So, this is all for a dead woman’s wish."
"Does my reasoning disappoint you?" Kai asked.
"No. Not at all. What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal." Ragnar looked up to the barred window. "Her fire lives through you, so I understand."
Slowly, he shifted his gaze to Hensen.
Knowing what the gaze meant, Hensen handed the knife over to Ragnar.
But as the knife was in his hand, the two looked over their shoulders in unison like two people who shared the same brain. Kai didn’t know what was going on, but something—or someone outside seemed to attract their attention.
Kai’s mana was being suppressed, so he couldn’t really sense what was beyond the walls.
In the next second, the air shifted.
It no longer carried the icy coldness of death’s presence.
High Angel Hensen and Ragnar exchanged a look that needed no words—the kind of glance that passed between a pair who had worked together long enough to read each other’s intent in the twitch of a brow.
Complete understanding.
And then, without a single word spoken, Ragnar handed back the knife.
High Angel Hensen sheathed it in one smooth motion and walked around the chamber.
His footsteps echoed against the cold stone as he disappeared behind Kai’s back.
A new sound followed—something dragging across the stone floor. Something leathery and heavy. It scraped against the floor with a dull, grinding rasp, and Kai’s spine tightened on its own like it recognized what made this sound was before his mind did.
From the moment Ragnar had held the knife, Kai had been certain of what was coming.
It was Ragnar who would open his stomach with the knife.
Kai would bleed out onto the drains beneath him, and the cold stone would drink the leftover.
That was what he expected would happen, so when Ragnar handed the knife back, confusion flickered through the haze of weakness. He couldn’t understand what made Ragnar decide to change his mind.
Just then, the banging started.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
It was distant, smothered by stone walls and heavy doors—yet sharp enough to slice through the intense silence. Three pairs of eyes turned toward the sound. It was no doubt coming from the main door, the entrance of this chamber, and the knock sounded forceful.
Demanding even.
And behind it, rising like a tide, came the unmistakable murmur of a crowd.
Voices. Many of them. And they sounded angry.
Kai listened to these voices. Keeping his bruised face was hard to do, but he still tried in order to really catch what the voices were saying. He couldn’t make out any words, but the one was unmistakable—angry.
It was the kind of noise that only gathered when people felt like they were being wronged.
And then it clicked.
Kai’s lips curled into a grin.
A mild chuckle escaped him as he realized what was going on.
"Seems like your plan is not flawless after all," He whispered weakly. "You can’t kill me."
Ragnar snapped his head towards Kai and gritted his teeth.
On the other hand—Kai’s mind raced through the pieces. The incident earlier had happened inside the dormitory. Abigail, beaten and bloodied. Talitha—her sister, stabbed and cold. The students who lived there would’ve seen the aftermath, or heard of it, and they would want to see the crime scene for themselves.
But the academy had sealed it off using the grey-masked Angels.
Ragnar, as the representative of the freshmen, had been the one allowed inside.
If the students outside were gathering—it was because they felt the truth about this incident was being hidden from them. Because Ragnar was hiding something. Everyone knew that Kai had a deep problem with Chester, so tonight’s incident reeked of a trap.
One that was used to accuse Kai of a crime he never committed.
And since the academy was involved, the students felt unsafe.
Perhaps in the future, they would be the next victim.
Ragnar couldn’t afford to have Kai dead while the students were demanding answers.
Kai remembered the incident with Layra in the Aurelian Academy.
Her remembered the Dean had bent over backward to protect her because she was a valuable Angel with the bloodline of an Olympian God. Rare, precious, and extremely valuable for the academy to have.
Naturally, the Dean hadn’t wanted to punish her at all for what she did.
But the riot had forced his hand—the anger of the students had been a weight even he couldn’t ignore. Kai had learned something from that. The academy treated its students like slaves and even encouraged some to kill themselves, but there’s a threshold they didn’t want to surpass.
Since they were all Angels, then everyone needed to contribute to mankind.
For the academy, there must be quotas for Angels sent to the Second Sky.
Any less than the quota and the academy would be in trouble.
Because of that, the academy couldn’t afford to lose too many students, especially when a riot happened. They couldn’t afford to openly crush the very people they needed—so there was no other choice but to take a step back.
And that’s exactly what was happening right now.
Ragnar couldn’t kill him. Not like this. Not now.
Anger flashed across Ragnar’s face at the sound of Kai’s weak chuckle.
He gestured sharply to High Angel Hensen.
Obeying like a loyal dog, the serrated whip in High Angel Hensen’s hand drew back.
Kai heard the leather crack, heard the air part as it came forward, and then fire exploded across his back. The barbs bit deep, tearing through the cloth and skin in a single vicious strike, and blood arced into the air in thin, dark ribbons.
His body convulsed.
A howl of pain ripped from his throat, echoing off the circular walls.
But even when the echo and the pain faded, the grin on Kai’s face was still there.
"My plan is not perfect, but I already took into account everything." Ragnar sneered and then turned to leave—as he needed to address the crowd. "Do your best to endure the next couple of days, Lesser Angel. I’ll see you at the tournament."
Ragnar was devoured by the darkness again, disappearing from sight.
And behind, High Angel Hensen wasted no time pulling back and whipped once again.
Another devious crack echoed.
Kai gritted his teeth and hissed at the excruciating pain that lanced deep into his bones.
However, he didn’t care. This pain is only temporary. It wouldn’t faze him.
Regardless of how painful the next couple of days would be, Kai couldn’t stop his smile.
I’m still alive... Your mistake, Ragnar.