Strong!

After the lion's strike

The dust had not even settled when a hush fell over the Capital One Area. Bits of molten metal and shards of enchanted alloy tumbled across the stone floor, still sizzling where they landed. Aether's mechanism — the towering construct he'd carefully tuned and reinforced — was now nothing more than smoldering fragments strewn like dead leaves.

Aether stood there a moment, his fingers slowly curling into a tight fist at his side. His teeth ground together.

I knew he'd be strong. I knew it from the start.

But seeing it — seeing how easily Luke and his lion had obliterated what should have been a fortress of enchanted steel — made the reality taste bitter on his tongue.

He's not even using his full strength. How large is the gap between us…?

Above, the stands burst into wild chatter.

"Did you see that? It went swish — and then BOOM! That entire machine just exploded like paper!"

"As expected of the year five chosen ones. And the president himself, no less."

Voices rose to shrieks of awe, claps rolling through the arena like waves.

"President! President!" students began chanting, their cheers mixing with laughter and the frenzied pounding of feet against the stone bleachers. Dozens of hands shot into the air, applauding him like he was a hero returning from war.

Aether tilted his head slightly, watching the celebration, then let out a small huff that could almost be mistaken for a laugh.

"Heh. Fine. I lost this round, didn't I?"

He lifted his eyes to where Luke still stood, regal and composed, his flaming lion sitting obediently by his side. Then Aether smiled — a sharp, amused sort of smile, as if the entire outcome was only mildly interesting.

From the sidelines, Shanny's heart skipped.

Why is he smiling at Luke? Her brows knitted. Is there something happening between them that I don't know? I thought that after witnessing the president's overwhelming power, he'd at least hesitate — or look defeated. But instead…

Her breath left her in a confused sigh.

Instead he looks amused. Almost entertained. What kind of boy is this…?

Power speaks louder than words

A strange silence briefly wrapped the space between Aether and Luke. They didn't speak, but they didn't need to — because in that charged silence, it was clear enough: the one with overwhelming power set the rules of the game.

Luke lifted his chin slightly, icy satisfaction flaring in his eyes.

This is how it should be. I stand at the summit, and you… you're just an interesting footnote.

Even from her seat, Akabane teacher felt the air tremble. She exhaled slowly, voice low.

"It's been a long time since I've seen Luke's power firsthand. He's grown even more formidable…"

The arena made its loyalties clear. Nearly every student — especially the aspiring mages — were utterly captivated by the year five elites. They weren't rooting for Aether. They hadn't been from the start. They were here to see the pinnacle of their academy — and Luke was the living embodiment of it.

Lucas's bitter delight

Meanwhile, up in the stands, Lucas couldn't stop grinning.

"Hahaha… serves you right, Aether. It would've been even sweeter if I had been the one to crush your creations into dust."

But then his laughter abruptly died. He clenched the railing in front of him so hard his knuckles turned white.

The president is terrifying. I can't even pretend otherwise.

He fell quiet, eyes narrowing. He would keep watching — if only to see whether Aether could crawl out of this hole, or if Luke would bury him even deeper.

Luke's cold triumph

Down below, Luke turned to face the roaring crowd, spreading his arms slightly with a wry smile.

"Haha! This is nothing to be surprised over. This is simply the result of tireless training and the power of a bonded familiar. Remember that this is what mastery over mana beasts means."

The crowd ate it up, cheering even louder.

Then he turned, met Aether's eyes, and his lips curled into a sharper smirk.

"And of course…" he said, voice dropping so only Aether could really hear, "this is how easily your insignificant mechanisms are reduced to rubble. They're hardly worth my time."

With that, he pivoted and strode back toward the chosen ones' line, his lion padding after him with a deep, satisfied growl.

Aether's simmering realization

Watching Luke's retreating back, Aether's half-lidded eyes sharpened.

So that's what this was really about.

Luke hadn't orchestrated this demonstration just to show off mana beasts or to "educate" the first years. He wanted to publicly crush Aether — to prove to every single eye in the academy that the so-called prodigy mechanic was laughably small under his heel.

Well. Congratulations, Aether thought darkly. You got exactly what you wanted.

But then his lips twitched upward into a sardonic grin.

Still, I don't like people who hold secret grudges against me. They're always the worst sort of trouble down the line. And something tells me this isn't just about Lucas's petty little revenge…

He narrowed his eyes slightly.

I'll dig it out eventually. Whatever you're really after.

And with that, a perfectly mundane, almost businesslike question floated into his mind.

…Should I charge him compensation for turning my mechanism into literal dust?

The vice president's moment

Then, with all eyes still buzzing from Luke's overwhelming performance, the vice president stepped forward. Shanny walked lightly toward the center of the arena, her sleek black panther trotting gracefully at her side. The air around them seemed to brighten just from the sight.

The crowd, already on edge, erupted again — though this time it was a different sort of uproar.

"SHANNY, ARE YOU SINGLE?!" one bold boy shouted.

"I LOVE YOU!" another wailed desperately.

Instantly, an eruption of groans and angry squeals rose from nearby girls.

"Shut UP, you idiots!" someone screeched. "Say that one more time and we'll pelt you with bricks!"

Shanny froze mid-step. Her elegant smile twitched.

Oh gods… please don't start a riot because of ME.

She cleared her throat quickly. "Alright everyone, calm down. My mana beast and I will now begin our demonstration."

Her voice carried a gentle but undeniable command. Almost at once, the stands settled. A hush fell again — but it was a hush charged with eager anticipation.

A clever deception

Shanny smiled again, eyes sparkling with playful confidence.

"Thank you. Now… I'm not going to tell you if the skill I'll be using is my specialty or not. You can decide that for yourselves."

A ripple of delighted whispers spread through the crowd.

"Damn, she knows how to work a stage," Aether said under his breath, eyes bright despite himself.

Then Shanny lifted her hand and called up her mana. Pale blue runes danced around her wrist, coalescing into a swirling sphere of water. A moment later, a dome-like water barrier sprang up around the next of Aether's constructs.

Murmurs rose instantly.

"A… barrier? Isn't she supposed to attack it?"

"It looks like a basic defensive water shield…"

Some students even let out disappointed sighs. Aether, too, tilted his head, puzzled.

Is she… protecting it? That can't be right.

But then he narrowed his eyes, focusing his mana sense. The flow of energy inside the barrier was strangely chaotic. Tiny razor-sharp currents danced along the inner surface like living scalpels.

Wait… it's slicing from the inside. The whole thing is a camouflage — on the outside it's just a harmless water barrier, but inside… it's a death trap.

Even as he realized it, a flash of movement caught his eye.

Where's her panther?

He scanned around — but the sleek black feline was gone.

A split second later, a dark streak blurred through the barrier. A deafening crack split the air as the construct shuddered violently. Then, with almost theatrical suddenness, it burst apart into fine shreds. The panther emerged on the other side, its paws landing so softly it barely made a sound.

Aether's jaw slackened.

Fast. It waited for everyone to focus on the "harmless" barrier, then struck. Even I missed when it moved.

The crowd's awe

Gasps turned to shrieks.

"Where did it come from?!"

"That was so clean — I didn't even see it move!"

Olivia gripped the railing tight, eyes shining. "It's simple, but absolutely brilliant…"

Even Aether had to admit it. He stood there, hands in pockets, a wry grin pulling at his lips.

"Wow. That's… actually pretty sick."

Shanny offered a graceful little bow, her panther circling back to press its head against her hip. She ran her fingers through its fur, face glowing with calm pride.