Punishment

The only person Cedric truly cared about in the academy—the one person he couldn't afford to lose—was Rinne.

Everyone knew it. He was hopelessly in love with her. Head over heels.

And that's exactly why Rinne did it.

She came up with a plan—a cruel one—that snapped every last thread holding Cedric's sanity together.

And it worked.

"You fucking cockmaggot!" Cedric roared, his mana spiraling out of control. His hair floated wildly, and the ground under his feet trembled like it was scared of him. "You shouldn't have dragged Rinne into this! This was between you and me!"

A crowd of students had already formed a ring around them. Teachers came rushing in from every corner of the field.

"What the hell is going on?!" barked the Vice-headmaster.

But before he could get too close—BOOM!—a towering pillar of ice shot up, erect in front of him, blocking his path.

"No lowlife shall interfere!" Cedric's voice thundered. "This is my battle! I swear to the one I owe my life—Hades will die today!"

His cry resonated through the ground. The very air seemed to shiver under the weight of his rage.

But Hades stood calmly, brushing his pants back as he turned to the Headmaster.

"This counts as a death duel, right?"

The Headmaster's face darkened. "Yes... but I ask you—"

"No, Headmaster." Hades shook his head, cutting him off. "No forgiveness. Not today."

He turned back to Cedric.

The prince's eyes burned. Ice spikes hovered behind him, sharp, deadly, all aimed at one target.

"You think you can beat me?" he growled.

Hades didn't say a word.

He just lowered his body, mana wrapping around him in a thin but dangerous layer. His stance was sharp. Focused.

Cedric glanced at Rinne.

Her eyes were filled with confidence.

But they weren't looking at him.

Even if I die today… I won't let this bastard touch you ever again.

Without warning, Cedric thrust his hand forward—FWOOOSH!—all the lances launched at once, cutting through the air like missiles.

But Hades didn't back off.

He charged straight in.

His body glowed, each lance slamming into him—but instead of piercing, they vanished, absorbed into his mana-wrapped frame.

Gasps rang out from the crowd.

Then Hades leapt into the air, his fist glowing a cold blue. With a roar, he crashed down, slamming his punch into the earth.

CRACK!

The ground split like broken glass. Jagged shards of ice exploded upward and surged straight toward Cedric.

But the prince just raised one hand, unfazed. A thick wall of ice shot up—BOOM!—blocking the attack with ease.

"He's casting such high-grade spells—without even chanting…"

"This is unreal… The two strongest from the Alpha team…!"

The students couldn't look away.

Hades's vision was blocked by the ice wall, but he didn't stop—he moved to rush around—

THUD!

CRACK!

"Shit!" he barely had the time to dodge—

A massive glacier smashed down on top of him, shaking the ground like an earthquake.

The chunk of ice didn't stop—it dragged through the field, tearing it apart and carving out a deep crater as it kept sliding forward.

Dust and frost filled the air. Everyone had to step back as the freezing wind swept past them.

Cedric soared into the air, standing atop a thin slab of ice floating beneath his boots.

He looked down at the massive glacier below, his expression cold and sharp.

While it didn't appear from outside but Cedric had lost control over his magic. He had exerted a lot of mana in the previous spells.

But he was far from accepting defeat.

For a few seconds, nothing moved.

Then—

CREAK.

CRACK.

A jagged line tore through the glacier.

And from deep within, something burst out—BOOM!

Hades shot into the sky, ripping the ice apart as if it were paper. Frost exploded around him. His eyes locked onto Cedric's with wild, primal fury.

He had the look of a beast—a predator.

Cedric scoffed, raising his arm. "Let's see you swallow this."

A hundred ice spikes appeared behind him and fired like missiles, all aimed to shred Hades into pieces mid-air.

"Holy shit!"

"There's no way he can dodge that!"

"Is this it?!"

Gasps and shouts rang out below. To the students watching, Cedric had claimed the high ground—both literally and figuratively.

But Hades?

Hades was smiling.

No—grinning.

Eyes gleaming with madness, he opened his mouth—

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"

A deafening roar erupted from deep within his chest.

The air trembled. The ice spikes disintegrated into dust mid-flight. The sound hit like a shockwave.

BOOM!

The students screamed and covered their ears. Some collapsed to their knees.

The teachers were no exception. The sound waves were too violent and brutal.

The glacier below cracked apart. Windows shattered across the school building.

Even Cedric staggered, hands clutching his head, nearly crying from the pain.

But the real pain was yet to come.

Because through that scream—

Hades moved.

In a blink, he was in front of him.

His hand shot out, grabbing Cedric by the collar and yanking him off his ice platform like a child tearing down a toy.

"Y-You! Bastard!" Cedric summoned two ice daggers and drove them into Hades's side.

CLANG!

They shattered.

His skin was too strong.

His mana is too dense.

His presence—monstrous.

And through it all, that damn smirk never left Hades's face.

Was this… really the end?

Cedric's heart pounded. His breath caught in his throat.

Am I going to die…?

"You should've told the truth, Cedric." Hades's voice was a low growl, filled with grief and rage. "Because of you—my friend died."

Mana began to swirl around his fist.

Cedric's eyes widened.

"No…wait—"

"You made a mistake," Hades said softly.

He pulled his arm back.

"Now take the punishment."

THUD!

The punch was clean. Brutal. A single strike—straight through Cedric's chest.

His body went limp. The light in his eyes flickered… and died.

The floating ice cracked apart beneath them.

And Cedric, the prince of the nation, met his demise.

°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading.