Chapter 152: Chapter 152 - The Brutal Game!

The sharp whistle echoed throughout the training grounds as the leather ball soared high into the air, spinning rapidly against the clear morning sky while every student’s attention followed its trajectory.

For a brief moment—

Everything seemed frozen.

Then chaos erupted.

Khaira moved first.

Not fast.

Not merely quick.

Explosive.

The ground beneath her feet cracked faintly as the beastwoman launched herself forward with enough force to leave several nearby students staring in disbelief. Her burning horns blazed brighter while a wild grin stretched across her face, making her resemble a predator that had finally been released into an open hunting ground.

Meanwhile, the opposing team immediately rushed toward the descending ball.

Unfortunately for them—

So did Khaira.

The collision happened almost instantly.

One student leaped upward, his hands already stretching toward the falling ball.

Khaira simply jumped higher.

Far higher.

The beastwoman practically snatched the ball from the air before the poor student could even touch it, her body twisting gracefully before she landed heavily upon the ground.

BOOM.

The impact alone caused several students nearby to stumble.

Then—

She ran.

The training grounds immediately exploded into noise.

"STOP HER!"

"GET THE BALL!"

"BLOCK HER!"

The opposing team surged forward.

Meanwhile, Khaira simply laughed.

"HAAHAHAHA!"

The sound echoed throughout the field.

"COME THEN!"

One student rushed from the left.

Another from the right.

A third attempted to cut off her path from the front.

Meanwhile—

Khaira didn’t slow down.

Not even slightly.

The first student grabbed her shoulder.

A mistake.

The beastwoman continued running while dragging him several meters across the ground before he eventually lost his grip entirely.

The second student attempted wrapping both arms around her waist.

Khaira simply kept moving.

The unfortunate boy’s feet left the ground entirely.

His expression shifted from determination to horror.

Then—

THUD.

He landed harmlessly but unceremoniously onto the grass.

The third student lasted slightly longer.

Which unfortunately only prolonged his suffering.

Within moments, all three had been left behind.

Meanwhile, Khaira continued charging forward with the ball tucked beneath one arm.

The spectators stood in stunned silence.

Even her own teammates appeared uncertain whether they should assist or simply watch.

Eventually—

Khaira crossed the final line.

The moment she slammed the ball into the designated goal zone—

A teaching assistant raised his hand.

"Point!"

The training grounds erupted.

Several students stared.

Others blinked repeatedly.

One noble student quietly lowered the notebook he had been preparing to take strategic notes in.

"...That wasn’t strategy."

"It was violence."

Meanwhile, Khaira raised both arms triumphantly.

"HAAHAHA!"

The beastwoman looked absurdly proud of herself.

Meanwhile, standing amongst the spectators—

Mira slowly raised a hand.

Her expression remained hesitant.

"Um..."

Damon glanced toward her.

"Yes?"

Mira looked toward the field.

Then toward Khaira.

Then back toward Damon.

"...Is that how the game is supposed to be played?"

Damon observed Khaira lifting an opponent off the ground while celebrating.

"...Technically."

Mira blinked.

"Technically?"

"The objective is to move the ball into enemy territory."

Damon’s gaze remained on the field.

"Khaira has simply removed several unnecessary steps."

Eric immediately snorted.

Several nearby students laughed.

Meanwhile, Mira still looked uncertain.

"But shouldn’t there be... teamwork?"

Her question caused Damon to focus more carefully upon the field.

Because despite how ridiculous the situation appeared—

Something interesting was happening.

Khaira wasn’t actually playing alone.

She only looked like she was.

While everyone focused on the beastwoman, her teammates were quietly controlling the field behind her.

They blocked pursuit routes.

Created openings.

Intercepted opposing players.

Prevented flanking attempts.

Khaira dominated the attention.

Her teammates dominated everything else.

Damon’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Interesting.

Meanwhile, the game resumed.

This time the opposing team adapted.

Or at least—

They attempted to.

The moment the ball entered play again, four students immediately rushed Khaira simultaneously.

A reasonable decision.

Unfortunately—

It still wasn’t enough.

The resulting collision looked less like a sporting event and more like a natural disaster.

The spectators collectively flinched.

One student was thrown sideways.

Another lost his footing.

A third somehow ended up facing the wrong direction entirely.

And the fourth simply appeared to question every life choice that had brought him to this exact moment.

Meanwhile, Khaira emerged from the chaos carrying the ball.

Again.

"HAAHAHAHAHA!"

The beastwoman’s laughter echoed across the entire field.

Her own teammates looked frightened.

Her opponents looked traumatized.

Barrack looked proud.

And the match continued.

Standing near the sidelines, Damon watched everything carefully while analyzing the flow of the game.

Because despite Khaira’s overwhelming performance, something else had begun revealing itself.

The game wasn’t merely testing strength.

It was exposing weaknesses.

The students who panicked.

The students who froze.

The students who abandoned their positions.

The students who maintained composure.

Every decision became visible the moment pressure appeared.

And judging from Barrack’s increasingly satisfied expression—

That was precisely the lesson he intended them to learn.

Meanwhile—

Khaira bulldozed through another defensive line.

The spectators collectively groaned.

And Mira quietly whispered another question.

"...Should we feel bad for them?"

Damon looked toward the opposing team.

Then toward Khaira.

Then back toward the opposing team.

"...Probably."

As if to confirm his answer—

Another terrified scream echoed across the training grounds.

The remainder of the match unfolded exactly as everyone expected.

Or perhaps—

Even worse.

After Khaira’s third successful score, whatever fragile hope the opposing team still possessed finally shattered completely.

Not because they lacked effort.

Not because they lacked teamwork.

But because every strategy they devised inevitably ran into the same overwhelming obstacle.

Khaira.

The beastwoman seemed to possess limitless stamina.

Every time the ball entered play, she charged forward with the enthusiasm of someone participating in the greatest event of her life while her opponents increasingly resembled prisoners being marched toward execution.

At one point, three students attempted surrounding her.

At another point, the entire opposing team focused solely on preventing her advance.

Neither strategy achieved much.

The final score became less important than the increasingly desperate expressions on the faces of those trying to stop her.

Eventually—

The final whistle echoed across the training grounds.

The match ended.

Khaira’s team stood victorious.

Decisively.

Overwhelmingly.

Mercilessly.

"HAAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The beastwoman’s triumphant laughter immediately filled the training grounds while she raised the ball overhead like a conquering warlord returning from battle.

Several students looked exhausted.

Several looked traumatized.

One appeared to be reconsidering his enrollment at Crownspire Academy entirely.

Meanwhile, Barrack simply stared at the field for several moments before releasing a booming laugh of his own.

"HAAAHAHAHAHA!"

His massive arms crossed over his chest.

"That’s what I like ta see!"

Khaira immediately looked delighted by the praise.

The beastman instructor pointed toward her.

"Strength."

Then toward her teammates.

"Coordination."

Then toward the opposing team.

"And enough mistakes fer me ta write a whole damn book!"

The defeated students collectively lowered their heads.

Meanwhile, Barrack continued laughing.

"Good!"

His voice thundered throughout the field.

"Now get off tha field!"

The victorious team finally returned to the sidelines while the next group stepped forward.

And thus—

The games continued.

The second match unfolded very differently.

Without someone like Khaira capable of bulldozing through entire defensive formations, the students were forced to rely far more heavily on teamwork.

The third match introduced coordinated passing strategies.

The fourth match focused heavily on territorial control.

The fifth match saw students using feints and misdirection to create openings.

The sixth match became a chaotic disaster that somehow ended with half the participants forgetting where their own goal zone was.

Meanwhile, Barrack watched everything carefully.

Correcting mistakes.

Pointing out weaknesses.

Mocking particularly stupid decisions.

Occasionally shouting loud enough to frighten nearby birds.

As more matches unfolded, the students gradually began understanding the purpose behind the exercise.

What initially appeared to be a simple game slowly revealed itself as something far more valuable.

Students learned how to move as units.

How to communicate under pressure.

How to adapt when plans collapsed.

How to trust their teammates.

And most importantly—

How to continue functioning amidst complete chaos.

Meanwhile, Damon quietly observed every match.

Every strategy.

Every mistake.

Every success.

Several patterns gradually became apparent.

Certain students excelled under pressure.

Others completely fell apart.

Some naturally assumed leadership positions.

Others performed best when following directions.

And throughout it all—

Barrack simply watched.

Evaluating.

Judging.

Learning.

Then eventually—

The final match before noon approached.

A dangerous grin slowly spread across the beastman’s face.

The moment students saw it—

An uneasy feeling spread throughout the training grounds.

Because experience had taught them one thing.

Whenever Barrack smiled like that—

Someone was about to suffer.

The beastman slowly raised one massive arm.

Then pointed.

Directly toward Damon.

"Yer turn."

The murmurs immediately grew louder.

Meanwhile, Damon calmly stepped forward.

His expression remained unchanged.

Then Barrack pointed toward another group standing across the field.

The murmurs abruptly stopped.

Completely.

Damon’s eyes narrowed.

Because he recognized them immediately.

Not the entire group.

Just one person.

Standing at the center.

Sky-blue hair.

Calm blue eyes.

An upright posture.

A face Damon knew better than almost anyone.

Not because he had met him often.

The protagonist.

The central figure around whom the story of Fractured Crown revolved.

The person who should have stood at the center of this world’s future.

Lucian.

For several moments—

Neither spoke.

The training grounds gradually fell silent around them.

Students sensed something.

Not hostility.

Not exactly.

But something.

Meanwhile, Lucian’s blue eyes met Damon’s golden gaze across the field.

And for the briefest moment—

Neither looked away.

Then—

Barrack’s laughter echoed across the training grounds.

And the match everyone suddenly wanted to watch was about to begin.