Chapter 167: Tenth Trial: Rank Stealing: Felix Vs Ezra Part Three

Felix remembered his younger years.

Back when he proudly held an actual revolver in his hand just to brag before the other children while standing in the large Ashenlocke training grounds.

At that time...

Little Vera had just finished training alone.

Her white training shirt was stained lightly with sweat, while strands of black hair rested against the side of her neck. Even as a child, she barely spoke to anyone. She simply just stood there quietly with that same unreadable face that irritated Felix more than anything else.

And because of that expression...

Because of the way she looked at people like nothing around her mattered...

Felix hated her.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The revolver barked repeatedly.

Smoke burst from the muzzle while the recoil shook Felix’s arm.

Yet...

Every bullet was cleanly weaved around by Vera.

Not a single shot touched her.

The thing that confused Felix the most back then...Was the fact that he wasn’t firing randomly.

To him...

His calculations were perfect.

He clearly predicted where Vera would dodge the first bullet, so he immediately fired the second shot toward that position at almost the same time she moved, then the third, then the fourth.

Yet...

None of them landed.

Not even close.

"How?! How did you manage to weave all the gunshots?!"

Young Felix cried angrily on the ground with a swollen face and bruised body while the boys who followed him stared at Vera fearfully.

Meanwhile, Vera calmly cleaned her hands with a white towel like she had touched something dirty.

She slowly knelt before Felix afterward.

"You don’t understand because you’re an actual idiot overrated by your mother."

Her voice sounded bored, cold and flat.

"I purposely moved where you wanted me to shoot."

She tilted her head slightly while saying it.

Felix’s eyes widened instantly.

"That’s impossible! You’re lying!"

He slammed his hand against the training ground in disbelief.

"Why would you purposely risk yourself like that?!"

Vera stared at him with those dead black eyes.

Eyes that carried no emotion at all.

"Isn’t it obvious already?"

Her voice remained calm.

"It’s to show you how inferior of a dog you are."

Then she simply stood up and left.

Leaving Felix crying loudly on the training grounds while servants and guards rushed over after hearing the commotion.

***

And now...

That exact same feeling returned.

No... no... no... NO!

Felix’s breathing became rough as he recollected everything.

The way Ezra kept weaving through his bullets looked exactly like Vera, the same small movements, the same pressure, the same feeling of helplessness.

"Damn it... Damn it... DAMN IT!"

Felix roared violently.

Then...

He blinked in confusion, because Ezra was suddenly no longer standing before him.

Felix’s pupils shrank.

"Ehn..."

He sharply looked left, then immediately tried turning right...

Bang!

The revolver bullet pierced straight through his right leg.

"ARGH!"

Felix crashed onto the stage floor while clutching his leg tightly.

Pain exploded through his nerves, blood immediately spilled across the ground beneath him, before he could stabilize himself...

Boom!

Ezra’s kick smashed directly into his chin.

Felix’s body flew backward and rolled violently across the stage floor.

Gasps erupted across the second floor, even the audience members supporting Felix stared blankly now.

Nobody expected the fight to become this one-sided.

Especially not against a Mainline.

Many of the young nobles wore stunned expressions while several Elders narrowed their eyes seriously.

At the Elders’ side...

Fredricks, who previously carried a smug smile, now looked genuinely confused.

No one understood how someone ranked sixth was getting overwhelmed by the seventh-ranked candidate this badly.

It didn’t feel normal.

At all.

Astraea silently stared at the stage without expression, but the two guards behind her could already feel the storm building inside her.

Below...

The candidates looked just as shocked, even Gareth, who usually stayed calm during battles, now stared at Ezra seriously.

Because despite Felix’s unstable mental state...

He was still strong, still skilled and still someone capable of reading his opponents properly.

Yet...

Ezra was dismantling him completely, like Felix never stood a chance from the very beginning.

The outcome of the fight was so shocking even Veda started feeling slightly bad for Felix.

Bobby sat stiffly on his chair as his body suddenly turned cold.

That feeling...

He stared at Ezra carefully.

I’ve felt this before.

The memory immediately resurfaced inside Bobby’s head.

The expression Ezra wore back when he slaughtered the candidates that ambushed him during the fourth trial.

A chill crawled down Bobby’s spine.

Scott, Nathalia and Daniella.

All three subconsciously gripped their seats tightly while their bodies trembled slightly.

"Why... this again... why... why..."

Daniella’s voice came out broken and frightened.

Her reaction immediately caught Nina and Gena’s attention, even Pamela, who remained silent since the ceremony started, stared at Ezra with fear inside her eyes.

Back on the stage...

Felix desperately dragged himself backward.

"Stay away from me!"

He screamed while trying to crawl away, but his injured leg barely responded properly while his body shook violently.

"STAY AWAY!"

Fear had already swallowed him completely.

"So... you can actually get scared, huh."

Ezra slowly walked toward him. His black eyes looked deep and empty, like there was nothing inside them except darkness.

"You spent your whole life escaping consequences while hurting others..."

Ezra stopped directly before him.

Blood from Felix’s leg dragged across the stage floor from his desperate crawling.

"...yet you’re this much of a coward."

Ezra raised the revolver slightly.

"Felix... shouldn’t you at least act like the noble you are and take the pain?"

Felix stared at the gun, then at Ezra.

And suddenly...

It felt like the world around him became dark again, like the black room from the eighth trial.

Only few thoughts echoed endlessly inside his mind.

He’s going to kill me. I have to surrender; I have to say it.

But...

Felix’s mouth opened...

Then immediately closed again.

WHY?!

WHY CAN’T I SAY THE FUCKING WORDS?!

Tears streamed uncontrollably from his eyes as his body shook beyond his understanding, his thoughts screamed at him to surrender...

But his body completely refused to respond.

That was the state Felix had entered.

Pure fear.

Who the hell is this guy?! He’s not normal at all!

He’s a monster...!

Felix’s heart pounded faster and faster.

BOOM!

The terrifying pressure building across the hall suddenly vanished as Ezra’s eyes widened toward the gunshot that smashed into the ground before him. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

I was almost killed...

Ezra looked at the smoking ground briefly, then suddenly...

He suddenly felt a massive pressure descend from behind him.

It was so sudden that Ezra’s body almost collapsed flat onto the stage.

Boom!

His knees smashed hard against the ground instead. The stone floor beneath him cracked slightly from the impact.

"Argh...!"

Ezra spat out blood violently as the pressure pressed against his organs and bones at the same time.

The feeling was overwhelming, like an entire mountain had been dropped directly onto his back.

Even breathing became difficult.

His veins instantly tightened while Cognis surged wildly through his body trying to resist the pressure crushing him down.

Then...

He felt it clearly.

The terrifying presence behind him.

A killing intent so heavy that the surrounding air itself felt distorted.

"Stoke... have you lost your mind?!"

Astraea’s cold voice exploded across the hall.

The moment she stood...

Boom!

Cognis erupted violently out of her body like a storm finally breaking loose.

The entire hall shook.

The chandeliers hanging above trembled violently.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The glass windows shattered one after another while the lights burst apart across the hall.

The pressure instantly spread everywhere.

Lowlines, Highlines, Servants and Guards.

All of them collapsed onto the ground almost immediately, especially the non-Alchemist.

Some clawed at their throats desperately while suffocating, others screamed while holding their heads as if their minds were being torn apart from the inside.

Even the Alchemists present dropped to one knee while struggling to endure the pressure.

Several weaker candidates vomited blood instantly.

The atmosphere became chaotic in seconds.

Meanwhile...

At the center of it all...

Astraea stood holding a Baske in one hand, smoke slowly escaping from the gun barrel.

While at the side where the head sat...

Stoke also held his own Baske tightly, smoke escaping from his weapon as well.

Earlier...

The moment Astraea fired toward Ezra...

Stoke had immediately fired too, changing the trajectory slightly before the shot could directly hit Ezra’s head.

But now...Facing Astraea’s rage directly...

Even Stoke’s expression stiffened, sweat slowly rolled down the side of his face.

"Why would you stop me from killing this maggot?"

Astraea’s voice came out cold and calm, but the killing intent hidden within it made the surrounding guards tremble involuntarily.

Stoke forced himself to stay standing despite the pressure crushing against him.

"Lady Astraea... if you continue releasing your Cognis like this, many people here will die or suffer permanent injuries."

His voice remained respectful, but strained. Every word felt difficult to force out beneath her Presence.

"Astraea... stop this madness at once."

Elder Portia suddenly stood up.

Boom!

Her own Presence spread outward in resistance.

The older woman’s Cognis surged through the hall as she attempted to suppress Astraea’s pressure from overwhelming everyone completely.

But...

Compared to Astraea...

It was highly lacking.

"Sit down, old hag."

Astraea replied without even turning toward her.

Her tone remained completely indifferent, like she genuinely didn’t care what her actions were causing right now.

Portia’s expression immediately darkened, because Astraea’s Presence was overpowering hers directly.

The floor around Astraea slowly cracked apart while violent currents of Cognis twisted around her body.

Then...

"Astraea..."

Valentin’s calm voice suddenly echoed through the hall.

Despite the destruction around him...Despite the pressure suffocating everyone...

He still sat comfortably in his chair.

One hand rested against the armrest while his cold eyes looked toward Astraea.

"If you do not sit down right now..."

He slowly tilted his head.

"...I will kill you and your son here and now."

His voice remained plain and calm.

Yet the moment those words were spoken...

The atmosphere became even heavier.

"Huh?"

Astraea locked eyes with him immediately.

Neither of them looked away.

The entire hall became silent.

Even the trembling candidates subconsciously held their breath, because everyone understood...

If either of them truly lost control...

This entire place could turn into a massacre instantly.

The stare-down continued for several seconds.

Then...

"Tch."

Astraea gritted her teeth in frustration before finally calming her Presence.

The suffocating pressure vanished almost instantly.

Like it never existed at all.

"I didn’t even release half of my full Cognis Presence and all of you are already reacting like weaklings."

She sat back down while pouting slightly in annoyance.

The entire hall slowly began recovering from the terrifying moment.

Several people remained collapsed on the floor breathing heavily, others coughed blood repeatedly while nurses rushed everywhere in panic.

The medical teams who were also affected by her pressure still immediately moved toward those who fainted or suffered internal injuries.

Still...

A few of the high ranked Alchemists noticed something.

Although Astraea released her presence violently...

The people she favored barely suffered any damage.

The servants and Alchemists under her authority remained mostly unharmed, while as for the people she didn’t care about suffered the most.

Especially Ezra.

At the center of the broken stage...

Ezra remained on his knees.

Blood continuously dripped from the side of his mouth while his body trembled slightly from the internal damage.

Astraea quietly stared at him.

"Zara... huh..."

Her eyes narrowed slightly with interest mixed with irritation.

"I will find out more about you."

Behind her, the two guards slowly stood back up while dusting their clothes before returning to their positions.

"I apologize for the interruption caused by my spoiled sister."

Valentin finally spoke calmly.

His voice spread throughout the damaged hall clearly.

"The injured and unconscious should immediately be taken back for treatment."

He paused briefly.

"After that... we will resume the tenth trial immediately."

And just like that...

Everyone accepted it with no complaints or murmurs.

Because nobody here possessed the courage to openly question Valentin Ashenlocke.

Several candidates released exhausted sighs afterward while others even laughed awkwardly.

The situation had become so sudden and dangerous that it strangely reminded them of the previous trials.

"That Zara guy really nearly got everyone killed."

Keith laughed weakly while still laying flat on the floor instead of returning properly to his seat.

Raymond walked calmly back toward the stage, his injuries had already healed through Cognis restoration.

He first looked toward Felix who still stayed flat shaking in fear on the ground, then toward Ezra who remained kneeling silently while breathing slowly.

Cognis continuously flowed through Ezra’s body, repairing the internal damage caused by Astraea’s presence.

Ezra narrowed his eyes slightly while staring at the blood he spat onto the floor.

Ahhh... That was honestly risky.

But with this...

He slowly stood back up while wiping the blood from his mouth.

Everything is set.

His eyes calmly moved toward Raymond.

Waiting.

Raymond stared at Ezra for several seconds. A trace of genuine surprise appeared inside his eyes, because despite enduring Astraea’s pressure directly...

Ezra still remained conscious and still standing.

"Winner..."

Raymond raised his hand toward Ezra.

"Zara Ashenlocke from the Baron House of Sterling."