Just as Elira’s hand was about to strike Zenith’s face, it stopped mid-air.

"Eh—?!"

She felt a firm grip around her wrist and turned to see Lucian holding her back.

Darling, she tried to—"

"I know. But that’s enough..."

For a few seconds, Elira just looks into his eyes, then sighs and pulls her hand back... as she does, her bloodlust begins to fade...

The two teams that had been standing at a distance finally stepped closer. They didn’t want any pointless fighting either... or for things to escalate any further.

though the tension was still there.

Zenith had not moved, lowering her hand but keeping her eyes locked on Lucian when she spoke, her voice coming out strained.

"Hey, do you really think I’ll just let this go? You injured three of my teammates, and you expect me to just walk away?"

Her aura flared...

Standing on the sidelines, Selene and Kaelen both squawked in fear.

Lucian let out a short laugh before shaking his head and looking at Zenith with a cold expression.

"Zenith Korr, the undefeated prodigy. I don’t know what world you’ve been living in that you haven’t figured out what a piece of shit this guy is, and you actually let him join your team, but I’ve spent years of my life with him and nobody knows better than me what kind of worthless scum he really is."

"What are you getting at?" she asked as her aura started to settle slightly.

"Just this... that this impotent bastard did something unforgivable, and whatever just happened to him right now... you should consider it an act of mercy that it was only this much..."

Looking down he reached out to grab Adrian by his hair, pulling his beaten face up for everyone to see, blood dripping from his nose and mouth while his eyes remained barely open.

"One of my most precious people is currently under a curse because of him. He did all this together with some other people... Because of which, she couldn’t take the arcane exam, and she almost died..."

Standing up, he closes the gap between him and Zenith... and looks right into her eyes...

"And you think after he did all that, I would let him go so easily... I don’t give a shit whether he’s my brother or your team member. Even if he were some emperor’s son, I wouldn’t give a fuck..."

"Even now, if I wanted to, I could make his condition ten times worse... but I also know that Adrian doesn’t have the brains to pull all this off on his own..."

Zenith’s eyes widened as she stared at him without blinking.

A few moments passed before she glanced toward Adrian...

"A curse, you say..."

Lucian’s eyes were unwavering as he held her gaze, and Zenith could already see that his words were the truth.

Sigh.

Taking a few steps back, she bows her head completely...

Everyone stood there completely stunned by what they were witnessing, and from behind, Sera was just about to say something when Lyria placed a hand on her shoulder, making a gesture for her to hold back, which made Sera click her tongue and stop herself.

"Until now, I was entirely unaware of this information," Zenith said, her head still lowered. "Whatever you are saying, I will investigate it to its very core, and whatever my team and..."

She gritted her teeth before continuing.

"For that, I deeply apologize."

Just then, Cassian, who had been standing quietly in the back all this time with a darkened expression, stepped forward right next to Adrian.

Everyone watched him, confusion spreading across their faces.

What happened to him suddenly?

"Hey guys, I’m not getting a good vibe from that blonde guy," Cain muttered from where he stood with Nyx and Riven.

From Eryx’s team standing in the back, Isla stepped behind Eryx and grabbed his sleeve tightly.

Crouching down, Cassian first slowly flips Adrian’s body over with both hands like a sack of flour...

He was barely controlling the rage building inside him... if Cassian had known that Adrian had a hand in putting a curse on Aria, forget about helping the team, he would have turned the entire exam upside down beating Adrian to a bloody pulp... and when Lucian confirmed it to Zenith, He felt like he was getting struck by lightning right where he stood... knowing that if he beats this half-dead guy right now, he will definitely get expelled. Still, trying his hardest to control himself, he moved toward Adrian’s legs... and started opening his elegant mouth...

"This son of a bitch... THAT FUCKING SON OF A BITCH IS THE ONE WHO PUT A CURSE ON MY ARIA..."

WHAMM

A heavy stomp right on his thigh. Adrian screams and twitches, arching his back....

"AAAAAAhhhHHH!"

"You fucker, stay away... S-stay away..." Adrian’s voice came out weak.

"You bastard, waste of fucking air, cock-sucking motherfucker, ball-less excuse for a human!"

WHAM! WHAM!

"...how dare you put her through so much pain..."

Everyone watched with grimacing faces as Cassian continued his assault.

WHAM...

"Cursing Aria... you limp-dicked, ass-licking, brain-dead sack of rotten horse testicles! I’ve seen more spine in a fucking jellyfish than you, you festering asshole! How dare you...."

WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!

Zero mercy. To hell with Cassian’s reputation, today he was just going to show everyone his true self... that behind such a heroic and charming face, hid a mouth as foul as an open gutter...

"P-please, h-hey, I am sorry Cassian, I didn’t..."

Crying, Adrian grabs onto Zenith’s leg...

"Captain, please save me... p-please, he is hurting—AAAAHHH!"

"Who the fuck are you begging from, you inferior cumstain..." Cassian grabbed him by the collar. "Whose face was your mother looking at the night she got fucked to give birth to a cum-guzzling maggot like you?! Tell me, you bastard..."

"AAAA!"

All the team members of Nyx and Eryx standing in the back just stood there, grimacing at his filthy language...

Hearing those words, Sera’s jaw slacked open in disbelief.

"Holy shit he is dying today"

"I... I didn’t know half of those words could be used together like that..." Kaelen whispered...

Lucian let out a sigh and traced his finger in the air, shooting a telepathic message to Sera.

Sera, could you please help out here to calm this shithead hero down.

What.. Why me...

Cause he only calms down from you or Aria, won’t you do it... never mind, I’ll ask Elira...

Ok, ok, I’ll do it...

He smiled.

"Tch..."

He only asks me to do the tasks I hate the most... why, why... whining under her breath, she started walking up behind Cassian to intervene.

Just then, Selene’s voice rang out as she gripped her staff tightly and forced herself to speak up. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"S-stop it Cassian, you will kill him..."