After parting ways with Aizel Bringer, Simon prepared for the final battle.

He ate aggressively to build up his stamina, then went for a run across the rugged terrain of Roc Island.

Afterward, he descended into the Mutant Club’s basement, throwing himself into the final preparations for ’chaos.’

A low thrum echoed through the room as a purple magic circle unfolded in Simon’s hand.

"I need to reduce the size," Simon muttered. "More. More."

With a sharp hiss, the magic circle rapidly shrank as Simon clenched his fist. He pressed it against his side.

His bare torso was already covered in a chaotic array of active ’Chaos’ magic circles.

"Ugh." Simon’s vision momentarily blurred. Layering so many ’Chaos’ circles directly onto his skin meant their mind-altering effects were beginning to take a toll even on him, the caster.

He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to endure.

"I have to make this work." He pulled his arm back, then thrust it forward.

With a sharp crackle, the ’Chaos’ magic circles attached to his body detached and floated into the air. He rearranged them, carefully weaving the disjointed rings into a single, unified magic circle.

"I’m finishing this in twenty minutes, no matter what!"

---

Across campus, Aizel Bringer had just finished a light workout at the training grounds.

To loosen his muscles after days of stiff, grueling exam prep, he teleported a short distance from his dormitory and took a quiet stroll. Then—

He stopped in his tracks.

An owl hooted in the brief silence. Without even shifting his gaze, Aizel spoke in a low, measured voice.

"Do you still have something left to say?"

A figure peeled out from the dark shade of a tree, stepping forward like a ghost.

"Hello. My best friend, Aizel."

It was the Necromancy Department Representative, Sota Pshyke. He sauntered up to Aizel, his gait loose.

Seeing him for the first time since exams ended, it was clear Sota’s mental state was far from stable.

He wore a smile, but something vicious swirled in his eyes.

"You look like you have something on your mind," Aizel noted.

"On my mind? I do. Actually, I have a lot."

Sota let his arms hang loosely at his sides.

"This isn’t right. This really isn’t right. We agreed not to cross the line with each other."

"I have no idea what you’re talking about."

Sparks of fury lit Sota’s eyes.

"I heard my name isn’t on the observer list for tomorrow morning. Is that true?"

"The Grellyum family’s vaunted security is nothing special, I see."

"Don’t change the subject. Answer me, friend. Hmm?"

He began to circle Aizel.

"You know how much I suffered to put you in your current position, don’t you? You left out your best friend and number one contributor, but you put that despicable Leonard on the list? Hmm? Do you think that makes any sense?"

"I feel like I’ve just been stabbed in the back. This isn’t right. There was some kind of mistake, right? Hmm?"

Aizel let out a long, weary sigh and started walking again.

"It’s not a mistake. It’s the truth."

Sota fell silent.

"I’m leaving," Aizel added.

He barely took a few steps before—

"Hey, you fucking loser," a sharp voice spat from behind him.

Aizel’s composure slipped, his eyes trembling.

"Ha, shit. Wow, fuck. Ah—"

Sota roughly wiped his face, letting out a hollow, incredulous laugh before glaring daggers at Aizel.

"You pathetic, dickless fucking loser. I act like your friend, and you think I’m a pushover? Huh?"

Clear disgust and murderous intent rolled off him in waves.

"Did you think I didn’t know you were just a bullied parasite at your old school? You think your position is safe after doing this to me? Should I just expose everything I know to the whole damn school?"

Aizel stiffened like a stone statue.

Sota slowly approached. Then, like a snake eyeing a cornered mouse, he leaned in and whispered.

"So why are you suddenly acting like this, Aizel? We were perfect partners."

His anger abruptly vanished, replaced by a sickeningly sweet, coaxing tone. He placed a hand on Aizel’s shoulder.

"I hype you up, and you prove it. Now, the top spot in Kizen is right before our eyes. You know how much I’ve struggled all this time, right? I’m the one who built authority and gave power to a loser like you."

He took another leisurely lap around Aizel.

"We’re doing this so we can all succeed, right? Have you ever lost out by doing what I told you? All I want is for you to become the strongest in Kizen, and for me to humbly keep supporting you from the Vice President’s seat. Think of the time I’ve dedicated—"

"Did you just say ’dedicated’?"

Aizel’s cold voice slipped through clenched teeth.

"It wasn’t dedication. It was exploitation."

"Aizel?"

"Did you think I didn’t know?"

Aizel took a step closer.

"Right before the academic schedule meeting at the end of our second year, you noticed I was struggling with Senior Phantastus’s long-term mission. So you pressured me by leaking rumors about my past."

He took another step.

"The beginning of our third year. The very person who sent me on that long-term mission tried to set up a new scheme by spreading rumors that I had died when my return was delayed."

He closed the distance.

"Also at the start of our third year: you used my name to politically shake up the Necromancy Department, drove out Sarie Tenie, and took the seat of Department Representative."

"The second semester of our second year. You used my name to host a fundraising event for high-ranking nobles, received massive sponsorships, and squandered it all on your personal vices."

"The first semester of our second year. You manipulated influential female students on campus by telling them I was interested in them, playing with their feelings. To build my influence, you artificially created and induced a rivalry with the runner-up, Kajan Edvalt. You used my name to get your hands on club funding."

"You twisted the department schedule. You pressured the nobles for sponsorships."

Aizel let out a long, heavy breath.

The hair that had been swept back fell forward, messily covering his eyebrows.

"I just wanted to get along with new friends. I just didn’t want to be bullied."

His voice shifted. The magical lifts in his height-boosting shoes deflated, dropping his stature significantly and leaving him looking up at Sota.

"But you kept throwing trials at me to jeopardize my act, pushing me to the edge of the cliff to force me into becoming a more perfect version of myself. You manipulated me, making it sound like I’d be bullied all over again if I wasn’t flawless."

He slowly took off his glasses.

"I—"

’Aizel is Aizel. Personally, I support your true self more, Senior.’

"I never wanted things to go this far, Sota Pshyke."

Sota stared at him.

Looking down at Aizel with an expressionless face, Sota suddenly let out a hollow laugh. "Ha."

"You fucking loser. You really want to die."

He smiled sleazily, his gaze dropping to Aizel’s trembling hands.

It was obvious Aizel was terrified.

He was fighting the trauma of his past, the haunting memories of being tormented by delinquents.

No matter how much a person acted, their true nature never changed.

"I don’t know what got into my best friend, but you’ve completely lost your mind. You need to get beaten up a bit to remember your place."

Sota finally revealed his true colors. Dark spirits rose up around him.

"You’re nothing but a manufactured champion. You were only top of the class in our second year. Do you really think I, the strongest in the Necromancy Department, would lose to a loser who blew an entire semester?"

Aizel squeezed his trembling fists tightly. Fierce winds whipped up around them.

"Sota!"

"You fucking loser!"

The two powerhouses raised their arms simultaneously. Massive forces clashed violently in the space between them.

---

The Jet-Black Mechanics Department dormitory lounge.

A male student rubbed his sleepy eyes and stretched his arms wide.

"Ugh, I passed out the second I got back."

He scratched his head vigorously. He had collapsed onto the dorm sofa the moment his exams were over.

Looking around, the normally bustling lobby was completely empty. It seemed everyone had bolted for Rochest the moment their tests were done.

With vacation starting the day after tomorrow, they were likely burning off the stress of finals. Even the dormitory staff was being as accommodating as possible, lifting restrictions like curfew for the two days following exams.

A deafening explosion rattled the building.

"Whoa!"

"Eek!"

The student and a nearby janitor dropped to the floor in shock. Blinking, the student slowly lifted his head.

"Was that an earthquake?"

He crawled over to the window and peered outside.

His jaw dropped.

In the field a short distance from the dormitory...a raging storm had formed into the shape of a massive skull.

"Wh-What is that?"

It looked like the end of the world.

---

The Venomology Department dormitory.

"Great job on your exams, Senior!"

"Great job!"

A man whose face was half-covered by a crude metal mask walked through the halls.

It was the Kizen third-year runner-up, Kajan Edvalt, receiving respectful greetings from his juniors.

He was heading to the basement—the most dangerous and horrifying place in the Venomology dormitory, where the deadliest poisons were stored.

"I warmed up the water for you, Kajan," a third-year student wearing a gas mask said, giving him a thumbs-up.

Kajan slowly nodded, then fixed his gaze on the student.

The third-year flinched, feeling a sudden, unnecessary spike of guilt under that stare.

They were the eyes of a monster. It was hard to believe someone like that was the same age as him.

"U-Uh. What’s wrong, Kajan? Do you need something else...?"

From behind the metal mask, Kajan’s mouth opened, and a voice like scraping metal rasped out.

[Have a good vacation.]

The heavy iron door clanged shut.

The third-year stood dazed for a moment, then began jumping up and down, letting out a silent scream of joy.

’That Kajan Edvalt just wished me well!’

Eager to brag about it in Rochest, where the drinking parties were surely already underway, he hurriedly scrambled up the stairs.

Meanwhile, having stripped off his clothes in the antechamber, Kajan pressed a switch.

A sharp hiss filled the room as vacuum magic circles activated across the walls. This decontamination protocol was mandatory; if even a trace of noxious gas leaked out, the entire department could be poisoned.

After completing the rigorous procedures, he finally stepped inside.

Inside a massive cauldron, horrific poisons bubbled and sloshed. A sweltering brimstone fire blazed fiercely beneath it, and the ceiling was thick with a noxious haze of toxic smoke.

It was a sight that would have made the priests of the Holy Federation throw a fit, claiming they had found literal hellfire.

Inhaling the toxic fumes deep into his lungs as if it were fresh mountain air, Kajan slowly waded into the cauldron. He leaned back against the rim and calmly closed his eyes.

As he soaked in the heat...

[I smell it,] Kajan muttered quietly, his eyes still closed as he enjoyed the highly toxic bath.

[The smell of a loser.]

A faint slithering sound echoed through the empty, venomous chamber.

[I really can’t fool you, can I?] a boy made entirely of spirits said, flashing a wide smile.

[Ahaha! My dear classmate, Kajan! How have you been?]

Kajan remained silent.

It was the Necromancy Department Representative, Sota Pshyke.

Without even asking how he had gotten in, Kajan quietly observed his condition.

A spirit form directly mirrored the condition of the original body.

And right now, Sota Pshyke was a mess. Jagged, torn wounds were visible all over his spectral form.

[Aizel went easy on you.]

An eyebrow twitched on Sota’s smiling face. As if there was nothing more to see, Kajan closed his eyes again.

[Get lost before I track down your real body and melt you alive.]

[I came because I have something important to discuss.]

[Three.] Kajan abruptly started counting.

A muscular arm lifted from the venomous bath.

[Wait! Just a second! You won’t lose anything by listening...!]

[Two.] Just as Kajan was about to count the final number...

[It’s about Aizel!] Sota shouted urgently.

Only then did Kajan snap his mouth shut, glaring at him with a vicious look.

’It worked.’

The corners of Sota’s tense mouth curled up into a smirk.