"Clack!"
At that moment, a food tray was suddenly slammed on the table. Strangely enough, despite the force that made the entire battle table tremble, not a single bit of food spilled out.
Lucian, face cold, glared at Nerio: "Here’s the food you wanted."
On the table lay a plate of fried chicken. Lucian truly couldn’t fathom why the school’s cafeteria would serve something so unhealthy. Still, the students seemed to love it. Well, whatever—so long as it tasted good.
Leonard frowned at Lucian. His attitude made Leonard itch for a fight. He couldn’t help but glance at Nerio, waiting for the boy to show at least a flicker of discomfort.
But no. Nerio paid Lucian’s attitude no mind. He opened his mouth slowly.
Lucian: "..."
Ultimately, he had no choice but to cut up the chicken with a knife and fork, then bring it to Nerio’s lips while cursing out loud: "What, don’t you have hands? Seriously, only your stupid believers would ever submit to you!"
Chewing contentedly, Nerio smiled and said, "You say the weirdest things." Then he turned to Leonard: "Brother Leonard, is this guy crazy?"
Lucian: "..."
The fork in his hand bent under his grip, veins bulging on his temple, gone was the composure he had shown moments ago.
Leonard seriously said, "Yes, you shouldn’t get too close to him. Try this one—it’s delicious."
He lifted his hand; even though he tried to steady it, it still trembled slightly. The sight made Nerio burst out laughing.
"You’ve got a death wish, don’t you?!"
Just as Nerio finished the food Leonard fed him, Lucian finally exploded.
He shot to his feet, a deep red flame engulfing his hand, radiating a heat that made Liora, sitting nearby, silently tense in alarm.
Lucian’s fury locked onto Leonard: "Who the hell are you calling crazy?!"
With that, the flames roared straight toward Leonard, without the slightest hesitation, heedless of the consequences.
Leonard dodged quickly. The corner of his mouth split open, and writhing tentacles surged out, lashing straight at Lucian!
[Looks like Leonard can’t keep up the trembling act any longer...]
[He’s the least committed roleplayer I’ve ever seen.]
[Just pretending to mess around, haha. Lucian’s a goner!]
[Come on, Lucian’s identity is obviously not that simple!]
[No one’s opening a betting pool on this?]
The live comment section went wild. Meanwhile, Lucian made no move to dodge Leonard’s attack.
He grabbed Leonard’s tentacles barehanded and yanked them taut! Flames suddenly erupted, scorching Leonard’s tentacles before quickly spreading toward him with unstoppable force.
Lucian’s voice rang out, sharp and domineering: "Reckless fool!"
Leonard’s eyes widened, seemingly taken aback by the sheer power of Lucian’s flames. Yet in the next instant, his body lunged forward with explosive speed, the ground beneath his feet cracking. His arms transformed into claws that slashed toward Lucian!
Lucian immediately dodged, but Leonard’s speed was far from slow. The two clashed head-on, Lucian’s hands seizing Leonard’s arms, the claws stopping mere centimeters from his skin.
Leonard’s entire body was engulfed in fire, yet he seemed utterly unfazed by the pain. Instead, he opened his mouth wide—suddenly, another tentacle shot out. No... not a tentacle, but a tongue, sharp as an arrow!
Lucian tilted his head, narrowly dodging, then blew out a breath. His flames leapt forward, devouring Leonard’s tongue.
"You dream of tasting my flesh? How arrogant. How foolish," Lucian sneered.
Leonard let out a roar that was both pained and terrifying. His eyes hollowed out, bleeding fresh blood.
Lucian smiled. Though his arms holding Leonard trembled slightly, his expression remained calm. Leaning close to Leonard’s ear, he whispered mockingly, "Shall I lend you a mirror, so you can see just how hideous you look right now? You’re not worthy to be Nerio’s top believer—you’re nothing but a monster."
Lucian knew exactly where Leonard’s weakness lay.
Sure enough, the moment his words fell, Leonard’s body shuddered as if his strength had drained away. He collapsed backward, returning to normal. Lucian withdrew his flames, though the burns marring Leonard’s body could not be hidden—still, they were already healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
[Goddammit, Lucian plays dirty—he’s even using psychological warfare!]
[Lol, stop making excuses. Lucian’s not "using tactics," but he humiliates Leonard. He’s crushing him!]
[Leonard’s strength depends on circumstances, okay? Teacher A’s level was never enough to face Lucian in the first place.]
[But come on, this wasn’t even a real fight! If they went all out, no way Leonard wouldn’t at least land a bite on Lucian!]
[Same!!!]
[Just a bunch of stubborn fans.]
[Look at Nerio, though—so calm. He doesn’t care about his so-called top believer one bit.]
[What nonsense. He’s just an ordinary student!]
[Exactly. What do you people expect from a normal student like Nerio?]
[Lunatics, all of you.]
Just then, a booming voice suddenly echoed: "Who—who’s fighting in the cafeteria?!"
A bald, egg-headed teacher with a plump figure stormed in, wielding an oversized wooden baseball bat. Several anxious students hurried in right behind him.
Nerio listened to the chatter around him, quietly gathering bits and pieces of information.
This egg-headed teacher was Teacher C, the vice principal, responsible for enforcing student discipline. School violence was strictly condemned—and of course, banned outright.
When Leonard and Lucian started fighting earlier, some "concerned" student likely ran off to fetch Teacher C.
The entire cafeteria fell into silence. Everyone kept their heads down, busying themselves with anything at hand, all praying they wouldn’t catch the gaze of this "demon" teacher.
And who could blame them? Teacher C was notoriously strict. Even the slightest infraction would result in harsh punishment. Among the students, he was infamous—nobody wanted to deal with him.
Only Nerio’s group’s area stood out: walls riddled with cracks and holes, the ground split in several places. No one needed to say a word—it was apparent where the violence had taken place.
Teacher C hefted his wooden baseball bat as he strode forward, his booming, gravelly voice echoing:
"Speak! Who started this fight?! As students, you must learn honesty! To lie is a grave sin that will be punished without fail!"
His piercing eyes, sharp as a bird’s, swept over the crowd.
At the table next to them, everyone immediately raised their hands in surrender. Liora slipped away long ago, when Leonard and Lucian started throwing blows. Lucian only gave a cold laugh, looking utterly unconcerned.
Just as some students were about to speak up, a sobbing sound cut through the silence, drawing every eye.
There sat the beautiful, elf-like boy. Tears streamed uncontrollably down his face, his expression a portrait of panic and fear, nose reddened, lips pressed tightly together.
Leonard’s eyes widened, his pupils trembling. For an instant, he felt as though he had been thrown back into the dungeon [The River God’s Wife], where he had first met Nerio!
Nerio raised a trembling hand, pointing directly at Lucian, his voice earnest:
"Teacher, it was him. He suddenly went crazy, tried to snatch my food, and when my friend tried to stop him, he started hitting people."
At that moment, burn marks were still visible on Leonard’s body. And with his long hair covering his face, hunched frame, and slightly gaunt build, he looked every bit the stereotypical bullied victim.
Teacher C seemed to mull over something for the briefest moment. Then, without pressing further into right or wrong, he bellowed:
"Utterly disgraceful! Come with me at once to receive punishment!"
With that, he raised the bat in his hand, making it clear—if Lucian refused to follow, he would smash his head open on the spot. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on novel⦿fire.net