Chapter : 1453

  "Okay," Lloyd said to the empty room. "I know who she is. I know what she is. But if I just walk up to her and say, 'Hey, you're a monster,' she'll turn me into a toadstool or stab me again. And I really hate being stabbed."

  He needed to be smart. He needed to be the Professor, not the General.

  "She likes to hide," Lloyd muttered. "She likes illusions. She likes to be the smartest person in the room. So... let's invite everyone into the room and turn on the lights."

  He stood up and clapped his hands. "Mina! Alaric! We have a show to plan!"

  The next day, posters appeared all over the Royal Academy.

  GRAND DEMONSTRATION

  Professor Ferrum Presents: THE CURE

  Witness the cleansing of a Cursed Artifact!

  Location: The Great Lecture Hall

  Time: Noon

  Attendance Mandatory for Faculty

  The Great Lecture Hall was an ancient amphitheater made of polished marble. It was designed to amplify sound so that a professor could whisper and still be heard in the back row. Today, it was packed.

  Students filled the upper benches, buzzing with excitement and fear. The faculty sat in the front row. Headmaster Valerius was there, looking hopeful. Princess Isabella was there, looking suspicious. Daniel was there, looking relieved that he wasn't the one being yelled at.

  And Rubaiya was there.

  She sat in the second row, her posture perfect, her face a mask of calm interest. But Lloyd, watching from the stage, saw the tension in her shoulders. She was nervous. She had to be.

  "Good afternoon!" Lloyd announced, his voice booming through the hall. He stood next to a table covered in a white cloth. On the table was a black, twisted wand—another cursed item he had "found" (or rather, Daniel had surrendered).

  "Today," Lloyd continued, pacing the stage like a showman, "we are not just going to break a curse. We are going to understand it. We are going to dissect it. We are going to look under the bed and see what the monster is made of."

  He gestured to the wand. "This item is infected. It drains mana. It turns magic against the user. For weeks, we thought it was a spell. A complex enchantment woven by a traitor."

  He paused for dramatic effect. He looked directly at Rubaiya. She didn't flinch.

  "But we were wrong," Lloyd said softly. "It is not a spell. It is a hunger."

  He pulled a large crystal lens from his pocket. It was connected to a series of mirrors and light crystals—a primitive projector he had built with Alaric.

  "I have developed a new application for my detection abilities," Lloyd lied. "I can now visualize mana signatures and project them for you to see. Behold."

  He placed the lens over the cursed wand. He channeled his [All-Seeing Eye] through the crystal.

  A beam of light shot out, hitting a large white screen behind him.

  The audience gasped.

  On the screen was a magnified image of the wand's aura. But it wasn't a static glow. It was a writhing, pulsing mass of black energy. It looked like a nest of worms. It looked like... leeches.

  "Do you see the pattern?" Lloyd asked, pointing to the screen with a stick. "Look at the energy spikes. They aren't random. They are rhythmic. Like a heartbeat. Or... feeding cycles."

  He traced the lines of the aura.

  "This isn't just dark magic," Lloyd declared. "This is a biological signature. This is the footprint of a living creature. A parasite."

  In the audience, Rubaiya went still. Her hands gripped the armrests of her chair. Her face was pale.

  Lloyd smiled. He had her.

  "This creature," Lloyd continued, his voice relentless, "doesn't just eat mana. It bonds with a host. It hides in their shadow. It uses them to spread its offspring into these objects. It's a mother."

  He turned to the faculty.

  "And the mother is in this room."

  The silence in the hall was deafening. Students looked at each other. Professors looked at their neighbors. Suspicion hung in the air like smoke.

  Lloyd kept his eyes on the screen. He adjusted the lens. The image zoomed in on the black energy.

  "Look closer," Lloyd said. "Do you see the structure? It has a specific frequency. A unique magical fingerprint. If we scan the room, we should be able to find the matching print."

  He picked up a second crystal. A scanner.

  Rubaiya stood up.

  Chapter : 1454

  "Professor Ferrum," she said. Her voice was calm, but it had a jagged edge. "This is fascinating. But is it not... theoretical? You are projecting images. Illusions. How do we know this isn't just a light show?"

  "Excellent question, Professor Rubaiya," Lloyd said. "Always the skeptic. Come up here. Verify the data yourself."

  Rubaiya hesitated. If she refused, she looked guilty. If she went up, she was walking into the lion's den.

  "I... I would hate to interrupt your performance," she demurred.

  "Nonsense!" Lloyd beckoned her. "Science thrives on scrutiny! Come, take a look. Unless you're afraid of what you might see?"

  The challenge was laid. The trap was set.

  Rubaiya walked down the aisle. She moved with grace, but Lloyd saw the way her hand drifted to her sleeve, where her dagger was hidden. She climbed the stairs to the stage.

  She stood next to him. She looked at the wand. She looked at the screen.

  "It looks like... interference," she said dismissively. "Static."

  "Is it?" Lloyd asked. "Or is it a mirror?"

  He leaned in close to her, lowering his voice so only she could hear.

  "I know it's you, Rubaiya," he whispered. "I know about Legion. I know about the ravine. And right now, everyone is watching. If you attack me, you prove me right. If you run, you prove me right. You have nowhere to go."

  Rubaiya looked at him. Her eyes were pools of hatred.

  "You are playing a dangerous game, boy," she hissed back. "You think you have cornered me? I am not cornered. I am just... bored."

  She turned to the audience. She smiled. It was a terrifying smile.

  "Professor Ferrum is right," she announced. "This is a parasite. A nasty one. But he missed one detail."

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  "Oh?" Lloyd asked. "And what is that?"

  "It doesn't like bright lights," Rubaiya said.

  She snapped her fingers.

  Suddenly, the lights in the hall exploded. Not just went out—exploded. Sparks rained down. Glass shattered. The room was plunged into darkness.

  Screams erupted from the students.

  "Panic," Rubaiya whispered in the dark. "Chaos. My favorite canvas."

  Lloyd didn't panic. He had expected this. He had planned for this.

  "Activate," he thought.

  He triggered a rune he had carved into the floor of the stage earlier that morning.

  A circle of soft, blue light flared to life around them. It illuminated the stage, cutting through the darkness. It was a spotlight. And Rubaiya was center stage.

  She blinked, blinded by the sudden light.

  "Nice try," Lloyd said. "But I prefer my lectures well-lit."

  He pointed at her. "Now, show them. Show them the monster."

  Rubaiya snarled. The mask fell away completely.

  "Fine," she screamed. "You want a monster? I'll give you a monster!"

  The air behind her ripped open. The illusion of the sleek cat shattered like glass.

  And Legion emerged.

  It was hideous. A massive, segmented worm made of shadow and chitin. It had a dozen legs that ended in hooks. Its face was a cluster of red eyes and mandibles that dripped black ichor.

  The audience screamed in unison. It was a sound of pure, primal terror.

  "There it is," Lloyd shouted over the noise. "The traitor! The curse! The leech!"

  Rubaiya laughed. It was a high, manic sound. She floated into the air, lifted by her spirit.

  "Yes!" she cried. "Look at me! Look at the truth! I am the rot in your foundation! I am the end of your precious Academy!"

  She raised her hands. Legion roared.

  "Kill them all!" Rubaiya commanded.

  The battle had begun. And this time, there were no shadows to hide in.

  The Great Lecture Hall had become a nightmare. The students were scrambling over benches, trying to get to the exits. But the doors were sealed—Rubaiya had locked them with a wave of her hand before she ascended.

  "No one leaves!" she shrieked. "Class is in session!"

  Legion, the massive parasite spirit, uncoiled from her back. It was bigger than it had been on the roof. It filled the stage, its body undulating with a sickening, wet sound. It lashed out with a tentacle, smashing the projector table. Glass and crystals flew everywhere.

  "Protect the students!" Headmaster Valerius shouted from the front row. He raised his staff. A shield of white light sprang up around the audience, deflecting the debris.

  "Valerius," Rubaiya sneered, looking down at him. "The collector. The hypocrite. Does my pet offend you? It is just hungry. And you have provided such a feast."

  Chapter : 1455

  She pointed at the shield. Legion slammed its body against the barrier. The shield cracked. Valerius grunted, his knees buckling under the strain.

  "She's strong," Lloyd noted. "Feeding on the cursed items boosted her power. She's pushing High-Ascended rank."

  Lloyd stood on the stage, the only thing between Rubaiya and the barrier. He drew his sword. It was a simple steel blade, but he infused it with his [Steel Blood], turning it black and razor-sharp.

  "Rubaiya!" Lloyd shouted. "Focus on me! I'm the one who exposed you!"

  "Oh, I haven't forgotten you, Lloyd," Rubaiya said. She looked at him with burning yellow eyes. "I'm saving you for dessert. Legion! Crush him!"

  The spirit turned its many eyes toward Lloyd. It lunged.

  It was fast. Faster than a creature that size should be. Its jaws snapped shut where Lloyd's head had been a second ago.

  Lloyd used [Void Steps]. He flickered out of existence and reappeared ten feet away.

  "Is that all you got?" Lloyd taunted. "You're sloppy. You're angry. Anger makes you stupid."

  "I am not stupid!" Rubaiya screamed. "I am liberated!"

  She cast a spell. Not an illusion this time. A bolt of shadow-lightning. It arced across the stage, scorching the floor. Lloyd dodged, rolling under the attack.

  "She's distracted," Lloyd thought. "She's ranting. She's grandstanding. Good."

  He needed her to make a mistake. He needed her to overcommit.

  "Hey, ugly!" Lloyd yelled at the spirit. "Over here!"

  He ran towards the edge of the stage, near the sealed doors.

  Legion followed. It slithered over the podiums, crushing them to splinters. It reared up, preparing to strike.

  "Now," Lloyd whispered.

  He stopped running. He turned and faced the monster. He didn't raise his sword. He raised his hand.

  He wasn't attacking. He was triggering a trap.

  Earlier that morning, while setting up the "demonstration," Lloyd hadn't just carved a light rune. He had carved a network. A web of [Black Ring Eyes] seals, hidden under the floorboards of the stage.

  "Seal of Binding: Activate," Lloyd commanded.

  The floor exploded with blue light.

  Chains of pure Void energy shot up from the ground. They weren't metal chains. They were conceptual chains. They wrapped around Legion's segmented body. They wrapped around its multiple legs. They wrapped around its jaw.

  The spirit shrieked. It thrashed, trying to break free. But the chains tightened. They burned into its shadow-flesh.

  "What?" Rubaiya gasped. She tried to pull the spirit back, but the connection was strained. "You... you trapped it!"

  "I told you," Lloyd said, walking towards the struggling monster. "I'm an engineer. I build things. Sometimes I build cages."

  He looked at the audience. They were watching, wide-eyed, from behind Valerius's shield.

  "Do you see it?" Lloyd shouted to them. "Do you see the parasite? It's not a god. It's not a demon. It's just a bug. A big, ugly bug that got caught in a spider's web."

  He turned back to Rubaiya. She was hovering in the air, looking down at her trapped spirit. Her face was twisted with fear and rage.

  "Let him go!" she screamed.

  "Come and get him," Lloyd challenged.

  He was baiting her. He wanted her to come down. He wanted her in range.

  Rubaiya snarled. She dove. She drew her black glass dagger. She was coming for him personally.

  "Perfect," Lloyd thought.

  Rubaiya hit the stage like a meteor. She slashed at Lloyd with a fury that abandoned all technique. She was fast, fueled by the parasite's power, but she was sloppy.

  Lloyd parried. Clang.

  He stepped back. Parried again. Clang.

  "You ruined everything!" Rubaiya screamed, swinging wildly. "I was going to cleanse this place! I was going to burn it down and start over!"

  "You were going to murder children!" Lloyd shouted back, blocking a strike that aimed for his neck. "There is no 'starting over' from that!"

  He kicked her in the stomach. She stumbled back, gasping.

  "You don't understand!" she cried. "The pact! The hunger! I had no choice!"

  "We always have a choice," Lloyd said.

  He attacked. He switched from defense to offense. He used the [Ten-Armed Asura] style. His sword blurred, creating phantom afterimages. To Rubaiya, it looked like he had sprouted ten arms, each holding a blade.

  She tried to block, but she couldn't track the real sword.

  Slash. A cut on her arm.

  Slash. A cut on her leg.

  Slash. He disarmed her, sending the dagger spinning across the stage.

  Rubaiya fell to her knees. She was bleeding. She was beaten.

  Chapter : 1456

  Legion, seeing its master fall, went berserk. It roared, tearing at the Void chains. The floorboards cracked. The seals began to fracture.

  "It's breaking loose!" Valerius shouted from the audience. "Lloyd, finish it!"

  Lloyd looked at the spirit. It was strong. Too strong for his trap to hold forever.

  He needed to end this. Now.

  He looked at Rubaiya. She was looking at her spirit with a mix of terror and longing.

  "Call it off," Lloyd ordered, pointing his sword at her throat. "Recall the spirit. Or I will end you."

  "I... I can't," Rubaiya sobbed. "It doesn't obey me. It owns me."

  "Then I'll break the ownership," Lloyd said.

  He stepped past her. He walked up to the thrashing spirit. It snapped its jaws at him, drool sizzling on the floor.

  Lloyd holstered his sword. He didn't need steel for this. He needed will.

  He placed both hands on the spirit's slimy hide. He ignored the burning cold. He ignored the stench of rot.

  "Black Ring Eyes," Lloyd intoned. "Maximum Output."

  He poured everything he had into the seal. He didn't just want to bind it; he want to crush it. He wanted to compress the spirit until it popped.

  The blue chains glowed blindingly bright. They tightened. The spirit shrieked, a sound that shattered the remaining windows in the hall.

  CRUNCH.

  The spirit's form began to compress. It was being squeezed into a ball. It thrashed, it bit, it clawed, but the Void was absolute.

  "Go back to hell," Lloyd gritted out.

  With a final, sickening pop, the spirit imploded. It vanished in a puff of black smoke.

  Rubaiya screamed. She clutched her chest, collapsing onto the floor as the psychic backlash hit her.

  The hall was silent.

  The blue chains faded. Lloyd stood alone on the stage, panting. He looked at his hands. They were shaking.

  He turned to the audience. He lowered the barrier.

  "It's over," Lloyd said. His voice was hoarse. "The parasite is gone."

  Valerius dropped the shield. The students cheered. It was a roar of relief and adoration.

  Lloyd didn't smile. He walked over to Rubaiya. She was curled in a ball, weeping. She looked small. Broken.

  "Why?" Lloyd asked quietly.

  Rubaiya looked up. Her eyes were empty. "He... he promised. He said if I fed it... he would let me go."

  "Who?"

  "Bael," she whispered. "The King."

  Lloyd froze. Bael. A Devil King.

  "Get up," Lloyd said, pulling her to her feet. "You have a lot of explaining to do."

  Guards rushed onto the stage. They shackled Rubaiya. She didn't resist. She was done.

  Isabella walked up to Lloyd. She looked at him with wide eyes.

  "You..." she started. "You just wrestled a demon."

  "It was a parasite," Lloyd corrected. "Just a bug."

  "You are insane," she said. But there was a smile on her face. A real one.

  "I know," Lloyd said.

  He looked at the crowd. He looked at Airin, who was watching him with tears in her eyes. He looked at his team—Jamie, Daniel, Tulip—who were looking at him like he was a god.

  He felt tired. So tired.

  "Class dismissed," Lloyd muttered.

  He walked off the stage. He needed a drink. He needed a nap. And he needed to figure out how to kill a Devil King named Bael.

  The battle was won. But the war... the war was just getting started.

  Lloyd sat in the interrogation room of the Academy dungeon. It was the same room where he had visited Jamie, but the atmosphere was very different. Jamie had been innocent and whiny. Rubaiya was guilty and broken.

  She sat on the other side of the table, her hands bound in anti-magic cuffs. She looked like a ghost of the woman who had terrorized the faculty lounge with her grading pen. Her hair was messy, her eyes red-rimmed. She was shivering, even though the room wasn't cold.

  "Here," Lloyd said, sliding a cup of tea across the table. "It's chamomile. Good for shock."

  Rubaiya looked at the tea. She didn't touch it. "Why are you being nice to me? I tried to kill you. Twice."

  "Three times, if you count the roof," Lloyd corrected. "And I'm not being nice. I'm being practical. I need answers, and you can't talk if you're catatonic."

  "I have nothing to say," Rubaiya whispered. "It doesn't matter. He will kill me anyway."

  "Bael?" Lloyd asked.

  Rubaiya flinched at the name. "Don't say it. He hears. He always hears."