After his devastating loss, Kyle stood unsteadily near the arena's medical station, his expression caught between shock, fury, and something approaching despair. His Phoenix bloodline's superiority had proven insufficient, his confidence had been shattered publicly, and the humiliation of being dominated so completely was written clearly across his face.

Seraphina approached him carefully, her own complicated emotions carefully masked as she attempted to provide comfort.

"Kyle," she said gently, placing a hand on his arm. "You fought well. Nobody expected him to be Transcendent rank already. That's not a fair fight."

"It doesn't matter," Kyle replied, his voice tight with suppressed emotion. "Fair or not, I lost. Completely. He made me look weak in front of everyone."

"You're not weak. He's just... different." Seraphina struggled to find words that would help, clearly uncomfortable given her own recent humiliating loss to the same opponent. "A Transcendent in first semester is something nobody could have predicted."

Kyle's jaw clenched. "My Phoenix bloodline was supposed to make me invincible among peers and he just... walked through everything like it was nothing."

I observed their interaction from across the arena with complete detachment. Unlike when I'd first entered this world, I wasn't living according to the original plot anymore. I wasn't carefully maintaining story beats or ensuring specific characters stayed on their predetermined paths.

I was living for myself now. Getting stronger as much as possible, pursuing my own goals, and enjoying the power and freedom that came with genuine capability.

Kyle wasn't going to save me when Dawn Break attacked the city with hordes of thousands of beasts - that plot point from the original novel where the protagonist heroically defended against overwhelming odds and earned everyone's respect.

If that attack came, I'd handle it myself or ensure appropriate defenses were in place. Kyle's character development wasn't my responsibility.

As if the thought itself had triggered something, reality suddenly shifted.

A massive runic array erupted into existence in the arena's center, glowing with malevolent crimson light. The sudden appearance of concentrated hostile magic pushed back everyone in the immediate vicinity - students stumbling away in confusion, instructors immediately shifting to combat stances, faculty members channeling defensive enchantments.

The Headmaster's eyes widened with recognition and alarm before he immediately shouted with voice magically amplified across the entire amphitheater.

"INTRUDERS! ALL STUDENTS EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY! INSTRUCTORS, DEFENSIVE FORMATIONS!"

But even as his command echoed, figures began materializing from the runic array - multiple silhouettes emerging from crimson light with hostile intent radiating palpably.

My eyes widened expressively as they focused on the figures that appeared, particularly the one standing at the center.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the prodigies of this era."

The voice was cultured, almost amused, carrying dark humor that suggested whoever spoke found this situation entertaining rather than tense.

The speaker stepped forward fully visible now - a tall figure wearing a black cloak with a distinctive badge emblazoned on the right chest.

A sun, rendered in crimson and gold, marking him as member of Dawn Break, the terrorist organization that had plagued the kingdom for years.

A black mask concealed his facial features completely, but his white hair was clearly visible, flowing past his shoulders with almost ethereal quality.

More importantly, the aura radiating from him was unmistakably Royal rank, power that pressed against everyone present with weight that made breathing difficult for weaker students.

He is the one nicknamed...The Sun.

Recognition hit me like physical impact. This was Jason Corvus - the man who had once been an academy prodigy himself, graduating with record-breaking achievements before mysteriously vanishing and later appearing as high-ranking Dawn Break operative.

The same man whose academy records I had broken over the past semester. Still, that didn't remove the fact that he was at one point humanity's best prodigy.

The Headmaster's expression had gone grim with recognition and something approaching old pain.

"Jason..." The headmaster's voice carried complex emotions - disappointment, anger, regret. "What are you doing here?"

The Royal-rank aura flared controllably from the Headmaster, rising to match Jason's power level. Two royal-rank awakeners facing each other created pressure so intense that cracks formed in the arena floor from the sheer force of their opposing wills.

"Headmaster," Jason replied with mock courtesy, performing an exaggerated bow. "So good to see you again. It's been, what, fifteen years since I left this place? The academy looks much the same. Though I notice you've produced some interesting new students recently."

His attention swept across the crowd, lingering deliberately on me.

"Adrian Blackwood. The boy who broke all my records. Transcendent rank in first semester - quite impressive. I only managed that feat in my second semester." His tone suggested genuine appreciation mixed with something darker. "You've been making quite a name for yourself."

The instructors had formed defensive lines between the intruders and the student sections, magical barriers rising as they prepared for combat.

I could see now that Jason hadn't come alone. Multiple cloaked figures stood behind him, each one radiating hostile power. The weakest among them felt like powerful Transcendent rank - genuine threats that matched most academy instructors.

But worse were the presences that stood flanking Jason directly. Three figures whose auras marked them unmistakably as Commander rank - a full tier above Transcendent, possessing power that could level city districts if unleashed without restraint.

Dawn Break had sent a force capable of genuinely threatening the academy despite its defenses and powerful faculty.

"You haven't answered my question," the Headmaster said coldly, his own royal-rank power coiling like living thing ready to strike. "Why are you here, Jason? What does Dawn Break want with my students?"

Jason's laugh echoed across the silent arena, dark and genuinely amused.

"Want? Headmaster, you misunderstand our purpose. We're not here to want anything." He gestured dramatically at the assembled students and faculty. "We're here to deliver a message. To remind the kingdom's precious academy that your walls, wards and powerful instructors don't make you invulnerable."

His mask turned back toward me specifically. "And perhaps to see if the prodigies of this generation are actually worth the reputation they're building. Records mean nothing if you can't survive real danger."

The Headmaster's expression hardened further. "You're threatening students. That crosses every line, even for Dawn Break."

"Lines?" Jason's tone turned genuinely contemptuous. "The kingdom crosses lines every day, Headmaster. We're simply responding in kind."

Around us, I could sense the situation escalating rapidly toward violence. The instructors were prepared to fight, the Commander-rank Dawn Break members were clearly ready for combat, and two royal-rank awakeners stood opposed with powers that could devastate the entire arena if they clashed seriously.

This wasn't supposed to happen yet. In the original plot, Dawn Break's major attack on the capital came much later, during second year after significant build-up and foreshadowing.

But I'd changed too much, accelerated too many developments, broken too many patterns.

The butterfly effects were cascading faster than anticipated.

And now we were facing a genuine crisis with terrorists invading the academy and threatening students while I stood in the arena center still wearing my tournament championship medal.

In one moment, Jason stood twenty meters away among his Dawn Break operatives.

In the next instant, he appeared directly in front of me.

The transition was so fast that my enhanced perception barely registered the motion. One blink and he'd crossed the distance that should have required several seconds even at Transcendent speed.

My heart dropped as the full reality of facing a royal-rank opponent hit with visceral force.

'Shit... I can't do anything.'

The realization was immediate and absolute. Despite being the strongest student, compared to Jason who was genuine royal rank - two full tiers above me. The power gap was insurmountable through technique or tactics alone.

If he wanted me dead, I would die before I could even properly react.

Jason's masked face tilted slightly as he examined me from arm's length distance, his royal-rank aura pressing down with weight that made breathing difficult.

"Let's see if you're actually worth the—"

The Headmaster materialized beside me with equal royal-rank speed, his fist already moving in a devastating strike enhanced by royal-tier power.

The blow connected with Jason's raised guard, the impact creating a shockwave that rippled across the entire arena. Cracks spiderwebbed through the reinforced floor, protective barriers flared with strain, and the nearest students were knocked backward by sheer pressure despite being dozens of meters away.

Jason was sent back a few meters, but his body was controlled.

"You will NOT touch my students, Jason!" The headmaster's voice carried absolute authority, his royal-rank aura flaring to maximum as he positioned himself protectively between me and the Dawn Break operative.

Jason landed gracefully despite the forced displacement, his posture suggesting the strike had been more surprising than actually damaging.

"Protective as always, Headmaster," he said with dark amusement. "Some things never change."

"Leave. Now. Before this becomes something Dawn Break cannot walk away from." The threat in the Headmaster's tone was unmistakable - he was prepared to unleash royal-rank destruction if the terrorists didn't withdraw.

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