“What?!” Xavier’s normally calm voice raised in astonishment as his control over the situation deteriorated instantly.
Neither he nor the other Heads could react in time to the girl’s escape and subsequent assassination attempt. Xavier Kahn stared death in the face as his life began to flash through his eyes. Fury, indignation, helplessness, all of it swelled up inside of him.
Born into a long lineage of magjistars deeply rooted in the magji clan, Xavier Kahn carried the weight of privilege and responsibility. His parents, esteemed magjistars themselves, had instilled in him a sense of duty, discipline, and a strong belief in the supremacy of the magji. However, Xavier always lived in the shadow of his older cousin, Victor Kahn, who was regarded as a prodigious magjistar. No matter how hard Xavier tried, he couldn't match Victor's monstrous talent and aptitude for magji.
Growing up, Xavier developed a deep sense of inferiority and an intense desire to prove himself. Despite his own exceptional talent and rapid development in magji, he was denied the opportunity for rigorous training that would have allowed him to flourish. Forced into the realm of politics, he was burdened with upholding the clan's values, traditions, and hierarchies. Xavier found himself shouldering the responsibilities that Victor had shunned, like picking up the pieces of his cousin's neglect.
Throughout his life, Xavier had witnessed the dangers and chaos that could arise from uncontrolled individuals. His belief in the necessity of strict regulations, order, and a centralized authority shaped his worldview. He saw himself as the advocate for maintaining control over those who posed a threat to innocent lives and abused their power. These convictions propelled him through the ranks of the OM, eventually leading him to become the Head of Magji. His unwavering dedication and firm resolve earned him both respect and fear from those around him. Xavier became known for his fair justice and his insistence on enforcing strict laws and regulations without exceptions.
However, Xavier had little regard for geniuses, prodigies, or those who believed they were special due to their abilities. Obedience and control were what mattered to him—those who could follow orders and understand their place in life. Under Xavier's authority as the Head of Magji, everyone listened or faced strict consequences. In his eyes, his actions were necessary for the greater good. He saw himself as the guardian of the magji world, protecting its people and ensuring justice prevailed. As he presided over Winter's trial, he viewed it as a pivotal moment to reaffirm his authority and maintain control over the magji world.
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“Hey there, kid.”
A familiar voice that engulfed Xavier's emotions in flames greeted him, and he looked up to find Victor Kahn standing before him. Victor pressed a single finger against the deadly fist of his student, nullifying their impending clash. In an instant, he teleported them to safety below as members of the Peacekeeping Order rushed toward them, launching spells in a desperate attempt to kill them.
“Space Volume I: Blackhole.” Every single magjistar moving in on their position was sucked into a black spiraling hole.
There wasn’t a trace of them as they disappeared in an instant. Not a scream, cry, or even a peep escaped their lips before they were just gone. The magjistars sitting above were frozen solid once they recognized Victor Kahn. No one made a sound as he embraced his student.
“They really pissed you off, huh? I could tell you were about to splatter that loser’s brains across the wall with that much mahna.” Victor’s casual voice was no different from usual.
“...” Zoey looked up at Victor, completely confused and shocked to realize he was here somehow. Then she noticed blood running down the side of his mouth.
“I had to find out from that daemon friend of yours about all this crap that’s been going on.” Victor lovingly ruffled Zoey’s hair as he turned to the magjistars of the trial.
"I thought I made myself clear the last time I had to do this, but it seems people don't learn," Victor's bones cracked as he stretched. "Nobody messes with my cute little disciple except for me. And you guys messed with my disciple bad enough that she was about to kill every single one of you. A sweet little thing that had a panic attack over killing someone that actually deserved to die."
“Space Volume III: Spatial Compression!” Xavier anxiously shouted.
“Space Volume I: Blackhole.” Victor teleported outside of Xavier’s spell range with Zoey.
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He then pointed at him. “Wait! No! You can’-” Xavier’s head was teleported away from his body, leaving a headless body falling over the front of his seat. Screams of panic erupted from the magjistars as they began pulling out weapons, magji tools, and spells to fight back with.
“You stay right there while I deal with this.” Victor coughed blood after trying to sound cool.
Zoey didn’t understand what was happening. Was why Victor coughing blood? A man she hasn’t made break a sweat even with the Box, nearly coughing his lungs out as he brutally killed the waves of magjistars trying to fight against him. It wasn’t like the magjistars from the trial were landing any attacks on him either, and he was just being hurt somehow! Zoey frantically looked around to see if she could find some sort of secret attacker, only to see her personal guard lunging toward her.
Zoey swayed her upper body to the side as her fist came rising like a dragon breaking through the gates of heaven. Selena Star couldn’t avoid the fist of vengeance. Her lower jaw smashed into her upper jaw, utterly shattering all of her teeth at once as she was sent flying into the air. Inner Zoey briefly debated taking control to finish her off for cruelly killing Slinky, but Zoey reigned in her inner self.
Seconds passed until Selena found her way back to the ground with a painful crash, face-first. Zoey dragged her by the hair and began systematically breaking her bones individually. Learning how to perform submissions with her world champion grappling teacher was worth it, after all. It helped her learn more about what would break when she was being stubborn and trying to brute force her way out of submissions.
By the time Zoey finished up with her guard, Victor teleported back in front of her in a horrific state. Blood was dripping from all parts of his body and orifices. It was terrifying to see Victor like this. Someone that Zoey always thought was the strongest man in the world…
“Why are you dying…?” Zoey's voice quivered with concern and confusion.
“I made a heart oath not to involve myself in this OM branch ever again.” He answered, still trying to sound cool.
“Why… I could’ve handled them myself. You didn’t need to…” Victor struggled to stand, but he forced himself to stay on his feet.
“What kind of teacher would I be if I couldn’t protect my cute little apprentice?” He struggled to laugh, a vomit of blood following soon after.
“I didn’t need protection! I could’ve handled those fuckers on my own! You would still be alive! You could still teach me more stuff! Why did you do this!?” Zoey felt her eyes watering.
“You don’t need to live the same way I did.” His bloodied hand, far weaker now, ruffled Zoey’s hair. Zoey ignored the blood soaking into her hair. “I lived my whole life being targeted by those weaker than me because they were envious of me or just didn’t like me. It made it difficult for me to trust and make bonds with others. I might be the strongest in the world, but it isn’t that much fun being on your lonesome…”
“If you had killed these guys, the OM would’ve continued to hunt you down. This is only one branch of the OM. Once the news hit the main branch, your peaceful life would’ve been over. No college, no track, no fighting career, no hanging out with your girlfriends, or spending time with your family… I’ll deal with everything. You just go back to your regular life. It’s better suited for you than living in this shitty world.”
“...” Zoey didn’t know that… She thought it would’ve been over if she dealt with these assholes, but it only would’ve made things worse for her.
“Remember what I told you before? In the hospital?” Victor’s skin was turning a dangerous sickly pale white—a far cry from his usual bronze deity appearance.
“People not being able to understand monsters like us or something?” Tears flowed down Zoey’s face freely.
“A dummy like you would focus on that part.” He weakly thumped her forehead. “Make more friends, loser.”
“I… will.” Zoey looked at his tall figure. “Asshole…” A small smile formed on her face.
“Now, while I still got some life in me, let me go deal with those daemons.” Victor grinned. “See you around, kid. It’s been fun.” And he vanished, sucked into a swirling black hole.
Zoey wiped her eyes as she clenched her fists. Was this the first time she’s cried for someone else other than herself? She cried when her mom spanked her, punished her, or yelled at her, but had she ever cried for her mom—cried for her dad or brother? Zoey honestly couldn’t remember. She didn’t know how to feel knowing that she was willing to cry for a man she’s known for barely a year or two compared to her own family…
‘They’ve taken so much from us… It’s only right to tear everything down as payback.’ Inner Zoey suggested.
“No.” Zoey firmly rejected it. “We’re not coming back here.” She decided.
Zoey was going to focus on the regular world from now on. She had plenty of things to focus on that she kept procrastinating because of the magji world. It was time to fix that… Zoey Winters was an adult and a soon-to-be college gal. There were more important things than crap like this.
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Victor materialized in the underground hideout for the daemons, surprising Poison and the others present.
"Victor Kahn!?" Poison screeched, taken aback by his unexpected appearance.
"The one and only," Victor replied nonchalantly. In an instant, a massive black hole devoured the thousands of daemons, including Victor himself, as he sacrificed himself all for the sake of his student. Not even for himself.