Just as Castillon opened his mouth to speak, I released my Frightful Presence, sending a wave of invisible fear crashing over the room. Everyone froze in terror, their faces twisted. Time seemed to slow in my eyes. The world dulled, fading into muted black and white as I summoned a blazing ray of fire without lifting a finger. The fiery beam tore through the air and aimed straight for Castillon's face.

Ruby and Silvia's shocked faces barely registered as they tried to move toward me; their reactions slowed to a crawl in my heightened perception. My face was grim and emotionless, a complete contrast to the destruction going on around me. The fire exploded outward, its force tearing through the royal palace and into the town beyond. Screams echoed in the distance as chaos erupted.

Inside, the blast sent Silvia and Ruby crashing into walls, their bodies crumbling to the ground. Castillon, however, was deflected by a shimmering Mana Barrier, protecting both him and Princess Diana Yelarien. "Crap… Code Red!" Silvia groaned as she pushed herself up from the rubble. "We have to stop him!" Ruby yelled, his voice tinged with desperation. I ignored all of this and continued.

My pace was purposeful, my eyes welling with bloodlust as I closed in on Castillon. In a blur of action, my fist collided with his barrier, and the impact sent him careening through the palace wall into the open sky. The royal palace groaned under the weight of destruction, servants running and screaming in every direction. Princess Diana fell on her knees, weeping.

For one instant, our eyes locked—hers widened in horror, mine impassive and frozen. In a wordless leap, I launched myself into the air, following Castillon for the grassy plains across the city. Castillon was up by the time I landed in the desolate plains. A faint shimmering Mana Barrier surrounded him as he struggled to keep himself steady. "Why are you doing this?" he asked, his voice laced with confusion.

"I just don't like people like you," I replied flatly, my tone devoid of emotion. He stared at me, incredulous, as I continued. "You know, I've been training magic for two years at Kreel Academy. I wanted to see what I was truly capable of. And you… you look like a fine punching bag. Without giving him a chance to respond, I conjured twin swords of fire and wind and charged at him.

My raw physical speed was blinding combined with Lightning Magic and my strikes were relentless. But Castillon held his ground, his Mana Barrier absorbing each hit as he used Light Magic to augment his speed, narrowly avoiding my blades. "I don't want to fight you! Stop this madness!" Castillon shouted, his voice almost pleading. "Then stop running," I snarled, combining my swords into a crackling Lightning Blade.

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Its sheer energy began piercing his barrier, the raw power forcing him to retreat. My movements blurred as I matched the speed of light, my newfound revelation shaking Castillon to his core. "Fine! You want a fight? I'll give you one!" he roared, wind surging as he unleashed his suppressed mana. The ground shook as Castillon summoned a gargantuan Dome of Wind, its sheer size dwarfing the surrounding landscape.

Inside, the winds howled with deadly ferocity, tearing at everything within. I raised my own Mana Barrier, analyzing his technique for only a moment before adapting. With a surge of fire magic, I shattered the dome in a fiery explosion, the blast obliterating the plains around us. "How…?" Castillon muttered, his voice tinged with disbelief. "Mana Barrier… not as complex as I thought," I replied, smirking as I revealed my own.

"Your magic is boring, so basic. Let me show you what real imagination looks like." Raising my hand, I poured every ounce of mana I had into the sky. The clouds darkened, swirling as a monstrous Lava Meteor the size of Texas materialized above us. Castillon's face twisted in horror as the fiery mass began its descent, accelerated by my Wind Magic. "You maniac! Are you trying to kill everyone?!" he shouted.

"Maybe," I said, grinning, and then dropped to one knee, replenishing my mana. Castillon immediately called up Dust Magic, which brought sand and earth from miles around to meet the meteor. Combining it with Gravity Magic, he fought to slow its descent. His effort was monumental, and in the end, he succeeded—but it left him utterly drained. Collapsing to his knees, he gasped for air, his mana reserves spent.

I walked toward him slowly, summoning a stone knife and plunging it into his back. "Fucking bastard!" he hissed, coughing up blood. "You're a fool, Castillon," I mocked, snapping my fingers. The Lava Meteor disappeared in an instant, leaving the sky clear. "What?! It disappeared?!" he exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"You could have destroyed it with your Light Magic, but no—you wasted your mana on flashy, useless spells. How the hell did you even repel a coup with such stupidity? Luck?" I jeered as he slumped down deeper, blood dripping under him. I leaned down, grabbing his hair to force his head up.

"Look at you now, groveling at my feet. Where's the high-and-mighty Renford Castillon who acted so cocky in the throne room?" My voice dripped with venom as I summoned a sharp metal blade, prepared to end him. "In the end, people like you deserve death a thousandfold." I raised the blade high. I never even got a chance to attack, as a boulder fist slammed into me from the side and hurled me several meters into the air.

I hit the ground, uninjured, thanks to my Physical Attack Immunity, but I hadn't felt danger coming in, which was Ruby's Stone Golem, something he created using his Earth Magic. Ruby and Silvia stood at the edge of the field, grim faces set. "I told you not to get in my way," I said coldly, glaring at them. "It was a simple order, yet you couldn't even follow."

"Savvy, that's enough!" Silvia shouted. "You've caused destruction everywhere! You injured a king and his citizens! Do you have any idea what you've done? If the other kingdoms find out, they'll hunt you for the rest of your life!" Her words stabbed through my fury. The weight of my deeds hit me with all the force of a hurricane.

I turned and gazed upon the devastation—the broken palace, the shattered plains, the injured Castillon—and felt my first stings of guilt. I left in an instant, not saying a word, leaving behind me the destruction I had brought.