Alex awoke with a pounding headache; reaching up to soothe his aching temples, he found his left hand restrained. Quickly yanking at his right arm, he found it was also restrained. With a bleary-eyed look around the classroom, he could see a few blurry figures standing around.

“Ah, good you’re awake… F go get the boss,” a deep voice he didn’t recognise said as Alex tried to get his eyes into focus. As he tried this, he suddenly remembered where he was and rapidly tried to blink to get his sight to clear up.

Finally, after a few minutes of blinking, he could see clearly. Looking around the classroom, he could see five men in various high-grade armour sets standing dotted around the room guarding his students, who were in various levels of restraint. The two most heavily restrained were Gunter, who was wrapped in thick chains, and Tasha, who was also in thick chains and had a gag tied in her mouth.

“The restraints necessary?” Alex asked the leader, half slurring his words.

“They tried to resist and became violent. So we had to tie them up.”

“And the gag?... no, never mind, kind of an improvement,” Alex said, which caused Tasha to scowl at him.

“You kids ok?” Alex asked, trying his best not to slur the words. Whatever knockout potion they had used must’ve been potent. The restrained students all gave weak nods as they looked at Alex with obvious worry. It was now Alex realised his kindergarten class weren’t among the restrained.

“Hey kids…” Alex purposely slurred his words this time. “Did these mercenaries eat the apple pie, or did spiders carry it off?”

“I don’t know what you mean, sir. But if there was an apple pie, I’m sure these guys didn’t eat it.” Bea replied. Alex restrained a relieved sigh from escaping his lips.

That was the code he had agreed with his kindergarten class. As Zaparis was an Arachne, she had a high toxin resistance and had been taught personally by him to web up her classmates and evacuate them to get help if Alex was ever incapacitated.

“SHUT UP, YOU LITTLE RUNT!!” one of the mercenaries barked as he kicked Bea in the stomach, launching her back a few feet. Alex couldn’t restrain his hostility toward that specific mercenary.

“I wouldn’t bother. Those manacles compress your mana channels so it can’t flow out of the core. You are no better than a magicless civilian right now.” the man who was clearly the mercenary leader said.

“Also, E, we agreed we wouldn’t harm the children!” the leader barked, turning to the one who had kicked Bea.

“Sir, we got to make sure they know who’s boss,” E protested.

“Exactly, and that isn’t you but our employer. Now don’t hurt the kids unless they give you a reason to.”

“You seem far more reasonable than your fellow over there,” Alex said, thrusting his head in E’s direction.

“Comes with the territory.” the leader nodded.

“May I have a name?”

“You can call me A. We don’t use names for obvious reasons.”

“Well, A, I got an offer.”

“Sorry, going to stop you right there. We don’t break contracts when agreed upon.” A said, holding up a hand to halt Alex.

“No, I wasn’t going to offer you coin. You haven’t hurt my students, so everyone but E leave through that door, and I won’t kill you.” Alex’s words were said calmly as if it wasn’t a threat but an immutable fact.

“What about E?” A asked, clearly finding the exchange amusing.

“Dead the moment he hurt one of my kids,” again, Alex’s tone was calm and collected. This unnerved A for a moment as he genuinely considered the offer. Only to shake his head.

“I appreciate the kind offer, but I must refuse for obvious reasons.” A said, gesturing to Alex’s restraints. At this moment, there was a knock at the door.

“C, go check who it is!” A barked. The mercenary known by C went to the door and opened it a slither before opening it fully. Behind the one known as F walked a hooded figure.

“Long time no see, Mongrel!” a shrill voice from beneath the hood screeched.

“Do I know you?” Alex asked with a tilt of his head.

“Surely you jest. I am your sworn enemy?”

“Oh yes… I got a few sworn enemies. Could you be a bit more vague?” Alex said, maintaining a provoking smirk.

“Arnauld hit him!” the hooded figure demanded, turning to A.

“Boss, we told you don’t use our names. Just the first letters,” Arnauld said with a sigh before walking over to Alex. “Sorry, you don’t seem all that bad.” Arnauld apologised.

“That’s ok. I understand it's a job and all.” Alex said with an understanding nod before Arnauld struck him across the face with a knuckleduster.

“Pfft,” Alex spat out a glob of blood with a solid object that clacked against the floor.

“Thanks, Arnauld. I was going to see a dentist about that one. Saved me a visit,” Alex said, giving his best blood-soaked smile.

“You remember who I am now?” the hooded figure asked.

“Yes, because getting someone else to do your dirty work narrows it down significantly,” Alex sarcastically replied.

“Perhaps this will help?” the figure held out a metallic hand. “Gladius!” the hand transformed into a blade which he thrust directly into Alex’s leg. Alex calmly looked down at the leg with a sword in it and then up at the figure.

“Oh, sorry. Ahem… Ahhhhh” Alex’s cry in pain had as much energy as Sloth at a council meeting.

“Tough one, aren’t you? I’ll commend that much,” the hooded figure said as he turned around to look at the class.

“Maybe remove your hood?” Alex suggested. “I have a lot of people who aren’t fond of me, and you still match like eighty percent of their identifiers.”

“YOU BLEW OFF MY HANDS AND DESTROYED MY MANA CORE. YOU REMEMBER THAT?!!” The figure screeched, thrusting his bladed appendage into Alex’s other leg.

“Ow… I guess that hurts…” Alex responded with the blade sticking out of his leg using the same monotone. “Still only narrowed it down to like half a dozen enemies,” Alex added, trying to peek under the hood.

“Very well!!” the figure dropped its hood revealing Celes.

“Bother?!” Maxwell cried out in shock.

“Indeed, little brother. I, unlike you, am not a race traitor. Learning from a human of all things!” Cele spat on the floor as he mentioned Alex’s race.

“You know, guys. You won’t make it off campus with the students in tow,” Alex announced to the entire classroom. “You won’t get past the shadow knights who keep the corridors safe.”

“Oh, you mean one of these?” Celes asked, placing a severed head on his desk, causing a few terrified cries from the observing students.

“Ah, but we aren’t here for paltry ransoms. I am here to destroy you as you destroyed me!!!” Celes roared as he spun back to face Alex.

“Oh… fair enough, have at it.”

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

“Though answer me this Celes. How are you morphing that slime limb? You need mana to do that, and as you said, I destroyed your core?”

“Ingenious ideas, that's how?”

“Like? Please enlighten this lowly human?”

“I embedded a mana stone in each of my wrists. I use that mana.”

“Wow… just wow!”

“I know; bask in my clearly superior genius!”

“You know there are easier ways to get less painful cancers than that?”

“Huh?”

“You think you are the first to embed stones? Mages who do it die of mana-induced cancer within like a year. You are going to ruin your life doing that.”

“You ruined my life first!! I have endured so much in the years since our duel. WHERE YOU CHEATED!!!”

“I didn’t, though?”

“ENOUGH LIES!!! I will make sure the whole world knows what a fake you are. Using illusion magic to distract the crowd while using illegal enchanted gear from your dwarf owner!”

“Celes, I didn’t do that, though?”

“It is the truth!! I KNOW IT IS!!! IT MUST BE!!”

“Celes… Two truths cannot override one another. Either they find an equilibrium and become a singular truth. Or one truth will override the other, often the one spoken loud enough till it is the only truth remaining.”

“I AM NOT HERE FOR A LECTURE!!!” Celes screamed as he turned to Arnauld.

“Arnauld, have one of your mercenaries be ready to kill one of his students!”

“Sir?!” Arnauld seemed appalled by the order. But with a resigned sigh, he turned to the assembled mercenaries.

“You heard him, boys,” Arnauld announced, looking trapped. Only two of the mercenaries actually obeyed. The one identified as B holding a sword to Daisy’s throat and E aiming a crossbow at Bea’s head.”

“Here is my offer Alex. I will let you go. I am, after all, generous to my lessers. In return, we will kill all your students here in quick, painless ways. You will live the rest of your days miserable with the knowledge you traded your students for your own pitiful life.”

“There a second offer on the table?” Alex asked.

“Yes,” Celes broke out into a fit of giggles as he tried to reassert control. “I will let your oh-so-precious students go, but I will kill you slowly using a pain blade. You will be skinned and endure so much suffering that when you arrive in hell, they will turn you away for suffering enough!”

“Those the only two options?” Celes nodded.

“Which will you choose? Tick-Tock, the clock is counting do-”

“Ok, kill the kids then,” Alex said without hesitation.

“WHAT?!”

“I picked the quick death for the kids. Not like someone like you could manage to give me a slow death, so I’m giving you schoolwork you can manage,” Alex answered with a smirk.

“CAN’T I NOW?!!! Screw any deal. I will kill you regardless!!”

“That’s the spirit,” Alex said, lifting his arm as best as possible to give Celes a thumbs up.

“You really intend not to let me enjoy your death, aren’t you?”

“Well, if I can’t enjoy my own death, I don’t see why I should let you.”

“May I be permitted a last few words with my students?” Celes just scoffed before giving a single nod.

“Don’t worry, guys. Dying was my end goal, like with all living things. Hey, you?!” Alex gestured with his chin to B, holding a blade to Daisy’s neck.

“That sword looks cool. Is it a Gladius?” Alex asked, emphasising the word Gladius.

“No it’s a scimitar?” B answered, confused.

“Oh, sorry. I’m not like Yuu. I’m really bad at remembering sword names. Hell, half the time, I can’t tell my blades from my bracelets sometimes.” Daisy gave a slight nod acknowledging Alex’s meaning.

“You there, the guy I’m going to kill. That crossbow have Stymp Bolts?”

“How well off do you think we are?” E asked, looking more pissed than before.

“No, I suppose not. Not like people can walk around with a big ole bundle of Stymphalian feathers in their pocket.” E looked confused at Alex’s weird question while Gunter nodded just nodded.

“You know what, dead man?” Alex asked E, who was becoming increasingly hostile towards Alex’s provocation.

“You look like some gutter trash. The rest of your buddies here look mithril at minimum. Are you the charity case they took on?” At Alex’s provocation, E charged down towards Alex, stood over him, and punched his stomach.

“Don’t kill him; he’s mine!” Celes barked from behind Arnauld.

“You care to say that to my face?!!” E screeched. Alex just mumbled his answer.

“Speak up!!!”

“Come closer,” Alex said with a groan. Leaning in a little close, Alex reached out and grabbed E’s wrist with his manacled left hand. All at once, E collapsed to the ground like a puppet whose strings had just been cut.

“E you ok?!” Arnauld asked. “E I asked, are you ok?!” Arnauld moved up to E’s body and touched him before recoiling in terror.

“WHAT DID YOU DO?!”

“I killed him. Like I promised.” Alex answered with as best a shrug as he could manage.

“H-how? You are restrained. Your mana can’t flow?”

“Interesting fact about these restraints,” Alex began lifting up his arms as best as he could.

“I have apparently been locked in them a few years ago when I was locked away with Yuu for some drunken escapades. In my journal, I bothered to record the trick I found to bypass them,” Alex explained.

“H-how is that possible?!!” Celes screeched as he hid behind Arnauld.

“Well, a few ways, actually. These are just like locking your mana behind a big ole door with a lock. That door still has an opening…” the observing mercenaries all looked terrified. “The keyhole. I force through a slither of mana and eventually create a mini external core. Boom, I can cast spells.”

“So you have used up your mana to kill E?!!” One of the mercenaries who wasn’t near the kids asked as he stormed up to Alex. “I WILL KILL YOU FOR KILLING MY BROTHER!!!”

“Charlie, wait!!” Arnauld cried out to stop him, only for Charlie to collapse dead the moment his fist touched Alex’s cheek.

“What is happening?!!” Celes demanded.

“I’ve killed two of your very expensive mercenaries while without mana and tied to a chair. That’s what it looks like,” Alex answered.

“Even with a trickle of mana, you shouldn’t have enough mana for two instant death spells?”

“Obviously, I haven’t cast a spell yet,” Alex answered as if it was apparent.

“Then h-how?”

“Necromancy, obviously. The only school of magic that doesn’t use mana.”

“Doesn’t use mana?” Arnauld repeated as he retreated a step back.

“Yes, it uses the soul energy of beings you kill. I used necrosmoke to off your buddies when they made contact with me. Killing touch really is a broken power,” Alex explained.

“Take his students hostage, and we will retreat. We can’t come into contact.” Celes ordered, making his way to the door.

“NOW!!” Alex shouted. At that moment, Daisy transformed bally into a blade.

“GLADIUS!!” cutting free of her bonds, she held the blade up to the momentarily distracted mercenaries neck. While this happened, the other mercenary close to Gunter was dealing with Nicklas, who, at Gunter’s command, had launched herself at his face.

“WHAT IS HAPPENING?!!” Celes cried with terror overwhelming him.

“You have lost the initiative,” Alex said as he shakily rose from his seat, the armrests breaking as he stood up.

“I liked that chair as well,” Alex said, sadly looking at the chair.

“Ok last chance Arnauld. Run out of this classroom with your buddies, and you will only have to spend a few years in hard labour in Angdrast.”

“Your offer is for us to run away and spend years in a tortuous prison?”

“The alternative is… Well, you know,” Alex gestured to the two corpses at his feet.

“You know what… I will do something I haven’t ever done. Come on, boys, let's leave this gentleman and his students,” Arnauld commanded as he left the classroom with the remainder of his men in tow. One of which had a face covered in slashes.

“WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!! I PAID YOU!!! I OWN YOU!!!”

“Well, Celes… here we are,” Alex said as he stood before Celes.

“I-I’m not scared of you!!” Celes shouted as he began retreating from the approaching Alex.

“Yes, brave people try to get away from not scary people all the time,” Alex mocked.

“I WILL TAKE YOU WITH ME THEN!!!” Celes roared. “DUAL GLADIUS!!!” with his chant, both of his metallic hands transformed into blades. Just as Alex readied to receive and block the strike, the wall behind Celes exploded.

Bursting through the wall, Elissa charged at Celes and delivered a kick that sent his leg flying off his body into the wall across the room from him. Collapsing to a heap, Celes began to scream in agony.

“No one takes the blood of my love!! I OWN ALL OF IT!!” Elissa shouted at the already downed Celes.

“One moment Elissa,” Alex said as he stumbled forwards.

“Celes… I promise you this… no one will remember your name. Not even your family,” Alex’s eyes contained the frost of the deepest depths of hell. Alex gently tapped a writhing Celes with his toe with his last message delivered. The moment he did, just like with the previous two, he stopped moving.

“Sorry, Maxwell,” Alex said as he glanced at his terrified students. Holding out a hand in front of his face, Alex said a silent prayer for the people he killed.

“Y-you ok, sir?” Daisy asked, noticing the large quantity of blood staining his trousers.

“Oh, look at that,” Alex mumbled, looking down at his legs before collapsing unconscious.