A bang sounded out as an explosion rocked a dome surrounding Afrieal. A dome that conspicuously coveted only the Noble's district.

Ray felt his gravity try to pull him down, but he persevered, levitating in the air as he let glitter emerge around him. The little things were far more reactive than before, even more than they'd been in that special room. Ray could feel the crown glow slightly as his mana began to vibrate even more.

"What are you doing here?" Faret the pink face said as he turned towards Ray, his irritation pronounced. Ray didn't care what he thought. The mana was of no consequence to him. An irritant in his path that may have caused Anita's death. A crony that had gone too far.

Perhaps it was the crown, perhaps it was just losing his sister, or even his new Faehood, but Ray couldn't feel an ounce of guilt at the thought of killing him. Oh, he didn't enjoy it, but he couldn't say he didn't want to do it. No, this was what he had to do.

Ray let his emotions seep into the glitter, letting it know what needed to be done. Faret wouldn't live past this day.

A wave of yellow glitter answered Faret's question, dancing as it rolled towards the Emperor's inner disciple.

"What is this?" Faret said, irritated as he swiped at the glitter with his sword. The glitter rolled back, turning in the air as it rolled down Faret's hand instead. The idiot recoiled, sending bursts of pink mana as he looked towards Ray.

"So you think you can take me?" he said, as pink mana surrounded Ray. Ray barely felt a thing, just cold as he reacted, swiping his hand as he produced yellow glitter.

"Yes." Ray said, conjuring more glitter. Faret had to die here.

"What foolishness." Faret said, frowning as a volcano appeared under Ray, spewing fire onto him. Ray just stood there and let the fire roll onto him, conjuring a little brown glitter to block it a bit, but barely caring about it.

"Do you know what it feels like to lose a loved one?" Ray asked.

Faret looked at him with the same expression on his face. "No, why should I? The nobility don't die as easily as you guys."

Why should he? Yes, why should he, the inner disciple of the Emperor, a Duke himself, feel loss? Why not just live with privilege and wealth for his entire life? Why not, yes?

Why not-what about those that did? What about those that would die because of his policies? What about those that died in his master's wars? Were they nothing in his eyes? No, that was not right. Ray clenched his fists, the glitter reacting to his anger as it rolled around Faret and attacked him with increased ferocity.

"Do you really think you can keep this up? I am the Emperor's disciple, a genius of humanity-" Faret began, but Ray had had enough.

"Is that all you can say? Just praises of yourself? Emperor's disciple, genius of humanity, Duke, oh so many titles you have." Ray laughed as he conjured more glitter, spending mana with little worry. The surroundings were hazy to him. A part of him felt the shockwaves from what must be a ferocious duel or two in the background, but for now his focus was on the ferret before him.

"I have earned my pedigree. I won among a competition of many of my brothers in arms, even killing some of them to get ahead. The Emperor personally named me a disciple of practicality." Faret said, looking especially proud, his neck stretching a bit too far for a Human. An illusion sure was nice for when you wanted to imitate a giraffe.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Ray laughed, it was a hollow, loud laugh. "I can't take it. Oh, it's too much." he said, waving his hands as more and more glitter appeared, dancing in the air, but not attacking. The battle hadn't truly started for now, Faret might think it had, but it would start when Ray decided it was time.

"The disciple of practicality. " Ray said, still laughing, "I see that the Emperor has the same idiotic ideas as you. Wha-" Ray doubled over in laughter as he looked towards Faret- "What part of you is practical, Duke Faret that thinks loss is optional? Tell me, I want to hear an answer."

"What makes you think you can demand answers from me?" Faret asked, a frown appearing on his face.

The time was here. A huge pool of glitter surrounded Ray as he prepared to move. "What? I will tell you what, disciple of the Emperor. I will tell you what happens when you offend the Fae."

Faret's eyes widened as Ray sped towards him, waves of glitter attacking at Faret in a rush before he could defend himself. Ray did not stop, the glitter curled around him, setting the illusion on fire.

"Do you think you're the only one that can use artifacts?" Faret shouted as he removed another sword, mock slamming it in the air as a huge amount of pink mana spread outward,

"No, how would I get the satisfaction of revenge if you couldn't fight back?" Ray said as glitter coiled around him. The fight had come.

A sword of yellow glitter shot at Faret as a volcano formed around Ray, only to be dispersed by a cone of violet glitter.

The illusion was weak to sudden air currents, he would have to remember that. The sword hit a false wave of water that turned into a tsunami heading towards Ray in a rush. Ray shot forward, cutting through the tsunami as he formed a cone of metal glitter in front of him.

Faret conjured a whirlpool, ready to counter fire, but failed when it encountered metal instead. The whirlpool froze into metal, twisting towards Faret, forcing him to teleport away. Ray had already sent a few waves of violet mana out, dispersing huge portions of the illusion.

Faret reappeared a few meters from Ray, still clutching the sword with both hands as he looked at the state of the illusion.

"Tell me, do you know yet?" Ray asked, mocking him as he shot towards Faret as fast as he could, a fist of fire forming in his hands.

"Do you think a crown makes you a prince, mongrel?'' Faret said, his eyes glowing blue as the air turned to frost. A dual element. Ray wouldn't have pegged him for it. So much talent in such a stupid frame.

Ray scoffed at the ice, punching into the air as he floated back, a wave of fire appearing where he passed, heading towards the ice. Faret looked at Ray, his eyes serious as he said. "A good fight, but it is at an end. The Emperor's honor is at stake."

Ray laughed, his laugh echoing throughout the tattered illusion, and perhaps even outside as he looked at the idiot in front of him. "The Emperor's honor can't stand a little defiance? Well, he better have a lot of money, the medical bill is going to be huge this time around. How much does healing honor cost anyway?"

"The blood of a million commoners like you would be insufficient," Faret said, vitriol marking his voice as a huge wave of ice sped towards Ray.

Ray continued as he was before, laughing as he slowly floated backward in the air. The floating was measured, even Fae magic required him to levitate himself, but Ray was feeling petty right now. Not to mention how much his lack of care seemed to irritate his opponent.

The ice reached up to Ray feet, his glitter melting it with excitement. The thing really was like a child, excited whenever it found a new toy.

“Do you see that? The Emperor's honor is just a little entertainment for my glitter." Ray said, speaking as if he was speaking to a baby. "I do hope the Emperor has a lot of honor. I am sure my element would enjoy it."

Ray changed his tilt, leaning forward as if to whisper to his enemy meters away," A little by little." he said as yellow mana rolled in the air, landing a surprise attack at Faret.

The idiot cast again, trying to dismiss it, but Ray wasn't so easily undone. The mana continued, the glitter excitedly eating at Faret's illusion and the face inside, as the boy began to panic. Pink and whitish-blue mana rolled in the air randomly as Faret tried to get the mana off his face, but it was in vain. Ray had decided that Faret would die to this attack.

And though his command held little true power, he still had the power to act, and so he did. And so did Faret, disciple of Empire, die there, his face too burnt for Ray to get a look at. An explosion rocked the air as a sword full of Tier 30 mana lept towards Ray, ready to kill it, only to find it blocked by a massive shield that cracked and splintered onto the ground.

Ray felt the remnants of purple mana around it, and knew who had acted. Perhaps the Dean wasn't as angry as he showed after all.