A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

---

“Virginia, you’ve gotten even stronger.” Bray said with a smile after seeing Virginia.

“Mr. Bray’s smile is really not good-looking,” Virginia chuckled.

“But Mr. Bray is watching me very well,” Virginia said happily.

"Yeah, the battle was a bit too fast."

Virginia didn't know how to respond to that.

"Mr. Bray."

"Hmm?" Bray looked at Virginia with a puzzled expression.

“No girl will like you if you act like this,” Virginia sighed.

“If you were a little more witty… no, then you wouldn’t be Mr. Bray.”

“Decadent is Mr. Bray’s style,” Virginia said irritably.

As for Bray, he was completely bewildered.

"Virginia, it's my turn to go on stage! Come watch with me!" Lux was extremely excited.

"Don't get beaten to tears," Bray said, completely oblivious to the atmosphere.

"Brother, you idiot! Can't you say something nice?!" Lux was furious.

"Hurry up, you're about to go up." Bray gently pushed Lux's back.

"Watch me!" Lux turned around and waved wildly at Bray before running towards the arena where she was about to enter the ring.

“You’re really thin, Lux.” Bray shook his head.

With that push, Bray could clearly feel that Lux was a bit too thin.

Well, there's a saying that family members always think their children are too thin, so they keep feeding them until they're fat.

I guess Bray is the guy who always thinks his sister is too thin.

“However, being too fat isn’t good either.” Bray stroked his chin, deep in thought.

"Hey, hurry up, your sister's already way ahead," Naruko complained.

"No rush, no rush," Bray said, still deep in thought. Meanwhile, in the preparation room of District 16, a student sat in a dark corner.

Her name is Machibuzzel, and she is the student who will face Lux in the next match.

Ma Qi's hands were clasped together, yet her fingers were fidgeting restlessly.

“Very good, very good,” Ma Qi whispered.

"This feeling is amazing."

"My brain is trembling." Ma Qi's breathing was a little rapid.

“No one can stop me, ah, I can do anything.” Ma Qi touched her face with both hands.

His expression seemed to convey a morbid sense of pleasure.

It looked particularly eerie in the dark corner.

"Machibuzer, it's your turn," a student volunteer said at the door of the preparation room.

Most of the students who volunteered were senior students who were not yet required to participate in the assessment.

Without a word, Ma Qi jumped up from the stool and quietly walked past the volunteers.

Watching Ma Qi leave, the volunteer felt goosebumps all over his body.

"Who is this person? They're so strange."

---

"Next up is the seventh match in District 16."

"Laxclas against Machibuzz!" the announcer said.

Lux stood on the arena early, adjusting her breathing.

Ma Qi slowly stepped onto the arena.

Ma Qi exuded a chilling aura.

The long robe that covered his entire body, along with his unkempt long hair, gave him an eerie feeling.

"Ahhhhh... Lux..." Although her face was obscured by her long hair.

But her voice is still very pleasant.

"Hmm... Do I know you?" Lux frowned her pretty eyebrows.

"Of course, you don't know me, but I know you."

“I’m watching you every single day, just watching you.”

Lux took a step back, feeling a chill.

"Do you know what it's like to see your face, your voice, your body..."

"They all deeply attract me."

"I really, really like you, I like you so much." Ma Qi's voice became excited.

"Student, it's time to start the competition, please refrain from speaking." The host, his face ashen, looked at Ma Qi.

However, Ma Qi clearly ignored the host's meaning.

“I want to make you my collectible.” Ma Qi brushed her long hair aside.

Beneath her long hair was a face covered with blood-red lines.

"This is the last warning. If..." The host stepped forward and grabbed Ma Qi's shoulder.

But the next moment, the host's hand was twisted, and blood mist exploded, spreading throughout the entire arena.

"Lux! Run! Run!!!!" Bray was the first to stand up.

From the moment Bray saw the lines on the girl's face, he knew something was wrong.

The red patterns are exactly the same as those of the two cult members from last time.

"Huh?" Lux was still unable to recover.

There was nothing that could be done about it! Because no student had ever experienced such a sudden event before.

The ability to handle emergencies is not something that can be developed casually.

“Levy!” Bray called out.

Levy's wagging tail suddenly stopped, and then she was launched from the spot in the next instant.

With astonishing speed, no one managed to catch Levy's movements.

In a daze, Lux was lifted off the arena by Levy.

Levy cleverly brought Lux back to Bray's side.

"Brother...brother?" Lux was still in a state of shock.

Most of the students were like that, still not understanding what was happening.

Not understanding the situation means not knowing what measures to take.

Fortunately, the teachers around them were not like the students, who were like hothouse flowers who had never experienced major events.

An older man appeared behind Ma Qi without her noticing, his right hand, clad in an iron glove, gripping Ma Qi's neck.

"Deputy Director, please disperse the crowd." This uncle was the gatekeeper that Bray had met at the school gate.

"As for this student, I advise you not to make any rash moves," the uncle said, raising an eyebrow.

"After all, I was once an A-rank adventurer."

"Ah, you guys ruined my precious chance to meet Lux." Machi turned her head, ignoring the fact that she was being choked.

Those were eyes filled with cursed poison, devoid of any light.

“You…” The uncle was taken aback by Ma Qi’s gaze.

"Die," Ma Qi said venomously.

"Crushed by evil power".

The security guard's body was constantly bending over.

The terrifying force pressed down, still impacting the man's mental world.

"This pressure... are you kidding me? It's even greater than a siege rhinoceros!" The uncle couldn't take it anymore and knelt down on the ground.

The Siege Rhino is an A-rank monster that can easily smash through city walls.

"He's still alive." Ma Qi was somewhat surprised.

In her view, the power she now possessed should be incredibly strong.

"Don't underestimate me, kid." The uncle roared, standing up again, veins bulging on his forehead.

"Boom!" With a swift punch, Ma Qi was sent flying and crashed to the ground.

However, Ma Qi was not seriously injured.

Beneath Ma Qi's long robe lay a nearly naked body, covered in intricate patterns.

The patterns seemed to come alive, extending from the surface to form a shield that blocked the punch for Ma Qi.

"No, they said it could be even stronger," Ma Qi whispered frantically.

Then he raised his head and looked at the gatekeeper.

Ma Qi was scratching her face, as if venting something.

"Ahhh, Lux."

“Beautiful things should be preserved,” Ma Qi murmured frantically.

However, the gatekeeper had no intention of listening to Ma Qi's whispers.

Iron Fist didn't hesitate at all, even though the person in front of him was a student from the academy!

Anything that poses a threat to the academy is the direction in which I will swing my fists.

The magic within his body transformed and flowed, subtly wrapping around his hands.

Using magic is not the exclusive domain of mages; anyone with a certain amount of magic can use it.

Mages use magic to construct the structural basis of spells, while warriors use magic to enhance their moves.

The shockwave exploded the moment the fist touched the shield formed by the red patterns in front of Ma Qi.

The living red patterns spread out, and Ma Qi was thrown and landed on the wall to the side.

"Drink—" The gatekeeper breathed on his fist.

The surrounding crowd was mostly dispersed, and the guard's attack did not cause any additional casualties.

Ma Qi coughed up blood, her face full of disbelief.

"You promised to give me the power to instill fear and subjugate people..." Ma Qi roared, grabbing her hair.

The frantic whispers in her ear were tormenting Ma Qi's nerves.

--"sure."

"Anything you want can be achieved."

"But you're not mature yet."

"Run away, I need to run away." Ma Qi's pupils swayed as she muttered to herself.

"Yes, I'm going to run away."

After saying that, Ma Qi struggled to stand up. The red markings spreading across her body acted like her hands and feet, helping her maintain her balance.

Without any hesitation, Ma Qi turned around and climbed the high wall, intending to leave.

"Don't even think about running away!" The gatekeeper raised an eyebrow and crouched down.