Chapter 223
Chapter 223
Chapter 223
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 223 – Lan Qi’s Most Sinful Act
Two days later.
Although the weather was gloomy, even in the afternoon the sky appeared dark and heavy, today—Friday—the royal capital Ikerite was bustling with excitement. Citizens and tourists all gathered near Ikerite Academy.
Because the long-awaited public event hosted by Ikerite Academy was finally being held again.
With the heavy promotion from the Alchemy Institute’s Hedon Times, countless residents of the capital came to watch the excitement at Ikerite Academy.
Not only were all the tickets for the Knight Academy’s arena sold out, even the broadcasting area at the edge of Jera Memorial Plaza was packed with people. The vast plaza had no empty space left.
On the outdoor giant screen, live images were being broadcast.
The camera swept from above, showing the majestic arena. Armed forces surrounded the building to maintain order, ensuring the safety of this massive gathering.
Inside the vast arena, spectators streamed in from all directions, filling the stairways and seats, eager to witness the spectacular team combat match about to unfold.
The audience who had already taken their seats were full of energy. The roar of voices surged and fell like waves, and at times a deafening cheer would erupt, echoing across the sky above the arena.
On the left side of the field, the team from Yaloran Royal Academy was already prepared. Their uniforms were neat and unified. In their seats sat the coach, arms crossed, eyes closed, calm and composed. The players smiled and waved at the crowd, their gazes sharp and brimming with determination—an absolute conviction in victory.
On the giant screen, the introduction of both teams’ competitors was being shown. Their photos displayed bright and sunny smiles, paired with stirring battle music, further igniting the atmosphere.
At the referee’s stand above sat three of Ikerite Academy’s deans:
Dean Loren of the Sage Institute,
Dean Bolao of the Magitech Institute,
Dean Sphintos of the Knight Institute.
As for the Alchemy Institute’s dean, he was still in prison.
“Professor Sphintos, are you sure there won’t be a problem with this match?”
Loren’s face was filled with unease.
He had thought the students from Yaloran Royal Academy would soon be peacefully sent off, yet unexpectedly this “finale event” appeared near the end.
What was worse, he had heard that Lan Qi had personally taken over as coach of the Soul of Fighters team, on behalf of the Student Council.
It had already been two full days since Loren last saw Lan Qi. He dreaded that Lan Qi might stir up something outrageous at the arena.
“Young people—having a bit of fire and causing some fuss is normal. If anything goes wrong, I’ll take responsibility.”
The old man sitting at the far left looked well over seventy, yet when standing his tall frame was nearly 1.9 meters. He wore a black suit, his graying hair falling loosely over his eyes, his face carrying a carefree smile.
“This time the ticket sales and advertising revenue are solid. I’ll take forty percent, you each thirty.”
Professor Bolao had no objections, nodding with satisfaction.
“……”
Loren could say no more. He could only hope Lan Qi would act like a normal person this time.
Beneath their platform, though the match had yet to begin, the arena already boiled with excitement, like a volcano about to erupt. Every spectator awaited the exact hour, ready to explode into frenzy once the combat started.
In the front rows near the combat stage—
Two light-haired girls sat side by side. One expressionless, the other faintly worried.
“Talia, I haven’t seen Lan Qi in two days… I’m a little scared…”
Huperion clutched Talia’s hand, her voice anxious.
As a Student Council insider, Huperion had easily obtained tickets with the best seats.
Nearby were familiar faces.
Everyone was waiting for drama, eager to watch the excitement unfold.
Even Lan Qi’s father, Noé, was seated behind them, enjoying himself, munching on snacks as he reclined in his chair with a relaxed grin, fully expecting a good show.
Ever since Lan Qi promised to give the Soul of Fighters team special training, he had asked Huperion and Frey to report back to the president, while he alone took the fighters away for intensive coaching.
By right, the three idiots from before had only been “remodeled” by Lan Qi for one day, and in an easy, playful way.
Huperion didn’t know what might happen if Lan Qi had spent a full two days of intense training on the fighters.
“Nothing to be afraid of.”
Talia’s flat voice carried no emotion.
She couldn’t understand why Huperion was constantly worrying.
Lan Qi was incapable of overturning the world; she could easily deal with him any time.
Talia disliked crowds, disliked noisy spectacles.
But since Huperion cared so much about this match, she accompanied her—just to see what exactly Lan Qi had been scheming.
On another side of the arena—
A crimson-haired girl watched the stage below with a conflicted expression.
Now, with her long red hair let down over her shoulders instead of tied in her usual high ponytail, Zirvini looked like an ordinary student. Her gaze was calm instead of aggressive. Students from the Knight Institute failed to recognize her, some even whispered, asking who the red-haired beauty was.
She had clearly decided to stop fighting.
Yet now, inexplicably, she clenched her fists again.
The clock pointed to 2:50.
The official match would begin at 3:00.
But the Ikerite Academy team had yet to appear on the right side of the arena.
“They should be arriving soon?”
“If they don’t show up, it counts as a forfeit, right?”
“Honestly, that might happen. I heard the Ikerite fighters were beaten badly before. But supposedly they found a strong coach.”
“If they forfeit and don’t fight, they’ll have to refund the money!”
The sky hung heavy like ink, dense clouds blanketing the arena.
Fierce winds swept the grounds, stirring leaves and dust, mocking human frailty.
Finally—
At Ikerite’s entrance, six figures emerged. It was the Soul of Fighters team, led by Coach Lan Qi.
Their very entrance hushed the roaring crowd, until silence blanketed the arena.
From the clouds, lightning occasionally tore through the darkness, illuminating the field for a fleeting instant like the gaze of a god judging mortals.
Thunder followed, shaking hearts. A warning from the heavens: this would be a life-or-death battle.
On the field, the two teams stood facing each other.
Their gazes locked. Despite the roaring wind and flashing lightning, the confrontation remained eerily silent—like the stillness before a storm.
Even the audience seemed to hold their breath. Cold wind swept through them, stealing away their warmth.
Elders clutched their canes tightly, women pulled their coats close, children clung to their parents’ hands. The pressure weighed on every chest like a boulder, suffocating.
Even from afar, one could sense the shadowy aura rising behind the five fighters at Lan Qi’s back.
Zirvini, who had nearly leapt down to declare she would fight in their place, froze instantly.
What she felt was utter strangeness—
These beings seemed stripped of emotion and memory, coldly walking past, oblivious to her presence in the stands.
Her most precious friends—what had happened to them?
On another stand, Talia rubbed her eyes.
At first glanced, she thought they were demons poorly disguised as humans, hands drenched in blood, their soul-deep coldness unhidden.
The last time she felt this aura was when she had faced the Demon King’s special slaughter unit.
Compared to the bright, sunny youths shown earlier in the promotional clips—could these truly be the same five people?!
As the two sides drew closer—
“Didn’t expect you cowards to actually show up.”
Kuse of Yaloran sneered at the approaching Ikerite fighters.
“……”
Lan Qi’s fighters gave no reply.
Their eyes were void of spirit—the gaze of those who look only at corpses.
Lan Qi ignored Kuse, speaking briefly to the referee.
Moments later, staff brought out a document and a pen.
The Soul of Fighters swiftly signed their names.
“Sign the life-and-death contract first.”
Lan Qi checked their signatures, then handed the document—Knight Academy Arena Team Combat Match: Waiver of Liability and Risk Acknowledgement—to Kuse.