Fall III

It was instant.

It wasn't like I couldn't see it coming.

With Seraphim's Embrace and Lucent Harmony fully activated, my senses were heightened to a point where detecting Drake's movements should have been easy. Every shift in the mana, every flicker of his aura—it all played out in front of me in stark detail.

But it didn't matter.

Even though I saw it, even though I felt it, he was still far too fast for me to react.

Before I could even brace myself, Drake's foot slammed into my stomach, knocking the air from my lungs in a single, devastating blow. My body bent under the force, and I was sent hurtling through the air, crashing against the boundary of the demonic cage.

"Arthur!" I vaguely registered the frantic calls of the three princesses, their voices muffled as if they were echoing from a great distance.

I tried to push myself up, but my body was sluggish, unresponsive. The world around me blurred, and my vision swam as darkness flickered in the edges of my sight. Lucent Harmony sputtered, flickering in and out like a dying flame. Luna's voice, once so clear in my mind, was cut off—disconnected.

Everything felt distant.

I could barely feel the cold ground beneath me, barely register the metallic taste of blood on my lips. There was a girl in front of me, but her form was hazy. Droplets of water hit my face. Was she crying? I couldn't tell. My thoughts felt slow, like they were being dragged through mud.

Streams of light emerged from her hand, illuminating the fog around me. What was she doing? Healing me? Or was I just imagining it? It was hard to make sense of anything, the haze around me thick and suffocating.

But then, slowly, my mind began to clear. The daze loosened its grip as the light seeped into my skin, soothing the pain, dragging me back from the edge of unconsciousness.

My senses sharpened, Lucent Harmony flickering back to life as the world snapped into focus. I blinked, the fog lifting, and I could finally see the girl in front of me—Rachel.

Her hands glowed with light magic, tears streaking her face. She was focused, utterly desperate to heal me.

Then I saw it.

A deep gash cut across my stomach, blood pouring from the wound. No wonder she was crying.

'Arthur,' Luna's voice came, clearer now but heavy with warning. 'You can't beat him.'

Drake Namgung.

I knew he was powerful, but to this extent?

He was ranked 1 in Class 4-A, wielding both a Grade 5 art and the Thunder God Physique, one of the strongest Gifts in the world. On top of that, he'd reached Integration-rank. He was stronger than my father. And now, with the addition of black mana coursing through his veins, he was almost unstoppable.

But this easily?

I had barely felt his strike until the pain seared through my body—a single kick, and I was torn open like this.

A groan escaped me as Rachel's magic stitched my wound. It was a strange sensation, the warmth of her light magic calming the fire of pain, but the rawness of the injury lingered. I could feel it beneath the surface, threatening to tear me apart again.

Seraphina and Cecilia stood frozen, their faces pale, eyes wide with horror. They couldn't believe it. The boy who had stood so untouchable before now lay at their feet, struggling to even stand. None of them could help me—not in this fight. Not here.

Only Rachel could do something.

Rachel, the Saintess.

In the future, this same tear-streaked girl would become the greatest light mage in the world. She would revive armies from the brink of death, turning the tide of entire wars. But right now? She was just trying to save me.

Suddenly, Rachel yelped in pain, her body lifted off the ground by an unseen force. My eyes widened in horror as I saw her dangling helplessly in Drake's grip, his smug smile widening with cruel delight.

"Now, now, healers aren't fair," Drake mocked, bringing Rachel closer to him. His tongue slid across her cheek, causing her to recoil in disgust, her body trembling as she struggled to break free.

I clenched my fists, trying to move—trying to force myself up—but my body refused. The pain from the gash on my stomach still throbbed, and the mana I had left was barely enough to even think straight. Yet I couldn't take my eyes off Rachel, her fear palpable as she fought in vain.

Drake's right foot crackled with purple lightning, the energy radiating off him in waves, making the hair on my arms stand on end. I could feel his power—raw, oppressive, and dangerous—coiling around him like a predator waiting to strike.

"Drake!" Luke's voice cut through the air, sharp with anger. He looked torn, his fists clenched in frustration, his envy and hatred barely contained.

Drake clicked his tongue, turning toward Luke with an exaggerated sigh. "I know, I know. This bitch is yours." His voice dripped with sarcasm, but he carelessly tossed Rachel to the ground like she was nothing more than a discarded object.

Rachel hit the floor with a painful thud, gasping for breath as she tried to pull herself together. My heart pounded in my chest, anger burning through the haze of pain, but still, my body wouldn't respond.

Drake turned back to me, his smile twisted with malice. "Now, Arthur, what are you going to do? Can't even save one girl, can you? How pathetic."

His words struck like daggers, piercing through the fog in my mind. I had to do something. Anything.

"You aren't even worthy of my sword," Drake sneered, his voice dripping with condescension. "And yet you think you're worthy of the attention of three princesses?" His laugh was sharp, echoing in the darkened space he'd created with his black mana.

But now, I could see it clearly.

Two demon dukes were responsible for this—one of lust and one of envy. Luke's fixation on Rachel, the way he had been staring at her, burning with jealousy—it had been subtle at first, but now it was undeniable. And Drake… well, with what he just did to Rachel, it became clear that lust had taken root within him as well.

Contracting with two demons wasn't possible for most people, but demons could magnify different emotions in their targets, pushing them down the path of corruption. The hatred, the jealousy, the lust—it had all been amplified beyond what either of them could control.

But Drake… lust? That didn't add up. He wasn't the type to be driven by those base emotions, at least not in the novel.

"Confused, aren't you?" Drake smirked, as if reading my thoughts. "Want me to explain it to you, Arthur? I'll be nice just this once."

He bent down closer, his fingers hovering just above my stomach. I braced myself, but it wasn't enough. Purple lightning crackled off his fingertips, snaking its way through my weakened mana resistance, burning me from the inside out. I grunted in pain, my body convulsing slightly from the shock.

"Your little ice princess," he whispered, his voice low and mocking, "she's quite a beauty, isn't she?"

Seraphina.

The realization hit me like a brick to the chest. My heart pounded as I tried to piece everything together.

Drake's smirk grew as he watched the understanding dawn on my face. "That's right. I fell for her… or, more accurately, for what I can never have."

He twisted his fingers, sending another jolt of pain through my body. "See, when you crave something so badly and know you'll never get it, demons can help. They can fill that void, make you powerful enough to take what you want."

Seraphina. He had been jealous of me, of my closeness to her, even before all of this. But with the demons involved, that jealousy had twisted into something darker, something more dangerous.

"And you?" he continued, his voice venomous. "You get everything handed to you. Three princesses wrapped around your finger. Power. Talent. Respect. You don't even have to try, do you?"

I clenched my teeth, trying to summon the strength to fight back, to move, to do something. But his power, enhanced by the demons, was suffocating. My body screamed in agony, my mana reserves flickering, barely holding on.

'Get up, Arthur!' Luna's voice echoed in my mind, frantic. 'You can't let him win!'

But I was trapped—physically, mentally, and emotionally. I had been outplayed, outmaneuvered, and now, I was paying the price for it.

Drake leaned even closer, his breath hot against my ear. "I'm going to take everything from you, Arthur. Your strength. Your pride. Your girls." He paused, chuckling darkly. "And there's nothing you can do to stop me."