Chapter 130: His Verdict

VMMMM!

A wave of kinetic force erupted from the glowing geometric lines and pushed Raziel and Lucian apart.

The energy shoved them backward with a firm, undeniable pressure, separating them in the middle of their clash.

Raziel slid across the dirt and landed hard on his rear.

He felt the sting of salt and sweat entering the fresh cut on his forearm.

His muscles ached from the physical exertion and his lungs burned.

He stared at the silver light illuminating the dust particles floating.

Lucian sat a few feet away holding his dislocated thumb against his chest.

He looked across the arena and wiped a smear of blood from his nose. He broke into a wide, exhausted smile.

Raziel looked back at him and a rare smile broke across his own face.

They survived the trap without holding back. They put on the exact show they needed to put on.

The judges’ table erupted into total chaos.

Elector Mordecai stood up and knocked his heavy wooden chair backward onto the stone tiles.

“Heresy!” Mordecai roared, pointing his crystal cane at the glowing floor.

“The runes of the Pantheon are forbidden artifacts! This combat is tainted!”

Brother Thomas slammed his hands on the table and stood up to face the Elector.

“The novices did not invoke those symbols!” Thomas shouted over the noise of the panicked crowd.

“The academy itself responded to their combat! They displayed absolute martial excellence!”

Father Marius remained in his seat gripping his own dark cane.

He opened his mouth but no words came out.

Sister Nefeli refused to speak and refused to stand up.

She stared at the ancient word WORTHY burning in the dirt while her eyes shimmered with tears.

The referee ran to the edge of the circle and blew his metal whistle to declare a halt to the match.

Two field healers rushed into the arena with medical kits to check on the bleeding novices.

Marius swallowed hard and recovered his voice.

“We must disqualify both participants,” Marius declared, looking at the Elector for approval.

“This represents an uncontrolled heretical phenomenon. We must send them both to the southern front for purification.”

“I vote to declare both novices as Quintiles,” Thomas argued back, crossing his arms over his chest.

“This was not heresy. This was excellence. The foundation of St. Celeste recognized their merit and judged them worthy.”

Mordecai intervened.

He used his sheer ecclesiastical authority despite lacking a formal vote on the evaluation panel.

“Novice Raziel must face a formal Inquisition tribunal,” Mordecai demanded.

“He triggered the anomaly. The boy requires a deep interrogation.”

Thomas and Marius turned their heads to look at the third judge.

Nefeli sat in silence.

She turned her head away from the arena and looked into the bleachers.

She scanned the sea of faces and found Lara Whitecliff standing near the tunnel exit.

Lara looked at the evaluator with honesty and waited for the woman to make her choice.

Nefeli turned back to the table and took a deep breath.

“Both novices are Quintiles,” Nefeli stated. “Anyone who says otherwise refused to see the truth.”

Marius gritted his teeth and slammed his fist on the wood.

“That creates a tie. The protocol demands we defer to the highest authority present.”

“I know the protocol, Father Marius.”

The large communication crystal on the table flared with blinding blue light and amplified Exarch Caelum’s voice all the way from the capital.

“Both novices receive the title of Quintile,” Caelum announced. “End of discussion.”

His tone left zero room for argument.

Mordecai clenched his jaw and tightened his grip on his cane.

Marius closed his eyes and slumped in his chair, realizing he lost control of his own academy.

Thomas exhaled a long breath and sat back down.

The crowd erupted into cheers.

The nobles and commoners applauded the decision because they respected the honesty of the fight.

They watched two friends beat each other using their full strength without ever betraying their bond.

Raziel stood up from the dirt and offered his hand to Lucian.

Lucian grabbed it and Raziel pulled him to his feet.

They earned the title.

The blue interface materialized in Raziel’s vision and fed him the exact data he needed to confirm his survival.

[SYSTEM UPDATE: TOURNAMENT COMPLETE]

[TITLE ACQUIRED: QUINTILE]

[REWARD: INCREASED ECCLESIASTICAL CLEARANCE]

[REWARD: +500 REPUTATION WITH ST. CELESTE NOBILITY]

Caelum spoke through the crystal again.

“Elector Mordecai, with all the respect your position merits.”

A calculated pause filled the hall.

“My novices. My academy. My decision.”

Mordecai glared at the glowing blue crystal and just narrowed his eyes.

“This is not over, Caelum.”

“It never is, Eminence,” Caelum replied. “But today is my turn.”

CLICK!

***

Night fell over St. Celeste hours later.

The novices celebrated their tournament placements in the refectory.

The instructors finalized the deployment lists for the war front.

Elector Mordecai prepared to leave the academy and return to the capital.

He bypassed his waiting carriage in the main courtyard.

He walked down the dark stone stairs to the East Basement alone.

He navigated the empty corridors, reached the end of the hall and unbolted the heavy metal door.

He stepped into the Inscription workshop.

The ancient runes of the Primordial Pantheon glowed across the walls with bright silver light.

Mordecai walked to the center of the room and looked at the geometric symbols.

He understood the ancient syntax without needing a translation manual or an academic guide.

He reached out and pressed his bare palm against the glowing stone wall.

FZZT!

The silver runes deactivated under his touch.

The ancient magic feared his physical presence and retreated into the foundation.

“So you woke up,” Mordecai muttered to the dark room. “Good. That confirms my suspicions.”

He reached into his white robes and pulled out a jagged black crystal.

It was an older artifact and possessed a denser aura than standard Church communication stones.

He channeled his mana into the black edges.

“Eminence Tertius,” Mordecai spoke into the crystal.

“We have confirmation. The St. Celeste node is active and the carrier is Novice Raziel.”

He paused and stared at the dead stone wall.

“Do we proceed with the Silence Protocol?”

The response took ten seconds to arrive.

“Proceed.”

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