Chapter 52: Chapter 52: End of the entrance exam (4)

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Third person pov

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Flashback – The night when Alex Eliminated the captured candidates

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The moon hung like a blade in the sky, casting pale light upon the bloodstained clearing where battle had just subsided. The scent of scorched earth and spilled mana still lingered in the air.

The battlefield reeked of scorched ground, blood, and charred mana. The stars blinked warily above, peeking through gaps in the swirling mist as three formidable women—Princess Charlotte, Princess Lilith, and Seraphina Starlight—stood still, eyes narrowed, minds buzzing.

A sharp gust of wind stirred the silence as Isadora Vale, her attire torn and her breathing heavy, approached the cluster of elite figures who had paused their brutal clash only moments ago. Her ragged breath, tinged with urgency, shattered the silence.

Isadora Vale, Lilith’s loyal maid, knelt before her mistress, her tone cold as ever, though a flicker of disdain was evident in her gaze as it flicked toward Charlotte and Seraphina.

“My lady, the captured candidates have all been eliminated.”

Lilith’s brow arched. “Eliminated? By who? I didn’t sense any strong mana signatures approaching.”

Isadora replied curtly, her eyes never leaving Lilith.

“Silver hair. Blue eyes I only saw him for a second.”

A beat of silence passed. Then, as if in synchronized revelation, all three women spoke the name in their thoughts.

“Alex Dragonheart.”

It was a little hard to forget that guy—that audacious commoner who had walked into Zenith Academy’s auditorium late, in the middle of a speech.

He was the only one who matched the description. The only one in that auditorium who stood out, not because of status or bloodline… but because he was smiling and laughing with two names that demanded the respect of the continent—Ethan Williams, the chosen of the temple, and Alden von Crestvale, the renowned prodigy.

No ordinary man would stand among them as an equal. Especially not Alden, whose pride and standards made him impossible to impress.

None of them were fools.

Ethan didn’t associate freely. And Alden? That guy wouldn’t deign to waste time on anyone mediocre. If both were talking to someone like an equal… that someone was a threat.

Charlotte clicked her tongue, her hands folded behind her back. “So he was the one who orchestrated all of this…”

It all fit now. The mysterious leak about Lilith’s actions. The perfectly timed infighting between vampire and human candidates. The fact that someone swooped in and stole the kills.

“He played us,” Charlotte murmured, both impressed and angry. Yet a hint of a smirk betrayed her irritation.

Charlotte crossed her arms, piecing everything together like a chessboard. “He must’ve leaked that Lilith was capturing candidates, baited everyone into fighting… and then struck when we were too distracted to react.”

Seraphina’s brows furrowed in contemplation. “He waited until we began fighting each other. Clever.”

Lilith, however, was seething. Her crimson eyes glowed faintly with restrained fury. “The second time… First, he kills the ones I sent to bring him to me. Then he dares steal from me again.”

Her clenched fists trembled. The name Alex Dragonheart was now etched into her memory.

Seraphina, by contrast, was introspective. Her mother, Sonia Starlight, had mentioned him. Her adorable sister, Sophia, had told wild stories about him defeating peak intermediate rank raiders . She had dismissed it as exaggeration.

Not anymore.

She finally admitted to herself—he wasn’t just talk. He had the strength. And the brains.

The realization hung in the air like a blade on a thread. Three of the most powerful candidates in this exam—each dangerous in her own right—had been outwitted by a silver-haired nobody they had dismissed far too quickly.

The silence among the trio lengthened. They each processed the revelation, minds spinning with strategy, pride, and grudging admiration.

Then their eyes met once more.

Two paths lay ahead.

Continue the battle, risking further injuries and possible elimination. Or retreat, recover, and live to fight another day at the academy.

Charlotte narrowed her eyes. “We could take her,” she thought, glancing at Lilith. But the princess of blood bore a wild look in her eyes—the kind that promised to drag atleast one them down with her.

She weighed her chances. Losing Seraphina—one of her few true allies in the Academy—was not a risk she was willing to take.

Seraphina seemed to reach the same conclusion. Her stance softened slightly.

On the other hand even in her fury, Lilith wasn’t blind to the current reality. She was injured, her mana reserves low. And across from her stood two opponents—either of whom, even in their battered condition, would give her trouble. Together? She knew what that meant.

Her red eyes flicked to Isadora Vale, who stood a few meters away, tense but unharmed. Isadora, her maid since childhood and perhaps her only true companion, had followed her loyally since they were little.

If Lilith struck now, Isadora would be the first casualty—a liability in this moment of weakness.

So she exhaled slowly, burying her rage.

The stalemate was broken by Charlotte, her voice calm yet sharp.

“Ceasefire. This won’t benefit either side.”

Seraphina agreed, brushing blue strands of hair behind her ear.

“Agreed. A fight here would just mean meaningless eliminations—and none of us benefit from that.”

Lilith studied them. Then took a glance at Isadora.

She nodded reluctantly.

“Agreed.”

A shaky truce was declared.

The battered forces of vampires and humans began to separate. Mutual exhaustion was the only glue holding the truce in place.

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Later, under the canopy of the fading night sky, Charlotte walked beside Seraphina, her mind ticking like a machine. Every movement of the silver-haired boy played in her head.

“He must’ve racked up a ridiculous number of points,” she muttered.

Seraphina gave her a sideways glance.

“Thinking about how to get those points back?”

Charlotte smirked.

“You know me too well, Sera.”

Seraphina chuckled softly.

“Of course I do. I’ve known you since we were little. I can tell the exact moment you start planning something… devious.”

Charlotte laughed lightly, then stopped walking.

“We should send someone to track him. He’s probably not too far yet.”

Seraphina nodded in agreement.

“We should. But first…” She gestured to the bruises across her arms and the slight tremble in her steps. “We need to heal.”

Charlotte exhaled.

“Yeah. Agreed.”

—

Meanwhile, in the vampire camp, Lilith reclined in her makeshift tent, her eyes closed as a healing mage repaired the worst of her wounds. But her mind wasn’t resting.

“Isadora,” she said suddenly.

Her maid appeared almost instantly.

“Yes, my lady?”

“Send someone to track the silver-haired boy. And inform me the moment you get any updates.”

Isadora bowed.

“As you wish, my lady.”

Lilith closed her eyes again, her voice a mere whisper now.

“I’ll remember you, Alex Dragonheart. If you somehow still survive this exam… I’ll make sure to repay you.”

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By the time dawn broke, scouts from both factions returned—nearly simultaneously—with the same report.

The silver-haired candidate was seen heading east, toward the Deserted Isle—a forgotten region that led to the Eastwood Waterfalls.

Both Charlotte and Seraphina shared a knowing glance and began preparing.

Meanwhile, Lilith received the same information from Isadora.

“The Eastwood Waterfalls,” she murmured, gaze narrowing. “Let’s see what cards he’s hiding.”

And so, three forces—vampires, humans, and unexpected prodigies—converged at the same place.

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Present – Eastwood Waterfalls

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Mist billowed off the falls in ethereal waves as six figures stood staring at each other. Water roared in the background, but the tension was louder.

On one side stood Alex, calm, a faint smirk dancing on his lips. Beside him, Ethan Williams and Alden were shooting him confused looks.

On the other stood Charlotte, Seraphina Starlight, and Lilith—each radiating noble power, their wary eyes locked on Alex.

No one spoke.

A silent standoff.

Then Alex did something none expected.

He stepped back.

And pulled out a talisman.

A single silver rune gleamed on its surface. It did not look ordinary.

Charlotte’s brows knitted. “A trap?”

Seraphina took half a step forward. “What are you—”

Too late.

Ethan’s brows furrowed. “What are you doing?”

Alex didn’t answer. His eyes gleamed with amusement, but also with warning.

“You came looking for me. Don’t blame me for what you find.”

With a calmness that only unsettled the already tense atmosphere, Alex stepped back and raised the silver-etched talisman. The rune on its surface pulsed with mana.

Charlotte narrowed her eyes. “What are you—”

Alex pressed two fingers to the rune.

“Time to wake it up.”

The talisman flared brilliantly, sending a surge of mana through the air like lightning through storm clouds.

And then—

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The waterfall exploded. Not splashed—exploded.

Massive plumes of water and stone erupted upward as the orbs Alex had carefully embedded detonated in perfect sync. The force shattered the rocks, sending chunks flying and mist blanketing the area in a dense veil.

The rumbling didn’t stop. In fact, it deepened. The earth beneath their feet trembled. A guttural growl echoed from the cavern now exposed behind the waterfall, shaking bones and hearts alike.

A pair of glowing amber eyes blinked open in the dark.

From the shadows, a monstrous figure emerged—scaled, ancient, and seething with primal mana.

Alex’s smirk deepened as he whispered,

“Let the real test begin.”

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