Chapter 73: Chapter 73 : Chaos in the cafeteria (3)

In the swirling chaos of the cafeteria.

Alden cracked his neck and gave a slow exhale expression bimming with rage. “You guys all had your fun,” he said, rolling his shoulders and glaring at Ian and Maximus. “Now I need someone to beat up.”

Ian and Maximus immediately got a very bad feeling. That kind of feeling where your stomach drops, your heart skips a beat, and you regret every life choice since birth.

Alden took a step forward, and Charlotte graciously released the gravity field.

The moment the weight disappeared, Ian and Maximus rolled up, panting, free at last. But this time—they didn’t run.

They were second-year seniors, after all. One year ahead in training, top of their class in combat assessments. Sure, Alden was strong, but he was still just a first-year… right?

“We can take him,” Maximus whispered.

Ian nodded. “Together.”

Alden grinned, unsheathing his sword in a slow, deliberate motion. “Excellent.”

The blade shimmered, and with a flick of his wrist, flames ignited along its edge. His fire affinity roared to life, the heat in the air making the nearby students step back.

Maximus charged first, aiming a wind-infused punch straight at Alden’s chest. Alden parried the blow with his flaming blade, but Ian came in from the side with a mana-charged kick that knocked him back a few feet.

Alden smirked. “Nice teamwork.”

He darted forward, his blade blazing, engaging both of them in a tight flurry of strikes. Maximus blocked one strike with an earth barrier, while Ian lunged from behind, landing a hit on Alden’s ribs.

A grunt escaped Alden’s lips. He looked genuinely impressed.

“Not bad.”

But then the air shifted. Alden’s movements became sharper, faster, more aggressive. He began weaving flame-enhanced slashes in wide arcs, forcing the two to retreat. A blade of fire nicked Maximus’s shoulder, making him hiss.

Ian tried to rush in again, but Alden vanished in a fiery blur, reappearing behind him and slamming him into the ground with the hilt of his sword. Maximus barely raised a shield before Alden’s foot shattered it, and then a flaming uppercut sent him crashing into a nearby table.

Both seniors lay on the ground, groaning, clothes scorched and pride in ruins.

Alden exhaled and let his sword rest against his shoulder, the flames slowly fading. He looked down at the two with a mixture of smugness and satisfaction.

He turned to the rest of the cafeteria, dramatically wiping a speck of imaginary dust from his collar.

He exhaled, satisfied.

“Now I’m somewhat calm.”

“Seraphina,” Ava whispered, tugging on her sleeve, “That ugly guy is quite violent and terrifying…”

Alden, still basking in the glory of his “somewhat satisfying” victory, froze mid-stretch. A visible vein popped on his forehead as he slowly turned toward the source of the insult.

“What… the hell did you just say, pipsqueak?” he said through gritted teeth, eyes narrowing. “Did you just call me ugly?”

Ava blinked, innocently tilting her head as Seraphina quickly stepped in between them like a teacher separating two misbehaving toddlers.

“She didn’t mean it, Alden. She was just kidding. Right, Ava?”

Ava furrowed her brow, lips pursing. “Was I?”

Seraphina’s smile twitched.

Alden took a step forward, eyes gleaming with mock menace. “Oh, I see. So now the garden gnome’s got jokes.”

Ava, standing half-hidden behind Seraphina, raised a shaky hand. “Don’t come any closer… or you’ll regret it!”

Her voice was trembling, but Alden didn’t care.

He laughed, brushing soot off his sleeve. “Let’s see what you’ve got, pipsqueak. Come on—show me.”

Ava exhaled slowly. Then her entire demeanor shifted.

“Fine,” she said in a tone as cold as winter’s breath.

Suddenly, the ground beneath Alden’s feet cracked open. A thick tree sprouted upward in an instant, roots spiraling like serpents. Vines whipped around his legs, dragging him upward as the wooden behemoth grew several meters tall, suspending him upside down like a very angry carrot.

“WHAT THE—?!”

He tried to ignite his flames, sending bursts of fire down the bark. Nothing happened. The flames flickered and hissed but left no mark.

His eyes widened. “Why… why isn’t it burning?”

Seraphina’s brows lifted in shock. “Her elemental affinity… it’s stronger than his.”

Alden thrashed, his face reddening. “Release me, pipsqueak! Or you’ll regret it!”

Down below, Ava folded her arms with a tiny, smug grin. The sight of the terrifying Alden dangling like laundry brought her visible satisfaction.

Ethan burst out laughing first, nearly choking. Charlotte followed, giggling behind her hand. Even Seraphina let out a rare snort.

“Now this,” Charlotte said, wiping a tear, “is quality lunchtime entertainment.”

“I’m gonna—” Alden growled. “—I’m gonna cut this damn tree myself!”

Summoning his sword, he swung hard, channeling his blade art with precision. The blade sliced clean through the branch holding him, and Alden flipped midair, landing in a crouch with a dramatic flair.

A few claps even echoed from the crowd.

He stood, brushing bark bits from his jacket, and glared at Ava with a grin that was more amused than angry.

“You’ve got some interesting abilities, pipsqueak. Wanna go another round?”

Before Ava could answer, Seraphina stepped between them again with the elegance of a queen and the authority of an older sister.

“That’s enough,” she said, voice firm.

Both of them huffed and backed off.

Alden muttered something saying “damn pipsqueak” under his breath. Ava simply stuck out her tongue.

MEANWHILE ___

The cafeteria?

Descended into madness.

The cafeteria was no longer a place of nourishment—it had become a full-blown battleground. Somewhere near the back, a first-year was riding a tray like a hoverboard, crashing into a group of second-years using baguettes as swords. Someone had conjured a jelly shield. A bowl of enchanted spaghetti was slithering across the floor, actively chasing students.

In one corner, two seniors were having a serious duel—with chopsticks. Another pair was locked in a deadly combat stance over the last piece of grilled chicken. A poor janitor stood at the door, trembling and holding a mop like it was a holy relic, muttering prayers under his breath.

Swords clashed with forks. Food magic collided with tray-kinesis. A donut exploded mid-air with the force of a mini fireball.

“Is that… someone casting Meteor Chicken?” Ethan asked, ducking a projectile mashed potato blob.

“It’s like a food fight anime episode written by a drunk director,” Charlotte muttered while shielding her face with a lasagna tray.

Even Seraphina, graceful and calm, had a splatter of grape juice across her cheek, and Ava had somehow gotten stuck in a giant pudding dome, poking at it with mild confusion.

Just as Alden raised his arm to throw a flaming meatball back into the fray, a sudden, suffocating pressure slammed into the cafeteria like an avalanche.

BOOM.

Everyone—everyone—was flattened to the ground as if gravity itself had just gained a personal grudge against the entire school.

Students dropped their baguettes, swords, and food mid-air. Seraphina’s eyes widened as she hit the floor. Ethan groaned, face-first in coleslaw. Charlotte let out a very undignified “oof!” as her tray armor cracked. Ava squeaked in confusion as she was pancaked into her pudding. Even Alden, who had been mid-flex and mid-boast, found himself faceplanted next to a moldy sandwich.

Then, a voice echoed through the entire cafeteria with enough force to make the walls shudder.

“That’s enough!”

The entire cafeteria froze. Silence fell like an executioner’s blade.

Alden, still face-down in the coleslaw, let out a muffled groan. “Shit… big sis is here.”

A shadow fell over the chaos, heels clicking with military precision.

Through the double doors walked Alicia von Crestvale, her long coat fluttering behind her like wings of judgment. Her golden badge glinted, signifying her authority as a Zenith Academy 3rd-year—and more importantly, as the student council president of the academy.

Her sharp, glacial eyes swept across the room, taking in the pandemonium like a general surveying a battlefield after the carnage had ended. What was once a lively, albeit noisy, cafeteria now looked like the aftermath of a small civil war.

Trays lay overturned, mashed vegetables formed an abstract painting on the walls, and an ill-fated meatball rolled across the floor in mournful solitude.

There were students slumped over chairs like fallen warriors, others half-buried under food-fortresses they’d ducked behind during the Great Cafeteria Skirmish of five minutes ago. A lone napkin drifted through the air like a white flag too little, too late.

And yet, Alicia didn’t need to utter a single word.

Her mere presence—that piercing gaze, the silent click of her heeled boots, the rustle of her coat as if it whispered divine judgment—was more than enough. Panic swept the room like wildfire.

Students who moments ago had been gleefully chucking meatballs at each other suddenly turned into model citizens faster than you could say “disciplinary report.”

Uniforms were tugged straight in frantic haste. Food splatters were wiped off with sleeves, water bottles, and even one poor soul’s tie. Broken chairs were magically resurrected from their fallen states, while shattered trays vanished beneath tables with surprising efficiency.

Conversations were replaced by innocent chewing sounds, and everyone suddenly found the contents of their plates extremely fascinating.

“Great,” Ethan whispered, still not lifting his face from the floor. “We’re so dead.”

Charlotte sighed. “Great now we’re in trouble.”

Seraphina just groaned.

Ava, meanwhile, was still trapped in pudding.

And Alden?

He very wisely decided to play dead.

And just like that after the first year batch came on their first day,The lunch at Zenith Academy became something no one would ever forget.

And the one who caused all of this was nowhere to be found.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep