Chapter 82: Chapter 82 : Awakening

After the electrifying match between Aurelia and Gwen, it was time for the next explosive duel—one that had already drawn immense attention.

The dueling grounds of Zenith Academy Training Grounds buzzed with excitement as students gathered, eagerly awaiting the next highly anticipated duel.

On the glowing, rune-inscribed platform stood a duel that felt more like a prophecy waiting to unfold.

Lilith Noctis Bloodrose, Vampire Princess of 1st Year Class 1-A.

vs

Cordelia Harrington, proud noble and top mage of 2nd Year Class 2-A.

An Advance (Low)-Rank versus an Expert (Mid)-Rank.

The difference should’ve been insurmountable.

But the tension in the air said otherwise.

Lilith stepped onto the platform first. Raven-black hair cascaded down her back like a midnight waterfall, her pale, flawless skin almost glowing under the arena lights.

Her eyes—deep, crimson orbs—shimmered with detached amusement, like a predator watching her prey squirm.

A seductive smirk curved her lips as her elegant yet deadly figure drew a loud cheer from the male spectators.

Every step she took oozed grace, danger, and dark allure. Her uniform clung to her slender, curvaceous form, revealing toned legs and a posture that exuded lethal confidence.

“She’s so damn gorgeous…”

“Marry me, Princess Lilith!!”

Even some of the girls blushed.

She carried a crimson blade on her waist, pulsing faintly with magic.

Opposite her, Cordelia Harrington entered the platform with regal grace. Her vibrant orange hair was tied into a combat bun, strands curling naturally over her ears.

Her warm brown eyes held cool confidence as she radiated noble elegance. She looked like a heroine from a knightly tale.

The first-year top cadets also cheered for their senior.

“Show her who’s boss, senior Cordelia!”

“She’s got the advantage—this’ll be over in minutes.”

Cordelia cracked her knuckles and smirked.

“You already know how this is going to end, princess.”

Lilith tilted her head, her crimson eyes half-lidded.

“Oh, Cordelia… please, do tell—how is it going to end?”

Cordelia scoffed.

“At least show a little respect to your upperclassmen.”

Lilith gave a cold, razor-edged smile.

“Respect is earned, not given. Only the strong deserve it.”

Cordelia raised an eyebrow, amusement flickering in her gaze.

“Then I’ll make sure by the end of this match… you kneel with proper respect.”

“We’ll see,” Lilith replied, drawing her blade—a crimson-red sword that pulsed with a faint, bloody glow.

As Alistar signaled the start, the duel began with a flash of movement.

Lilith was a blur.

Her blade already shimmered with dark crimson energy as she dashed forward like a streak of blood across the arena floor.

“Blood Art: Crimson Slash!”

She swung in a wide arc, releasing a wave of scarlet energy infused with vampiric essence. The slash carved through the air like a scythe of death.

Cordelia didn’t even blink.

“Aqua Shield.”

With a fluid motion, she raised her hand. A dome of swirling sapphire water manifested in front of her, spinning like a whirlpool. The blood slash crashed into it and dispersed with a hiss of steam.

Cordelia didn’t waste time.

Her other hand was already glowing blue.

“Torrent Spiral!”

A twisting blast of compressed water burst forward, churning with power. The force behind it was enough to tear through stone.

Lilith’s figure shimmered. In the blink of an eye, she shifted to the side, the edge of the spiral grazing her shoulder. The flames of her movement left burning trails in the air.

“Flame Step.”

She vanished in a burst of heat and smoke, only to reappear behind Cordelia, moving so fast it took even the upperclassmen in the crowd a second to catch up.

“Blood Art: Crimson Bloom!”

Droplets of her own blood floated into the air, glowing ominously. They sharpened into crimson petals—razor-thin, spinning like miniature saws. The cluster darted toward Cordelia with lethal precision.

Cordelia smirked.

She didn’t move.

“Purification Halo.”

A wave of divine energy rippled outward from her body in a golden pulse, erasing the blood petals before they even got close. The crowd let out a collective murmur of awe.

Lilith’s eyes narrowed. She adjusted her grip on her blade.

Cordelia chuckled.

“I’ve got the perfect counters for someone like you.”

Lilith responded by slicing across her palm, letting blood drip onto her sword. The steel pulsed, glowing an even deeper crimson.

“Blood Art: Curse Blade.”

A wicked aura enveloped her weapon. It throbbed like a living thing, resonating with hunger. Every cut it delivered would siphon blood, weakening the opponent with every graze.

Cordelia’s expression darkened.

“Disgusting.”

She raised both hands this time.

“Chains of Baptism!”

Glowing chains erupted from thin air, snapping toward Lilith like striking serpents. Lilith deflected the first two with sharp twirls of her blade—but one caught her ankle, binding her and searing into her skin with holy fire.

She hissed in pain—but then smiled.

Blood leaked from the burn, drifting upward unnaturally, coalescing and then re-entering her wound.

It closed in seconds.

Cordelia took a step back.

“You’re healing already?”

Lilith licked her lips.

“Delicious.”

From the stands, Lilith’s maid, Isadora, clutched her hands to her chest.

“Please, don’t overdo it, milady!”

But Lilith was beyond reason. Her bloodlust was building.

Cordelia’s mana flared as she stepped forward, eyes glowing with purpose.

“Let’s end this, junior.”

She chanted swiftly, her aura expanding in radiant waves. Water and light coalesced around her, forming a blinding spear of divine energy.

“Spear of Judgment!”

The spell launched with the sound of a thunderclap. The air around it vibrated from the sheer force of the condensed elements. Lilith raised her blade—

But she was too late.

The spear smashed into her, and a shockwave blasted across the arena.

Lilith’s body slammed into the ground, skidding across the platform. She coughed blood, her aura flickering and fading. The audience gasped.

“Lilith!”

“She’s… losing.”

Cordelia approached slowly, conjuring another spear of light as she neared the battered vampire. Her expression was calm—almost pitying.

The crowd fell silent, the tension unbearable.

Cordelia knelt slightly and leaned in—far too close—and whispered in Lilith’s ear with a voice dripping venom.

“Know your place, filthy bloodsucker.”

That was it.

Lilith stopped smiling.

Her lips curled downward.

The flicker of playfulness—gone.

Her eyes, once glowing crimson, dulled.

They turned dead. Cold.

And then—

BOOM.

A violent eruption of black and red aura exploded from her body.

The dueling platform cracked beneath her, spiderweb fractures spreading like the floor itself was trying to flee.

The air dropped several degrees.

Every drop of ambient blood, even the mana particles from earlier spells, began to tremble and drift toward her like she was a gravitational well.

Cordelia stepped back instinctively.

“W-What…?”

The second-years watching stood up, alert. Their expressions shifted from amusement to concern and surprise.

Lilith slowly raised her head.

Her eyes were no longer crimson.

They were pitch black with a single blood-red vertical slit, like the eye of a predator from an ancient era.

A tremor went through the arena.

Cordelia’s hands trembled slightly. She felt it—something old was stirring. Not just power… but hunger. Predatory instinct.

The blood in her own veins felt cold.

Lilith’s voice echoed—but layered, as if more than one being was speaking through her.

“You wanted to see what I truly am? Very well. Let me remind you… why my ancestors were feared.”

Her hair, once elegantly tied, now floated as if underwater. Her nails elongated into crimson claws. Dark wings made of blood mist unfurled behind her.

Cordelia tried to ready a spell—but her fingers were shaking.

“Flame Step.”

Lilith vanished—and reappeared in front of Cordelia in a flash.

She swung her Curse Blade, now burning with black-red energy.

Cordelia blocked—but was thrown back, her shield cracking.

She rolled to her feet, gasping.

Lilith didn’t pursue.

She stood in the center of the platform, her aura boiling around her, feeding off the residual magic and blood in the air.

“Milady…” Isadora whispered, terrified and awed.

Even Alistar narrowed his eyes, surprised to see the sight before him.

Cordelia wiped blood from her mouth.

“What the hell is she…?”

Lilith’s voice echoed again, deeper, filled with fury and mockery.

“You spoke of place. So let me show you yours—beneath me.”

Then she disappeared again.

Cordelia barely managed to react.

And the real battle—had just begun.

Something ancient had awakened inside Lilith.

—

Meanwhile, seeing the aura leaking from Lilith, the blood drained from Alex’s face.

His eyes almost bulged out of his skull as the red and black aura around Lilith exploded like a detonation of dark starlight.

The temperature had dropped sharply, and every hair on his body stood on end.

He leaned forward over the railing, hands gripping it tight.

“Oh no… what the hell?!”

His heart thudded like a war drum. This wasn’t just a power-up.

This was plot-breaking.

“She’s not supposed to awaken this soon! Nyx was only supposed to speak to her telepathically at this point in the story!”

He clenched his jaw, eyes narrowing at the trembling platform.

“What the hell? Did she already choose her as her avatar?!

When did it happen? Even Ethan cannot use the powers of an avatar yet—and he’s the avatar of the Goddess of Light.”

The crowd had gone completely silent—no cheers, no murmurs—only the sound of cracking tiles and pulsing dark energy emanating from the transformed Lilith.

Alistar, standing near the edge of the barrier as a dueling overseer, instinctively raised a protective ward, his brows furrowed in alarm.

“This mana signature… it’s not just blood magic anymore,” he murmured. “It’s… ancient. Primordial.”

Next to him, Alicia von Crestvale’s expression hardened. Her arms crossed, her posture straight.

“That’s not just vampiric mana,” she said.

“There’s divinity in that aura… just like the Pope of the Church from the Holy Empire of Celestara.”

———-

A/N:-

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