Chapter 37: Simulation Exam (End)
The battlefield was a mess, dust and ash still hanging in the air like a bad memory that wouldn't fade. Smoke curled thick, mixing with the sharp, metallic smell of blood and scorched earth, making every breath feel heavy and wrong. Craters pocked the ground, some shallow, some deep enough to hide a body, and the sky above was choked with gray clouds and mana residue that shimmered like heat off a road. Lucian, Celestia, and Christopher picked their way through the debris, stepping careful over broken weapons and torn uniforms, looking for anyone still breathing. Most of the students they passed were out cold or barely moving, their faces pale, eyes glassy from the simulation's too-real pain.
Then, at last, they found one.
A Class A kid was slumped against a cracked wall, his uniform ripped up, soaked with sweat and streaks of blood that looked real enough to make your stomach turn. His eyes were foggy, unfocused, darting around like he was still seeing the fight. He coughed hard, a wet, hacking sound, and clutched his side like it hurt to breathe.
Lucian knelt beside him, his face calm but hard to read, like he was holding something back. "Hey, you're still alive. What happened here?" he asked, voice low and steady, like he was talking someone off a ledge.
The survivor spat blood, wincing as he hissed through gritted teeth. "That damn Simon… how the hell did he get this strong? It's like we were fighting a Class S monster—like Johnathan or Amelia. I know Prince Silvan and Simon are both Class S, but Simon was always the weakest of the Class S! The only reason he got that rank was his huge mana capacity and his brain for theory, not fighting…" He coughed again, his whole body shaking, one hand gripping his ribs like they might crack. "Now he's… something else. Something wrong."
Celestia stepped closer, her gray eyes wide with worry, her sword still in hand but lowered. "Are you sure my brother and his group did this?" she asked, voice soft but sharp, like she didn't want to believe it.
The survivor nodded weak, his breath ragged. "Yeah… well, technically, your brother didn't do the fighting. Lady Serene and Simon did his dirty work." He coughed again, his face twisting in pain. "Fuck… this simulation is too real. Feels like I got hit by a real blade."
Lucian's deep black eyes narrowed, his face still but his mind churning like a storm ready to break. 'It seems Simon—or should I say "Simon"—is proceeding with his plan just like in my second life. That fucking Seventh-Class Dark Mage,' he thought, the words cold and sharp in his head, like a blade he'd been sharpening for years.
Celestia glanced at him, her face tight with worry. "Lucian, what should we do? I don't want to hurt my brother or fight his group," she said, her voice shaking just a bit, like she was torn between family and duty.
Lucian's eyes dropped, thoughtful, his silence stretching longer than usual, heavy like the air before a fight. 'It seems Simon, or that fake Simon, is beginning his plan again. He's moving faster than before. Damn it… if this continues, he'll destroy everything like in my second life. I need your help, Wraith King. Just amplify my art as you said,' he thought, his mind locking onto the plan.
The bracelet on his wrist pulsed faint, a cool thump against his skin, and a voice—cold, deep, and old as the ruins—echoed in his head, speaking in English: "{Yes, my lord. I am happy to assist you, and don't worry. We will kill that Evil God Cult scumbag.}"
Lucian's face didn't shift, but a faint smirk ghosted across his lips, quick and gone. 'Good. That's what I wanted to hear,' he thought, the words steady with purpose.
He stood up slow, turning to face Celestia and Christopher, his voice calm but hard, like stone smoothed by a river. "We will fight them. And after that, we'll defeat Johnathan and his group."
Celestia blinked, caught off guard, her mouth opening slightly. "Lucian—"
He raised a hand, just enough to stop her, his eyes steady. "Christopher, you take Silvan. Be careful of his Lumina Art—it's powerful and fast, hits like a lightning strike. Silvie, you handle Serene. Keep her away from Silvan; she's too unpredictable when she's emotional."
Then he turned back to the survivor, his voice flat but clear. "You stay here and contact the instructors. Tell them a Dark Mage has successfully infiltrated the Royal Academy—and tell them it was Simon."
Christopher's eyes went wide, his jaw dropping. "Wait, Simon is a Dark Mage?! And how do you even know?!" he asked, voice loud with disbelief, his fists clenching like he was ready to punch the answer out of someone.
Lucian looked back at him, calm but distant, like he was seeing something far off. "Based on what the survivor said—Simon had a dark aura that suits a Dark Mage. But I know it's not Simon. I've encountered this kind of magic before—a Dark Mage that can shapeshift into other people."
Inside, his real thoughts were colder, sharper, locked away. 'Of course I lied to Christopher. He doesn't need to know how I really know. That thing isn't Simon—it's the same shapeshifting Dark Mage that ruined my life before. This time, I'll end him,' he thought, the words like a vow carved in ice.
Celestia clenched her fists, her gray eyes flashing with something fierce. "Let's hurry up and save my brother. If what Lucian said is true—that 'Simon' is a Dark Mage—then the whole academy is in danger," she said, her voice steady now, like she'd made up her mind.
She thought to herself, her gaze hard and full of fire: 'I knew you could not resist hunting him down after he ruined your image before, Lucian, by copying your body. Don't worry—this time, I'll assist you to kill that bastard, and he will pay for what he had done to you. I swear it.'
Christopher cursed under his breath, kicking at a loose rock. "Man, I can't believe this! Simon, a Dark Mage? This whole Simulation Exam's gone to hell! What's next, the instructors joining in?"
Lucian's tone stayed cold but even, like he was reading off a list. "We have no choice. We move now."
His eyes flicked to the far ridge, where a strange black mist curled up above the horizon, dark and heavy, the same aura that had haunted him in his second life. 'He's here,' he thought, his mind narrowing to a single point. 'That shapeshifting bastard. The one who took everything from me before. You can't escape me this time, Simon—or whatever you are.'
The Wraith King's voice pulsed soft in his mind, eager and low. "{My lord, shall I assist in tracking him down? I can feel his mana taint, his corruption. It reeks of the Evil God Cult.}"
Lucian gave a small nod, barely noticeable. 'Yes. Do it,' he thought, the command sharp.
"{As you command, my lord.}"
A faint surge of dark-blue energy pulsed from the bracelet, and for a split second, Lucian's black eyes glowed faint, like stars caught in an eclipse.
He took a deep breath, pulling his senses tight—mana, rage, and focus all locked together. "Christopher—you take Silvan and contain him. Don't overextend. If you see him using Lumina Divine Art, evade, don't counter. Silvie, you handle Serene. Keep her away from Silvan; she's too unpredictable when she's emotional as i said before."
Celestia nodded firm, her sword gleaming in the dim light. "Understood," she said, voice steady, like she was ready to cut through anything.
"Good," Lucian said, his tone flat but final. "As for me… I'll deal with Simon. If the shapeshifter really fused with his body, he'll be the hardest one to kill."
Celestia took a step forward, her voice shaking but strong. "Lucian… be careful. You don't have to fight alone," she said, her eyes searching his, like she was trying to pull him back from something.
Lucian looked at her, a faint ghost of a smile crossing his face, there and gone like a shadow. "Don't worry, Silvie. I've done this before," he said, voice soft but sure, like he was talking about something as simple as walking home.
He turned, his coat swaying as he started toward the north, where the black mist flickered like dying flames against the horizon.
Christopher glanced at Celestia, his face serious for once. "I'll handle the prince. You sure you can take Serene?" he asked, flexing his fists, ready to move.
Celestia smirked faint, a spark of confidence in her eyes. "She's just another obstacle. I can handle her," she said, her voice sharp with resolve.
As they started to move, Lucian's thoughts turned dark, quiet, and full of purpose. 'I was framed as a traitor because of you before, Simon. You took everything from me—my honor, my peace. Not this time. This time, you'll burn. You'll pay for what you've done. The Demon God may be gone, but I still remain—the shadow that remembers,' he thought, each word a step toward the fight.
Deep in the bracelet, the Wraith King's voice laughed soft, eager. "{Yes, my lord. Let us bathe in their screams once more.}"
The three of them vanished into the smoke and broken light of the battlefield, heading toward a fight that would change the course of their fates forever.