The battle hall was dead silent. No one expected what just happened.
A new student—someone no one really knew—had just challenged Damian Knight, the number two ranked student in the entire first year.
"Are you sure about that, mister…?" Mrs. Eris asked, raising a brow.
"Malakai. Malakai Blackwell," Kai replied confidently.
"Remember the name, Mrs. Eris. You'll be hearing it a lot."
Mrs. Eris gave a short laugh. It had been a while since someone walked in this boldly.
"Be careful, Mr. Malakai," she said with a faint smirk. "A lot of students come in like that—cocky and full of dreams. This place breaks most of them."
Kai wasn't bothered. His eyes didn't waver.
"I'll keep that in mind."
Mrs. Eris turned toward Damian. "Well, Damian? What do you think?"
All eyes went to the blonde swordsman standing calmly to the side.
Damian spoke with a cold, emotionless voice. "I've seen people like him before. They get a taste of power and think they're invincible."
He stepped onto the stage, his silver sword gleaming under the lights.
"But nothing makes me happier than reminding them how small they really are." He gave a cruel smile. "So sure—I accept. But you'll regret ever stepping up."
A chill ran through the crowd.
Kai just smiled wider.
"Both fighters, to the stage," Mrs. Eris announced.
The two boys locked eyes. The tension was thick.
Damian's sword was elegant, clearly expensive, the kind of weapon passed down through generations. Kai, however, stood empty-handed.
"Let's get this over with," Damian said, annoyed.
Kai's expression changed for a moment. He looked almost... thoughtful.
"You said people act like gods… but you're wrong. Watching the matches today made me realize something."
"I'm nothing."
The room went quiet.
"But I'm here to change that," Kai continued, voice strong. "From nothing... to everything. And this is the day that Damian Knight lost to absolutely nothing."
Kai's eyes began to glow red. He lifted his arm.
"Come forth… Bane."
A black crown appeared above his head and spun violently. Dark cursed energy filled the room. In seconds, a majestic black katana formed in Kai's hand. The crown stopped spinning.
Everyone stared. The sword was beautiful, dark, dangerous—unlike anything they'd seen before.
"So that's why he didn't bring a weapon," Michael muttered from the crowd. "Lucky bastard. Good luck, roommate."
Even Mrs. Eris was impressed. As a weapons expert, she recognized greatness when she saw it. But now wasn't the time to admire craftsmanship.
"Combatants ready?"
Both nodded.
"Begin."
---
The sound of steel rang through the air.
But it wasn't the fight anyone expected.
Kai was getting destroyed.
He was covered in cuts and bruises, leaning on Bane just to stay upright. Blood dripped from his mouth. His uniform was ripped apart.
Damian looked untouched. Calm. Focused. Dangerous.
"That's it?" Damian sneered. "All that talk for this?"
Kai swung again—sloppy, desperate. Damian dodged, drove his knee into Kai's stomach, and slammed him into the ground.
Smack!
Kai coughed blood and groaned.
"He's nothing like the training dummies," Kai thought through the pain.
He wasn't a trained swordsman. The moves he used came from Bane itself—instincts, not practice.
"He's getting wrecked," Michael whispered, shaking his head. "Just give up already."
But Kai refused to stay down.
He stood again, shaky, beaten, but still burning with determination.
"Why aren't you using your Gift?" he asked through bloody teeth.
Damian laughed coldly. "Have you seen yourself? I'd embarrass myself using my Gift on you."
Kai smirked. "Still didn't answer the question."
Annoyed, Damian charged forward and unleashed another flurry of blows. Kai couldn't block them—he barely dodged. But then he saw an opening and lunged.
Too slow.
Damian grabbed him and smashed his head into the floor.
Everyone thought it was over.
Damian leaned in. "Using my Gift on someone like you would disgrace my family."
He walked away.
The audience looked disappointed. The Cursed students who had started to hope now felt empty. Even Alexandria, the strongest Cursed in the top ten, felt her hope slip.
"Maybe they're just better than us…" she whispered.
"What a waste," Mrs. Eris muttered. She stepped forward to end the match—
But then, laughter rang out.
"Hahahahaha!"
Everyone turned.
Kai was laughing loudly as he stood back up. His bloodied face twisted into a grin.
"He… he really said it! Hahaha!"
Kai's eyes teared up not from pain, but from memory.
Those were the same words that were said the day Miss Agatha died.
Azrael's first words.
That laughter wasn't joy. It was survival. It was pain in disguise.
"Oi," Kai called. "Where do you think you're going? We're not done."
Damian froze. "How… how are you still standing?"
Kai wiped a tear. "Honestly? I don't know. But what are you gonna do about it?"
He spread his arms wide, inviting another attack.
Then—his eyes began to glow blue.
The air crackled. Electricity danced across his blade.
"You wanted to see my Gift?" Damian said with a sharp smile. "Here it is."
His own sword lit up with lightning.
The Knight family's famous Gift—lightning infused with their bloodline.
"If I don't beat you at your best," Kai said, gripping Bane, "what's the point?"
Damian vanished in a bolt of lightning, aiming to end it in one strike.
Kai didn't flinch.
"Blur," he whispered.
Both moved at once.
A flash of light. A flash of shadow. They passed each other in an instant.
Silence.
Damian stood still… then stumbled.
"…How?" he muttered.
Blood burst from several deep cuts all over his body.
He collapsed.
Medics in white appeared instantly, teleporting Damian away.
Kai turned to Isaiah, who had been quietly watching.
"When I get stronger," Kai said, "you're next."
Then Kai collapsed on the stage.
His watch beeped.
[The Cursed King is pleased with you.
Congratulations. He wishes to grant you a small gift.]