Chapter 175. Anomaly Versus Authority I

Succubi Chapter 175. Anomaly Versus Authority I

I rubbed my face and tried very hard not to combust from secondhand embarrassment.

Instructor Elise stood at the center of the training field like she owned gravity. Her gaze swept over the class once more before landing on me again.

Of course it did.

And then she said it.

“Evan. You’re with me.”

The entire Arcana section went dead silent for half a second.

Then the collective “oooo” energy rippled across the field like gossip had just been fed protein powder.

I cringed internally.

Not externally. Pride demon. Posture straight. Expression calm. Aura stable.

Internally? I was screaming.

Kyra leaned close enough that her hair brushed my sleeve.

“Congratulations,” she whispered, as if I had just been chosen for a wedding proposal instead of a potential magical beatdown.

Felix clasped his hands dramatically.

“I am absolutely writing fan fiction about this.”

Adrian grinned at me from behind.

“Go for it, Evan. Make her go crazy.”

I gave him a look that said I would remember this betrayal.

But I ignored them and stepped forward anyway.

Because yeah.

It was happening.

Instructor Elise had already turned slightly away, tapping something into the small slate in her hand. She wrote a note. About me.

I saw it.

And my stomach did a small, nervous flip.

What was she writing.

“Anomaly response rate increasing. Recommend escalation?”

“Specimen shows accelerated growth through emotional stimuli?”

I swallowed.

Go crazy, they said.

Easy for them to say.

From where I stood, it felt less like a forbidden romance trope and more like I was about to be stress tested.

Because that’s what her eyes said.

Not desire.

Not exactly.

Curiosity.

Sharp.

Focused.

Like I was a puzzle she had been trying to solve since the semester started.

She looked at me the way researchers look at rare specimens.

Hm.

Let’s apply pressure here.

See if it cracks.

See if it evolves.

Oh well.

I was an anomaly after all.

It is what it is.

She faced me fully now, posture relaxed but alert.

“Don’t hold back,” she said calmly.

Her voice was smooth. Controlled.

“Since I won’t.”

Behind me, someone inhaled sharply.

I resisted the urge to glance back at my classmates.

She turned slightly, addressing the rest of the field.

“And the rest of you. Find your assigned pairs.”

She snapped her fingers.

A translucent hologram screen flickered into existence above the training ground. Names arranged neatly. Pairings listed.

Kyra and Felix were paired together. Adrian with another Arcana.

“Don’t slack off,” Instructor Elise added. “The system will monitor your output.”

The hologram pulsed faintly, confirming activation.

I felt the magical grid beneath the field hum softly.

Monitoring.

Data collection.

Performance metrics.

Great.

She looked at me again.

Just me.

“Now,” she said quietly.

A slight pause.

“Let’s begin, Anomaly.”

I huffed softly.

Right.

She wanted escalation?

Fine.

If she didn’t want me to hold back, I wouldn’t.

And honestly?

A part of me wanted this.

Wanted to test the new weight in my veins.

Wanted to feel how much stronger I actually was.

Wanted to prove it.

Because that’s what a Pride demon does, right?

You don’t shrink.

You expand.

You dominate the space.

Even if they don’t know what you are.

Even if they can’t know.

I rolled my shoulders once and stepped into the center of the designated sparring circle. The magic barrier shimmered faintly around us, forming a transparent dome.

Outside, my classmates were already pairing off. But I could feel their attention lingering.

Watching.

Instructor versus student.

Anomaly versus authority.

She raised one hand casually.

No staff.

No exaggerated stance.

Just… presence.

I mirrored her.

Calm breath in.

Slow exhale.

The field felt different today.

My senses were sharper.

Colors more saturated.

Air heavier.

I could feel my Demonic Influence like a subtle pressure under my skin.

She tilted her head slightly.

“You feel stronger,” she observed.

“Academically productive night,” I repeated. Yeah, that would be my standard answer for I just have a nice round of sex last night.

Her lips twitched.

“You’re not subtle.”

“I’m not trying to be.”

That earned me the faintest lift of her eyebrow.

Good.

First strike.

She moved first.

No warning.

A burst of compressed mana shot toward me like a silent cannon.

I sidestepped instinctively.

Faster than usual.

The blast grazed past my shoulder and hit the barrier behind me with a low boom.

My heart kicked up, but not from fear.

From thrill.

Okay.

We’re doing this.

Instructor Elise didn’t give me a second to admire the adrenaline. Her hand rotated, fingers slicing the air with surgical precision.

[Mana Surge Detected - Opponent Spell Output Increasing]

The ground beneath my boots vibrated.

She thrust her palm forward.

A spear of white blue mana tore toward me.

I didn’t think.

I moved.

[Shadow Step Activated]

My body folded into shadow and snapped sideways. The lance ripped through where I had stood and detonated against the barrier with a thunder crack that shook the dome.

Dust rained down.

Students outside shouted.

I reappeared three meters to her left, heart hammering.

She was already turning.

Of course she was.

Three sigils flared beneath my feet.

Oh come on.

I jumped…

Too slow.

The sigils erupted.

Explosion.

Heat.

Force.

The shockwave hurled me backward across the circle.

I skidded on one knee, boots carving into stone.

My ears rang.

Smoke rolled across the ground.

Somewhere beyond the dome, Felix screamed something about dramatic tension.

I pushed up, coughing lightly.

Okay.

She wasn’t playing.

She wasn’t testing lightly anymore.

She was actually fighting.

I grinned despite myself.

Good.

If she wasn’t holding back…

Neither would I.

I lifted my hand.

Darkness coiled.

[Shadow Blade]

The weapon materialized not as a simple blade but something longer, heavier, edges rippling like liquid night.

She watched it form.

Eyes narrowed slightly.

“Adaptable,” she said.

I didn’t answer.

I lunged.

The blade cut forward in a crescent arc. Darkness tore through the air with a screeching hum.

She sidestepped at the last second, her coat slicing from the edge of the attack.

The slash hit the ground behind her.

Explosion.

Stone cracked.

Dust erupted upward like a miniature volcanic tantrum.

Students outside coughed.

Instructor Elise pivoted and retaliated instantly.

Her palm collided with my blade.

Mana flared.

Shockwave detonated outward.

I felt the force punch into my arm.

Pain sparked…

Then…

[Devour Triggered - Minor Mana Absorption Successful]

Energy slid into me.

Small.

But enough.

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