Chapter 292: Truly Safe

Good cop and bad cop.

Since Chester and Barbara were no more, the next problem that Kai needed to deal with in order to create peace in the academy was confronting the Auric Cabal and Ichor Legion directly and somehow making them let go of the past.

It was true that Kai played a big role in their leaders’ deaths, but they weren’t close.

Only a few of them were close to Chester and Barbara.

Bryan had told them that these groups were united simply because of convenience—there was little to no loyalty between them. As long as Kai could forward peace to them, then they could easily move on from Barbara and Chester.

Along the way, Kai and Dorian decided to play good cop and bad cop.

Kai would give them better alternatives and try to treat them well, while Dorian did the opposite.

And seemed like it was working.

Even the female student’s outburst, it was calculated.

Bryan said that there would probably be one student who’d refuse to let go, and that student was the female student who attacked earlier, Pasia. Knowing that, Kai and Dorian decided to make an example out of her.

Someone who would live as a cautionary tale.

One that would remind the other students that despite Kai’s magnanimity, he would not pull back his punches if the need arose. And seeing the eyes of the crowd—Kai could tell that the gathering was a success.

"Let us live harmoniously until our time to rise to the Second Sky."

Kai turned and headed for the Pegasus—the Eventide Mantle of Lifeblood dragged across the ground behind him like a trail of blood. He already said what he needed to say, so it was time to leave.

Behind, Dorian grabbed the whimpering Pasia by her collar and threw them at the crowd.

Making sure that the crowd could see her ripped ear.

Like a barbarian, he opened his mask a little, brought the torn ear up, tilted his head up—and then squeezed. He let what little blood inside the ear drip to his mouth, and then licked his lips like it was a delight.

A smirk crept to his face as he fixed his eyes on the crowd again.

"Do attack us again." He said as he turned. "I’ll be happy to suck your blood dry. Pussies."

Like trash, he threw the ear to the side and climbed the Pegasus.

Both Kai and Dorian then shot away, leaving the crowd and heading straight for the academy.

"Pteuh!" Dorian spat to the side in disgust once they were already far enough for the students to see. He spat more as if what was in his mouth was turd, not blood. "Fuck, her blood tasted nasty! I need to wash my mouth with the blood of a boy virgin."

"Ask Bryan," Kai laughed. "He looked like a virgin."

"Okay, Mr. Not-a-virgin. I get it. You already graduated from being a loser, I get it."

"Not what I’m trying to say."

"Yeah, right. Fuck you." Dorian paused for a second—and then glanced at Kai briefly. "It was Matilda, wasn’t it?"

"..." Kai looked at Dorian’s back in surprise—and then sighed, as there was no need to hide it from him. "Yeah, it’s Matilda. She suddenly waited for me in the master bedroom of my new house. Can’t say no to that."

"Tch." Dorian clicked his tongue.

"Wait a fucking second... Are you jealous? Bro!"

"What? I got something in my mouth! You’re slandering me again!"

Before Kai could say anything else, he felt a vibration, and it came from Dorian’s thigh.

"Grab my phone." He said.

Realizing that there might be news about something important from the academy, Kai reached for the phone and took it out. He tapped the screen, and then the first notification. The screen changed and brought Kai to the academy’s digital bulletin board.

And there was new news at the very top.

Kai clicked on the news and then read the content.

For a second, he was completely stunned—and then a small chuckle escaped his lips.

"What?" Dorian asked curiously. "What is it?"

"Seems like we don’t need to deal—or worry about Ragnar anymore." Kai brought the phone to Dorian’s face; the screen showed the announcement of a senior’s death. "Ragnar is already dead. The Demigod must’ve gotten to him in the senior’s cultivated cloud."

"Huh..." Dorian smirked. "Then we’re truly in the clear now."

Finally, the academy quieted down—its storms settled into a fragile calm.

One that Kai had wanted the most for quite some time now.

Barbara and Chester were gone—the Auric Cabal and Ichor Legion leashed, and now Ragnar would not be coming back; there were no more shadows pressing in from the edges. No more dangers that threatened to attack at a moment’s notice.

For the first time in what felt like years, Kai walked the street without the weight of survival.

Nothing to worry about.

The Red Prince mantle protected him from the schemes that moved in the dark. The academy would now watch him closely to make sure that he was both protected—and also didn’t stray from its values.

Safety and scrutiny had become one and the same.

As of this moment, there was truly nothing left to fear.

Kai returned to his new house, making sure to surprise Danara along the way.

He stepped through the front door and was greeted by emptiness—but he didn’t feel empty. Not anymore. He shed the mantle and uniform, leaving only his shirt, and headed straight for the dining table.

Just as he had left it, the box was still on the table.

In it, the three hundred legal mana ores and the Heart of Dragon remained intact.

Ready for him to use.

Kai paused, both hands braced against the edge of the table—as a heavy sigh escaped through his nose. His eyes rested on the glinting mana ores inside the box, but his thoughts had already drifted somewhere far away.

"Professor Hera..." He mumbled in melancholy.

Once the silence crept in, the grief that had been suppressed finally resurfaced.

He was anticipating to talk with her the most after the tournament, but that didn’t happen.

Reality took that away from him, and all he could do was swallow it.

Kai slapped his face with both hands, snapping him out of his daze—and focused on the box again. His fingers brushed over the lid as a quiet satisfaction settled on his chest. After every single thing he went through to reach this point, he could now focus on getting stronger.

He no longer needed to mine. Not once.

Considering the tax rate in place over the Dead Range and Fire Swamp, mana ores would flow to him weekly without him lifting a finger. In fact, the others might also find themselves freed from mining, too, though he needed to see the actual numbers first.

And there were also the null gems.

Passive income, trickling in like silent tributaries to a growing river.

"What should I do with the null gems?" Kai crossed his arms and contemplated over the next steps. "Of course, I’d turn the null gems into null crystals. But what then? Do I even need null crystals when I have a constant supply of legal mana ores?"

Kai would gain one hundred mana ores per week.

Surely, that would be more than enough to consolidate his Awakened Blood Vessels once he reached the Aspirant Supernal rank. "Oh—" Kai flicked his fingers. "I’d distribute them to the others. Yes... That’s it."

Since there were limits to how many null crystals one could absorb per day, they would serve as a steady source of strength for the group. But Kai himself didn’t need them. He would stick to using legal mana ores.

It was his privilege as the Red Prince.

Of course, the others might tell him that it was unfair.

But after what he had gone through, this bit of selfishness should be fine.

Naturally—to make sure that the others were fulfilled with resources all the time, Kai would keep the Ambrosia Pact as it was. No new members. At least not yet. He had heard whisperers in passing.

Students were wondering about becoming a member of the Ambrosia Pact.

Wondering about what the requirements were, hoping to ride his coattails.

After all, there are only five members in the Ambrosia Pact, so there are still rooms for more.

A lot more.

Kai didn’t have an answer to that before, and he didn’t need to have one as none had gone to ask him the question. But now, he already had the answer. He would gatekeep the group until Matilda, Bree, Dorian, and Bryan had all reached the Aspirant Supernal rank.

Only then would he consider expanding.

Even though keeping the group the same was tempting, he couldn’t do that.

He would eventually need more hands in the Second Sky—more students to tackle Sky Gates, so there was no wrong in trying to gather up good students right now. Regardless, that was a problem for another day.

Nodding his head, Kai carried the box up to the second floor.

As he remembered, the room on the second floor was spacious, bare, and clearly designed for training. He set the box down in the center and lowered himself to the floor, crossing his legs as he prepared to break through to the Aspirant Supernal rank.

Three hundred mana ores are a lot.

Coupled with his perfect mana absorption, he would certainly reach the next rank.

Kai had already reached Grade-2 as an Awakened Supernal, which meant both his Intima and Media layers had fully developed. All he needed to do now was develop the Adventitia layer to reach Grade-3—then absorb enough mana to trigger the transformation of his blood vessels into Awakened Blood Vessels.

A couple of days should be enough to do that.

Heck, he might even finish that rise in a day.

The silence of the room wrapped around him like a familiar cloak. He reached into the box and pulled out two mana ores, one in each hand. The cool weight of them pressed against his palms, humming with contained energy.

He closed his eyes.

In the quiet of his new home, with the world finally at peace, Kai began to absorb.

Both mana ores glowed in Kai’s hands; their inner light flickered.

Slowly, the glow seeped into his palms in a steady stream without waste—and then travelled through his body with a liquid grace. It spread rapidly through his arms, chest, and spine. Every vein ignited with a soft blue radiance.

For a moment, they stayed that way.

But then, the blue deepened and turned into a shimmering darkness like obsidian threads.

Once the mana ores died, Kai reached for more without breaking his focus.

And that went on for hours.