As Ryo received his rewards, time, which had been frozen, suddenly restarted. The barrier, a monumental construct created by the combined powers of the academy heads—powers so vast they could seal even the Vampire Lord and Dragon Emperor—shattered like glass, splintering into countless fragments. Nothing stood in its way now, not even the great forces of the academy.
Ryo, standing in the center, was engulfed in a storm of rage. His dragon presence, previously dormant, flared, and the intensity of his anger was palpable. The air itself trembled. His eyes, glowing with an inner fire, sent a wave of fear through everyone nearby.
"Calm down, Ryo," the AI urged softly, but it barely cut through the fury overwhelming him.
Seyra, standing beside him, placed a hand on his arm, her voice steady but full of concern. "You need to control your dragon presence. Your rage... it's probably amplifying it."
Ryo's chest heaved, and the heat in the room was unbearable as he fought to hold back the destructive force rising within him.
The Dragon Emperor and Vampire Lord exchanged a look and stepped forward. "Let us speak," the Dragon Emperor said, his voice commanding yet calm. "We must hear the full story before any decisions are made."
But the head of the academy, a demon headmaster with a cruel, sharp smile, spoke up, his voice dripping with venom. "Why should we listen to the murderer of innocent citizens, children of my nation, and instructors? You speak of justice, but all I see is a stain upon our academy."
The other heads of the academy hesitated, but seeing the two powerful leaders—the Dragon Emperor and the Vampire Lord—standing firm, they begrudgingly agreed to let the matter be discussed.
AI stepped forward, her usual composed demeanor cracking under the weight of the accusation. She explained in detail how the students had harassed her, how they had claimed she needed to be "taught a lesson" for not knowing her place, all while ignoring the fact that she was the one being attacked. She described how Ryo had intervened, saving her from harm.
But the demon headmaster wasn't convinced. "It's because of this low-life human girl that we are here. Why does it matter what those poor children did to her? The instructors were right to ignore her. She had no place here."
The demon headmaster's words grew colder, darker. "Now, we must punish you. Perhaps we should burn you in front of everyone in the Demon Kingdom, naked, or maybe sell you as a slave in our lands... Yes, that seems fitting."
His cruel words echoed in the air, causing the entire academy to shudder. The atmosphere became suffocating, and an oppressive silence settled.
Then, Ryo, barely holding onto his composure, opened his mouth. The very air seemed to ignite with his rage.
"Then why don't I destroy your entire demon nation in front of your eyes, before I end you?"
The words hung in the air like a death sentence. The demon headmaster's eyes widened, but before he could react, Ryo's blood magic manifested—a blade of black flames, burning with the intensity of a thousand suns. With a flick of his wrist, the blade sliced through the air, cutting the demon headmaster's tongue clean off.
The headmaster stumbled, unable to heal from the wound. His face contorted in shock and pain, but no healing magic could save him.
The Vampire Lord, his voice unwavering, spoke up, his tone calm but filled with authority. "Ryo, you must calm down. Sit. Let's talk."
Even the Dragon Emperor, who stood tall with regal power, found himself on his knees. The weight of Ryo's presence was so overwhelming that even he feared the consequences of further angering him. Seyra, Selena, and AI were all similarly subdued, kneeling before Ryo, unable to move.
Some students in the academy, too, had fainted from the sheer force of his aura.
The Dragon Emperor, unable to contain his instincts, began to shift, his body morphing into the massive, fearsome form of a dragon. His dominance was something Ryo would have to obey, but as his transformation began, a shiver ran down his spine. He realized—this was not an ordinary presence. Ryo's dragon aura was so potent that he felt he could be torn apart in an instant.
But Ryo, sensing the Emperor's hesitation, let out a deep sigh. The storm of rage began to subside, the intensity fading into a simmering fury that still lingered beneath the surface.
"All right…" Ryo muttered, his voice colder than the ice encasing the academy.