Free Web NovelChapter 16: Gentlemen, Shall We?
The massive iron-reinforced gates of Royal Oakhaven Academy didn’t burst open with a grand explosion. Instead, they groaned under the steady, overwhelming pressure of thousands of advancing boots. The troops of the Iron Vipers filed into the outer courtyards like a slow, black oil slick, their heavy red-and-black banners snapping sharply in the midday wind.
But the moment the front ranks crossed the threshold onto academy grounds, the atmosphere violently shifted.
Ordinary foot soldiers stumbled, their breath hitching as an invisible, crushing weight slammed into their shoulders. The grand, sunlit white-stone plazas of the academy—usually pristine and bustling with arrogant noble students—suddenly felt like the bottom of a deep ocean trench. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
`[System Notification: Passive Trait [Gravity of the Unworthy] is active.]`
`[Effect applied to hostile forces: 20% Physical Movement Speed reduction, 20% Internal Mana Circulation suppression.]`
"What... what is this pressure?" a heavy infantryman gasped, his knees buckling slightly beneath his steel plate armor. He tried to circulate his mana to ease the burden, only to find his internal pathways sluggish, like cold syrup. "Is there a defensive array active? My mana isn’t quite flowing properly!"
Panick began to ripple through the lower ranks. Instead of a glorious, sweeping occupation, the soldiers spread out into the courtyards with heavy, uncoordinated steps. They began dragging terrified, pale-faced students out of the lower lecture halls and dormitories, shoving them onto the trampled grass.
"Where is the no-talent?!" a squad captain roared, gripping a noble student by his silk collar, his own voice sounding hollow under the heavy spatial pressure. "Where is the upstart brat named Vince? Tell me before I paint this courtyard with your blood!"
A few hundred paces back, standing on a raised marble overlook that gave a perfect view of the campus, the four Dread Commanders of the Iron Vipers observed the chaos.
Balthazar, the seven-foot Crimson Shield, crossed his massive arms. His tower shield rested against his leg, making a heavy thud on the stone. "Hmm," he grunted, a deep rumble vibrating from his helmet. "The air is thick. It’s pulling at my armor."
Beside him, Rin the Plague Weaver leaned on his necro-staff, his eyes narrowing through his emerald hood. A sharp, curious expression crossed his weathered face as he watched the air over the central courtyard warp with a faint, violet-tinted haze. "Fascinating," Rin murmured, his voice dry and raspy. "It isn’t a standard elemental barrier. It’s a conceptual suppression. The mana in the atmosphere is actively rejecting our men. The artifact the boy holds is even higher-tier than the Duke anticipated." freewebnoveℓ.com
Moira, the Iron Maiden, let out a dismissive click of her tongue, her hand resting on the hilt of her broadsword. She felt the speed debuff pulling at her greaves, but her high-tier stats allowed her to shrug off the worst of it. "Let the men sweat. It will weed out the weak ones. The boy can’t hide in his holes forever."
Vesper, the Ashen Shadow, remained entirely silent, his form shifting like a mirage in the corner of the overlook, silently assessing the academy’s layout. None of them made a move to intervene. To them, the environmental pressure was simply an interesting puzzle to observe before the slaughter began.
High above the entire scene, standing on the grand balcony of the central tribunal tower, Vince looked down at the invading forces. His enhanced perception tracked every movement. He saw the panicked soldiers, the terrified students huddled near the fountains, and the four commanders watching safely from the rear overlook.
But his eyes kept searching the tree line beyond the gates. Duke Owen was nowhere to be seen.
"Hmm," Vince muttered, a cold, calculative expression on his face. "So the Duke is staying back to let his dogs test the waters. Guess they’ll be needing a display to draw them out."
Elena stood half a step behind him, her crimson battle armor humming with power as she waited for his command to rain hellfire upon the bottlenecked gates.
Vince turned his head slightly, his violet eyes locking onto hers. "Elena. Protect the facilities with the students in them. And make sure the building Cynthia is occupying stays completely untouched."
Elena blinked, slightly caught off guard. "Master? You wish to spare the academy students?"
Vince rolled his shoulders, a dark, predatory grin splitting his face. "I may despise this school, Elena, but I’m not a mindless killing maniac. Slaughtering terrified children doesn’t give me tokens. Only the vipers on my ledger matter."
Before Elena could reply, Vince took a single step forward, clearing the stone railing of the high balcony.
He didn’t call upon wind magic to slow his descent. He didn’t use a levitation artifact. He simply dropped.
Down below, a squad of thirty Iron Viper soldiers had just cornered a group of screaming freshmen against the wall of the main library. The captain raised his iron mace, ready to strike, when a shadow suddenly blocked the midday sun.
BOOM!
A concussive, explosive shockwave rattled the entire central courtyard. The white marble tiles beneath the impact zone shattered into thousands of jagged shards, spider-webbing outward for twenty yards. A dense cloud of dust and pulverized stone erupted into the air, instantly drawing the eyes of every soldier, student, and commander on the field.
As the dust rapidly cleared under the heavy violet gravity, a single silhouette stood perfectly upright in the crater.
Vince stood straight, his dark, high-collared Sovereign robes barely ruffled by the fall. His hands were casually tucked into his pockets. He didn’t carry a sword. He didn’t wear armor. He just stood there in the center of an army of thousands, his glowing violet eyes staring calmly through the settling debris.
The silence that followed was absolute. The soldiers near the library took three steps back in pure instinct, their weapons trembling.
"Over there!" a scout screamed from across the plaza. "It’s him! It’s the Brat!"
Hundreds of heavy weapons were instantly pulled from their scabbards, locking onto the single commoner standing in the crater. From the distant overlook, the four commanders adjusted their stances, their eyes narrowing as they finally locked sight on their target.
Vince didn’t pull his hands from his pockets. He just looked around the crowded courtyard, his lips curling into a wicked, welcoming smile as his Tier 3 attributes pulsed with terrifying, explosive potential.
"Gentlemen," Vince said smoothly, his voice carrying perfectly across the silent, high-gravity courtyard. "Shall we?"
