Free Web NovelChapter 9: The Sovereign’s Verdict
Vice-Principal Alden collapsed back into his stone judicial chair, his breath catching in his throat as the blistering wave of dark violet fire singed the edge of his white robes. The heavy, suffocating weight of Vince’s aura pressed down on his chest like a falling mountain. As an A-Rank Mage, Alden was accustomed to dominating rooms through sheer intimidation—but this wasn’t just magic. This was an absolute, cosmic authority that demanded his very soul bow down.
"A... Dual-Class Sovereign..." one of the hooded elder judges whispered, his hands trembling as he gripped the edge of the bench. "The legends of the ancient eras... a no-talent who wakes to consume the magic of others..."
"Impossible..." Alden stammered, sweat pouring down his pale face, steaming off his skin before it could even drip. "You are an outcast! A servant! Guards, why are you on your knees?! Stand up and kill him!"
The four elite guards didn’t move. They couldn’t. Their heavy enchanted halberds were already melting, fusing to the liquefying stone floor beneath them. They could only stare up at Vince with wide, bloodshot eyes filled with pure, animalistic terror.
Vince took a slow, deliberate step forward. The stone groaned under his boot, turning to glowing orange magma where his heel touched.
"Who is going to kill me?" Vince asked smoothly, his voice carrying the terrifying, resonant echo of [Sovereign’s Pressure]. He glanced back at the witness box. The three coward students who had falsely testified against him had already passed out from the sheer intensity of his aura, their bodies slumping uselessly against the wooden railing. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
Elena stepped up directly beside Vince. She crossed her arms, her violet eyes gleaming with a fierce, intoxicating pride as she looked at her master. The [Sovereign Crest] beneath her robes hummed with ecstatic approval, channeling her raw crimson flames directly into Vince’s reservoir, fueling his display of absolute dominance.
"The evidence is clear, Vice-Principal," Elena declared, her voice cut through the panicking, screaming crowd of students fleeing the back of the hall. "The dungeon tracking log proves Brad’s cowardice and Vince’s heroism. Your attempt to frame a savior of the Academy to protect a noble house constitutes gross structural corruption. Under Subsection 4 of the High Mage Guild Accord, I move to strip you of your judicial authority over this hearing."
"You... you dare?!" Alden hissed, his survival instinct finally overriding his fear. He forced his hands forward, channeling his immense A-Rank mana to form a massive, translucent crystalline barrier between himself and the encroaching heat. "I am the Vice-Principal of Oakhaven! You are a mere instructor, Elena! The Duke will have both of your heads by sunset!"
"The Duke isn’t in this room, Alden," Vince murmured.
With a sudden, violent burst of speed, Vince blurred.
*BOOM!*
The stone podium exploded as Vince launched himself across the gap. He appeared instantly in front of Alden’s crystalline barrier. Before the Vice-Principal could even blink, Vince pulled back his right fist, coating it in a dense, blinding sphere of Elena’s optimized [Infernal Overdrive] flames.
He punched the A-Rank barrier straight on.
*CRACK! SHATTER!*
The defensive shield that was supposed to withstand a bombardment from an entire army siege unit shattered like cheap glass. A shockwave of pure concussive force and violet embers rippled backward, blowing out the remaining stained-glass windows of the Grand Hall in a deafening spray of colorful shards.
Alden didn’t even have time to shriek before Vince’s hand shot through the debris, clamping securely around the older man’s throat.
Vince lifted the Vice-Principal completely out of his seat, slamming his back against the stone wall behind the judicial bench. The sheer impact cracked the ancient brickwork, sending a spiderweb of fractures climbing up toward the ceiling.
"Ugh... aarggh..." Alden choked, his fingers clawing uselessly at Vince’s wrist. Vince’s steel-like grip completely sealed off his windpipe, and the radiating heat from his skin began to blister Alden’s neck.
[Ding! High-Tier ’Face-Slapping’ sequence successfully completed!]
[The Academy’s authority has been fundamentally broken.] freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
[System Rewards Issued: Unlocked Expansion Feature: [Sovereign’s Territory].]
[Host’s Base attributes have increased by +100!]
[Elena Vance’s Loyalty: Locked at 100% (Sovereign’s Shadow Phase - Absolute worship).]
The remaining elder mages on the panel threw themselves to the floor, bowing deeply toward Vince. "Please have Mercy, on the vice principal! The Disciplinary Committee recognizes your absolute right of strength! We rescind all charges! Lord Brad’s family will be fined for false accusation!"
Vince ignored them, keeping his glowing purple eyes locked on the suffocating Vice-Principal.
"Listen to me carefully, Alden," Vince whispered, his voice dangerously low, meant only for the dying man’s ears. "You are going to send a message to the Duke. Tell him that if he wants his son to live to see his next birthday, he will transfer all of his Academy funding directly into Professor Elena’s research department by tomorrow morning. If I see a single guard or assassin from his house near my campus... I won’t just stop at breaking his son’s throat. I will burn the entire Oakhaven duchy to ash."
Alden frantically nodded his head, his face turning a dark, bruised blue as he suffocated.
Vince carelessly released his grip, letting the Vice-Principal drop to the floor in a pathetic, hacking heap.
Turning back around, Vince looked out over the ruined, empty Grand Hall. Elena walked over to his side, her eyes soft, her breathing shallow as she stared at his dominant silhouette. The thought bubble above her head read:
*’He broke an A-Rank Mage like a twig... My king... I’m well aware of his strength but... this is insane...’*
Vince caught her gaze, a dark, knowing smirk playing on his lips. He reached down, grabbing her hand, their fingers intertwining as the residual violet flames slowly dissipated into the air.
"Come on, Elena," Vince said smoothly, pulling her along as he walked out of the ruined hall. "We have a research department to budget. And I believe we still have a few... system upgrades to finalize in your office."
