Dark Magus Returns
Dark Magus Returns - Chapter 274: A Sense Of Growth

With the loss of one of the main disciples, they doubted that anyone would step up to challenge the remaining Yellow Headband student.

If this was how much a Blue Headband student had progressed after going through everything, they could only imagine the strength of the Yellow Headband student.

None of them stood a chance, at least, that was until they heard the name that was suggested, the White Dragon. He who had managed to best the main disciples before, producing a miracle, and what they deemed as their biggest problem in this assessment, he might be the one who could best the other student.

"It would be good for us to show the students the results, right?" Feebie stated. "All of you now understand why we are pushing you so far, since it has produced these two incredible students, and as long as you do the same, then you too can progress just like them. I'm sure even you, the White Dragon, would wish to see how you compare, right?"

If Raze were to fight, he wouldn't want to use the Dark Edge Sword Arts just yet, at least not in front of the other clan members, in case they recognized what they were. He couldn't use magic either, at least no signs of obvious magic, so that left him with using the Descending Steps and the Devil's Formation he had learned from before in the fight.

With just these things, could he still win? This was actually the question on Dame's mind. He could see Raze was filled with anger and felt like he was more likely to make a rash decision. That was when he saw him walking over to the dead person on the ground.

"If I were to beat him, then what would that prove?" Raze said as he finally reached the dead body of Ossep. He knelt down on the ground and started to grab onto his leg.

It looked like a gesture and nothing more, and in the darkness, his pulsating veins were unable to be seen. Because what Raze was using right now was the extraction technique.

It was a technique that was said that it couldn't be used on the dead, but Raze could still sense an air of Qi. It escaped the bodies a lot quicker than compared to beasts, and maybe most wouldn't be able to draw the Qi energy around it. However, Raze could feel the energy flowing through the air, just like he would mana. Moving this escaped energy that was in the air, Raze was almost redirecting it to the body and then extracting the Qi energy from the vessel.

He could feel it going straight into his dantian, and it was growing stronger. He was taking energy from one of the special disciples after all. Still, the disciple was only at the second stage, and although he could feel his dantian growing stronger, it wasn't to the point where he would be able to reach the fourth stage from this.

However, as he stood up and looked at the Yellow Headband student, the third stage warrior, he thought of a possibility.

"What would that prove?" Raze repeated. "Would it mean that these methods are useless because I, who refuse to take part in your assessment, who isn't from the main clans or any of the clans at all, am able to best those that you have nurtured up till this point?"

"You shouldn't say such things before you face him," Feebie stated.

Raze stood opposite the student and got into a fighting stance. He had taken the wooden sword from the ground next to Ossep. Although he mainly used a shield, he also had a sword for strikes when necessary. In case of getting in trouble with the others, Raze had placed his metal swords in his hooded cloak before arriving at the scene.

"It's fair to say, based on the result of the last match, if I lose, you'll kill me, right?" Raze asked.

The Yellow Headband student who stood opposite didn't say anything and just waited.

'His mind, it almost looks like it's been broken down, or under some type of mind control. They must be doing something to the students after the assessment is over. Otherwise, how else would they be able to get them to do their bidding? Unless they've just felt a satanic action from getting out of the hell they were in.'

"Alright, let the match begin!" Feebie shouted.

At that moment, the yellow Headband student charged in. His footsteps made next to no noise as they touched the ground, a technique they didn't know before but were forced to learn to be able to track others in complete darkness.

"If I can't see you, I just need to disrupt your flow!"

Raze slammed his foot on the ground, performing the first Descending Step, and the Qi was sent out around his front. He heard something fall to the ground and rushed over with the second step, throwing his sword down. It smashed into the ground as it hit nothing, and the student was seen in the air, jumping right by his side.

Quickly, Raze used the two-step shift, moving to the side to avoid the strike, but the student's hand had hit the sword. The hit was strong, and Raze felt his fingers going numb as he did his best to hold onto the sword. It swung to the side, and he nearly stumbled. Before he knew it, he felt like he had been rugby tackled and bulldozed to the side. His entire shoulder was sore, and immediately he could see a clawed hand coming to strike at his face.

"This may be considered unfair, but who cares about fair or not, in real life, there is only one victor!"

At this moment, Raze swung his hand, covering it in wind magic. He hit the student's arm, and it felt more forceful than Lisa's. The power of Qi and wind swung it out of the way. Raze then immediately went and grabbed the student by his shoulders, dropping the sword to the ground, and moved him so his back was facing toward the teacher. Then, with one hand open, he looked at the student's foot.

"Dark Pulse."

A small pulse of magic shot out, hitting the student right in the foot. He was still human, still something that felt pain, and in this moment, with the palm of his hand filled with Qi, Raze struck upward, hitting him right at the bottom of his chin.

Crashing down to the ground, equally he had used his wind magic to move the sword toward his hand. In the darkness, the students couldn't even keep track of where the sword had landed. With it in his hand, he struck diagonally right across his chest, and blood was drawn as it soaked the room.

The fight looked like it was in the Yellow Headband student's favor. Many of those watching felt the same way. His skills, his wild attacks, they were working against Raze. But that was until he used his magic.

If the others knew, would they think he was cheating? Would they think he was dishonorable? What did he care? Being honorable didn't bring back the dead.

"You would have killed me anyway, and your mind seems to be lost, so the least you can do is help me progress!" Raze grabbed onto the Yellow Headband student's head right there and then.

He looked to be badly hurt from the strike across the chin and across his chest. Now, in that moment, his veins were pulsating, flowing with power. Raze was getting stronger by the moment, while the body in front of him was shriveling.

'You, the Pagna Academy, were the ones that made me do this. You gave me no choice,' Raze thought. 'If you really want to get me involved in all of this mess, then that's fine. I'll go against the academy.'

The dantian in Raze was growing, and cracks were starting to appear, as he was starting to reach the next stage.