The Return Of The Exiled Villain

Gray looked at the group one last time.

”Remember the plan,” he stated firmly.

”Stay safe. Eliminate as many as you can, but don’t get eliminated yourselves. We meet back here at the end of the day.”

The girls nodded in unison, their voices overlapping with excitement.

”We won’t let you down, Leader!”

”We’ll take as many flags as we can!”

Seraph stood beside Gray, her silver hair tied back, as she gave him a small, confident smile.

”I’m ready,” she said softly.

Gray gave a small nod, and the groups began to move out.

The other girls split into their assigned teams, heading toward the marked locations of the other academies.

Their footsteps were quiet as they disappeared into the dense jungle, each team focused on their target.

Gray and Seraph headed toward the central waterfall area where Gloria Academy’s main camp was located.

They moved swiftly through the trees, Seraph using her [Spirit Eyes] to scout ahead and avoid unnecessary encounters.

Meanwhile, the other teams from Gray’s group were already closing in on their targets.

One team was heading toward Dragon Slaying Academy’s camp in the eastern cliffs, another toward the northern forest, and so on.

Gray and Seraph reached the edge of Gloria Academy’s camp area just as the sun climbed higher in the sky.

They stopped behind a thick cluster of trees, observing the camp from a safe distance.

Seraph’s eyes glowed faintly as she used her Spirit Eyes to scan the area.

”They have around forty students left,” she whispered.

”Adrian is in the center, giving orders. Maelis is with him. They seem to be preparing for a big move today.”

Gray nodded slightly, but his black eyes narrowed as he activated his own [Spirit Eyes].

The world around him lit up with flowing lines of energy and mana. He scanned the Gloria Academy camp carefully, his gaze moving across every figure.

After a few seconds, he shook his head.

”Not forty,” he said quietly.

”Only twelve are real. The rest are clones made of mana.”

Seraph’s eyes widened in surprise. She looked at him, waiting for more.

Gray continued scanning, his voice calm and precise as he pointed out the real ones.

”Adrian is real. Maelis is real. Selene is real. Selina, Claire, Katia, Lira, Ronan, and three others near the back are real. The rest are fakes, simple mana constructs designed to look like students. They’re meant to waste our time and spread our forces thin.”

Seraph’s expression turned serious as she adjusted her Spirit Eyes to match what Gray was seeing.

”You’re right... I can see the difference now that you pointed it out. The clones have weaker mana flows. They’re not moving as naturally as the real ones.”

Gray nodded, his mind already working on the best approach.

”If we eliminate the real leaders and fighters, the clones will disappear on their own. You take the left side with your Spirit Eyes guiding you. I’ll handle the right. We meet in the center and take Adrian and Maelis together.”

Seraph nodded at his words.

”Understood. I’ll follow your lead.”

The two of them moved silently through the trees, their steps light and coordinated as they approached Gloria Academy’s camp.

Gray led the way, his black eyes sharp as he scanned the area with his [Spirit Eyes].

Seraph stayed close behind him, her own Spirit Eyes glowing faintly as she tracked the real students among the mana clones.

They reached the edge of the camp in less than a minute.

The Gloria students were gathered in a loose formation near the waterfall, Adrian giving quiet orders while Maelis stood beside him.

The clones were mixed in perfectly, making the group look much larger than it actually was.

Gray gave Seraph a small nod.

”Go.”

Seraph moved first, dashing out from the trees with her sword drawn.

Her cyan sword aura flared to life as she charged straight toward the group, aiming for the left side where several real students were standing.

”Attack!” Adrian shouted the moment he saw her.

The Gloria students reacted instantly.

The real ones moved with purpose, while the clones followed in a more mechanical way. Selene rushed forward to meet Seraph, her own cyan sword aura clashing against Seraph’s in a bright burst of sparks.

CLANG!

The two girls exchanged rapid strikes, their swords ringing out as they fought with equal skill.

Selina raised her staff and sent a wave of water blades toward Seraph from the side, trying to overwhelm her.

Claire followed up with a barrage of fire spears, creating a crossfire that forced Seraph to retreat a few steps.

Gray watched from the shadows for a moment, his expression calm. He then stepped out, his rapier still sheathed as he moved toward the right side of the camp.

The real students on that side turned to face him, Lira with her wind-enhanced daggers, Ronan with the stolen gauntlets, and a few others.

They attacked together, trying to coordinate their strikes.

Ronan threw a powerful dragon punch, the gauntlets glowing as the energy roared forward.

”Take this!” he shouted.

Gray sidestepped the attack.

He appeared in front of Ronan and lightly tapped his chest, sending him flying backward into a tree.

Lira tried to flank him with her daggers, but Gray caught both blades with his bare hands and twisted, disarming her in one smooth motion.

He then flicked her forehead, making her stumble back.

The other students tried to overwhelm him with spells and physical attacks, but Gray moved through them like a ghost.

He blocked, dodged, and redirected their strikes with minimal effort, his hands moving in precise, controlled motions.

One by one, they were pushed back or knocked down, their confidence crumbling as they realized how outmatched they were.

Meanwhile, Seraph was still fighting on the left side.

She was holding her own against Selene and the others, but she was gradually being pushed back.

As planned, she allowed herself to be surrounded, pretending to be overwhelmed.

”Seraph!” Selene shouted as she pressed her attack.

Seraph pretended to stumble, and in that moment, Maelis used her gravity magic to pin her down.

The gravity field slammed down on Seraph, forcing her to her knees as the other girls closed in.

”Got her!” Maelis called out.

Seraph was captured as they had expected, but she didn’t look worried. She knew Gray was watching.

Gray glanced at the scene for a moment, his expression calm. He then turned his attention back to the students in front of him, his voice low and cold.

”You’re all too slow.”

He raised his hand, and [Nine Heavens Thunder Claw] erupted once more.

The golden-blue lightning claw tore through the remaining students on his side, knocking them out or forcing them to retreat.

The fight on his side was over in seconds.

Adrian, seeing Seraph captured and his side collapsing, clenched his sword tightly.

”Fall back and regroup!” he shouted.

”Support each other! Don’t let him isolate us! Maelis, pin him down! Selene, flank with aura! Selina, water chains! Claire, fire support! Katia, curses! Lira, wind daggers from the shadows! Ronan, heavy punches! Everyone, together!”

The group moved as one this time, their coordination much tighter than before.

Maelis raised her hands and unleashed a powerful gravity field, trying to slow Gray’s movements across a wide area.

The air grew heavy, pressing down on him like an invisible weight.

At the same time, Selene dashed in from the left with her cyan sword aura blazing brightly, her blade cutting through the air in rapid, precise strikes.

Selina followed up with thick water chains that shot from her staff, trying to bind Gray’s limbs while the gravity field held him in place.

Claire raised her staff and sent a barrage of fire spears and flaming waves, creating a burning crossfire that forced Gray to stay in the gravity zone.

Katia chanted from the back, her curse book glowing as dark purple threads tried to latch onto Gray’s body, weakening his mana flow and slowing his reactions.

Lira moved like a shadow from the right, her wind-enhanced daggers whistling through the air as she aimed for Gray’s blind spots with quick strikes.

Ronan charged from the front with the stolen gauntlets, throwing heavy dragon-infused punches that roared with mana.

At this...

Gray activated his [Spirit Eyes] to the maximum.

He raised one hand and shattered Katia’s curse threads using the Authority of Destruction.

He sidestepped Lira’s daggers and slapped her shoulder, sending her spinning away.

When Ronan’s dragon punch came, Gray caught the gauntlet with one hand and twisted, redirecting the force back at Ronan and making him stumble into Selina’s water chains.

Maelis tried to increase the gravity, but Gray simply flexed his body and broke through the pressure with raw strength, stepping out of the field as if it were nothing.

He appeared in front of Claire and lightly flicked her staff, making her fire spells go wild and hit the ceiling instead.

Adrian swung his sword again, channeling a multi-elemental slash that mixed fire, wind, water, and lightning into a deadly vortex.

Gray raised his hand and met the slash with a small wave of his own mana, dispersing the entire attack into harmless sparks.