The Assassin's Seven Principles of Manipulation

Chapter 363: Chapter 358 — Bro Code

Arcturus’ teeth were chattering uncontrollably as his entire body trembled. The vibration Zephyrion had sent into him with that punch was still wreaking havoc within his body.

For a moment, Zephyrion wondered whether it was time to put a stop to the spar. However, Arcturus seemed to notice his hesitation and immediately forced a grin.

”D-don’t you d-dare...! W-we’re just g-getting started, you b-bastard...!”

Then, with considerable effort, he raised his blade skyward.

”Metal Dance: Domain.”

Every shred of metal across the battlefield came surging towards Arcturus before imploding around him. However, the moment the expanding domain approached Zephyrion, it met what seemed to be an impenetrable wall. The force of the collision sent Arcturus hurtling back instead, while a silver sheen rapidly spread across the battlefield.

’Huh... even his domain feels different now.’

Zephyrion glanced around him. The metallic floor had covered a large section of the battlefield, leaving only a vast radius around him untouched. Even the atmosphere within the domain felt different from before.

During their previous battle, Arcturus’ domain had aggressively wrestled with him for control over metal, its oppressive presence constantly bearing down on him. But now, it was almost like watching a little kitten trying to act menacing and claim something that belonged to him.

Zephyrion could barely feel the pressure, let alone any genuine threat to his control.

”Holy shit... even this doesn’t work anymore, huh?” Arcturus laughed, baring his blood-drenched teeth. ”You’re fucking ridiculous! It’s only been a few days! Haha!”

It was true. The disparity between Herald and Vessel rank was truly insane. For a moment, Zephyrion couldn’t help but wonder just how vast the gap between Herald and Dominion would be. However, he soon pushed the thought aside.

There was still one more thing he was curious about.

”Metal Dance: Domain.”

”...huh?”

Arcturus frowned, certain he’d heard wrong. But before he could make sense of it, every shred of metal across the battlefield, including the metal forming his own domain, suddenly surged towards Zephyrion before blasting apart in a roaring explosion.

In an instant, a vast expanse of metal replaced the earth, stretching for several miles in every direction.

”This is... Metal Dance. How the fuck...”

Arcturus stared at the metal-covered world in disbelief. Even the watching cadets were visibly shaken, their eyes trembling as they struggled to comprehend what had just happened.

”...How the hell are you using this?”

”I copied it.”

”Copied it...” Arcturus blinked, momentarily stunned. Then, a moment later, he burst into laughter.

”You copied it? You fucking copied it!? Haha! Bro, you can’t just say that shit with a straight face! You’re making it sound like it was a fucking cakewalk!”

”It was.”

”Of course it was. Of fucking course.” Arcturus shook his head, still chuckling. ”You’re my best friend, after all. If you started making sense now, I’d be disappointed. Well, I guess that’s it, huh? Can’t even move a fucking finger.”

The prince grinned as Zephyrion approached him. Under the overwhelming suppression of the domain, he could barely move a muscle, and judging by his expression, he’d already accepted that the fight was over.

”Thanks for the spar.”

”No, no, thank you! Fuck, you have no idea how fired up I am right now! I haven’t wanted to train this badly in my entire life. Hell, I’ve never looked forward to the future this much!” Arcturus laughed, his eyes practically shining. ”You’ve just made this whole fucking world a thousand times more interesting!”

The contrast between the prince’s childlike excitement and his blood-soaked face was rather unnerving. Still, Zephyrion found that he didn’t particularly mind talking with him. Despite his bizarre personality, everything he sensed from Arcturus seemed genuine.

’Still, the last thing I need right now is another distraction.’

And judging by the madness gleaming in the prince’s eyes, Zephyrion had no doubt he would be quite a handful.

”But...”

Zephyrion was drawn out of his thoughts by Arcturus’ voice and found the prince studying him with a slight frown.

”If we’re gonna be bros, we seriously need to do something about that face of yours, bestie. Iron Father, you remind me of my sister. Always walking around looking like the whole world owes you money, but actually a big softie on the inside.”

Arcturus smiled fondly.

”You know, there was this one time I nearly broke my leg falling off a cliff. You should’ve heard the shit she called me. I swear, she spent the whole day yelling like she was the one who almost died. But then, later that night, I heard her crying in her room. Haha! Fucking adorable.” He chuckled at the memory, then suddenly paused. ”Hm, speaking of my sister...”

Arcturus frowned, as though something had just occurred to him.

”Wait a minute... I haven’t seen her since the competition ended. Weird. Hey, you haven’t happened to see a tall woman walking around looking like she wants to murder someone, have you?”

”...no.”

”Ah, shucks. Well, I’m sure she’ll turn up.” Arcturus shrugged, then suddenly pointed a finger at Zephyrion. ”Oh, and just so we’re clear, she’s your best friend’s sister. You know what that means, right? Completely off limits. Bro code.”

Zephyrion gave him a peculiar look before turning to leave.

”...I wasn’t interested in her to begin with.”

”Ah, of course, of course. Just making sure we’re on the same page.”

However, Zephyrion had barely taken a few steps when the prince called out again.

”I’m serious, bestie! Don’t even think about it!” Then, after a brief pause, he added, ”Oh, right! Her name’s Sera. She’s the House Commander of the Eastern House.”

Zephyrion glanced over his shoulder, regarding the prince for a moment before letting out a faint scoff.

”...sure.”

With that, he resumed walking towards the still-stunned cadets, most of whom were staring at him as though they’d just witnessed something beyond their comprehension. Only Lumi seemed relatively unfazed, giving him a thumbs-up as he approached.

However, just as he was about to reach them, a loud chime suddenly rang out from the cadets’ rune tabs.

Zephyrion lowered his gaze to his own, and the moment he saw the notification, his eyes widened.

’Finally...’

The results for the academy year had finally been posted.