The Return Of The Exiled Villain

Then, Gray called the leaders forward with a simple gesture.

Thirty students stepped up, standing in a loose semi-circle around him.

His mind worked at incredible speed, faster than any supercomputer could ever hope to match.

In just 0.5 seconds, he had analyzed the entire island based on his earlier mana sense scan, calculated optimal routes, resource locations, flag probabilities, and potential threats.

He assigned tasks to each group with calm efficiency.

”Group 1, head northwest to coordinates 47-12. Secure the high ground and search for flags near the waterfall. Group 2, move east to 19-33. Avoid the beast dens and focus on resource gathering. Group 3, take the southern beach at 68-05. Watch for naval interference from other academies...”

He continued without pause, giving each leader precise coordinates according to the compass they had been provided, along with specific objectives such as flag hunting, base setup, resource collection, or reconnaissance.

The leaders listened intently, nodding as they memorized the instructions. Gray’s voice was calm and authoritative, leaving no room for confusion.

After assigning missions to all thirty groups, he turned to his own small team of seven. The girls, Seraph included, were looking at him expectantly, their eyes shining with anticipation.

Gray’s lips curled up slightly into a faint, cold smile.

”Our job... is going to be eliminating other academies.”

His group’s eyes gleamed at those words, a mix of excitement and fierce determination flashing across their faces.

”And I already have a good plan in mind...”

He started explaining his plan to them. It wasn’t a plan that was meticulously created, but it was more than enough to deal with a group of students.

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Meanwhile, in another corner of the massive island, a group of twenty-three students from one of the rival academies, the prestigious Silverthorn Academy, was cautiously exploring a rocky area near the eastern cliffs.

Their leader, a tall, confident young man named Kael, held a basic map and compass, directing his team with sharp commands.

”Stay alert,” Kael stated lightly.

”We’ve already passed two beast dens. The flags are likely hidden in high-visibility spots or guarded areas. Keep formation tight.”

The group moved in a loose but disciplined wedge, their uniforms marked with Silverthorn’s silver thorn emblem.

They were a balanced team, with strong fighters, scouts, and support members, all 2nd-year elites who had trained together for years.

They had already secured one small flag earlier, but they were hungry for more.

As they rounded a large rock formation, one of the scouts spotted something glinting in the distance.

”Flag!” the scout called out, pointing ahead.

”Right in front of that cave entrance. It’s just sitting there on a rock.”

Kael’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the cave.

The flag was indeed prominently placed. There was a simple, glowing golden banner stuck firmly into a large boulder right at the mouth of a dark, yawning cave.

It seemed almost too easy, but the island was full of surprises.

”Careful,” Kael warned.

”It could be a trap. Two scouts, move in slowly. Everyone else, prepare for combat.”

The two scouts advanced cautiously, weapons drawn, scanning for any signs of danger.

The rest of the group formed a defensive perimeter, spells and weapons at the ready. The flag fluttered gently in the breeze, its golden light pulsing softly, tempting them closer.

One of the scouts reached out, his hand closing around the flagpole.

”Got it!” he shouted, yanking the flag free from the rock.

The moment the flag was pulled out, the ground beneath them erupted with light.

WHOOOOSH!

A massive array of glowing golden runes exploded into existence, forming a perfect dome around the entire Silverthorn group.

The runes pulsed with trapping and amplification energy, sealing them inside a confined space.

The cave entrance, which had seemed ordinary moments before, now revealed itself as the focal point of the trap.

From the shadows of the surrounding jungle and rocks, figures emerged silently.

Gray’s group, the seven elite girls from Phoenix Class, including Seraph, had been waiting.

They moved with surprisingly smooth coordination, circling the trapped group from all sides. Their expressions were calm, focused, and contained a hint of ruthlessness in their eyes, as if eyeing their prey.

Seraph stood at the front, her [Spirit Eyes] glowing faintly as she maintained the array’s integrity.

The other girls, skilled in combat, magic, and various other techniques, had their weapons and spells ready.

Kael’s eyes widened in shock as he realized what was happening.

”Ambush! Defend—!”

He had almost no time to react.

The barrage began instantly.

Seraph raised her hand, and the array opened perfect holes, small gaps perfectly sized for incoming attacks.

From every direction, spells and weapon arts rained down on the trapped Silverthorn students.

BOOM!

A storm of lightning spears shot through one of the holes, striking three students at once, paralyzing them as the electricity coursed through their bodies.

They collapsed, eliminated instantly as the island’s magic registered their defeat and teleported them out.

SCHWING!

A girl with twin daggers dashed forward, her blades glowing with wind mana.

She slashed through another hole in the array, cutting down two more students before they could even raise their defenses.

Their bodies glowed and vanished as the elimination magic took effect.

CRACKLE!

Another girl unleashed a barrage of ice shards through a different opening, freezing several Silverthorn students in place.

The cold was so intense that their bodies shattered under the pressure, the island’s system registering them as defeated.

Kael tried to fight back, swinging his sword in a desperate arc, but Seraph’s array adjusted perfectly, opening a hole that let a concentrated beam of soul energy from one of the girls strike him directly in the chest.

”Ugh... dammit!” He gasped, dropping to his knees as the elimination magic activated.

In a matter of seconds, the entire group of twenty-three students was eliminated.

Their bodies glowed with bright light and vanished from the island, teleported back to the arena as defeated participants.

The array dissolved, leaving only the golden flag lying on the ground.

Gray walked forward calmly from the shadows, his rapier still sheathed at his side. He bent down, picked up the flag, and tossed it casually to one of the girls in his group.

”...Perfect teamwork,” he said, clapping lightly in delight.

His voice was calm, but there was a clear hint of satisfaction in it.

The girls in his group looked at him with pure admiration.

Their eyes gleamed excitedly as they watched him.

He had perfectly predicted the enemy’s movements and had designed the array to open perfect holes for their attacks... the way he had turned a simple flag trap into a complete massacre without any of them even breaking a sweat.

Gray was also extremely satisfied with their performance as well.

They were almost like robots in their precision, following his orders exactly as he had intended.

One of the girls, a tall beauty with long dark hair, spoke with clear reverence.

”Leader... how did you know they would go for the flag so quickly? The array was perfect. They had no chance to resist at all.”

Another girl, with sharp features and a spear in her hand, nodded eagerly.

”The holes were exactly where our attacks needed to go. It was like you knew their every move before they made it. You’re absolutely incredible!”

Gray shook his head slighly.

”Human greed,” he stated.

”The flag was obviously placed as a trap, but because of their greed, they still pulled it out without any caution at all.”

”There was a chance that they weren’t going to pull it... But even if they didn’t, another trap would be activated as soon as they tried to use even a little bit of mana.”

The girls in the group exchanged excited glances, their admiration for Gray growing even stronger.

”You girls can rest for a little now... make sure to protect the flag and warn me if any of you sense anything abnormal.”

”Yes, Leader!”

They excitedly called out before walking back to positions they thought were well hidden.

At the same time, Gray went further into the cave until he reached what seemed to be the end of it.

”Jasmine... can you also feel it?”

[Yeah... there’s definitely some kind of artifact in there.]

”I thought so too...” he mumbled, staring at the wall in thought.

Then... he suddenly flexed his fingers and gathered a bit of mana into a fist before directly punching the wall with no restraint at all.

BAAAANG!

The whole cave shook as the wall in front of him was obliterated into pieces, revealing some kind of chamber with strange runes smoothly running in circles.

In the middle of the chamber, a single sword stood... but it didn’t look like a good artifact at all; instead... it was broken in half.

The other pieces of its blade were also scattered across the ground.

[This... it definitely feels like a low-grade artifact, however... it contains traces of divinity on it.]

At those words, Gray frowned slighly as he tried to recall Dante’s memories. After all, he must have written something about this sword.

Ding...!

He found the memories that talked about this sword.