The Return Of The Exiled Villain

The entire battlefield fell into stunned silence.

The Gloria Academy students stared at Gray with wide eyes, their expressions a mix of disbelief and shock.

Adrian’s face was pale as he struggled against the binding chains, his multi-element aura flickering weakly as the trap continued to drain his mana.

”You... you drew those runes while fighting all of us at once?” Selene whispered, her cyan sword aura almost completely gone as she looked at Gray with pure shock.

”That’s impossible... no one can multitask like that in the middle of a battle.”

Maelis’s gravity magic had completely collapsed. She looked at the glowing runes on the ground with wide eyes, her voice barely above a whisper.

”He was creating a trap array... while dodging our strongest attacks? While parrying our techniques? That level of focus and skill... it’s monstrous.”

Claire’s fire spears had long since dissipated. She stood there, her staff lowered as she stared at Gray in complete disbelief.

”I... I thought we were pushing him back... but he was just playing with us the entire time?”

Selina’s water fairy had faded away. She looked at Gray with a mix of fear and admiration.

”He was improvising a trap... right under our feet... while we were using our full power against him. How...?”

Lira’s Sun Sword dimmed as she looked at the runes with cold, shocked eyes.

”He’s not human. No one can do something like that.”

Ronan, still in his partial dragon form, roared in frustration, but even he couldn’t break free from the binding chains.

”This... this is ridiculous! He was fighting us with one hand tied behind his back the whole time?!”

The Dragon Slaying Academy group, who had been watching the entire scene from the side, was also in complete shock.

Mariinne’s mouth was open as she stared at Gray with wide, sparkling eyes.

”My prince... you’re even more amazing than I thought...” she whispered, her voice filled with awe.

The tall black-haired boy from Dragon Slaying gripped his sword tightly, his face pale.

”He was creating a trap while fighting against the full power of Gloria Academy... and he made it look easy. We never stood a chance against him.”

In the VIP section, the audience was in an uproar. The nobles were whispering frantically, their faces filled with shock.

”Did you see that? He drew an entire trap array while fighting against multiple powerful students at once? That’s insane!”

The Emperor leaned forward in his seat, his eyes wide with surprise.

”Such talent... It’s unprecedented. Even the Saintess must be impressed.”

The Saintess Elara watched the screen with her luminous silver eyes, her gentle smile widening slightly as she looked at Gray.

”Truly fascinating,” she murmured softly.

”His talent is even greater than I expected.”

Gloria’s face was pale as she stared at the screen, her fists clenched tightly.

Aurora smiled proudly as she looked at the screen, her eyes shining with satisfaction.

The entire hall was buzzing with shock and admiration as they watched Gray stand calmly in the middle of the trapped Gloria Academy students.

Gray looked at the shocked group with a faint, cold smile.

”Now... shall we end this?” he asked quietly.

He didn’t wait for a response.

He simply walked past them, his steps calm and unhurried as he headed toward the gates of the main stronghold.

The Gloria Academy students struggled against the binding chains, but they couldn’t break free. A

drian’s eyes were filled with frustration and disbelief as he watched Gray walk by without even looking at them.

”You... you can’t just walk away like this!” he shouted, his voice strained.

But Gray ignored him and continued on.

He pushed open the massive gates of the main stronghold and stepped inside. The big stone doors closed behind him with a heavy thud.

A few seconds later, a giant, glowing announcement appeared in the sky above the entire floating island, visible to every student and spectator.

CLEMENTINE’S SWORD & MAGIC ACADEMY HAS CONQUERED THE MAIN STRONGHOLD!

The crowd in the viewing hall erupted in loud cheers. The announcement was followed by another massive message.

ALL CLEMENTINE STUDENTS RECEIVE THE MAIN STRONGHOLD BUFF!

• Increased Physical Recovery (300%)

• Increased Mana Recovery (400%)

• Enhanced Strength and Speed (150%)

• Temporary Barrier Protection (50% damage reduction)

• Increased Token Collection Rate (200%)

The buff was enormous.

Every student from Clementine’s Sword & Magic Academy glowed with a golden light as the benefits took effect.

Their wounds healed faster, their mana recovered at an incredible rate, and their overall power increased significantly.

The girls from the Phoenix Class cheered loudly as they felt the buff.

”Leader did it! We have the main stronghold!”

The boys, who had been hesitant earlier, were now fully motivated.

”With this buff, we can dominate the rest of the trial!”

Then, Gray stepped out of the main stronghold, his black robes swaying slightly as he stood at the top of the stairs leading to the massive gates.

He gazed down at the two academies in front of hi, the remaining Gloria and Dragon Slaying students, with a calm but dangerous presence.

The battlefield around the stronghold was filled with the exhausted and injured students from both academies.

They looked up at him with a mix of shock, wariness, and determination.

Gray’s voice echoed clearly across the area, his tone calm but filled with absolute confidence.

”I’m guarding this place now... you guys are welcome to try and take it.”

His eyes shone coldly as he looked down at them, the faint smile on his lips making the invitation feel like a challenge no one could ignore.

The Gloria Academy students, still recovering from the trap, glared at him with burning eyes.

Adrian gripped his sword tightly, his multi-element aura flickering weakly as he tried to stand up.

”You... you think you can guard it alone?” he shouted, his voice filled with frustration.

”We’ll take it back from you!”

Adrian turned to Mariinne, his eyes sharp as he made a quick decision.

”Mariinne, one-time deal. Help us take down Gray and we’ll split the stronghold benefits with your academy. We both know he’s the biggest threat here. If we don’t work together now, he’ll dominate the entire trial.”

Mariinne looked conflicted.

Her eyes darted between Adrian and Gray, her usual mischievous smile fading as she bit her lower lip.

”My prince...” she whispered, her voice filled with hesitation.

She really didn’t want to fight against Gray. He was her prince, the one she had fallen for at first sight.

But her teammates quickly surrounded her, their voices urgently awakening in her mind what was actually important.

”Mariinne, we need this stronghold! It’s the most important one on the island. If we let Gray keep it, we’re basically handing the trial to Clementine!”

The tall black-haired boy gripped her shoulder.

”This is for the academy. We can’t let personal feelings get in the way. Gray is strong, but with Gloria’s help, we can take him down.”

The red-haired girl nodded firmly.

”We’ve come this far. We can’t lose the main stronghold now. Please, Mariinne. Think about the team.”

Mariinne looked at Gray one last time, her eyes filled with reluctance, but she finally nodded.

”...Okay. One-time alliance. We’ll help you take him down.”

At the same time, Adrian raised his hand and sent a signal to the rest of Gloria’s 4th year students who were still scattered across the island.

”We need backup! All 4th years, converge on the main stronghold immediately! Gray is here and he’s guarding it alone!”

The Dragon Slaying Academy also sent signals for their remaining forces to come.

The crowd in the viewing hall couldn’t help but go in an uproar.

”How is one student causing such a big commotion?! Both academies are calling for backup just to fight a single person?!”

”Gray is really making the entire tournament revolve around him!”

The audience was shocked and excited at the same time.

The fact that two powerful academies were teaming up and calling for reinforcements just to deal with one student was unprecedented.

Gray watched the scene with a faint, mocking smile.

He didn’t move to attack.

Instead, he walked back to the doorframe of the main stronghold and sat down casually, leaning against the stone wall as if he was waiting for friends to arrive.

He looked at the two groups with cold, amused eyes.

”You’re calling for help just to fight one person? How pathetic. I’ll wait for your reinforcements. Take your time. I’m not in a hurry.”

His arrogant words made the Gloria and Dragon Slaying students frown deeply, their faces filled with frustration and irritation.

Adrian’s fists clenched tightly.

”You’re too arrogant, Gray! When our 4th years arrive, you won’t be smiling anymore!”

Mariinne pouted, her eyes still conflicted as she looked at him.

”My prince... you’re really making this hard for me...”

Seeing this, Gray shook his head confidently.

’...The moment your reinforcements arrive... I’ll have plenty more buffs to enjoy,’ his lips curled inwardly.

No one noticed, but Gray was acting as bait for his team to conquer the other strongholds as fast as they could.

The moment they did, it didn’t matter if Gray had three barriers sealing his full power, because the power coming from the strongholds would be enough for him to deal with everyone in this whole tournament.