Dragon's Awakening: The Duke's Son Is Changing The Plot-Chapter 142 - 141 - “That gave me actual chills.”

The Velmoria Royal Academy’s Arena was packed, thunderous with anticipation, yet humming with restless unease.

The air was thick with the tension of expectation unmet.

Yes, there were still some minutes left until the duel’s deadline, but duels were usually supposed to start ten minutes ago.

In the middle of the vast circular stadium, a lone figure stood on the battle platform—a presence clad in jet-black full-body armor that gleamed like forged night.

A massive greatsword was strapped across their back, so tall it almost matched their height.

Their gender was a mystery, and their face was obscured behind a visorless helm.

The only things visible were those unmistakable eyes, red as lava, observing everything through the visor of the helmet.

The crowd knew nothing about the figure save for one thing: this was the young guild leader of the Berserker Guild from the Zaraqt Kingdom.

No one knew whether they were male or female, but they knew that they were the child of the Berserker Guild’s guild master, who was known as the strongest brute fighter of the Zaraqt Kingdom.

This child was called a master of combat—the best prodigy of the Zaraqt Kingdom.

No one could see it beneath their helm, but the slight shift in posture, the hand resting occasionally touching their sword—it all radiated an emotion as primal as bloodlust—

Excitement.

The armored figure knew Raven would come. They believed in it, deeply, absolutely.

They hadn’t once seen Raven in the tavern just outside the capital, and that one look was enough for them to understand Raven.

The crowd, however, didn’t think the same.

Whispers began to rise.

"Is he actually scared?"

"Can you believe it? A Vaise, not showing up?"

"Maybe this time they’re actually going to lose. They can’t stay the top dogs forever."

"They say this opponent beat a Circle Five knight in one swing. I heard they shattered the stage during practice."

"No one even knows what their power is. No wonder Raven backed off."

The tide of doubt and mockery swelled.

There was venom in some of those voices. Envy. The kind that brewed over years of being second-best, third-best—anything but Vaise.

Because the Vaise name meant supremacy. Power. Perfection.

Until now.

The problem was that none of the people here knew the real power of the Vaise. Only the corrupt beasts around the borders knew their terror.

If the common populace knew about it, then maybe people would start fearing the Vaise more than the royals.

Maybe that was why the Vaise’s overall power was never revealed.

Even the arena judges—the vice principal and two senior professors—had begun whispering among themselves.

"Should we delay further?"

"We should. He’s a Vaise, and I don’t want to mess with them in any way."

"Yeah, there’s still some minute left. We better wait."

They, unlike the audience, knew about the Vaise.

They knew their terror, so they weren’t reckless.

However, even in the audience, not all were sneering and speaking badly about the Vaise.

Among them, a girl with thick-rimmed glasses, a scholar from the royal academy, furrowed her brow in confusion.

"But even Lady Selena and Princess Lia aren’t here... it’s not just Raven... did they oversleep?"

She didn’t know how right she was.

Others murmured similar thoughts.

"Something’s wrong. The Vaise family is never late."

"Maybe there was an emergency?"

But the uncertainty was swept aside by the next wave of cackling from the anti-Vaise camp.

They couldn’t get enough of taking out their frustration against the giant wall called the Vaise.

However, soon, a ripple passed through the crowd.

Like a pebble dropped in still water.

The crowd turned.

A trio of students near the south section, loudly mocking Raven, went suddenly quiet.

They had been cut off not by threat, but by sheer presence.

Alex Vaise, looking unimpressed, stepped into view. "What was that you were saying?"

Nibbles sat on his shoulder like a squirrel god surveying lesser beings, holding a tiny flag that read, "#TeamRaven."

A few paces away, Rufus arrived, his newly polished jacket shimmering with an aggressive cinnamon glow. He stood straight, arms crossed, silent as judgment.

Jessy walked in with a casual poise, twirling a thread of silver mana wire between her fingers like it was a noose meant for nonsense.

From the east corridor, Clara appeared, adjusting her gloves with the calm grace of a storm that had already decided where to land.

Jake emerged from the shadows as if he had never left them. He was unbothered and stoic, his very posture demanding silence.

Then came Siris.

Still bleary-eyed, still dragging her feet, but when one man dared chuckle at her disheveled look, she turned her head.

In a heartbeat, he stopped laughing.

Entire sections of the audience fell silent as if under a spell.

They didn’t come in together.

They came from all angles, all directions.

A show of force. A message saying, ’We are already here.’

Even Lia and Selena emerged from opposite staircases, dressed in understated royal garb, masks of serenity and scrutiny fixed upon their faces.

The aura they carried was one of silent authority, their eyes scanning the crowd like two blades unsheathed.

It was a spectacle in itself.

Yet, one was missing.

There was still no Raven.

The armored figure in the center of the stadium slowly turned, head rising as if finally addressing the sky itself.

The crowd leaned in.

Then came the laugh—deep, distorted, amplified by the helmet’s enchantment. It echoed like thunder through the open arena.

"RAVEN VON VAISE!"

The voice boomed, neither feminine nor masculine—just powerful.

"I KNOW YOU HEAR ME! I KNOW YOU’RE OUT THERE!"

They unsheathed their massive blade and slammed it into the earth. The ground shuddered. Dust rose.

"FIGHT ME!"

The crowd held its breath.

Was it an invitation?

Or a challenge that would go unanswered?

The tension was unbearable.

Still—

Raven did not appear.

However, before another whisper rose—

The wind stopped.

No breeze brushed across the stadium. No flags moved. No cloaks fluttered.

Even the air seemed to bow.

A hush fell. Deep. Sudden. Like nature itself held its breath.

Then—

RUMBLE!

The ground shook so hard that some people in the stadium almost stumbled.

Everyone was confused, but not for long, as soon they realized what that rumble was for.

Outside the stadium, they could see a mountain-like structure rising. It grew until it reached the top of the stadium’s high walls, and then from above the mountain, Raven appeared.

He stepped on the high boundary, his gaze locked on the figure below.

The usual fun light was nowhere to be seen in his eyes; instead, there was a bored coldness.

"Man, you know how badass you must look to the crowd right now, right?" Omni’s voice echoed in Raven’s head, full of approval. "That’s a damn fine way to flex some dominance. Swagger level: divine."

Raven, however, didn’t say anything in response, fearing that he might end up breaking his cold persona.

He stepped forward in the air.

The crowd gasped, fearing an imminent fall, but—

Tap.

He stepped on an invisible wind platform he created.

Then another.

Tap.

Slowly, he descended.

The sound of his feet touching the wind platforms—which were basic windshield spells placed horizontally.

Before long, he was right above the ground.

But he didn’t step on the ground; instead, a plate of water, similar to that of wind, rose from the ground like a pedestal.

He stepped on it, and before he could take another step, a similar pedestal of fire rose.

Under his next step, there was a rock pedestal, followed by one made of wind.

Then, the sequence continued.

The pedestals behind him didn’t vanish; they remained as he walked, and soon, he reached the edge of the arena.

He didn’t even look at the figure before him on the other side of the arena and landed on the tilted floor.

There was no quake or explosion.

There was just a soft thud that cracked the stadium floor in a perfect ring around his boots.

The arena didn’t shake—it shivered.

He stood.

Shoulders relaxed.

One hand in his pocket.

By now, every pair of eyes was fixed on him.

The Fate Eyes glowed beneath his half-lidded gaze, making them shine with multiple colors.

Yet, as he looked at his opponent, there was no rage, only cold, terrifying calm.

The Berserker took an unconscious step back.

Raven looked at them.

Then spoke—quietly.

"You called for me like I’m something that arrives." He paused, the mana around him trembling. "I’m something that happens."

The elemental energies around him condensed for a breathless instant—circling in a perfect spiral.

The wind twisted his coat like wings.

The water danced along his fingertips, catching the sun in blinding patterns.

The earth solidified under him, making even the air beneath feel grounded.

The fire lit in his eyes—smoldering, not blazing. Not yet.

Then, as if they were but an illusion, they all vanished.

No fanfare.

Just silence.

"Bro," Omni’s voice slid into his head, low and serious for once. "That gave me actual chills."

He was still in his tattooed form, but he shivered.

Even the audience forgot to breathe.

The announcer—normally overdramatic—couldn’t find his voice.

A noble in the crowd whispered, "That’s... him?"

Selena clenched the railing. "...I feel butterflies in my stomach."

She had never seen this side of Raven, but honestly, she wished she had seen more of it.

It was just so damn cool.

So much that she was already clenching her thighs (you know why).

Lia couldn’t look away. "H-He looked cool..."

Even her growing tsundere side couldn’t deny that.

Jessy, in the audience, blinked. "Was he really acting? If yes, then who choreographed it?"

Alex quietly offered Nibbles a snack. "I wish I could get an entrance like that."

His words made some students glance at him, scanning him up and down before shaking their heads with a sigh.

Even Nibbles was doing the same.

"Um... can you come with me for a second?" A teacher, who was responsible for the security of that part of the stadium, asked.

Alex glanced at the teacher, then at the others around him, and he realized that he might’ve caused some trouble.

Jake, still standing in a shadowy corner, gave a rare smile.

That smile, however, gave the people around him a shiver.

Siris, for the first time, was silent, her eyes fixed on Raven as if she were trying to record everything and save it in a file in her head called ’Rare moments of Raven acting cool.’

Clara, on the other hand, was smiling.

"He deserves more than a kiss for that," she muttered, biting her lips.

The Berserker before Raven gripped their weapon, their eyes flaring with excitement.

Raven, however, tilted his head.

"You’ve got power. Madness. History," he drawled. "But you made one mistake."

A pause. The crowd leaned in.

"You thought this was your arena."

He stepped forward.

And with that single step—

The stage cracked from the center outward, forming four elemental lines in cardinal directions.

Wind to the north.

Water to the west.

Fire to the south.

Earth to the east.

Raven raised his hand.

"But it was mine to begin with."

Then, there were cheers.

Earth-shaking shouts from the audience.

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