Time left: 5 minutes

Impostors: 3

Escaped: 4

Lextor's points: 4

Emma's points: 4

Anna's points: 2

Survivor: 1

---

Three impostors were still in the game. The other two were already taken out—one by the survivors who escaped, and one by a council member for breaking the rules.

Now, all three remaining impostors stood in front of the last survivor.

William sat quietly with his back resting against the door.

He looked completely calm, even though the three standing before him had knocked out several people just to reach this point.

He had no doubt that Emma was tough, and Lextor was the same. He'd heard the chaos they caused in the last few minutes.

He could feel it too—the thick rush of aether wrapped around the blond boy standing there with a cold expression.

The pink-haired girl, Anna, stepped forward. "Since I have the least points, I'll go attack him first."

Emma gave a tired smile. "If you want to actually beat him, I'd suggest going together."

Anna spun around lightly, walking backward toward William. "Just because he's your boyfriend doesn't mean you have to hype him up so much."

Emma chuckled and crossed her arms. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

Anna turned back toward the blond boy—who still hadn't bothered to open his eyes.

"I suggest you open your eyes, Mister…" A grin stretched across her lips as she added, "Or you might blame me for not giving you a chance to fight back."

William let out a long sigh as he slowly stood up and dusted off his clothes. "And here I was hoping all the extras would be cleared out before you two reached me."

He really had been waiting for someone worth fighting. He didn't want to waste energy on motivated but painfully weak opponents.

Yet all that waiting… led to this.

Anna giggled, her shoulders shaking. "You're a fun guy. But sadly, after what I'm about to do to you… you might never want to be friends with me." She even sounded a little regretful.

William laughed softly. "Don't worry. I never planned to."

Anna's eyes narrowed as she shifted into her fighting stance.

She had gone through the reports of students from every academy before joining this contest. And among everyone, he was the one with the least information.

A nobody who suddenly got strong overnight and somehow ended up representing his academy.

To her, he was a wild card—and definitely not someone she could afford to take lightly.

Lextor crossed his arms, curious about this person whom he didn't expect here.

Emma just…stood there, waiting for the inevitable.

….

[In the surveillance room]

Naturally, everyone in the surveillance room had their eyes locked on the few students who were still in the game.

Guinevere scoffed. "So this is what he wanted? To get himself cornered?" She couldn't believe someone could be so confident that they'd ignore the entire purpose of the test just to fight stronger opponents.

Galahad had a slight frown on her face. "I've been watching Anna this whole time… and if he underestimates her, I don't think William will have it easy."

Mordred hummed in agreement. "You're right. Overconfidence always ends up becoming one's biggest enemy."

Lancelot said nothing. He just kept watching the screen, waiting for the inevitable.

And he wasn't going to be disappointed.

"Here it comes," Mordred muttered as Anna finally made her move.

….

Anna's skill allowed her to create illusions to confuse her enemy.

Her strongest way to overwhelm someone was her Three-Circle Spell: Cloning.

The faint moonlight shining through the glass above the entrance reflected her pink hair as she advanced.

With every step she took, another version of her broke off to the side.

Each step created a new clone—each one taking a different stance, a different angle.

By the seventh step, she stopped.

Anna was now everywhere, surrounding William.

From a distance, it looked like she had completely cornered him.

But the truth was very different.

Anna crossed her arms and muttered, "Each clone has the same strength as me. This might hurt, but it won't last long."

The moment those words left her mouth, her clones charged in—some with fists pulled back, some with kicks ready to land, and a few brandishing weapons.

William took a slow breath.

Aether surged into his core, light and pressure building inside him. His entire body felt like a tight, silent storm about to burst.

Anna's smirk faded instantly.

She felt it—something heavy, something dangerous—like the air itself was warning her.

Before a single clone could touch him, William unleashed it.

A telekinetic shockwave erupted outward, a powerful force blasting in all directions.

It was like the air itself exploded.

Every clone was thrown back violently, hurled across the hall before bursting into mist and fading away completely.

Anna took a careful step back, but William wasn't letting her escape.

"Ah!" she gasped as her body suddenly jerked forward—pulled toward him by a force she couldn't resist.

Her feet scraped against the floor, her balance gone, her control gone.

In the next moment, William's hand wrapped around her throat.

"Between the four of us," he said calmly, "you're the only one too weak to stand here."

Anna's eyes widened.

For a split second, the shock hit harder than the pain.

But William didn't give her any more time.

A quick pulse of mental force hit her mind—sharp, precise, enough to knock her out instantly.

*Thud.*

Her body dropped, and with no hesitation, William tossed the unconscious girl aside before lifting his gaze to the remaining two.

Lextor's eyes narrowed, sharp and cold.

This boy… wasn't acting his age.

Not even close.

He didn't hesitate. He didn't even flinch before taking Anna out.

And his aether control—

Not once in that entire exchange had Lextor sensed a single fluctuation from William.

*I need to finish this fast,* he thought as aether swirled around his right fist, building like a small storm.

Ignoring Emma's warning, he dashed straight for William.

His punch shot forward, aimed right at William's chest.

*DOOM*

*CLANK*

*SHATTER*

The force of Lextor's strike shook the massive entrance behind William. The shockwave cracked the floor, rattled the walls—and if not for the fortification magic, the doors would have exploded like the windows already had.

But what about the target?

What about the one the punch was meant to crush?

"Nice," William said, completely calm. "I like how you don't waste time."

Lextor's frown deepened.

His fist hadn't touched William.

It had stopped mid-air—blocked by something invisible a few inches from William's chest.

An invisible, unbreakable wall.

William grinned as he muttered, "Make this wait worth it."

°°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading.

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