Reincarnated in the Astral World

When Elias realizes he's doomed, it's already too late. He tries to renounce the fight, but Arthur won't allow it, pinning him to the arena floor with brutal kicks.

*Bam* *Bam* *Bam* *Bam*

"ARRRRGH!"

Each painful strike is followed by a groan of agony, yet Arthur targets Elias's throat whenever he attempts to ask for help.

This scene shocks the surrounding nobles into a myriad of reactions.

"He's overpowering Young Master Isambard so effortlessly..."

"And that after we saw Elias defeat Oliver with similar ease... this can't be right!"

"How can he be so powerful as a Mystic Fighter?"

"Not just a genius, but he's also savage! He won't even let Young Master Isambard catch his breath..."

"Isn't this the same thing he did to Young Master Drummond? I think it's quite fair, actually."

"This isn't about fairness but how Dimitri will be furious and probably the Viscount too..."

"But neither can do anything; the boy is playing by the rules."

"Rules? They won't help him now..."

The nobles are divided. The family members of Josephine and their allies are clearly enjoying the show, though slightly worried about the consequences of Arthur's brutality.

The nobles from Emilio's family, Dmitri, and their allies are stunned, enraged, and concerned.

But the neutral nobles, especially some of the other wealthier and more influential families in the town, are unsure what to think.

"Such a brutal spectacle... I never thought I'd see such a thing in Josephine's house."

"Has she gone mad? All it would take is for that boy to do the same to Young Master Whittlee, and then war would be declared."

"This is already a war, but Josephine has orchestrated it so that even the Viscount can do nothing but watch..."

"I doubt he'll just watch this mysterious boy kill one of his most loyal servants."

"And what can he do? If he interferes in the youngs' tournament, he'll throw his own reputation and that of his family into the trash in front of everyone."

"Where is he, by the way?"

As everyone wonders where Emilio is while Arthur beats Elias to the point of beginning to disfigure his face, the Viscount appears behind Josephine and Aria. But his expression is not as before; there's no pride or confidence in his frightened eyes, only deep regret.

He no longer looks like a Viscount but rather a dog that has just been scolded by its owner, now struggling to behave. Even his movements are slow, and his head hangs low like a humiliated servant.

Of all the people around, Dmitri is certainly feeling the worst. An uncontrollable fury grows within his heart as he watches his eldest son, the heir to his legacy, the future of his family, having his body and mind destroyed by Arthur.

His hands are clenched on the table, his fingers digging into the wood while his clenched teeth make clear his mental state. "This little bastard!! He's digging his own grave!!!"

Beside Dmitri stands his daughter, Anastasia, now wearing an expression of terror on her face. Thinking about how she initiated everything, she doesn't regret it but glances at Margaret. 'This is all your fault... you worthless peasant!'

Seeing her older brother being brutalized by Arthur blinds Anastasia with rage. She fears Arthur, but at the same time, she wants to hurt him, leading her to make a terrible decision.

"This is your fault!!!" Anastasia charges toward Margaret, raising her hands. As an Initiate Mage, the second Mage rank, she already knows some basic spells.

"Scintilla Ignis!" Anastasia's voice sounds out as she speaks words in the ancient language, a basic chant that sends small sparkles of fire jumping from her fingers toward Margaret and Eve.

Though the spell is one of the weakest from the School of Destruction and poses no life-threatening danger to Margaret due to Anastasia's low level of Astral Energy, it could still harm the cute girl.

Everything happens quickly, and as soon as Margaret hears Anastasia's chant, she swiftly steps in front of Eve to shield the girl with her body.

From the arena, Arthur also hears the chant and sees the sparkles emanating from Anastasia's fingers toward Margaret. Instead of showing concern, he remains composed, his fury under control, his eyes coldly gleaming.

"What a mistake!" He mocks, and everyone watches as Anastasia's fire sparkles strike an invisible barrier around Margaret, thanks to the necklace glowing around her neck, a gift from Aria.

*Fizzle*

The fire sparkles emit a shrill sound as they hit the magical barrier and immediately reverse direction, heading back towards Anastasia, who panics. "SHIT!!!"

She barely had time to react, and the fire sparkles hit her face just as she had planned for Margaret.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!" Anastasia screams hysterically as the heat of the sparkles burns her face, causing excruciating pain.

"Anastasia!!" Dmitri yells as he watches his daughter suffer. The already unstable fury within him completely spirals out of control, and he draws his sword, his eyes fixated on Margaret. "YOU BIT-"

"Dmitri!" Josephine's voice rings out, loud yet calm, echoing through the courtyard. "Do you dare attack my honored guests within my home?!"

Oliver also draws his sword, and all the Drummonds follow suit, bracing themselves for a possible fight. The other nobles quickly react as well, most stepping back without drawing their weapons, even many of the Viscount's allies, who would only act if he himself gave the command.

While Dmitri freezes, caught between tension, fear, and rage, Arthur grips Elias by the neck and lifts his severely injured body toward his father. "That would be another wrong decision." His voice booms across the courtyard like that of a demon from a frozen hell.

"This..." Dmitri turns his attention to Arthur, his eyes filled with rage, pain, and resentment. "All of this is your fault!" He shouts like his daughter, pointing his sword at Arthur.

The situation grows increasingly tense, and though neither Josephine nor Oliver desires it, they are ready for a potential bloodbath. But this is not what Aria wants, not in a way that would create future problems for the Drummond family and even draw the attention of the whole Kingdom to her.

Then she subtly signals with her fingers, and Emilio quickly steps forward. "Dmitri!!" His voice sounds firm and authoritative once more, an effort to keep his own life.

"Emilio!?" Dmitri has known the Viscount for a long time and sees that something is off with him.

"You've gone too far! Lower your sword and apologize now!!" Emilio commands.

But Dmitri does not lower his sword. "What's wrong with you? We can't let this scum rise against us!"

Emilio doesn't need to look at Aria to feel her eyes on him like a wolf watching a helpless prey, her terrifying aura sending shivers down his spine.

"Dmitri, you fool!" Emilio tries his best to calm the situation, for the sake of his own life, of course. "We are in Madam Drummond's house, and you will respect her rules!"

On one side, Dmitri sees his wife trying to aid Anastasia, who cries tears of blood on the floor; on the other side, he has Arthur, holding Elias by the neck; his son's body convulses, foam and blood flowing from his mouth as the antidote in his veins loses strength.

This is undoubtedly the darkest day of Dmitri's life, and all he can think about is protecting his family, casting a pleading look at the Viscount. "Please, Emilio... they are going to kill my children!"

'It's better than them killing all of us,' Emilio keeps his thoughts to himself while he waves his head at Dmitri, also a pleading request.

'What the hell is happening?!' Dmitri imagines Josephine has cornered the Viscount somehow, but even that can't stop him now, not when his eldest son is about to die before his eyes.

"NO! I will not accept this!!" Dmitri tightly grips the hilt of his sword, a rare artifact. His eyes burn like flames, directed at Arthur.

Everyone can see what is about to happen next, especially Arthur. But he remains calm, holding the body of Elias, who takes his last breaths, having a good view of his family being destroyed.

"You will pay for this!!" Dmitri yells and leaps toward the arena, launching an attack with all his strength concentrated on his sword.

"Arthur!" Aria's calm voice echoes, and with a quick snap of her fingers, she causes Arthur's sword to fly from the table into his hand in less than a second.

He releases Elias and swiftly grabs the sword, readying his own attack. But how can the skills of someone whose Weapon Mastery is still at the Novice Rank compare to a Master Swordsman?

Dmitri's movement is full of flaws, his hands trembling and weak, holding his sword like a scared child.

Arthur, on the other hand, grips his vastly superior quality sword firmly, his eyes seeing through the movements of his enemy and his sword reacting instinctively as an extension of his body.

*Whoosh*

Arthur's blade glows with a dark light as he strikes--faster, more skilled, and far more lethally than Dmitri could ever manage.

*Clang* *Crack*

The sounds of Dmitri's sword clashing and then his body being sliced in two echoes, and all the nobles watching can hardly believe such a scene.

'So fast...' That is Dmitri's last thought as he stares at Arthur and feels the cold of death seeping into his body.

The upper half of Dmitri's body slumps and falls to the arena floor in a messy pool of blood and guts. But everyone's eyes are drawn upward to that wave of pure, shimmering dark energy that dissipates a few meters above Arthur.

Those who do not understand it are surprised and awestruck, but those who know what just occurred are the most shocked.

"He's a Swordmaster!"