Chapter 457
The corridor they passed through began to show signs of diminishing activity, as the number of students rushing toward the cafeteria, the library, or their favorite hangout spots gradually decreased, leaving behind long hallways illuminated only by the soft flicker of crystal lamps.
In the distance, Theo could already smell the aroma of food carried by the wind from the cafeteria, a scent that should have stirred anyone's appetite, yet it evoked no reaction from Ilux, who kept walking with a blank expression like a living corpse following nothing more than a basic program to survive.
The young man's footsteps echoed through the increasingly empty corridor, a sound resembling the slow, heavy toll of a funeral drum, filled with a sorrow that could not be expressed in words.
And Theo continued to follow behind, silent like a shadow, loyal like a dog guarding its master even when the master was unaware of its presence, for that was the role he had to play in this episode, in this phase where Ilux Rediona's suffering was reaching its peak before the great transformation would occur.
The remaining students passing through the corridor gradually disappeared one by one, leaving a long stretch occupied only by two figures walking in different rhythms yet bound within the same thread of fate.
Ilux walked ahead with staggering steps, occasionally swaying as if her legs could no longer support the weight of her own body, while Theo followed behind with steady steps that never faltered even if the ground beneath him trembled.
The crystal lamps on the ceiling cast an increasingly dim glow as activity in the corridor faded, creating a half-dreamlike atmosphere where the boundary between reality and illusion began to blur.
Yet within that silence, within the stillness filled only by the echo of footsteps, something else suddenly echoed.
Not footsteps, but voices that were once whispers, quickly turning into shouts.
From the corridor intersection ahead, from behind the massive pillars supporting the ceiling, from the gaps where the darkest shadows gathered, they emerged.
Eight, nine, perhaps ten figures suddenly appeared, immediately forming a circle around Ilux, cutting off her escape routes, blocking any retreat, severing every possibility of fleeing what was about to happen.
Theo stopped walking, his eyes narrowing, and within his chest, deep in the consciousness where Aldraya rested, a subtle tremor signaled that something unpleasant was about to unfold, something that even for the Great Author who had witnessed thousands of tragedies felt heavy to behold.
The fight unfolded quickly, too fast for ordinary eyes to comprehend, yet slow enough for Theo to capture every detail with painful clarity.
He saw how Ilux initially froze when surrounded, how her body stiffened as if it had lost the ability to move, how her empty eyes blinked repeatedly trying to process what was happening.
He saw the first strike come from the left, a superpowered punch capable of crushing a normal human's bones, and how Ilux instinctively dodged it, though that reflex was born not from the will to survive but from the remnants of instinct left within her broken body.
And then, as attacks continued to come from all directions, as the encirclement tightened and her space grew smaller, as every path to safety was sealed, something else awakened within Ilux.
Not a grand power like when Xavier XVII still resided within her consciousness, nor a cunning strategy born from tactical brilliance, but something more primitive, more fundamental, closer to the roots of human existence that refuses to die before its time.
The Structural Armament Ability left behind after Xavier's departure began to function, transforming Ilux's right arm into a short blade not particularly sharp but enough to force her opponents to retreat, transforming her leg into a mace not overly heavy but sufficient to shatter the shin of any careless foe.
Theo watched without ever taking his eyes off the battle, observing how Ilux cleverly utilized every opening, how she read her opponents' movements before they themselves realized their intent, how she used walls and pillars to divide the focus of enemies stronger but less intelligent.
One by one, the attackers fell, not because of Ilux's overwhelming strength, but because of her cleverness in exploiting their most basic weaknesses.
The first to fall was a tall man with elemental fire abilities, whose arm was severely injured when attempting to block a slash that turned out sharper than expected.
The second was a woman with super speed, whose leg twisted when trying to evade a mace swing that suddenly changed direction mid-motion.
And so on, until none of the eight or nine attackers remained standing, all lying or at least sitting with injuries severe enough to make them groan in pain.
Ilux stood in the center of that circle of fallen bodies, her chest rising and falling rapidly, sweat pouring from every pore, yet there was no victory in her eyes, no satisfaction, no pride as typically felt by winners in battle.
There was only a deeper emptiness than before, an awareness that this victory would change nothing, that the wounds she inflicted would only fuel the hatred already burning within their hearts.
And just as Theo had expected, just as the scenario had been written since the beginning of time, justice never sided with those who were right.
From the far end of the corridor, from the direction opposite the cafeteria, a figure emerged, one not unfamiliar to anyone who had ever attended any institution.
The security supervisor teacher of Akademi Bintang, a combination of guidance counselor and enforcement unit, a being granted authority to maintain order and punish those who broke the rules.
And when that teacher arrived at the scene, when their sharp eyes captured the sight of eight or nine injured students with Ilux standing among them with remnants of the Structural Armament Ability still active, when their ears caught testimonies from the perpetrators who suddenly turned into victims with stories completely detached from reality, the verdict was delivered without the need for a long trial.
The first blow landed on Ilux's right cheek, strong enough to stagger her but not enough to knock her down, because the teacher knew punishment must be felt but not kill.
The second blow landed on her left cheek, symmetrical, perfect, creating a red pattern that would linger for hours.
And as Ilux struggled to regain her balance after those two strikes, the third blow landed directly in her solar plexus, forcing her to collapse onto her knees on the cold corridor floor, out of breath, out of strength, out of every remaining fragment of power she had left to survive.
Above her, the supervisor stood with clenched fists, their mouth moving, releasing a stream of words Theo did not need to hear to understand.
To be continued…