Incubus Awakening: The More I Lust, The Stronger I Become

The location was vast—essentially a warehouse in scope. The white floor was sectioned off with individual brown furrows that extended far off into the distance.

This lattice-floor was a large cacophony of brown and white colors, only being juxtaposed by the occasional black marble platform.

These platforms each reached about three feet into the air, numbering in at about six in the entire expanse.

Like a black hole draining color from the world itself, Logan could very briefly make out the cascading air—swerving in towards the platforms' material.

It was likely the mana being drawn in, one of the many benefits of the platform's structure, referred to as a battle station.

If you were on one of the battle stations, your attacks would bounce off it like a mirror and be absorbed. It was the perfect playground to both train and hold duels.

Either way, that wasn't where the interior design of the gymnasium ended. Positioned at the ends of the battle stations' longest sides were stands, reflecting the light with its light, silver metal.

Like a ladder to the heavens, there were different tiers that kicked off further into the sky. Each one had its own designation, going from 'F' to 'A.' The closer you got to 'A,' the higher your section was.

Of course, Logan had seen this exact scene countless times. What clogged his throat and left him without speech was something else.

The stands were packed to the very brim, rattling back and forth so passionately that one could even make out the stand legs struggling to remain upright.

Voices cracked like gunshots to overwhelm Logan, sending him to his knees in agony, ears plugged.

"Well, look who we have here, folks!" a voice proclaimed, shooting his hand out in Logan's direction.

Logan, uncomfortable as he was, felt his back tighten at the sudden gaze of all the students. It was made even worse that the stands were so full that some had to sit on the ground.

'I've had people witness my fights before, but this is a bit much...'

While he was busy acclimating to his environment, there sat a number of familiar faces.

He could make some of them out if he tried hard enough: Sabrina, Jasmine, Amelia, Roman, Nico, Annabel, Cecil, and others he wasn't quite up for naming.

"Wow, I don't think I've seen the stands be this full since Elias' fight," Amelia said, looking all around here. In her section—the one designated as 'B'—she could already feel her chest begin to constrict, struggling to push back against the claustrophobic space.

"I know. I feel tight sitting here, in the B section. It's even worse for those who are C-rank and below... I think some even have to go down to the floor to watch," Jasmine responded, pulling her arms in towards herself.

Sabrina looked down to the battle station absent-mindedly. A single boy stood on its platform, hands by his side.

With crisp, black hair that shot out in every direction like a grenade, blank eyes that forced all who peered into them to shake with fear, and a mouth so awkwardly curved that you would think he was made not to smile, he echoed all the inhospitality the world could offer.

That was only to supplement the terrible frost his skin contained, pastel and flat. Sabrina knew it to be his biggest insecurity, which may have fed into his current personality.

Zack's face lit with realization. He turned to Sabrina, smiling at her lightly, almost taunting.

She looked away.

"—isn't that right, Sabrina?" Amelia asked, gazing into her eyes.

Noticing the hand on her shoulder, Sabrina jumped. "Huh—uh... what?"

"Oh, you weren't paying attention? Sorry, I was just saying that you must be happy that two boys are fighting over you like this."

Sabrina's face turned rock-hard. She could only hum in embarrassment.

Jasmine shook her head down at Amelia. "That's not something you should say, Amelia. You think she would be happy about this?"

"What, are you jealous of her, Jasmine?" Provokingly, Amelia returned Jasmine's words with her tongue out. "You know, you could get guys to fight over you too if you weren't so cold to everybody. Might even get everyone to forget your nickname—"

"Why, you...! That's a low blow!"

"Ah, there she is! Though, that's the wrong type of emotion for getting guys!"

"Shut up! I'm perfectly fine the way I am!"

"Say that to your dry DMs. You should really listen to me, I'm giving you good advice here!"

"That's it! I've had it with you!"

While the two were busy smacking each other and gripping the other's ears, Sabrina still looked forward—except, to someone else.

Just below her on the stands was a figure, robed and still. The dark cloak also seemed to conceal their mana, since, despite being a B-rank, they didn't seem to have anything going on inside their core.

Unsure what perturbed her so badly, Sabrina's hand drifted to the head of the figure's disguise, fighting against herself to pull it back.

"Huh...!?" they yelled, twisting their gaze in Sabrina's direction. As soon as the two met eye-to-eye, however, the student hid their face beneath their hands, silently looking back down to the battle station.

'A girl', Sabrina realized, taking notice of two things. First, the high-pitched shrill, and second, the strands of hair that released from her cloak.

In particular, how dark her hair was—the way it reflected the deepest parts of the soul in light's stead. It was oddly familiar...

"Alright, everyone, the time has come now to start preparing for this duel!" This voice—the same one that pronounced Logan's initial appearance—was yelling into a cylindrical, handheld device.

They stood at the center of the battle station, projecting their voice far beyond what they were used to. It was the Vice-President, Solomon.

"Logan, would you get off of your knees and come onto this platform, please?"

Shaking his head, Logan looked around one more time.

'This is it... two stands filled with entire crowds of students. To think that it would escalate this far. I suppose rumors do spread fast, but this is just a little hard to believe."

Once Logan stepped onto the same space as Solomon and Zack, he looked at his opponent just once.

Although Zack was always sneering—condescending him from afar, this time, he wasn't even looking down on him.

No, it was like he was looking past him to the wall. Like he didn't even acknowledge his existence.

"Well, guys, I know that you like seeing the strong beat the weak, but for over 400 students to come to one duel is a little absurd... and it's climbing, too. There's still five minutes before this fight begins," Solomon said.

While a wave of students still found themselves seats in the stands, Logan closed his eyes.

He turned to the past, remembering his life in childhood. With Zack, Selene, and someone else he still held dear to him. An uncle, of sorts.

"Hey, who's that up there?" a random student asked, pointing her hand even higher than the 'B' stand. To the pinnacle that soared into the sky.

Finding himself comfortable at the very center of the section meant for A-ranks was a single student, his arms crossed with one leg atop the other.

"WHHAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTT!?!" the stands roared, riled from the sight of one of the most highly esteemed in the entire academy. Elias Jebel.