NOVEL NEXT Chapter 45: The Green hats
"Let go of her, Bug. I don't want to stain my hands with your filthy blood," Aden said.
"Oh really? But I don't think I will," Auston replied with a smirk, positioning himself protectively in front of Camella like a human shield. His casual defiance was clearly getting under Auston's skin.
"Heh, you really just have to test my patience, don't you?" Aden's grip tightened on his spear until his knuckles went white. The golden energy around the weapon pulsed with his rising anger.
"You really can't control yourself, can you?"
A young man with distinctive green hair and matching emerald eyes stepped forward, his arms folded across his chest. His voice carried the kind of cold disdain usually reserved for particularly unpleasant insects. Behind wire-rimmed glasses, his gaze fixed on Auston with laser-like intensity.
"Ethan," Auston muttered, recognizing the young man who had once been Angelica's fiancé. That engagement had been dissolved after Auston's interference—though Ethan suspected the real reason was Auston's extremely high potential for admission to the Arcane Legacy Academy. The King of Ezram had likely seen an opportunity to cultivate a valuable ally and had acted accordingly.
"What? How is this any of your business? She's my friend, damn it!" Auston's voice cracked slightly, betraying more emotion than he'd intended.
"As were Isabelle, Annabella, Angelica, Ashley, Cassandra, and since Azalea is no longer here, you'll probably go after Maria next," Ethan said, his tone cold.
"And what exactly do you mean by that?" Auston scowled.
"Really? Are you deaf? Fine, let me spell it out for you." Ethan's lips curved into something that might have been a smile if it hadn't been so utterly devoid of warmth. "I'm saying you're a nasty womanizer."
That did it. Auston's anger hit a breaking point, and flaming spears materialized from thin air, hovering around him like a crown of fire. The temperature in the cafeteria seemed to rise several degrees.
"This is your last warning, Auston. I swear on everything I hold dear that I will destroy you if you don't stop chasing after my girl," Aden said, his voice shaking with barely contained rage.
He'd watched what happened to his friends. Ethan's engagement to Angelica had been mysteriously dissolved. Ansley's engagement to Maria had ended just days before term resumed, with no proper explanation and Maria acting like a completely different person afterward—ignoring Ansley entirely, leaving the poor guy completely lost.
Aden was convinced this slimy bastard was behind it all. He'd probably done the same thing to Maria that he'd done to Angelica, and now he was setting his sights on Camella.
Well, not on Aden's watch. He'd waited too long for his chance with Camella to let some womanizing snake ruin everything.
"She's not yours," Auston shot back, his voice rising. "She has the right to choose who she wants to be with. I'm not saying she has to be with me, but you shouldn't let your ego convince you that your position as some 'prince' gives you the right to force her."
"Oh, of course. The knight in shining armor routine. That's all you ever are and ever will be," Ethan laughed, but it was the kind of laugh that made people uncomfortable—sharp, bitter, and completely humorless. It was clear he despised Auston just as much as Aden did.
Whoosh!
A sudden gust of wind filled the cafeteria, and in the next instant, chaos erupted.
"What?!" Auston, with some shred of luck and quick reflexes, caught Aden's movement just in time. He promptly released Camella, diving forward to protect her as his sword clashed with Aden's blade in a shower of sparks.
"You bastard! You could have hurt her!" Auston tried to kick Aden, but the young man stomped the ground hard, launching himself into the air. He performed a perfect mid-air somersault, his spear twisting and sliding off Auston's blade before spinning it around. The weapon blazed golden as he swung it straight for Auston's neck.
BAM!
Auston's feet skidded against the polished floor as he blocked the attack, the impact sending vibrations up his arms.
"YOU IDIOTS!" screamed a student who had been unfortunate enough to be caught in the blast that sent cafeteria tables flying like oversized dominoes.
"Die, you vermin! Just die!" Auston swiftly moved his left foot, redirecting his balance and letting Aden slide past him. He tried to kick him from behind, but Aden regained his balance in a split second. A golden shield materialized behind him, absorbing the force of the kick and sending him tumbling until he landed gracefully on a table some distance away.
BAM!
Without waiting a single second, Aden jumped off the table, his spear striking the ground. Just as he'd predicted, Auston had followed up with an attack, but his blade struck only the shaft of the spear. Taking advantage of this opening, Aden twisted his body with immense force, his knee connecting with Auston's head. Auston blocked with his arm just as the floating spears of fire around him shot forward like guided missiles.
"Fool!" A massive golden turtle-like shield appeared before Aden.
BOOM!
The spears collided with the shield, creating a tremendous explosion that pushed both fighters back. The cafeteria now looked like a war zone, with overturned tables, scattered food, and several very unhappy students diving for cover.
It seemed that with every passing second, the fight was escalating to more dangerous levels.
"Hey, you idiots!" a voice cut through their concentration.
They looked up to find Nora, Auston's younger sister and a junior student, staring down at them with the kind of expression usually reserved for people who'd just stepped in something unpleasant.
"Well, what did you just say?" Aden growled, his spear still glowing with residual energy.
"That while you idiots have been fighting, the person you're fighting over already left!" she announced with obvious exasperation.
Their eyes widened in perfect synchronization. They looked around frantically, only to realize that Camella was indeed long gone. She'd probably left the moment the first spear had been summoned.
"Tsk," Aden clicked his tongue in annoyance. "It's all your fault, you bastard."
"My fault?" Auston, still thoroughly irritated, growled back.
It seemed the fight wasn't ending anytime soon. Both combatants were now fighting purely on principle, their original objective having literally walked out the door.
'ARRRRRRGH!' Nora slapped her forehead once more at her brother's behavior. At this point, there was already a permanent red mark on her forehead from this exact gesture.
BOOM!
As they dove forward to clash again, someone suddenly appeared between them, casually catching both their weapons in his bare hands as if they were nothing more than toy swords.
"!" Both fighters' eyes widened as they quickly understood the implications of this man's presence. The temperature in the room seemed to drop twenty degrees.
"My office. Now," was all the gray-haired, middle-aged man said as he turned and walked away, still holding their weapons like they weighed nothing.
The two young men looked at each other with gritted teeth, their anger now mixed with a healthy dose of dread. Without another word, they began walking out.
At this point, Ethan and Angelica could only stare at the aftermath. Only the omniscient gods could know what was going through their minds as they surveyed the wreckage of what had once been a peaceful lunch period.