On the arena.

Titus slammed Fionn onto the ground from mid air with another swing of his ceremonial staff, his owl face displaying a smile of sweet revenge.

Fionn smashed into the ground, leaving a crater in the process. Like a corpse, he lay motionless in the crater. Rather than being painful or struggling, his expression was lifeless, as if he was a puppet without a soul. His eyes were open, but they were glazed, as if he were dead, as opposed to the previous radiant purple colour.

Titus checked Fionn's condition as he landed on the ground, and when he saw the look on his face, he nodded contentedly. He then shifted his attention to the invigilator, waiting for her to announce the result.

At this point, as opposed to the clammer and cheering one would expect, there was an awkward silence in the arena. The audience had dissatisfied expressions on their faces, primarily because they were unable to properly watch the match, and secondarily because of the tragic condition of the young man in the arena.

When the invigilator saw Titus' gaze, she said calmly, "the match isn't over yet, please continue."

Titus looked perplexed after hearing her response. He replied, pointing at Fionn, his voice resonating due to him still being merged with his avatar. "How can it not be over yet? Look at him, does he still appear to be capable of fighting?"

"There's no point arguing with me; it's the director's decision," the invigilator replied, a helpless expression on her face.

Titus fell silent when he heard the invigilator's response, and a conflicted expression appeared on his face. After a second, he glanced over to the directors balcony and said calmly but respectfully, "If I continue, he'll die."

"I'll make sure he doesn't die, you continue the match, and remember not to hold back," the director responded as he sipped his tea, with the same benevolent look on his face. However, to others, that benevolent expression now appears to be more evil.

Titus sighed and walked over to Fionn after hearing the director's response. He lifted Fionn into the air with a kick and swung his ceremonial staff like a baseball bat, sending him flying.

Looking at this scene, gasps of astonishment rang out throughout the arena, and some even closed their eyes, unable to see this scene of torture.

On the balcony.

"Your Excellency, isn't this going a little too far?" asked the butler beside the director, pityingly looking at Fionn.

"It is, but I can't let a guy like him into my academy unless I know the extent of his ability," the director replied.

"But don't most people in the academy hide their strength, so why just target him?" the butler queried.

"Everything about this guy is strange, from his avatars to his bloodline. That lightning he used earlier, in particular, is something that should not be present here in this continent "said the director without going into detail.

The butler didn't ask any further questions as he sensed the director's intention not to go into specifics, but he did wonder to himself, "bloodline? Does he even have a bloodline?"

On the arena.

The abuse on Fionn continued as Titus kept throwing him around the arena; despite his accelerated healing, frightening bruises had appeared all over his body, and his once handsome face had become quite battered.

Unable to watch, the professors on the panel closed their eyes and began to doubt their director's morality in their hearts.

Suddenly, a cry of alarm rang out from one of the examinees' stands. Hearing that voice, professors who had previously closed their eyes opened their eyes, curious as to what had happened.

" Oh! He is one of my sector's potential gems, but why does he appear so worried?" Floyd expressed his curiosity as he tracked down the source of the sound.

"Because of that," Prescilla replied, shifting Floyd's gaze from Theodore to Fionn, who had blood gushing out of his seven facial orifices. Titus stood near Fionn, his hands trembling, as if having a debate with his conscience, unable to land another blow.

"This is bad, his soul has suffered serious damage; we must stop this immediately or he will die," Floyd said grimly.

"Don't try to act like a saint now; this is all because of you; if it hadn't been for you, I would have stopped this match long ago," Prescilla sneered.

"Why is it my fault? The director gave the order to continue the match. Don't turn me into a villain now "Floyd retorted angrily.

Prescilla became even more enraged upon hearing Floyd's response, and the two of them began quarreling like an old couple.

But, as their quarrel became more intense, a subtle but menacing mana fluctuation erupted from the arena, surprising everyone. They both turned their heads and saw the cause right away.

Fionn, who had been lying down while bleeding a few moments ago, was now standing up. His stance was awkward, like that of an undead. His entire body was engulfed in vile black mana. Despite its black colour, the mana does not feel like it belongs to a dark alignment; rather, it feels evil and forbidden. His once-enchanting purple eyes have turned pitch black, like the depths of hell.