The tension inside the ritual hall remained heavy for several long seconds after the servant announced the attack. The ancient statues still knelt toward Lucien while cracks spread across the obsidian floor beneath the ritual circle.

Even though the terrifying black manifestation behind him had disappeared, the pressure it left behind still lingered inside the sanctuary like a silent warning.

Ryan was the first to move. "We’re not forgetting whatever happened here," he said while glancing briefly toward Lucien, "but right now we should probably check what’s happening outside."

Riley nodded calmly. "If fallen angels are attacking the academy at this hour, then something serious is happening."

Lucien folded his arms immediately. "Glad to know everyone acknowledges something weird happened to me at least." 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Mira looked at him coldly. "You’re still alive. That’s enough for now."

"That’s somehow not comforting."

Dahlia laughed softly before turning toward the exit. "Come on before the academy gets destroyed while we’re talking."

The group quickly left the underground sanctuary and moved through the long obsidian hallway beneath the academy. Since it was still deep into the night, the academy above should have been quiet and peaceful, but the moment they stepped outside, the atmosphere had changed completely.

The sky above the Dominion Academy had turned dark crimson.

Black clouds twisted unnaturally overhead while several explosions lit up the night from afar.

And floating above the massive academy wall were the fallen angels. Lucien’s eyes narrowed slightly while observing them carefully.

Some had massive black wings spread behind them while others wore dark silver armor covered in glowing runes. The mana leaking from their bodies alone felt dangerous enough to suffocate ordinary students.

At the center floated a tall fallen angel with long ash-black hair and golden eyes.

The moment he noticed Nyx and her group appear, a smile spread across his face.

"Well, well..." he muttered lazily. "The daughter of Lucifer herself."

Nyx’s expression remained calm. "What do you want?"

The fallen angel stretched his neck slightly before answering casually. "Nothing much. We just needed some students." Lucien frowned slightly.

The fallen angel continued speaking with a mocking smile on his face. "We already collected a few from the Divine Academy earlier tonight, so we thought we’d visit this place too while everyone was asleep." He shrugged afterward. "But your annoying little group always finds out everything eventually."

Several fallen angels behind him laughed quietly. "So troublesome," one muttered.

Nyx suddenly smirked faintly. "Well," she said calmly, "sorry to disappoint you, but there won’t be any students for you tonight."

The atmosphere instantly shifted, dark mana exploded outward from the fallen angels while dominion mana erupted from Nyx’s group in response.

"The fallen angels still hold authority of the school...we and the devils own the school I don’t remember only devils being the authority!" The leader yelled angrily at them.

"Since the day you treacherous wretches betrayed us you fallen lost all authorities that the devil’s and the fallen owned together, the devil has claimed nothing that belongs to the Fallen! But the fallen took what belongs to the devil." she thundered. Chaotic crimson energy erupted from her, the sheer force scattering everything beneath them like dust.

Lucien instinctively stepped backward slightly, then.....

BOOOOOOOM.

The battle started. Dahlia shot forward first like a pink flash tearing through the night sky. Crimson dominion flames exploded around her fist before she punched directly toward one of the fallen angels.

The impact alone distorted the air. The fallen angel blocked barely in time, but the shockwave still sent him crashing through a nearby academy tower.

CRAAAAASH.

Lucien’s eyes widened slightly."She’s insane..."

Ryan smirked beside him before dark silver chains suddenly burst from beneath the ground around several fallen angels at once.

"Chain Dominion: Abyss Restraint." The chains wrapped around one fallen angel instantly before black spikes erupted from them violently.

Meanwhile Mira raised one hand calmly. The temperature around the battlefield suddenly dropped.

Silver frost spread across the air itself before gigantic ice spears formed above the sky.

Then with a single motion of her fingers, thousands of frozen spears rained downward.

BOOOOOOOM.

The battlefield exploded into chaos, Lucien stood near the academy walls watching everything carefully instead of charging in recklessly.

His eyes constantly moved from one skill to another, dominion spells, fallen angel abilities, movement techniques, everything fascinated him.

*So this was what true higher-level battles looked like.* He smirked at himself, *Many skills just waiting for me to steal it...Nyx...she’s so powerful...well like it or not you’ll be joining my harem soon, maybe I might even use her to start my mission.*

The mana consumption alone was terrifying, one fallen angel suddenly noticed him standing separately from the others.

A cruel grin spread across the angel’s face immediately. "Well now..." he muttered while flying downward rapidly. "A weak little human hiding behind monsters, why are you hiding pretty boy."

Lucien narrowed his eyes slightly and he said. "Well I don’t want to stain my skin with your impurities."

The fallen angel landed several meters before him while black mana twisted around his spear. "Why don’t you come with us quietly?"

Lucien slowly cracked his neck. "Not interested."

The fallen angel laughed softly. "Humans really overestimate themselves."

Before Lucien could even move.

BOOOOOOOM.

A massive crimson explosion suddenly erupted between them. The fallen angel’s eyes widened before Dahlia’s kick slammed directly into his ribs and sent him flying violently across the academy grounds.

CRAAAAASH.

She landed gracefully in front of Lucien afterward while pink hair flowed behind her.

"You okay?"

Lucien blinked once before smirking slightly. "You know... that was actually pretty cool."

"Obviously."

Before the fallen angel could recover, a loud whistle echoed through the battlefield. Every fallen angel suddenly froze slightly. Then the leader sighed in annoyance.

"Tch. We’re retreating already?"

One of the others frowned. "Orders changed?"

"Apparently."

The fallen angel glanced toward Nyx one final time before smirking. "This isn’t over."

Then dark portals suddenly opened behind all of them. One after another, the fallen angels disappeared into the darkness until the battlefield finally became silent again.

The academy grounds were left heavily damaged most were because of Nyx, her powers were chaotic. Destroyed towers, cracked earth, burning dominion flames.

"Who the hell is their real leader?" Ryan questioned.

"That I will find out soon." Nyx replied shifting her blindfold.

Lucien stared around quietly afterward before finally speaking. "...What exactly did he mean earlier?"

Nyx turned slightly toward him. "About what?"

"When he said the fallen angels owned this academy too."

For a moment, Nyx remained silent, then she finally answered. "The Dominion Academy originally belonged to Lucifer."

Lucien frowned slightly while listening carefully.

"He created this academy himself thousands of years ago," Nyx continued calmly. "Back then, devils and fallen angels still stood together under one throne we were all devil."

"The throne of Lucifer," Ryan added quietly.

Nyx nodded lightly. "He ruled over all devil-kind and every dominion user beneath the Ethereal Hierarchy. The academy existed to train powerful dominion users and prepare them for ascension."

Lucien folded his arms. "Then what happened?"

Nyx’s expression darkened slightly. "Lucifer trusted the fallen angels too much."

The night wind blew softly across the destroyed academy grounds while everyone quietly listened.

"He gave them authority," she continued. "Positions within the academy, control over territories, armies, knowledge." Her voice lowered slightly afterward. "They stood beside him for centuries."

"And then they betrayed him?" Lucien asked quietly.

Nyx nodded once. "When Lucifer died, the unity between devils and fallen angels collapsed instantly."

A/N: Leave a review and don’t forget to vote with power stones to keep me motivated.