The Phantom's Gambit-Chapter 40: Aftermath (Factions and Frenemies)

"You’re all going to be apprehended until we uncover whatever it is you’re hiding," Thorne declared, and Immediately, a contingent of guards strode forward, forming a circle around the Architect students.

Otto stepped forward, his voice firm despite the tension. "What’s the reason for our arrest?" he asked Thorne.

Thorne’s gaze shifted from the guards to Otto, his eyes flashing with anger. "What did you just say to me?"

Otto swallowed hard, attempting to repeat his question, but Thorne’s response was swift and brutal. He raised his leg and delivered a vicious kick to Otto’s face, sending him crashing to the ground.

Ambrose instinctively drew his dagger, ready to defend himself and his comrades against Thorne’s aggression. However, before he could react, the guards swiftly intervened, apprehending him and confiscating his dagger.

Octavius’s voice rang out, intentionally loud and clear, as he addressed Thorne.

"Let me get this straight. You’re ordering our arrest because, for the first time since the tournament began, we’ve made a significant effort that surpassed the other factions?"

Thorne’s face twisted in a snarl as he took in Octavius form, surprised and angry that someone who he was bigger and taller than, had the nerve to speak to him.

He pointed a finger at Octavius as he respond "It’s because of you all that a fellow student died."

Octavius’s eyes flashed with anger as he pointed at the three students standing at the side, their bodies covered in blood - but not their own. "No one died!" Octavius countered, his voice rising. "But because of you, a Kragg with a child was killed!"

"It wasn’t someone, it was a monster!"

Octavius took a step forward, his voice thundering with indignation. "A monster with child! A monster that was protecting itself, not harming anyone. It didn’t kill any faction members."

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"He was going to step on one of yours" Thorne pointed at Nadia.

"Because you shot at it! You killed someone innocent just because you perceived it as a monster. You’re the real monster."

Octavius was beginning to deviate but he didn’t care to acknowledge it at this point.

Thorne’s face reddened as he struggled to formulate a response to Octavius’s impassioned words. But he was at a loss, for deep down, he knew that Octavius/Edwin was partially right.

Yet, his ingrained prejudice against monsters refused to yield. In his mind, monsters were abominations that deserved punishment by the blade.

Thorne’s gaze shifted to the guards, and he began to issue a new command. "Take them all to the—"

But before he could finish, a firm voice intervened. "You will do no such thing, Thorne."

The Mage of the Architect faction had appeared, his authoritative tone brooking no dissent. He turned to the guards and dismissed them with a wave of his hand. "You are dismissed."

The guards hesitated, unsure of what to do, but when Thorne failed to countermand the order, they reluctantly withdrew, leaving the tense standoff to unfold without their intervention.

The Mage moved closer to Thorne, his voice dropping to a whisper that was still audible to the surrounding Architect faction members. "Did you really plan to apprehend your fiancée?"

Octavius’s gaze darted to Marilyn, his expression puzzled. Marilyn’s face, however, revealed that she was already aware of the situation.

Thorne’s grin was a thin-lipped affair, his teeth clenched in suppressed anger. He bowed his head slightly in deference to the Mage before turning to leave, his companions following right behind.

The elegant lady who had first introduced herself on the grand stage at the beginning of the tournament, reappeared on the stage as the tension dissipated. With a warm smile, she began to announce the scores of the individual participants who had successfully earned points.

A dignified lady, apparently a teacher from the Conjurer faction, stepped forward and raised her rune. An empty score list materialized in the air, visible to all, with the rankings

E /

D /

C /

B /

A /

S /

"Thirty-two of you are still ranked E," the First Lady announced.

As soon as she spoke, the list updated in mid-air, displaying the number of participants that ranked E:

E / 32

"Five individuals have achieved a rank of D," the teacher announced. "One from the Healers faction, two from the Leviathan faction, one from the Conjurerr faction, and one from the Architect faction."

As she spoke, the list in mid-air updated to reflect the new rankings:

D / 5.

Instantly, a small screen materialized in the vision of those who had been ranked D. Otto and Amy were the sole representatives of their respective factions to achieve this rank. Few of the others who had received a D ranking were the same individuals who had attempted to ambush Octavius earlier.

"One individual had managed to attempt the rank of C"

C / 1.

Again, the score reflected on the score midair but it did not reflect any screen in Octavius vision. He figured it wasn’t because he missed the passage rites and had no mark on his head and that meant he didn’t really belong to a Faction.

"One individual had managed to attempt the rank of B"

B / 1.

"One individual had managed to attempt the rank of A"

A / 1.

The teacher’s announcement sparked a mix of reactions among the participants. Those who had achieved a higher ranking watched on with satisfaction, while others who hadn’t looked on with a mixture of disappointment, especially since the Architect faction had dominated the rankings.

The teacher explained the benefits of the rankings. "The most ranked individuals will lead their faction’s tiers. They will have access to Wysteria Academy’s exclusive buildings, artifacts, and library. Additionally, they will receive exclusive weekly visits to the Mages’ Council for personal mentorship, among other privileges."

The teacher continued, "The top three ranks are S, A, and B. However, since there are no S-ranked individuals, we will adjust the rankings to focus on the top two, A and B."

Octavius cursed under his breath, regretting his restraint during the tournament. Having access to the Academy’s resources would have been incredibly beneficial with his plans.

As the teacher finished speaking, the elegant lady returned to the stage. "Now, it’s time to announce the overall winner of the tournament. The Inter-Faction Tournament champion is... the Architect faction!"

The announcement was met with silence, and no one applauded. Otto, thinking the lady was facing the wrong direction, spoke up, "We’re over here."

The lady turned briefly to face the Architect faction, forcing a smile before turning back to the Leviathan faction. "The second-place winner is the Leviathan faction."

This announcement was met with thunderous applause from the audience. The Architect faction, however, scoffed in disbelief.

As Emery, the Architect mage, ushered his students out of the tournament grounds and towards their dorm, the Architect faction students, followed reluctantly, still grumbling among themselves.

Amidst the departure, Void, still inhabiting Octavius’s body, caught sight of the people that ambushed him earlier.

One of them was leaning on the other for support, wincing in pain from the fracture Void had inflicted earlier. Their eyes met, and Void flashed a mischievous wink. [Told you, ]

With that, Void turned and followed the others out of the building, leaving his ambushers to seethe in frustration and pain.