Anomaly of Fate
Chapter 54: Orchestrated Chaos

Chapter 54: Orchestrated Chaos

’Damn...’

A cocky noble on one side. And a princess of the kingdom on the other. What a matchup they were about to had.

Mikhail, ever the arrogant one, immediately unholstered his ornate firearm—a sleek, silver-barreled gun lined with intricate carvings. He let out an exaggerated sigh, shaking his head.

"It is good to see you again, Princess Solenne."

His tone was... dripping... with some kind of a mock formality, but the princess and her partner remained silent.

They didn’t react—not even a twitch of annoyance. Instead, they were simply... watching. Assessing.

Velren felt their gazes sweeping across the battlefield, taking in every minor detail. He disliked it. It was... unsettling.

Then, just as swiftly, Mikhail turned his attention toward him and Eterna. With an arched brow, he lazily gestured at them.

"And you are?"

Velren, uninterested, simply remained silent. No need to entertain this guy.

But before the silence could stretch on too long—

"Eterna Lys."

Her voice was calm, matter-of-fact, as if stating the most mundane thing.

Velren gave her a quick side glance.

’Really? Just handing out her name that easily?’

Mikhail, however, only smirked as he took a moment to carefully inspect them. His gaze flickered from their uniforms, to their weapons, to their stance. Then—

"Class 1-C? 1-B?"

A knowing chuckle left his lips.

"Either way, your chances of winning this exam are already gone. So, the best move would be to back off while you still can."

Honestly? That sounded tempting. It was rational, logical, even.

But Velren had already fought, clawed, and endured too much to just give up now.

So Backing off at this point? No way in hell.

And besides—

He glanced to his sides, only to find Eterna who already had her rapier drawn. The gleaming silver edge of her blade pointed ever so slightly forward.

Velren let out a tired breath.

’Figures...’

The rest of them were briefly surprised by the girl’s sudden action.

’Hah! Those guys just didn’t know how badass she was.’

Mikhail sighed, and without hesitation, he fired his gun. A magic projectile was shot straight at Velren—swift, precise, and undoubtedly lethal.

But the moment it should’ve connected—

It phased through an afterimage.

Velren’s figure flickered, vanishing like a mirage under the scorching sun.

The rest of them froze, stunned by the sight. Then, instinct took over.

They jumped back, weapons drawn, bodies tensed, ready for the all out battle.

The moment their stances solidified, the battle erupted.

Mikhail fired first.

A barrage of magic-infused bullets tore through the air, streaking toward Velren and Eterna in a split second. But Velren was already moving. His figure shimmered, flickering in and out like a mirage as the bullets phased through afterimages, striking only empty space.

Eterna, on the other hand, dashed forward, weaving between the shots with near-effortless precision. Her rapier flashed as she lunged toward Mikhail, forcing him to disengage.

But before Velren could even think of regrouping with her—

BOOM!

A wave of raw elemental force detonated between them. A surge of wind and fire exploded outward, sending debris flying as a figure strode through the chaos.

Princess Solenne.

Her golden hair glowed under the ethereal light of the metallic platform, and in her hand, her ornate Scepter pulsed with raw power.

Velren barely had time to react before the ground beneath him froze solid, ice creeping up his boots, locking him in place. At the same time, Mikhail took advantage of the moment, his gun barrel glowing as another barrage of magic-infused bullets rained down toward them.

’Shit—!’

The battlefield broke apart.

Eterna had already separated, locked in combat with Mikhail’s ally and the princess’s partner deeper into the clearing. Velren, meanwhile, was stuck in the worst possible scenario—alone against—who he would’ve guessed—two of the most dangerous opponents here.

One, a noble marksman whose magic bullets could pierce defenses.

The other, a princess with command over every known element.

"...Damn," Velren exhaled sharply, gripping his katana.

"I got the short end of the stick."

***

Velren moved first.

His Ka activated, flickering his presence across the battlefield in a blur of afterimages. He zigzagged unpredictably, closing the gap toward Mikhail while feigning an attack toward Solenne.

Mikhail sneered.

"Tch—cheap tricks."

He raised his gun and fired, his shots imbued with tracking magic to lock onto Velren’s movements. But instead of hitting flesh, the bullets phased harmlessly through the flickering illusions, missing their true target.

Then—

A sudden shift in temperature.

The air around them crackled. The humidity vanished in an instant, replaced by an oppressive, dry heat.

Velren barely had time to react before a wall of fire erupted between him and Mikhail, cutting off his advance. He skidded to a stop, darting his eyes to the side—

Solenne.

She had moved. Not fast, but deliberately. Her expression was eerily calm, alongside her scepter that was aglow as multiple elements intertwined at her fingertips.

She wasn’t just reacting. She was orchestrating the battlefield.

Velren’s instincts screamed at him.

Move!

He twisted just in time—

A lightning spear descended from above, striking the spot where he had been a fraction of a second ago. The explosion sent shockwaves rippling outward, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Velren barely recovered before he was forced to move again.

Because Mikhail took the opportunity to attack.

A high-speed magic bullet, glowing with piercing energy, shot toward him from the side.

’Damn! First is magic arrow, now a magic bullet?!’

Velren pivoted sharply, flashing his katana—

CLANG!

A direct deflection. The force still sent a jolt up his arm, but he managed to redirect the bullet, sending it ricocheting harmlessly into the ground.

Then—

A shadow loomed over him.

Solenne was already upon him.

She swung her scepter in a wide arc, and Velren barely had time to block before an invisible force—like a concentrated burst of gravity—slammed into him.

The impact sent him flying straight toward Mikhail.

The noble smirked, raising his gun.

"A shame you wasted your trick."

He pulled the trigger—

But Velren phased his way out once more., causing the noble’s shot to hit nothing.

The next instant, Velren was already behind him.

His katana swung, aiming to end it in one precise stroke—

But a wall of water surged between them. The liquid barrier hardened into ice in the blink of an eye, forcing Velren to halt his strike.

Once again—Solenne.

Velren clicked his tongue.

’Can she stop doing that?!’

This wasn’t just raw power. This was strategy. She wasn’t wasting her Ka by throwing out attacks randomly. Every spell, every element she wielded, was meant to guide the battlefield to her advantage.

And the worst part?

Mikhail and Velren were both playing into it.