Worse—Zane wasn’t even supposed to be involved in this. He had no reason to help Axel and Cassia. And yet… here he was.

  That thought pissed Orion off more than anything.

  His plan—the whole damn thing—was unraveling before his eyes. He had assumed this was just some half-assed revenge scheme by Benjamin. Even when Cassia returned, he still believed he was in control.

  But from the moment Axel’s plan worked—from the moment Zane turned against him—he felt it. Like he was just another piece on someone else’s board. Like every step he took had already been accounted for.

  "ZANE—!" Orion’s voice was pure rage as his body exploded forward. The force of his Awakening skill transformation sent a shockwave through the room, and he *launched* himself after Zane like a tank on a warpath.

  By the time he hit the hallway, the fight outside was in full chaos. And then— A low, mocking laugh echoed through the night. "Mr. Orion. Look at you now."

  Orion skidded to a halt. Standing in the middle of the battlefield, wearing a lazy smirk, was Griffin. The real Griffin.

  And the moment Orion laid eyes on him— The simmering rage exploded. His fists clenched. His vision blurred. He couldn’t contain it anymore. "Still acting smug? Fucking DIE!" Orion charged.

  In his state—wounded, furious, running on sheer instinct—there was no hesitation. No strategy. No words wasted. He just wanted Griffin’s blood on the floor.

  Griffin’s smirk faltered for the first time. He’d expected a fight. Expected resistance. But not this.

  Not Orion throwing himself into a kill-or-die attack from the first move.

  For a split second, Griffin wondered— Why does he look like he was already expecting me? He didn’t get to dwell on it. Because then—

  "BANG!"

  Orion’s fist collided with Griffin’s ribs, sending him flying. The impact rattled through his entire skeleton. He crashed hard, rolling across the pavement. Pain flared through his side, and when he coughed, something wet and metallic flooded his mouth. Blood.

  Shit. He forced himself up. That attack—injured or not, Orion was still a fucking monster. Griffin spat to the side, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. His ribs ached like hell, but he grinned. "Damn."

  Orion stood frozen, staring at Griffin—the real Griffin. If that punch had landed on Zane, he would’ve been a bloody smear on the ground. But "Griffin"? The bastard was still standing. Coughing up blood, sure. But alive. Intact.

  "You—you're really Griffin?"

  Griffin wiped his mouth, irritation flashing across his face. "What the fuck are you talking about?" Like he hadn’t been caught off guard by my arrival at all. Like he expected him.

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  Orion’s scowl deepened. His eyes flicked across the battlefield, locking onto a group near the corner of the warehouse—Axel, Cassia, Benjamin, and Zane.

  The rest of the onlookers were still trying to process the chaos. Confused. Uncertain.

  But Axel? Axel’s eyes were too calm. Too calculating. A chill ran down Orion’s spine. This wasn’t random. This wasn’t coincidence.

  A cold realization settled in his gut. "Griffin, you really want to fight me to the death, just to hand this whole thing over to an outsider?" Orion’s voice was low, sharp. "The most dangerous person here isn’t me—it’s him."

  He pointed directly at Axel. On the surface, Axel looked trapped, surrounded by Griffin’s men. It seemed like Griffin had control.

  But Orion knew better. Once the real fight started, Griffin’s men wouldn’t last five seconds against Axel. The bastard healed too fast. If Griffin and Orion exhausted themselves tearing each other apart, Axel would be the last one standing.

  But Griffin just sneered. "Trying to buy time? Orion, I’m done with your bullshit. We settle this—now."

  His body flickered—there one second, gone the next. A dagger gleamed in his hand as he reappeared, moving like a phantom, closing in fast.

  "Spatial awakening skill."

  Axel muttered the words absently, gripping a life crystal in his palm, letting its energy slowly restore his strength. His expression remained unreadable, eyes fixed on the battle unfolding before him.

  Cassia and Benjamin exchanged glances. Neither of them fully understood what the hell was going on, but when they turned to Axel, seeing the way he observed everything in silence, they didn’t dare interrupt him.

  Instead, their gazes drifted to Zane. Zane had dropped his disguise, panting heavily. Maintaining 'Strange Face' for so long had drained him. His whole body ached, but as he watched Orion and Griffin tear into each other, his face twisted into something… weird.

  "What the fuck even happened?" Cassia muttered.

  Zane let out a breathless chuckle, shaking his head. "Hell if I know."

  He had assumed Axel’s plan was just to buy time for them to escape. But now? Now the real Griffin had shown up.

  And because he had appeared early, Orion had lost his shit and started swinging the moment he saw Griffin.

  Zane wiped the sweat from his forehead. The performance earlier had ruined the cold, untouchable image he liked to keep up. But strangely enough— He didn’t feel embarrassed. If anything, he felt… hyped. Like he wanted to do it again.

  Benjamin leaned in close to Cassia, whispering, "I think your classmate planned all this."

  Cassia tensed. Her mind raced through every moment leading up to this. Before she left, Axel had known nothing about this situation. Everything that happened—every chaotic twist and turn—had unraveled within the last two hours.

  When she left earlier, she had been irritated. Annoyed that he was late. But now… Now, standing beside him, watching everything fall into place—

  Cassia had always thought of Axel as a boy whose talent had finally been discovered. Someone who had stepped out of the shadows, no longer needing her protection.

  But now— Now she saw it clearly. Axel’s mind, his way of thinking—it had never belonged to the world of students and classrooms. He had never been one of them.

  Zane glanced at Axel, and for a moment, a memory flashed through his mind—that night. The desperate, blood-soaked night when he first saw what Axel was truly capable of. The cold, ruthless precision of a young man who wasn’t afraid to gamble everything.

  Working with Axel was thrilling. But also terrifying.

  Zane suddenly realized—he wasn’t suited for playing the mastermind. He was better off as an executor, someone carrying out orders. Because if he ever went up against someone like Axel in a battle of wits, he wouldn’t even realize he was being outplayed until he was already dead.

  In the center of the battlefield, Orion and Griffin clashed violently, the sound of their blows echoing through the warehouse.

  Axel exhaled slowly, feeling an odd sense of relief. He was lucky. Lucky that he was facing Orion and not Griffin. Griffin’s awakening ability wasn’t raw strength—it was visual misdirection. A slippery, elusive nightmare to fight.

  Against Orion, Axel had an edge. He could trade injuries, push through damage, rely on his unnatural recovery. But Griffin? Griffin would wear him down until there was nothing left.