Reborn Financier-Chapter 53: The Shadows After Curfew

Meng Ji stepped between them, looking from Raelius to Kaidën, then back again.

"Raelius—"

"Stay out of this!" he barked. "This is between me and him!"

A breeze passed through, carrying tension like a silent scream.

Kaidën’s gaze flicked up, just briefly, and for the first time all day, his eyes sharpened.

"...You sure you want a round two?" he asked, voice low.

No more humor. No more mockery. Just a quiet edge in his words. One that made even Meng Ji go still.

Raelius gritted his teeth. "You humiliated me in front of everyone."

"No," Kaidën said, stepping forward at last, his voice now cold and calm. "You humiliated yourself. I just didn’t stop you."

The two stood face to face, the air around them charged like a coming storm.

And just before anything could explode—

A bell rang in the distance. Distant, eerie.

Dong...

The curfew bell rang through the academy grounds like a ghostly toll, its echo stretching into the dusky skies. A few birds flitted away into the growing darkness as dorm lights began flickering one by one.

Raelius clenched his fists so hard they bled.

But Kaidën didn’t wait for a reply. He just turned, hands back in his pockets, and kept walking—leaving behind a shaking rival and a quiet girl staring after him

Kaidën, silent and detached, walked toward his dorm with the lazy gait of someone who had just completed a long, uneventful day. The shadows danced with the wind, but his eyes, half-lidded, missed nothing. His hands were stuffed into the pockets of his uniform, the cool night breeze brushing through his hair.

Then—

CRACK!

A burst of mana and sound.

Before Kaidën could even blink, a massive force struck his back.

His body was hurled like a broken ragdoll across the stone pavement. He crashed into a pillar with such force that it shattered at the top, collapsing in a cloud of dust and debris. The ground trembled faintly beneath the impact.

The courtyard fell quiet.

And from the shadows, someone stepped into the moonlight.

Raelius.

But this wasn’t the same pampered noble from before. His face was twisted, veins bulging unnaturally around his jaw and temple. His fists were clenched so tight his knuckles bled. Dark mist began to radiate from his body — oily and malevolent.

"I warned you..." he said, voice low and trembling. "You humiliated me. You made me look like a fool before the empire, before my followers, before—everyone."

His eyes flashed crimson. "Now, I’ll carve your corpse into the academy floor so no one ever dares laugh at me again."

Just then, light footsteps echoed from the other side.

Meng Ji emerged, a blur of white and silver. Her robes fluttered slightly as she moved toward the rubble, eyes wide.

"Raelius! What the hell are you doing!?" she barked. "It’s curfew! You’ll be expelled if anyone sees this!"

But Raelius didn’t even glance at her.

His entire body was trembling, and not from fear. Rage boiled off him in waves, twisting his form into something monstrous. Dark lines began creeping up his neck like living tattoos.

"I don’t care! I don’t care about the curfew, the academy, the empire—I’ll burn it all down if I have to!"

Meng Ji’s expression darkened. She took a step forward and placed herself between Raelius and Kaidën’s body, which lay face-down in the dust.

"Then you’ll go through me first."

With a sharp motion, she drew her sword. The metal gleamed under the moonlight, cold and resolute.

Raelius tilted his head.

"Oh? So you are lovers. That’s why you’re protecting him, huh?"

Meng Ji’s face went red. "Wha—No! Don’t spout such filth!"

But Raelius was already moving.

He lunged. Their blades met with a clang that sent sparks flying.

The ground split beneath their feet as Raelius swung furiously, trying to overpower her with raw strength. Meng Ji ducked, side-stepped, and retaliated with fluid elegance—every strike calculated. She moved like a dancer, spinning and twisting to stay ahead of his onslaught.

But he was getting faster.

And stronger.

Raelius’s skin began to bubble and shift. His right hand morphed—longer, darker, clawed.

Meng Ji’s blade slashed across his shoulder. Blood sprayed—but Raelius didn’t flinch.

"Too slow," he hissed.

He countered with a feral backhand that sent Meng Ji skidding across the courtyard, her boots scraping against stone. She steadied herself just in time to parry a devastating overhead slash.

"You’re not Raelius anymore," she spat. "You’re letting that cursed power consume you!"

Raelius only grinned wider. "Maybe... but I feel alive!" His pupils dilated, madness growing.

He roared.

The roar wasn’t human—it was something deeper, something demonic. Buildings trembled. Windows cracked.

One of his arms completely transformed into a jagged black limb, armored with dark scales and claws that glowed faintly with red glyphs. A stubby horn began to sprout from his forehead.

Meng Ji’s breath grew heavy. She gripped her sword tighter, blood dripping from her nose. Her limbs ached, but she didn’t back down.

"You think power will make them respect you?" she said. "All it’ll do is make them fear you—and forget you when you’re gone."

He leapt forward.

She met him midair.

The collision cracked the stone beneath them. Blades sang. Dust exploded.

They moved faster than the eye could follow. Blow after blow. Cuts appeared across Meng Ji’s arms, her side, her legs. But she didn’t fall.

Until—

Raelius’s fist slammed into her ribs.

Crack.

She gasped. Her sword dropped. Her body arced backward through the air and slammed into the side wall. She fell to the ground, coughing blood.

She tried to stand. Once. Twice.

Her knees buckled.

Raelius stalked toward her, now half-demon. His voice distorted, deeper.

"Pathetic. For all your words... this is all you can do?"

He raised his clawed arm.

Meng Ji’s eyes closed.

"I... tried."

CRACK.

He brought the claw down—

—but stopped.

His eyes widened.

Behind him, a figure stood.

Dust-covered.

Silent.

Kaidën.

And his eyes were open.

"Looks like it’s time to act"

To be continued...