Published at 26th of February 2026 6:13 am

Chapter 2025 The beautiful past

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Woosh

Althera landed in front of Robin's Guard residence, and immediately furrowed her brows as she sensed a sudden explosion of soul force.

With two lightning-quick, purposeful strides, she crossed the threshold of the residence. The sight that greeted her was both horrifying and strangely satisfying. Barok, the persistent troublemaker, was pinned in place like a lifeless, antiquated puppet.

The sound of bones cracking and his blood sizzling in the air reached her ears, a grotesque symphony that elicited an involuntary shiver. A small, guilty sense of relief curled within her chest, after all, this was the same scoundrel who had recently arrogantly informed her of her "failures."

He had boasted earlier today that she had managed to stop three Royal Soul Masters whom she contracted, claiming now that they served him exclusively. And as if that were not enough, he demanded she pay quadruple the usual price if she wanted her soul borrowings to continue flowing normally.

Althera's pride had refused outright. Besides, she no longer had the vast reserves necessary to satisfy such extortion. The academy's resources had been nearly exhausted over the past fifty years, devoured in the plague wars, particularly the catastrophic Blue Plague. Seeing him now so thoroughly humiliated, stripped of his audacity, brought her a momentary, guilty pleasure- a fleeting satisfaction in the cruel justice of fate.

Yet, despite the personal vindication, Althera could not remain idle. As a stellar academy headmistress, responsibility demanded action. She took a step forward, her voice firm yet measured:

"... Very well, Lord Robin, that is enough. Please release him immediately."

Robin, seated comfortably, looked up with a small, amused smile. "Ah, Lady Althera," he said lightly, his tone deceptively casual, "this thing came barging in while I was meeting with my son, calling me Althera's dog right in front of him. Is that the kind of behavior you approve of?"

Althera's brow furrowed, and she shot a glance toward Barok. Yet, seeing him teeter on the knife's edge between life and death, she exhaled, letting a trace of relief mix with her concern. She turned her attention back to Robin, her voice sharp but controlled: "I believe he has received his punishment now, Lord Robin."

"Just a little, why the rush?" Robin chuckled lightly, then gestured to his son. "By the way, this is Lady Althera, the head of this academy and a dear, long-standing Friend of your father."

Richard inclined his head politely. "Greetings."

"Welcome to the academy. Had I known Lord Robin's son was here, I would have greeted you more properly," Althera replied with cool detachment, her piercing gaze roaming over Richard as though dissecting every nuance of his presence, attempting to uncover any hidden truth within him.

Crack... crack...

"...!!!!" By now, Barok's clothing was soaked with blood, the bones of his thighs and spine shattered, his eyes nearly bursting from their sockets. Althera's eyes flickered as she sensed the approach of his inevitable end, and yet, despite the severity of the scene, she allowed herself a faint, almost imperceptible smile toward Richard.

"Can you ask your father to stop? I cannot allow someone to die in the academy," she said softly, yet with authority.

Richard raised his hands in resignation. "Sorry, you are on you own. He's very stubborn to listen to me."

"Lord Robin!!" Althera raised her voice.

"Alright, ALRIGHT!" Robin gave a smile, then closed the soul gate atop Barok.

Puff

In the next heartbeat, Barok collapsed, first onto his knees and then face-first onto the ground with a sickening thud. "Aghh!!!" His body began to convulse uncontrollably. On the outside, he retained the semblance of his human form, but inside, everything was broken and dysfunctional.

Hooooh-

With tremendous effort, Barok opened several soul gates around himself, unleashing torrents of violet soul force that surged into his body, wrapping around his vital organs with brutal force to prevent them from failing completely. "Aaah!!" he screamed, the energy binding his organs and forcing them to function, an agony almost unbearable in its intensity.

Then, from one of the gates emerged a magnificent bull with two massive, gleaming horns. With careful precision, the bull lifted Barok by the horns, holding him aloft as if he were a mere puppet. "Aaahh!!" it moved him steadily toward the door.

Even in his dire state, Barok's eyes burned with a murderous intent directed squarely at Robin. "I will remember... what happened... today..."

"Good!" Robin called out with a broad, almost amused smile, waving dismissively as the bull carried Barok out of sight. "Indeed, leave even a single breath in a Royal Soul Master, and they'll spring back to life like a cockroach." "Do you really think that was wise?" Richard asked, turning to his father with concern. "It's clear he's going to harbor intense hatred for you now." "Forget him. He's foolish, looking only at his own feet," Robin chuckled. "I disciplined him with nothing but pure soul force. Instead of contemplating how I reached such heights of power when I needed him to teach me once, he immediately chose to threaten me first. He's hopeless, truly beyond repair." Then Robin's smile widened even further, stretching across his face with a hint of amusement and cold calculation. "But he is still a Royal Soul Master," he continued, his voice calm yet layered with a subtle menace. "During his recovery, he will inevitably recall the events that just transpired and notice the enormous gap between us. At that moment, he will likely decide to disappear from my sight for good. Most likely, we won't see him again, ever. He will vanish like a shadow at dusk, and no force in this academy-or beyond-will be able to bring him back, hehe."

Althera finally spoke, her voice sharp, tinged with frustration and disbelief. "Was that really necessary? Attacking a Royal Soul Master inside the academy... do you even realize the chaos you've caused me just by because I didn't intervene with full force? Do you know how many obligations and protocols I'm about to have to deal with because of this?"

Robin waved a dismissive hand, chuckling lightly, though there was a sharp edge beneath his laughter. "What obligations? He's just a trivial figure, barely worth the effort," he said, his eyes glinting with that cold, imperial amusement. "Be honest-did you secretly enjoy the title Althera's Dog or something?" Althera's cheeks burned with both embarrassment and indignation. "Lord Robin, this is not a subject for mockery. When Barok spreads the word that I didn't assist him today, I will likely lose the majority of the Royal Soul Masters I contracted after Morgana left-perhaps all of them. You know the emphasize these Royal Soul Masters put on protection. This one slip might have just

causes me all of them."

Robin waved his hand again, mildly irritated now, though still holding that calm, infuriating composure. "They're just Royal Soul Masters," he said firmly. "If you wish, you can claim all the rewards owed to you from the Sacred Covenant Academy in the form of soul borrowings. As much as you dsire, it will be there waiting for you. We no longer have any shortage of that resource, so take it

freely."

Althera's cheeks reddened even further, this time from the compounded embarrassment of responsibility and exposure.

She inwardly wished the earth would split open and swallow her whole-for

two distinct reasons.

The first reason was financial pressure. Every time she and her deputy successfully eradicated a Blue Plague, the Sacred Covenant Academy provided them with a substantial reward. At first, Althera had resisted this "favor" vehemently, viewing it as both an obligation and a slight upon her independence. However, the sheer magnitude of the reward-essentially life-altering in value-forced her to accept. Morgana had made it clear that these rewards were not mere charity, but strategic contributions aimed at maintaining sector stability, given that the academy no longer possessed overseers capable of combating the Blue Plague on their own. This system, though necessary, had driven Althera, her deputy, and dozens of senior Soul Society members to actively hunt the Blue Plague, seeking the rewards, rather than waiting passively for crises to occur. Naturally, none of these rewards enriched Althera personally-they were diverted to fund the Peacekeeping Army, pay staff salaries, and maintain the academy's educational framework. After losing a significant number of students, the academy had to lower tuition fees to attract children from less fortunate backgrounds, compounding the operational strain.

The second reason for her intense discomfort was strategic and deeply unsettling. Despite her academy failing to produce a single Royal Soul Master in the modern era, the Sacred Covenant Academy was now creating them in Mass. The implication was staggering, highlighting a shift in the balance of power she could hardly ignore.

Althera had tried to maintain her composure, a calm and stern facade befitting a Stellar Academy headmistress, but the reality had shifted so violently in such a short span of time that her inner panic struggled to stay contained. Compared to the academy's past, which was only like a century or two ago... the present reality had become painfully harsh.

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