Chapter 1801: The Magic Academy's Eastern Exchange Student 31-33

Laisuo was taken away by the academy's investigation team; all elementary department students saw this, and rumors spread again.

Lain was extremely anxious, declaring he would find a way to save his brother, and hurried back to the Holy Hall.

"Jin Chen."

Blum and those who should leave have left; even after calling out again, Jin Chen, who was preparing to leave, was stopped.

"You still have something to say?" Jin Chen asked.

"A letter from the imperial court: be careful of the Holy Hall, especially the newly awakened Holy Son Lain."

Blum finally got a chance to finish speaking, his expression unusually grave: "Just now Lain suddenly came over; I couldn't say it, but it seems already too late."

Jin Chen's eyes turned cold: "Is that all? No other explanation?"

Blum was frightened by his aura, quickly shaking his head: "I'm only delivering my father's message; I don't know anything else."

Jin Chen pondered a moment, took out a few magic spirit stones and gave them to him: "Watch over Lain for me; if I don't return home before Lain's investigation ends, tell him I'm at the Holy Hall."

"Alright..."

Blum, fearing that refusing would get him beaten, accepted the magic spirit stones.

Outside the Holy Hall, the prison building had just been repaired.

"Hey! Wait! You rude guy!"

A semi-transparent ghost old man with an upturned beard shouted, "I can fly myself!"

Being held by Jin Chen, he didn't give an ounce of respect to the former Holy Emperor.

Jin Chen let go, threw a red line over to pull him, dragging the ghost like a balloon: "Answer my questions, don't run!"

"Is that how you ask questions!" Duoduo, his beard bristling with anger, regretted deeply introducing himself to Jin Chen that day.

Jin Chen raised his fist.

"Oh! You damned brat! What do you want to ask!"

Duoduo embarrassedly rubbed his beard, coughing twice.

Jin Chen spoke extremely fast, not wanting to waste time on nonsense, and went straight to the point.

"What happened inside the Holy Hall, and do you have any improper relations with the demon clan?"

Duoduo stared, the ghost's body swirling around Jin Chen like an inspection: "Strange, strange, what did you discover?"

"I'm a ghost; I can't say these things."

Duoduo said solemnly.

Jin Chen, dizzy from being shaken, frowned: "I set up a barrier; no one knows, speak quickly."

"Maybe you'd want to check the training ground." Duoduo's mysterious attitude unchanged, he suddenly leapt behind a stone pillar and struck a hiding pose.

"You know, a ghost is just a ghost."

Even as the former Holy Emperor, he still would be subject to the Holy Hall's restriction on ghosts.

Jin Chen, having gotten nothing important, angrily punched Duoduo three times; taking advantage of the Knight Corps' shift change, he sneaked again into the Mage Training Ground inside the Holy Hall.

The training ground also had a finely carved moon-white stone pillar, just like the one Duoduo pretended to hide behind earlier.

Jin Chen approached, raised his hand to press on the stone pillar to test it; his eyes narrowed coldly, and he pressed down hard with his fingers.

With a few cracking sounds, the stone pillar fissured, spilling a spiderweb-like halo of light.

Residue of non-systematic magic.

Thinking of Aliya, who had mysteriously disappeared that day, Jin Chen's eyes turned icy and ruthless as he gazed toward the corresponding Holy Son Hall.

【"Wow! The Holy Hall representing light is actually not so simple!"】 Ling Gun Gun flipped through the original plot again and suddenly realized.

【"No wonder in the original plot Aliya could rightfully become the Holy Son; the Holy Hall had planned it this way."】

Boom!

The stone pillar was smashed by Jin Chen and collapsed with a roar.

Alarm sounded; Jin Chen coldly watched the approaching Knight Corps, his figure vanished on the spot, and as he left he caught two Shadow-seeking Sprites scattered in various corners of the Holy Hall.

——

Vispa Academy.

Ms. Eliana happened to be heading to the imperial court for a meeting, unaware that Laisuo was under investigation, while the investigation team was jointly stationed by the Six Institutes, and even the Vice Dean couldn't control them.

Laisuo underwent an investigation lasting three class periods.

The final result was that no evidence was found, but because Laisuo's identity was too sensitive, he still couldn't clear his suspicion, receiving a punishment of half a month's confinement.

"Utterly unreasonable!"

Upon hearing this, Professor Jeffrey was furious, suspecting that the investigation team had also been infiltrated by the Holy Hall, wanting to punish their students despite having no evidence.

The investigation team's leader, wearing a neat magic robe, put on an elegant fake smile and said: "Mr. Jeffrey, this is the final result given by the Six Institutes Investigation Team; if you have any objections..."

He laughed inexplicably, glanced at Jeffrey, seeming to think him unqualified.

"Or wait for Dean Eliana to return and let her file an application for a retrial."

Laisuo stood in the corner, his gloomy eyes under the hood fixed on the person in charge, and after a few seconds he walked away without a word.

He had already gotten the answer he wanted.

Lain was waiting outside the hallway, and the whole academy knew of Laisuo's punishment.

"Brother!"

Lain hurried over, his cute face full of worry: "Are you alright?"

Laisuo's eyes darkened slightly; he looked up at him: "I'm fine, why are you here?"

"I'm very anxious, I want to see my brother soon."

Lain comforted: "But it's fine, it's just confinement; there's no danger."

He didn't notice that Laisuo's gaze grew increasingly complex, even approaching indifference.

Suddenly Laisuo raised his hand, gently stroking Lian's cheek, a faint smile on his lips, his voice soft and low: 'How about you go put your brother in confinement?'

'... What?'

Lian froze for a moment, quite surprised, not expecting Laisuo to say such a thing.

'No… brother, I'm scared.'

Lian quickly composed himself, pulling Laisuo's other hand to act coquettish, eyes brimming with moisture: 'Brother, you can't bear to, right?'

Laisuo's expression didn't change much, suppressing his anger, the hand that had been stroking his face moved down and pulled open Lian's collar.

Similar to his vine marking, Lian also had a unique light magic pattern that no one could replicate.

Seeing the familiar pattern, Laisuo's eyes trembled, and he pressed tightly on his shoulder.

'Brother… it hurts.'

Lian flinched from the pain, his expression growing more pitiful: 'What's wrong with you? You never used to treat me like this.'

Laisuo froze in place, the hand hanging in the air slowly lowering, he lifted his eyes and drew a cold smile, his red eyes fixed on Lian.

'You weren't like this before.'

The sense of unfamiliarity over this period is not an illusion; someone has taken over Lian's body.

Where is his brother now?

Lian merely felt sad: 'Brother, you've become so strange.'

As soon as the words fell, both of them, without hearing approaching footsteps, turned back in unison.

Lian in white robes, pure as an angel, and Laisuo beneath a black cloak with an icy expression, shared completely similar appearance and build.

Lian's sorrowful expression had not yet faded as he stared straight at Jin Chen, truly evoking pity.

This scene fell into Jin Chen's eyes; that familiar feeling crept up again, he narrowed his eyes slightly, a intriguing ruthlessness flickering in the depths of his gaze.

【Villain Blackening Value +5, total 30!】

'Jin Chen…'

Laisuo called softly, his voice no longer cold, sounding somewhat helpless.

Jin Chen walked straight over, embracing the boy who lunged into his arms, his voice low and calm: 'I heard the punishment decision.'

'Before Miss Eliana returns, we'll go live in the rear forest and ignore them.'

Laisuo let out a muffled hum in his embrace, his voice choked as he wrapped his arms around Jin Chen's neck, confirming once again.

'Only us.'

'Of course.'

Lian was extremely sad: 'Brother, you…'

'Shut up.' Jin Chen snapped sharply.

Lian jumped in fright, his light-gold eyes brimming with tears as he looked at Jin Chen: 'Why are you being so harsh on me!'

Jin Chen's fierce glare was terrifying; his icy gaze swept over, and with one hand he clenched Lian's throat: 'If you don't want to die here.'

Lian's pupils dilated instantly, the feeling of his breath being constricted was truly unpleasant, mixed with shock hidden beneath the fear.

'It hurts…' Lian squeezed out a breath from his throat, his trembling fingers resting on Jin Chen's hand back, only to be avoided in disgust.

'Jin Chen, don't.' Laisuo grabbed Jin Chen's hand, whispering: 'He… we'll talk about it when we go back.'

After all, this is his brother's body.

Watching the two quickly depart, Lian gasped a few breaths, shocked by Jin Chen's ruthless strike, as if… they had become the same.

Really damned.

Jin Chen, in front of everyone from the investigation team, took Laisuo away; the academy's guard team collectively lifted their heads to the sky, pretending not to see, while the hands hidden behind them frantically signaled them to leave quickly.

The Class S students, under the guidance of Teacher Bielak, also blocked the investigation team's pursuit.

At the entrance of the rear forest, the little witch erected a high magical barrier: 'Pah! Foolish humans! Whoever dares to enter, watch out— the black mist kid will unleash spiders to bite you!'

'Just spiders, who are you trying to scare?'

The investigation team members scoffed.

As the words fell, with Laisuo's black mist swirling, a two-story-tall giant spider magic beast slowly crawled out from the vine cave.

The investigation team as a whole: '……'

The Class S students all shook their heads: 'What's the point?'

The investigation team's faces were like wilted vegetables; they could only watch helplessly as they left.

Teacher Bielak let out a breath, then explained pretentiously: 'This also counts as confinement.'

'If the investigation team finds this unacceptable, then wait until our Dean returns to discuss it.'

The sarcastic remark turned into a boomerang that came back to sting them; the investigation team was furious yet couldn't say anything.

——

Inside the rear forest wooden cabin.

The little witch sat on the table, swinging her legs: 'Living here is great! Tall guy, what's that expression? Aren't you happy?'

Jin Chen gave her a glance, then handed over what the Shadow-seeking Sprite had recorded to Laisuo to see.

'Aliya had met the Holy Emperor before being imprisoned.'

Laisuo gradually understood what Jin Chen meant, and this speculation startled him into a cold sweat.

'Is it Aliya inside Lian's body?'

'To become the Holy Temple's Son, he would actually go to such lengths?'

Laisuo's voice turned slightly hoarse: 'Then is my brother…'

He dared not continue, instead turning his head and burying himself in Jin Chen's embrace, silent.

【Hey there.】Ling Gun Gun sighed, 【If this continues, Lian probably died before losing consciousness.】

How could Laisuo not have guessed?

Jin Chen kissed his forehead, 'Want to go test it out?'

I don't dare…

Laisuo first murmured, unable to face his brother's death, but thinking it very likely that Aliya had occupied Lai En's body, he tensed, his hatred boiling.

Good.

Laisuo replied in a hoarse voice, pressing close to Jin Chen's neck, his heart burning intensely.

The little witch heard them muttering a bunch of words, didn't really understand, but still sought a sense of presence, hopping around on the table.

'What do you want to test! Do you need my help?'

Jin Chen: 'Borrow your little poisonous beasts for a moment.'

'Sure!' The little witch thought for a moment and nodded.

The night was hazy.

Delian, who had been tossing and turning unable to sleep in the dorm, sat up, irritably scratching his head.

Why do I always feel like I can see Aliya's shadow in Lai En—am I really the type to love one person after another?

Thinking of Aliya, Delian sighed again, still unable to accept that he could be so evil, so adept at disguise.

Suddenly, a disturbance came from outside the window.

'Who!'

Delian looked warily over, picking up the magic wand placed at the head of the bed.

Jin Chen opened the window expressionlessly, shaking the rope in his hand.

Ten minutes later.

Below the dormitory building, fluorescent little sprites flitted about, dim yet tranquil.

'Hey…'

Delian wanted to cry but had no tears: 'Calling Lai En out at this hour, people will think I'm crazy.'

'Then just stand here for the night.' Jin Chen said coldly.

Delian cursed inwardly, but dared not delay.

He really didn't want to come down either!

But what can he do if he can't beat Jin Chen?

As he chanted the spell, their 'urgent as law' had already been shouted!

What Delian didn't expect was that, not long after the flying letter was sent out, Lai En actually came down to meet him.

Thinking of Jin Chen's warning, Delian's heart raced unusually, both hoping the guess was true and fearing it really was him.

'Delian, classmate.'

Lai En walked over lightly, a cute smile on his face, 'May I ask what you need from me?'

'…Good evening.'

Delian instinctively greeted him, fingers tightening around that charm, and went straight to the point.

'Are you Lai En or Aliya?'

'My feeling isn't wrong…… you are Aliya, right?'

Delian spoke one sentence after another, his emotions also somewhat agitated.

Lai En shook his head, the smile at the corner of his mouth somewhat inexplicable, 'I don't know what you're talking about, Delian.'

He stared at Delian, enunciating each word: 'I am not Aliya.'

Almost as soon as his words fell, Delian couldn't wait to lower his head to look at the charm in his hand.

There was no change at all.

Lai En…… wasn't lying?!

In the shadows, Jin Chen and Laisuo exchanged a glance, both somewhat surprised.

'How could this be……'

Laisuo's hand hanging at his side tightened slightly, 'Could it be that I guessed wrong?'

'There's another possibility.'

Jin Chen, after thinking, suddenly realized and said softly: 'Aliya is also a body he snatched; the void mage himself has no physical form.'

That way, he really wasn't lying just now.

'Wait here for me.' Jin Chen rubbed Laisuo's hair and walked out.

As strange footsteps approached, Lai En instinctively sensed danger and glanced warily to the left.

'Jin Chen…?'

Lai En suddenly realized something, glanced at Delian without a trace, guessing his identity was suspected.

Whoosh!

The air seemed to be sliced by something, a fleeting golden light flickered before his eyes, Lai En instinctively closed his eyes, but a chill swiftly spread from the back of his neck.

He instinctively straightened his neck and slowly looked back.

A golden sword tore through the air.

——

'Be careful!'

Delian still couldn't help reminding.

Lai En dodged with extreme speed, radiant light overflowing around him to form a magical barrier.

But that sword easily broke through it, shredding it completely!

Jin Chen's every strike was precise, just to force out the white cloak and remove Lai En's disguise.

But the fragment aura hidden in Lai En's body constantly interfered with him.

Thus, the originally one-sided fight was forcibly turned into an even match.

"Are you trying to kill me?"

"Shut up!"

Lai En's body had just awakened from a coma and couldn't sustain high-intensity combat, but Jin Chen never intended to fight with magic, leaving Lai En quickly panting from exhaustion.

No matter how angry he got, Jin Chen couldn't bring himself to deal a fatal blow to Lai En, who carried the fragment aura.

This realization only made Jin Chen angrier.

As this cycle continued, Lai En's true identity remained undiscovered, Jin Chen's face grew ever darker, and his primal Spiritual Power began to spill out uncontrollably.

At that moment, the ground beneath them suddenly cracked, and thick black vines burst through the fissures, coiling around.

Laisuo, hiding in the dark, could no longer restrain himself—how could he fail to notice Jin Chen's oddness?

"Dark magic formation..."

"When did this happen!"

Dealing with Jin Chen was already taxing for Lai En; he had no spare attention for the formation slowly forming beneath his feet.

After reacting, he panicked and stepped back, only to collide with the emerging Laisuo, hastily unleashing a light-sphere attack.

"Don't waste your effort."

Laisuo's voice was indifferent, his tense young face somewhat pallid.

"This magic formation was designed specifically to deal with you."

Since they were young, they often helped each other boost their magical power; Laisuo's understanding of light power even surpassed that of the monster currently residing in Lai En's body.

The surging dark power swirled like a vortex; Lai En stood within, daring not to venture, even feeling as if his soul were about to be squeezed out.

Lai En went limp, silently releasing the power that attracted magical beasts and demons; his dazed pale-gold eyes filled with tears as he trembled, gazing at Jin Chen.

"Save me..."

"Damn."

Jin Chen could finally no longer suppress it; the anger in his heart surged unprecedentedly.

【Suppress the Heavenly Dao.】

"Okay… okay!" Ling Gun Gun hastily replied.

The instant Jin Chen rushed forward, flames blazed across the formation, rapidly closing in to surround Lai En.

"Ah!!!"

Lai En's pupils widened, he cried out in pain, a sensation as if his blood were reversing flooded his body; he tried to smother the flames but found his body wasn't even ignited.

The flames burning within the formation scorched the soul.

Delian was frightened by this scene, retreating several steps, "Truly… truly a demon."

Jin Chen is terrifying too!

Laisuo nearby strangely touched his chest, feeling no fear at all, as if he knew these flames would never harm him no matter what.

The firelight illuminated the whole plaza; the dormitory building began to stir, patrolling elf guards hurriedly notified the on-campus teachers, and the normally quiet Weisipa erupted in turmoil.

When the investigation team stationed at Weisipa Academy and the Holy Hall members tasked with protecting the Holy Son arrived, it was already too late.

Lai En's body went limp and fell to the ground, where Laisuo helped him up.

Yet in midair floated a humanoid soul wrapped in flames, its wails unceasing, capable of tearing apart one's eardrums.

Jin Chen raised his hand and, grasping that soul's throat out of thin air, his expression dark and inscrutable, exuding a grim chill.

Jin Chen extracted Lai En's soul!

The arriving crowd was stunned by this sight.

"Jin Chen! What are you doing!"

Teacher Bailak questioned them even before the investigation team, trying to confine the matter to a campus brawl.

Jin Chen gave them a cold glance; Bailak startled, his steps frozen, daring not to advance.

The investigation team wanted to step forward, but as soon as they lifted their feet, their throats tightened, their hearts trembled as if bound by vines, and black mist seeped from their mouths and noses.

"Dark… dark magic!"

They stared in shock, feeling their faces, then glared angrily at Laisuo.

"It happened during the investigation!"

Laisuo had actually been using dark magic on them all along!

Laisuo lowered his hood, lifted his eyelids to look at them, his eyes a deep, cool hue.

"No one may harm Jin Chen."

The investigation team members fell one after another, dragged into the formation, clearly about to be consumed by the flames.

Panicked, the academy teachers rushed to rescue, only to discover the flames couldn't even reach them!

"What's going on…"

The water magic female teacher likewise found the fire impossible to extinguish.

The advanced-division students who came to help were utterly bewildered, not knowing what to do.

Jeffrey gradually turned his gaze to Jin Chen, incredulous yet deeply moved, "Jin Chen can control the flames, scorching only evil souls."

Boom—

The night sky flashed with lightning and thunder, intermittently bright as day.

Suddenly something tore through the night sky, rushing forward.

"Warning! Demon invasion!"

The guardian spirit's amplified voice from the academy's main gate spread throughout the academy.

"Let's go resist the demons! Here… leave it to Jin Chen."

Jiefuli made a swift decision.

"No! Wait!" The Holy Temple's people stopped them, "Jin Chen is harming our Holy Son! He's a Light Mage!"

"He isn't Lainen."

Laisuo cut off that person's words, his gaze icy as he looked over: "He's the former Aliya, a No-System Mage, and an undercover agent of the Demon Clan colluding with your Holy Emperor."

Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked.

At that moment, accompanied by a final, unwilling, blood‑curdling scream, the roasted soul could no longer bear it; a flickering golden light was drawn out by Jin Chen and instantly flew into Laisuo's brow.

Laisuo lowered his head; his index finger suddenly ached again. He raised his hand and pressed it, and another drop of blood welled out, and he suddenly understood.

The devouring power of No-System Magic.

Recalling why Jin Chen had repeatedly refrained from delivering a killing blow, Laisuo drew a deep breath, his icy gaze fixed on the torn, scattering soul; his lips parted slightly as he silently chanted a kind of black magic.

Academy teachers and Advanced Division students rushed to the academy's main gate, while the Holy Temple's people, looking at the Holy Son's body protected by Laisuo, were at a loss and failed to understand what collusion between the Holy Emperor and the Demon Clan meant.

Amidst this chaos, the dark magic formation gradually faded.

Jin Chen suddenly strode a few steps, firmly locking Laisuo in his embrace, his breath somewhat disordered.

Laisuo was shoved back, the lover's ring tightening around Jin Chen's shoulder, and he too could sense his instability.

"I know…"

Laisuo gently rubbed Jin Chen's back, whispering in his ear: "I know you didn't want to let him go because of me."

"I love you, Jin Chen."

Jin Chen's heavy breathing gradually eased, low pants escaping as he licked and kissed the youth's lips, his breath scorching.

Laisuo obediently accepted his rubbing; when their lips parted, he took Jin Chen's hand and placed it over his own heart, murmuring, "I'm fine… Jin Chen."

Jin Chen's tensed body suddenly relaxed, burying his face in Laisuo's neck as he let out a long sigh.

When he personally pulled away that wisp of soul, a panic he had never felt before exploded in Jin Chen's heart; only by embracing his beloved at this moment did it ease.

【Villain Heartthrob Value +10, total 90!】