Psychic Overlord

In one of the highest-tier VIP lounges, which was located directly opposite the Supreme Force’s box and equally insulated with telepathic dampeners, an opulent chamber buzzed with a far more youthful, relaxed energy.

This was the ’Heir Pavilion’.

It was named so because it was not the place for elites who were commanders, presidents, or instructors, but rather the next generation of top esper clans whose power reached throughout the esper world... the second generations.

They weren’t just talented; they were bloodlines refined through generations, each chosen to represent the future of their respective families.

And in the center, sitting languidly on a plush crimson lounge chair like a theater critic watching a new stage play, was Davion Plastine, heir to the infamous puppet clan of Epsilon City.

His crimson coat gleamed under the indirect lighting, his gloved fingers twirling his cane absentmindedly while his legs crossed with aristocratic grace.

Eleanor stood silently beside him, perfectly still, like a decorative statue... or a living reminder of his twisted ’art’.

"Look at them all, the so-called prodigies of the Special Echelon. I can’t believe the Federation’s entire PR machine is hyping up a high-school tournament." came a drawling voice from the side.

The speaker was Ryu Kurosawa, the only son of the global information syndicate and current wielder of the family’s data manipulation ability. His short gray hair was slicked back, and his angular glasses glinted as the light caught them.

His fingers moved slowly over a transparent datapad filled with tournament stats, but his eyes were glued to one name.

Kaizer Lunin, The Overlord.

"Don’t be too dismissive, Ryu." came another voice, being that of Alexei Vólkov, known publicly as Earthen Lord.

His cold blue eyes were focused, a faint flow of earth energy surging through the collar of his exquisite green coat. "Some of these kids are real, that ’Overlord’ kid, especially. They say he beat three S-Classes and four A-Class espers in Al-Rafid."

Davion rolled his eyes dramatically, sipping from a crystal wine glass filled with golden syrup.

"Ah yes, that fairytale again. Our dear Kaizer, ’chosen’ by the Dean, feared by the Commission, adored by the people." He said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Davion leaned forward with a wicked grin, voice lowering. "It’s adorable, really. The way everyone talks about him like he’s already Reaper reborn."

Ryu arched a brow. "So, you’re saying it’s false?"

Davion smirked as if they’d just asked if the moon was made of cheese.

"Oh please, he only survived Al-Rafid because of Rina. That girl is a Death Goddess in more than just name. Anyone with an ounce of power sense can tell that she is the real threat." Davion stated derisively. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"Didn’t you fight him?" Alexei asked, narrowing his eyes.

The room went still for a second as Ryu glanced up from his pad and a few others, seated on the fringes of the lounge, leaned in slightly.

Davion chuckled. "Fight? My dear Eleanor toyed with him like a cat batting a crippled bird. I didn’t even have to raise a hand because he couldn’t touch me and couldn’t even affect me. His psychic powers slipped off like water on glass."

Ryu hummed and pointed to the names on the board on the display. "Interesting, but... here he stands, alive."

Davion’s smile twitched. "Because Rina showed up. That little hellspawn blasted Eleanor away and tried to disfigure me. I’d have turned her into a doll if I wasn’t... interrupted."

"Interrupted?" Alexei asked with a smirk.

Davion ignored him and leaned further back in his chair, resting his gloved hand on Eleanor’s head like a king petting a prized beast.

"He’s only standing there because I let him. Make no mistake." Davion stated forcefully, his eyes dark.

Ryu glanced at his datapad again. "He’s listed as S-Class now. You really think someone like the Dean would choose a weakling?"

"Power is relative! The Dean sees only potential, and Kaizer? He’s a rook at best, with the world mistaking him for the king." Davion snapped.

A smooth, lazy voice interrupted them.

"I dunno... that rook’s been toppling a lot of pieces lately."

The speaker was Rafael Azmadi, heir to the gravity-controlling Azmadi Clan and wielder of the ability Weight Manipulation. He wore a half-buttoned designer shirt and aviators indoors, reclining with one boot propped on the coffee table.

He grinned. "I watched the secret broadcast of the manor fight. The one your girl Eleanor was in? Looked like Kaizer held out longer than most could."

Davion’s smile vanished. "Held out? He was pummeled."

"Still walked away and that says something." Rafael shrugged.

He then smiled provocatively. "Besides, I like his vibe. He’s got that... ’calm before a psychic storm’ look."

Alexei folded his arms and nodded. "He doesn’t panic. I like that too."

Ryu’s fingers paused on his datapad. "I find his telesthesia troubling."

That made the others pause.

Davion narrowed his eyes. "How so?"

Ryu looked up. "There are very few espers who can counter passive and active telesthesia both. Kaizer’s been confirmed to possess an active telesthesia range of nearly three hundred meters. This guy doesn’t just see the battlefield, he basically owns it."

A moment of silence followed.

Then Davion scoffed. "Please. Telesthesia is a parlor trick when it meets true chaos. What will he do when he fights someone who also has precognition and can avoid his pre-emptive strikes?"

Rafael smirked behind his glass. "You mean like your darling Eleanor who was specifically chosen to deal with him?"

"Careful, Azmadi. My patience is not limitless." Davion warned with a venomous smile.

Rafael just lifted his glass in a toast. "To patience, then."

Ryu’s eyes flicked to the tournament bracket as more names filled in. He spoke quietly, but clearly. "You hate him."

Davion didn’t respond.

"No, you envy him, because the Dean chose him. Not you." Ryu added with a thin smile.

Davion’s fingers clenched his cane. For a moment, the glamour of the heir, the performer, the noble esper... all faded.

He muttered under his breath, venom coiling around every word.

"He took what was mine. My seat. My future. My legacy. I was born for the Dean."

Rafael’s smile faded slowly while Ryu sipped his drink.

Alexei finally spoke again, voice low and thoughtful. "Then prove it. If he’s just a pawn, knock him off the board."

Davion’s eyes gleamed, his smile returning like poison from a vat.

"Oh... I intend to."

He stood, brushing off invisible dust from his coat and glancing toward the glass pane. Down below, Kaizer’s name continued to pulse with that intense blue hue.

"Let him win. Let him gather fame, glory, comrades, and cheers."

Davion turned, cane clicking with each step toward the far side of the room.

"Because when I take it all away..."

He paused beside Eleanor and whispered into her ear.

"...it’ll mean so much more."

The air in the heir’s box remained tense even after he left, the weight of his malice staining the silence.

Ryu glanced at the name once more... Overlord.

He tapped his datapad once, saving the matchups, then whispered to himself.

"...I want to see how this ends."

.........

Inside the colossal stadium, as the last batch of competitors entered the registration corridor and the bracket board finalized, the lights across the arena dimmed one by one, plunging the battlefield into ambient darkness.

The air trembled with electricity as students and spectators alike felt galvanized when a sudden burst of violet light exploded at the heart of the arena stage, spreading outward like a rapidly generating 3D realm.

Then came a familiar voice, sultry and sharp.

"Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed mentors, sponsors, spectators... and of course, our brilliant esper students."

The spotlight hit the central platform.

Standing there, glowing faintly beneath the refracted beams of light from above, was Lysandra Mores, the Head of the Academy’s Medical Division and known secretly to the faculty as Chrono Seraphim, one of the few A-Class espers capable of freezing time.

Tonight, she was not here to lecture or heal, but rather was the official host of the End of Year Assessment.

And damn did she look the part.

She wore a sleeveless high-collared violet qipao with side slits that highlighted her slender figure, along with a pair of black gloves that extended to her elbows, trimmed with silver thread that glowed a little in the light.

Her high heels clicked delicately as she stepped forward, but the sound reverberated through the entire stadium like the stab of a stiletto while her green hair, tied into a loose braid, seemed to float with a weightless grace.

Cheers erupted from the student stands and even some faculty members smiled wryly. After all, Lysandra was infamous for her ability to combine grace with danger.

Kaizer, seated alongside his group in the Titanium Division lounge, raised an eyebrow. "That’s... unexpected."

"Oh my God, the Academy Doctor is hot," Julius whispered reverently.

Lisa cackled. "She’s always been hot, you just needed the right lighting."

Rina squinted suspiciously. "Hmph, Big Sis Lys is using the same tricks she taught me?! And they work?!"

Lysandra raised a hand and the crowd slowly settled as her voice rang out throughout the stadium.

"Welcome... to the 74th Esper Academy End of Year Assessment!"