Supreme Warlock System : From Zero to Ultimate With My Wives

Warlock Ch 322. The Only Survivor

No one spoke.

The battle mage forced out a hollow, broken chuckle. "I was too weak to move. I was already half-dead, just lying there, watching them get cut down like nothing." His hands clenched, knuckles white. "They didn't hesitate. They didn't ask questions. They just killed them."

Damian exhaled slowly. "Then how did you survive?"

The battle mage swallowed hard. "Another participant died near me. She had a… hiding crystal on her." His fingers twitched. "I crawled to it. Used it. They didn't see me."

Cedric's hands tightened around the armrest of his seat. "And you stayed hidden."

The battle mage nodded. "Until the fae found me."

Cedric's gaze sharpened. "And how do you know they were actually helping you?"

The battle mage swallowed, his throat visibly dry and raw from exhaustion. "Because they didn't do what the others did."

Cedric frowned. "What do you mean?"

The battle mage exhaled shakily, his fingers still trembling from whatever nightmare he had survived. "The ones who came before… the ones who killed my friends… they stabbed the corpses."

Cassius stiffened. "What?"

The battle mage's hands clenched, his eyes dark and distant. "They stabbed them. Again and again. Just to make sure they were dead." He inhaled sharply. "They walked through the battlefield like they were checking their work. Making sure no one survived."

Damian felt something cold settle in his chest. They hadn't just been killing. They had been thorough.

The battle lowered his head in horror. "The fae... They didn't do it... They were actually looking for survivors." His voice cracked slightly. "That's how I knew they were different."

Cassius let out a low, bitter laugh. "This is so fucked up."

Damian barely registered the words. His mind was racing, but all it did was make his blood boil. He reached into his coat, pulling out a small vial—the potion Evelyn had given him this morning. Without a word, he shoved it toward the battle mage. "Drink this."

The battle mage blinked, surprised. "What?"

Damian huffed. "You're barely standing, but you're still giving us information. You're useful. I don't need you keeling over mid-sentence."

The battle mage hesitated for only a second before taking the vial. "Thanks…" He pulled out the cork, lifting it to his lips—

Then he froze.

His gaze locked onto Damian, eyes going wide. His entire body flinched. "Wait. You're that crazy lunatic—!"

Damian's brow furrowed before it clicked.

Oh. Oh.

He squinted at the battle mage, finally actually looking at him. "Oh, shit! It's you!"

The battle mage gawked. "You remember me?!" 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Damian smirked. "Of course I do! You survived!"

Cedric, who had been taking this entire conversation very seriously, now turned his sharp gaze toward Damian. "…Care to explain?"

Cassius crossed his arms. "This should be good."

Damian suddenly felt very aware of Cedric's very unimpressed expression. He scratched the back of his head, laughing awkwardly. "Uh… well… So, you see…" He sighed dramatically. "I was lazy."

Cedric blinked. "Excuse me?"

Damian shrugged. "I didn't want to waste time fighting every single person in segment one. It was too much effort." He smirked. "So instead, I pretended to be a bloodthirsty lunatic."

Cassius immediately burst into laughter.

Victoria raised an eyebrow, clearly entertained. "Go on."

Damian smirked, leaning back. "I just… stormed at everyone like a madman. Screaming, laughing, acting completely unhinged." He grinned. "It worked. They were so freaked out, they ran."

Cedric stared at him.

The battle mage gaped.

Evelyn muttered, "Classic Damian."

Cedric pinched the bridge of his nose. "So you're telling me—" He took a breath. "—that you got through segment one not by fighting—but by terrifying the other participants into running away?"

"Pretty much, yeah." Damian smirked, leaning back with absolutely zero shame.

Cassius was practically wheezing at this point, clutching his sides like Damian had just told the funniest joke in the history of existence. "Oh, this is so good. You mean to tell me that while everyone was out there fighting for their lives, you were just… running around scaring the shit out of people for fun?"

Damian huffed. "Not for fun. For efficiency."

Cassius let out another loud laugh. "Same thing."

Cedric, meanwhile, looked like he was one step away from a migraine. He rubbed his temples, inhaled deeply, then muttered, "You have got to be kidding me."

Damian shrugged. "What can I say? It worked."

The battle mage let out a long, exasperated sigh. "I knew you weren't actually insane, but damn, I thought I was gonna die when I saw you charging at me."

Damian snorted. "Oh please, I didn't even touch you."

The battle mage scowled. "Yeah, because I ran for my goddamn life."

Cassius, still recovering, wiped at his eyes. "I gotta say, that is one of the dumbest yet most effective strategies I've ever heard."

Damian grinned. "Hey, I still fought, ya know. The monsters, the stubborn participants… but yeah, if I could scare them into running instead? Why wouldn't I?"

Cassius lost it again, laughing so hard he almost fell out of his seat. "Oh man. Imagine being one of the participants, getting ready for a full-on battle, and then some lunatic just charges at you, screaming like a damn psycho."

The battle mage muttered, "Yeah, imagine that."

Cedric exhaled slowly, clearly fighting the urge to slam his head against the nearest solid surface. "You are unbelievable."

Damian smirked. "I prefer the term efficient."

Cedric shot him a flat look. "Okay… enough of this." He exhaled sharply, pushing down whatever patience he had left. "We need to bring him to testify first, and after that, you're coming with us." His eyes flicked to the battle mage, voice sharp and unwavering. "If you stay here, they will hunt you down. They'll kill you before you even have the chance to tell your side of the story."

The battle mage tensed, fingers twitching. He wasn't stupid. He probably knew that was the case, but hearing it out loud—having it confirmed—it made things feel that much more real.

He swallowed hard. "Yeah… yeah, I figured as much."

All of them agreed.