Dark Dragon: The Summoned Hero Is A Villain

Chapter 307: Explosion In The Dorms

The four figures rose slowly, their movements becoming jerky and mechanical, their cloaks rippling as if they were standing against the wind.

Noah and Arlo stared at them, both in their battle stances, eyes narrowed in focus.

"What are you waiting for, puppets?" Arlo grinned. "Come at me."

And without a word, the figures attacked.

The first two charged at Noah, their movements so fast they blurred.

He met them head-on, ducking under one’s swing while twisting to block the other’s punch.

The impact rattled through his arm, but he retaliated instantly, pivoting and driving his knee into one attacker’s chest, before following it with a burst of Fireball, point-blank.

The explosion of heat forced both figures back, but they didn’t fall.

The second pair went for Arlo. One of them somersaulted into the air, a curved blade flashing in their hand.

Arlo caught the blade with a conjured wall of ice, shattering it into glittering fragments, then launched a spike of frost straight through the haze.

The spike hit the intruder squarely in the shoulder, but the figure didn’t cry out. They simply lunged forward again.

The figures moved fast, blurring through the air with speed. Noah matched them speed for speed, his physical stats already at B-rank, but Arlo was different.

Arlo had two things on his side that let him match them blow for blow.

The first was his eyes. They let him see what move the figures would make even before they make them.

As the figures were being controlled by someone else, he could read the instructions, and counter them.

The second was his skills. He had skills that manipulated time. And the most important was the one that let him glimpse into the future, and read the possibilities, then choose the one he wanted.

He was Arlo Kael. He simply couldn’t lose. But that didn’t mean the figures couldn’t trouble him.

"They’re strong," he muttered, blocking another blow.

"Fast too," Noah replied, ducking as another cloaked figure came flying towards him.

He kicked the attacker back, then shot a stream of fire across the room.

The blaze caught the edge of one cloak, lighting it aflame, but the figure extinguished it with a roll and came charging back in.

Arlo froze a part of the floor, sending one opponent skidding helplessly into the wall, while Noah turned another’s cloak into a burning torch.

Yet every time one fell, they rose again, silently and tirelessly, moving with eerie synchronization.

Noah’s eyes narrowed, his mind analyzing their movements.

One attacker spun low, sweeping his legs. Noah jumped, twisting in the air to dodge.

The moment he landed, his fist ignited, and he slammed it into the figure’s face, sending a shockwave of fire outwards.

Another came from behind. Arlo caught the movement, raising his palm.

Frost erupted, forming a barrier that froze the air solid, blocking the blow. The impact shattered the wall of ice, shards flying like knives.

Noah gave him a nod. "Nice timing."

"Always," Arlo shot back.

The remaining two figures regrouped, circling. Their eyes, faintly glowing through the shadows of their hoods, flickered red for a moment.

Then, they lunged all at once.

Noah and Arlo moved in perfect sync. It was as if they’d coordinated it before.

Noah slid forward, his hand blazing with fire as he caught one figure’s wrist and twisted, slamming them into the ground.

At the same moment, Arlo ducked under a sweeping kick and drove his elbow into the assailant’s ribs, frost spreading from the point of contact.

Both attackers staggered, but the other two were already there, their combined strikes forcing them back.

"On your left!" Arlo shouted.

"I see it!" Noah swung his leg around, knocking one attacker’s legs from under them, then jumped backwards, fire swirling around his arms.

He hurled two Fireballs in quick succession, the blasts lighting up the room with orange heat.

Arlo took the cue, summoning a storm of icy wind that collided with the flames in the air.

The combination roared outwards, becoming a spiraling burst of fire and frost that hit the four figures like a wave.

The explosion sent smoke and debris flying. The walls trembled, and furniture splintered into pieces under the pressure.

For a moment, there was only silence, with only the hiss of evaporating frost and the faint crackle of residual fire filling the air.

Noah lowered his arm slowly, his breathing heavy. "That should do it."

"Yeah," Arlo said, wiping sweat from his forehead. "That was—"

The door burst open before he could finish.

Students poured in, shouting in confusion.

"What happened?"

"Was there an explosion?"

"Are you guys okay?"

The air was thick with smoke, making it hard to see. Someone casted a small wind spell to clear the air. The haze thinned, swirling towards the shattered window.

Then silence filled the air again.

The floor where the four figures had fallen was empty.

Not a single body remained, only scorch marks and cracks where their blows had landed.

Arlo’s expression hardened. "They’re gone."

Noah stared at the empty space, his jaw tightening. "Of course they are."

Around them, the students whispered nervously, some backing towards the door, others staring at the damage in awe.

The place looked like a storm had torn through it. The walls were scorched black, the floor cracked with jagged ice, and the air still held smoke.

Furniture lay overturned and splintered, and bits of shattered glass from the broken window glittered across the floor.

"What in the world happened here?" one student breathed.

"It looks like a duel," another whispered. "A big one."

"Who’d be crazy enough to fight in their dorm room?"

Heads turned towards Noah and Arlo, who stood side by side in the middle of the room, both covered in soot.

"Wait..." one of the gold-tier students muttered, eyes widening. "Is it them?"

"Noah Webb and Arlo Kael? Again?"

A wave of hushed murmurs swept through the hall.

"I knew it! I told you they’d end up fighting each other again!"

"Unbelievable. So, they didn’t fight when we wanted to watch, but decided to fight in private instead?! What a bummer."

"Look at this place! They must’ve used high-tier spells inside! Damn it! I would’ve paid good money to watch that fight."

Noah crossed his arms silently, letting the noise wash over him.

Arlo rubbed the back of his neck, muttering under his breath, "Great. Now we’re the stars of the dorm gossip circuit."

Before anyone else could say another word, a shadow fell across the room.

A bird swooped in through the broken window, wings shimmering with mana. In a flash of blue light, it transformed into a woman.

Professor Faye.

Her eyes swept over the destruction once, then landed squarely on Noah and Arlo.

Her sigh was long and weary. "Of course," she said flatly. "Of course it’s you two."

The students fell silent at once.

"Out," Faye said, not raising her voice but leaving no room for argument. "All of you. Now."

The students hesitated only for a moment before filing out, whispering excitedly as they went.

Within seconds, the room emptied, leaving only Noah, Arlo, and Faye standing there.

When the door closed behind the last curious onlooker, Faye pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled. "I swear, you two are singlehandedly testing the academy’s repair budget."

Arlo gave an awkward smile. "Good afternoon, Professor."

"Don’t you good afternoon me, Kael." She pointed at the charred ceiling. "Do you see this?"

"This," she waved broadly, "is not what classroom training is for. Yes, the academy encourages competition between students. No, it does not encourage turning dormitories into war zones!"

Noah and Arlo exchanged a brief glance, saying nothing.

Faye’s gaze sharpened. "Well? Do either of you plan on explaining yourselves?"

Silence.

Noah stood still, his expression blank. Arlo shifted slightly but kept his mouth shut.

The unspoken decision between them was clear. Saying anything about the cloaked attackers would only raise more questions they didn’t have answers to.

Faye’s eyes narrowed further. "I see. Playing silent now, are we?"

She crossed her arms. "Fine. You don’t want to talk? Then I’ll do the talking. You’re both following me to the faculty building."

"I’ll have staff come clean this mess, but you two will face disciplinary action. And no, before you ask, your rankings won’t save you."

Arlo grimaced. "Wasn’t going to ask," he said lightly, though his voice carried a trace of nervous humor.

"Move," Faye ordered.

They followed her through the corridors, which were filled with students.

Every student they passed stared at them, whispering behind cupped hands as the trio walked by.

Rumors on what had started The fight between the infamous Noah Webb and Arlo Kael were already being spun.

Faye didn’t speak again until they reached the faculty building.

She led them up the stairs, stopping at the door to her office.

"You’ll sit there," she said, pointing inside. "And we’ll have a very long conversation about respect for academy property and self control—"

She was interrupted by the sound of hurried footsteps.

A young faculty aide burst through the hall, pale and breathless. "Professor Faye!" he gasped.

Faye turned. "What is it?"

The aide’s voice shook. "A student, ma’am. Another one’s gone missing."