Chapter 230: The Wicked Don’t Die Young [Part 2] A day before the Battle Royale, Alex had used his last remaining Academy Points to buy the expensive Body and Soul Healing Potion in preparation for his fight against Willow. As he had handed it to Dim Dim, he instructed his partner to only feed him the potion if the time was right. Heeding his words, the little bun waited until Alex had dealt a decisive blow to the enemy, who had no idea that her opponents had thoroughly taken everything into account, including her fighting prowess. But the potion alone was not enough to give Alex a true recovery. Fortunately, someone with Nature Magic could help him. Coincidentally, there was one First Year who had it—Lapiz, the Elven Princess. Her Nature Magic was capable of boosting the effects of the two potions that Alex had drunk, making them twice as powerful! After the young lady was done administering first aid, the pain Alex felt decreased considerably. However, it was not entirely gone. "Lapiz, please help me stand up," Alex said through gritted teeth. He wanted nothing more than to knock himself unconscious and sleep through this ordeal. Unfortunately, he couldn’t do that. Willow was still not defeated and must be dealt with before she found an opportunity to escape. Alex must end her here or suffer the consequences at a later time. "You should just lie down and rest," Lapiz replied softly but seriously. "You’re still seriously injured." "I know, but the battle is not yet over," Alex answered. "Besides, I made a promise." The young lady glanced in the direction of the shrieking Willow. She was bleeding so much that even her black clothes had taken on a reddish tint. She had also received damage to her soul, and the injury was driving her into a frenzy. "Please, Lapiz," Alex pleaded. "I still need to save Vaan." Lapiz didn’t know if she should listen to him or not. Just moving him might worsen his injuries, so she was hesitant to let him have his way. But as the young elven lady was having an internal battle, she heard some footsteps heading in their direction. "Who’s there?!" Lapiz took out her bow and aimed at the newcomer, a young man whose fists were covered in blood. "You look pitiful, President," Renard said in a tone that was somewhere between teasing and mocking. "Shut up and pick me up," Alex answered. "Or else, I’ll kick you out of the club." "Tsk!" Renard clicked his tongue but he helped Alex get to his feet. If Alex had threatened to expel him from Endless Horizon yesterday, Renard would not have hesitated to leave. But it was different now. After this incident, he knew that their Club would surely become the focus of the academy. Renard wasn’t someone who liked fame and attention. However, after meeting Alex, he realized that the silver-haired young man was a very mysterious person. Just like Lapiz, he had been nearby and had witnessed the battle between Alex and Willow. Renard couldn’t help but break in cold sweat as he watched the battle. He put himself in Alex’s shoes and knew that he would have died if it had been him who fought against the Demon Worshiper since her strength far surpassed any of the First Years inside the forest. And yet, Alex fought against her. Despite the overwhelming difference in strength, he held his ground. That alone made Renard feel his blood boil and his heart beating fast. He was someone who liked fighting, but he was not the type to fight hopeless battles. Watching Alex made him realize that sometimes, there were battles that one shouldn’t run away from. Even though he still didn’t like Alex, a part of him respected him now. "Let’s go." Renard supported Alex’s body so he could walk. Lapiz followed behind them with Dim Dim perched on top of her head. The Dim Sum God paid close attention to their surroundings, making sure that nothing would ambush its partner in his vulnerable state. It took a while, but they finally arrived at the writhing and groaning teenager. Blood seeped from the corners of his lips and eyes. "Y-You! How are you still alive?!!" Willow shouted in disbelief and anger. "How are you still alive?!" "Don’t you know that famous saying?" Alex replied. ""The wicked don’t die young. They endure, fester, and outlive saints." "You wicked thing!" Willow screeched as she tried to stand up. Unsurprisingly, she failed and fell, lacking the strength to move. The only thing she could do was squirm on the ground and curse at the top of her voice in anger and pain. "It’s time to leave Vaan’s body, Willow," Alex declared. "You lost." "Hahaha!" Willow started to laugh. "If I’m going to die, I’m taking Vaan with me! You will not separate the two of us!" "I see. So you still refuse to acknowledge your loss," Alex said. "Renard, let me sit down. After that, you and Lapiz back off for a hundred meters." "But it’s dangerous." Renard frowned. "You cannot defend yourself right now." "Don’t worry. Just trust me," Alex insisted. Renard’s frown deepened, but he decided to trust the young man. But just to be safe, he moved Alex ten meters away from Willow before helping him lower himself to the ground. "Are you sure about this?" Renard asked one more time. "Yes," Alex answered. "Don’t worry. She won’t be able to hurt me." Renard nodded and did as Alex had instructed while signalling to Lapiz to do the same. Dim Dim wanted to stay, but after Alex told the little bun of his plan, it fled to where Lapiz and Renard were without a backward glance. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂 Alex didn’t know if he should laugh or cry at his partner’s decisiveness. After taking a deep breath, he looked at Willow, who was clawing the ground as she dragged her body towards him. "I’ll kill you!" Willow hissed as she crawled. "I will kill you!" Alex took another deep breath and activated the Divine Skill he received from the Tone Deaf God. The skill was none other than the Voice of the End. A haunting voice escaped Alex’s lips. The moment it reached Willow’s ears, she flinched. What followed next was wails of utter agony. The Demon Worshipper’s body convulsed despite her many wounds, for the voice she heard was like that of countless nails scratching against a chalkboard, only a thousand times—no, ten thousand—worse. Willow’s soul possessed Vaan, but her real body was safe within the Demon Worshipers’ Headquarters. However, Alex wouldn’t allow such a dangerous individual to escape. It didn’t take a genius to understand that she would do everything in her power to kill Alex and his friends if she managed to get away from this battle. This was something that he would never allow to happen! A Rank 5 Demon Worshiper was already strong enough to kill Alex many times over. A Rank 7 Demon Worshiper who wanted to take revenge on him was an existence that he didn’t want to face, no matter what. So, Alex sang. He sang his heart out. He might no longer be able to wield a sword or use a shield to bash his enemy, but he still had a skill that didn’t need him to move and was strong enough to exorcise evil spirits! The students watching Alex and Willow frowned in confusion, unable to comprehend what was happening. "Hey, did someone turn the sound off?" a Second Year asked. "I can see that First Year moving his lips, but I can’t hear what he is saying," a Third Year commented. "Can someone fix this?" The students started asking for the magical screens to be fixed so they could hear what Alex was saying. That way, they would be able to understand what was happening. The Headmaster of the Academy, Rowan, smiled faintly. He was the one who had turned the volume all the way down to zero. As the headmaster, he had to take care of his students’ well-being. He had failed to protect some of his staff, but he would never let the students suffer... at least not under his watch. Professor Arienna had already informed him about Alex’s "hidden talent." In her words, it was "potent enough to cause irreparable psychological trauma." To ensure that no one else would be able to hear Alex’s singing, the Headmaster even controlled the "space" where Alex and Willow were, artificially creating some sort of soundproofing so that only those within the effective range of the skill would hear the young man’s singing. The Headmaster stared unflinchingly at the squirming and screaming Demon Worshiper, only sighing in relief when tendrils of black smoke finally escaped Vaan’s lips. Alex had successfully exorcised Willow’s evil spirit. When Vaan next woke up from this never-ending nightmare, he would be a free man once more.