The combat field no longer resembled an organized training ground after the crimson chains wrapped themselves around the Vajra instructor. Cracks spread outward beneath the restraint anchors where the chains had erupted through reinforced stone moments earlier, and the damaged sections of the arena floor continued grinding softly under pressure every time the restrained demon struggled against the bindings. Dust drifted through the open training grounds from nearby sparring arenas while students farther across adjacent fields gradually slowed their own exercises after noticing the disturbance spreading through this section of the combat district. Several instructors in neighboring training zones had already turned their attention toward the field, though none immediately interfered. The Academy itself was loud enough that ordinary combat incidents rarely drew attention at first, but a giant restrained Vajra roaring hard enough to shake the outer barriers became increasingly difficult to ignore.
The crimson chains tightened again around the instructor's body when he attempted another violent surge forward.
The Vajra's anger no longer resembled ordinary irritation from a combat teacher correcting a disrespectful student. His breathing deepened heavily enough that steam-like heat rolled from his mouth between clenched teeth, and the demonic pressure leaking from his body continued thickening across the field in uneven waves that disturbed loose dust and forced several weaker students farther backward instinctively. Muscles beneath the restraints expanded gradually while the chains groaned under the increasing force transfer, and the reinforced stone around the anchor points fractured deeper every few moments.
Noctis stood several meters away from the restrained instructor while students continued retreating toward the outer edge of the field. Some still watched despite their instincts telling them to leave entirely. Others glanced repeatedly toward nearby instructors wondering whether upper Academy authorities would intervene again if the situation escalated further.
The Vajra's body continued changing.
At first the increase in size appeared gradual enough to seem like ordinary rage-fueled mana expansion, but the transformation did not stop. The instructor's frame widened visibly while dense muscle layered further beneath his already massive physique. His height rose steadily past the proportions of ordinary Vajra demons until portions of his combat attire strained audibly along the shoulders and torso. Dark red scales gradually emerged across parts of his forearms and neck first, then spread farther along the upper chest and portions of the jawline where rough draconic texture formed beneath the skin.
Noctis observed quietly.
His Omni Eyes activated naturally while he watched the transformation unfold, and layered information structures became visible across the Vajra's body alongside the unstable pressure fluctuations accompanying the mutation.
Dragon Hybrid Vajra.
The classification itself caught Noctis's interest more than the rage transformation.
The evolutionary pathway was abnormal.
Not natural inheritance.
Acquired integration.
Noctis continued studying the instructor while the crimson chains tightened harder around the growing body. The draconic adaptation patterns suggested absorbed dragon essence rather than true bloodline evolution. At some point in the past, the Vajra likely consumed or integrated dragonic material into his body successfully enough to partially mutate his combat structure.
Interesting.
But incomplete.
The Vajra's height eventually reached nearly four meters while the chains dug deeper into scaled flesh across portions of his torso and shoulders. His breathing grew heavier. The pressure leaking from him distorted the surrounding dust flow across the field, and students nearest the center finally stopped pretending this remained a normal training session before retreating farther toward the barriers.
The crimson chains strained visibly now.
The force transfer running through the restraints caused the anchor runes beneath the stone to pulse harder each time the Vajra flexed against them, and several sections of chain had already begun vibrating under the increasing pressure load.
Noctis remained unconcerned.
The chains were never intended to permanently restrain something this physically large once the transformation began escalating. They only needed to interrupt movement and control battlefield positioning temporarily.
One chain snapped first near the left shoulder restraint.
The break released a violent burst of pressure that scattered dust outward across the damaged training field while fragments of crimson mana dispersed into the surrounding air. The remaining chains immediately absorbed additional load afterward, tightening harder across the Vajra's torso and limbs as the giant demon roared again and forced more strength through his transformed body.
A second chain broke afterward near the lower torso anchor.
Then another.
The sound of snapping restraints echoed repeatedly across the field while students continued withdrawing toward safety. Several combat classes in neighboring arenas had fully stopped training by now, and even instructors from adjacent fields watched the escalating pressure with growing concern.
The Vajra finally tore the remaining chains apart completely.
Crimson fragments scattered across the field and dissolved gradually into fading mana particles while the transformed instructor straightened fully to his new height. Dragon scales covered sections of his body unevenly rather than symmetrically, reinforcing the impression that the hybridization remained unstable or incomplete. Two additional arms extended from behind his primary shoulders, thicker and more muscular than ordinary Vajra secondary limbs, and each set of arms shifted independently while the instructor stabilized his stance against the fractured training ground beneath him.
Then weapons appeared.
Mana gathered around each hand before condensing into solid forms.
One rear arm manifested a massive iron club reinforced with jagged scales along the striking surface. Another held a long combat staff layered with embedded rune channels. His primary hands summoned a broad sword and a heavy spear simultaneously while the surrounding pressure continued thickening across the field.
The students watching from the barriers grew quieter afterward.
Tracking the instructor's posture alone became difficult now because the four-armed weapon distribution forced constant stance adjustments as the giant body shifted its center of balance repeatedly across the damaged ground.
Noctis continued watching calmly.
Still unimpressed.
The transformation increased physical force significantly.
The movement speed likely improved too.
But the hybridization remained incomplete enough that the dragon adaptation felt superficial compared to actual draconic evolution.
The Vajra roared and launched forward again.
This time the movement carried far more acceleration than before. The enlarged body crossed the damaged field with explosive momentum while fractured stone shattered further beneath each step. The spear angled forward from the primary right arm while the sword remained lower across the opposite side prepared for rotational follow-up strikes. Behind him, the rear arms adjusted independently to maintain weapon spacing between the club and the staff.
Noctis finally smiled slightly.
Now the fight at least became less boring.
The pressure beneath the Vajra's leading step shifted again when Genesis Step altered Noctis's position across the battlefield. Instead of remaining directly within the forward charge line, Noctis displaced vertically through the movement flow and appeared above the giant instructor while the spear thrust passed beneath him.
His foot descended against the Vajra's shoulder.
The impact transferred force directly downward through the enlarged frame before dispersing outward across the training field in a heavy shockwave. Cracked stone erupted farther around the contact zone while the Vajra's body compressed under the sudden pressure spike, and one knee buckled hard enough to fracture the ground beneath it before the giant demon forced himself partially upright again.
The rear arm carrying the club swung upward immediately afterward in a wide rotational arc toward Noctis's descending position.
Genesis Step shifted his positioning again before the strike completed.
The club passed through empty air while displaced pressure rippled across the field from the missed swing, and Noctis reappeared directly in front of the Vajra's face close enough that the giant instructor's pupils visibly tightened.
Then Noctis flicked his forehead.
The motion itself remained casual.
The resulting force did not.
The Vajra's enlarged body launched backward across the field while the giant demon instinctively twisted mid-flight to regain orientation. His feet struck the ground first during the recovery attempt before the remaining momentum dragged him violently across the fractured arena surface. Stone shattered beneath the sliding force while the sword carved deep trenches into the field as the Vajra stabbed it downward trying to stabilize himself. Eventually the movement slowed enough that he regained balance through a heavy backward pivot, though dust and broken stone continued scattering outward around him.
When the Vajra looked up again, Noctis already stood in front of him.
Still smiling.
The expression irritated the instructor more than the attacks themselves.
He roared and attacked immediately.
The spear thrust forward while the sword followed from the opposite angle. Behind the primary assault, the rear arm carrying the club rotated downward in another heavy swing while the staff-bearing arm simultaneously traced partial circular rune structures through the air.
Fireballs formed first.
Then layered lightning bolts followed.
The combat field became increasingly chaotic as physical strikes and magical attacks overlapped continuously around Noctis's position. Explosions shattered sections of reinforced stone while streaks of lightning tore through drifting dust clouds across the arena. The students watching from the outer barriers struggled to track the movement patterns between the overlapping attacks because the giant Vajra fought with all four arms independently while continuously advancing forward.
Noctis moved through the attack patterns calmly.
Some attacks he avoided physically through short displacement shifts and repositioning steps between weapon trajectories. Others he ignored entirely.
A lightning bolt struck directly across his shoulder during one movement exchange before dispersing harmlessly against his body without even slowing him. A fireball detonated across the side of his coat moments later and broke apart into scattered flames that faded almost immediately afterward.
Level disparity alone made the elemental attacks meaningless.
His elemental immunities sat too high.
The Vajra's magic output could not penetrate them meaningfully even with the transformed amplification.
The instructor noticed eventually.
The realization only made his attacks more violent.
The battlefield deteriorated rapidly around them while the exchange continued. Sections of the training field collapsed inward from repeated impacts. Mana distortion spread unevenly through the air from overlapping attacks while dust and heat rolled continuously across the arena. Students standing near the outer barriers watched with expressions ranging between fascination and disbelief because Noctis still looked almost relaxed despite the scale of destruction spreading around him.
Noctis evaluated the Vajra continuously while fighting.
The hybridization disappointed him more the longer the battle continued.
The physical adaptation improved strength and speed significantly, but actual dragonic traits remained almost nonexistent beyond partial scales and enhanced body structure. No breath weapon. No draconic authority pressure. No elemental dominance. No instinctive dragon combat adaptation.
Just brute-force augmentation layered onto Vajra physiology.
Incomplete.
Noctis gradually lost interest.
The Vajra swung the club downward again while lightning circles formed simultaneously from the staff-bearing arm.
Genesis Step displaced Noctis outside the overlapping attack radius before the impacts landed.
He reappeared farther across the shattered training field afterward and finally stopped moving.
"Enough of this," Noctis said while looking toward the transformed instructor.
The Vajra immediately charged again despite the exhaustion beginning to creep into portions of his movement structure.
Noctis extended his right hand outward slightly to the side.
Blood particles appeared gradually around his arm first.
Then more gathered.
The surrounding pressure shifted subtly while the crimson particles condensed together into layered streams rotating around an invisible central frame. The shape lengthened steadily while dense blood-energy compressed into a physical structure, and eventually the curved blade of Bloodfang Reaper Scythe fully formed within Noctis's grasp.
The students watching from the barriers reacted immediately.
Several leaned forward instinctively trying to understand what they were seeing.
"He formed a weapon from blood…"
"Is that a vampire skill?"
A male vampire student near the rear barrier stared toward the scythe with visible confusion.
"No," he said quietly afterward. "I've never seen anything like that before."
The scythe itself radiated dense blood pressure through the surrounding field while Noctis adjusted his grip naturally against the long handle. The curved blade reflected portions of the drifting firelight still burning across damaged sections of the arena.
The Vajra closed distance again.
The enlarged body carried tremendous momentum during the charge while the remaining weapons aligned themselves for another layered attack sequence.
Genesis Step altered Noctis's position once more.
The Vajra continued forward initially before something crossed his vision unexpectedly.
Two severed arms flew through the air ahead of him still clutching the club and staff tightly within their hands. The weapons struck the ground first before the detached limbs followed moments later, tumbling heavily across broken stone while blood sprayed outward from the exposed severance points.
The Vajra's body continued moving several more steps before confusion overtook momentum.
Then he looked backward.
Both rear arms were gone.
Blood erupted heavily from the severed shoulders while exposed muscle and fractured bone remained visible beneath the uneven dragon scales surrounding the wounds.
The pain finally registered afterward.
The roar that escaped the Vajra no longer sounded like battlefield aggression. It sounded wounded. Furious. Disbelieving.
"My arms—!"
The remaining sword nearly slipped from his grip when the sudden imbalance disrupted his stance.
Noctis stood farther across the field again with Bloodfang Reaper Scythe rotating once through his hand before he rested the long handle casually against one shoulder.
His expression never changed.
The same relaxed smile remained across his face while blood dripped steadily from the curved edge of the scythe onto the shattered training ground beneath him.
Around the battlefield, the students finally understood something important.
Noctis had never treated the fight seriously at all.
The ruined training grounds remained filled with drifting dust, spreading blood, fractured stone, and unstable mana residue after the Vajra instructor lost the final leg beneath Bloodfang Reaper Scythe. The enormous body collapsed sideways through the damaged arena with enough force to widen several fractures already running beneath the field, and the partial dragon transformation covering portions of his body destabilized further once the shock from the final severance spread through his remaining torso. Dark red scales receded unevenly across his shoulders and neck while blood continued pouring heavily from the destroyed joints where all six limbs had been removed. One severed rear arm still clutched the broken mage staff farther across the battlefield while another disconnected limb rested near the shattered remains of the iron club, and the sword and spear lay separately embedded into cracked sections of reinforced stone where they landed during the collapse.
Students continued retreating farther from the center of the field while nearby instructors from neighboring combat sectors moved cautiously along the outer arena boundary trying to understand whether the situation had already passed beyond ordinary Academy authority. Several younger students standing behind the barriers had gone completely pale after seeing the amount of blood spreading through the shattered training grounds, and even older combat students who initially watched the exchange with excitement now looked increasingly uneasy while the mutilated Vajra twisted helplessly against broken stone.
The giant instructor no longer resembled the aggressive military teacher who had challenged Noctis earlier.
Without arms or legs, the transformed body could only convulse unevenly through spreading pools of blood while damaged muscles around the severed joints spasmed uncontrollably beneath collapsing dragon scales. His breathing had become ragged enough that blood bubbled from his mouth between panicked gasps, and every desperate movement dragged the ruined torso across fractured stone while streaks of crimson spread farther beneath him.
"No… no…"
The voice carried across the damaged field weakly while drifting smoke from scorched sections of the arena moved through the wind around him.
"Help…"
The desperation affected the surrounding students more heavily than the violence itself. Several looked away entirely. Others remained frozen near the barriers despite obvious fear because they had never seen a powerful demon reduced this completely before. The ruined training grounds themselves still carried lingering pressure from the earlier exchange. Heat rolled upward from shattered impact zones. Mana instability flickered intermittently through damaged portions of the field arrays. Dust continued shifting through the air whenever pressure changed around Noctis's position near the center of the battlefield.
Bloodfang Reaper Scythe rested across one shoulder while Noctis observed the dying transformation quietly.
The hybridization had been incomplete from the start.
The dragonic adaptation reinforced the Vajra's physical structure and increased combat output, but the transformation lacked deeper draconic integration. No authority pressure. No dragon breath. No elemental dominance. No adaptive instincts beyond brute-force enhancement. Once catastrophic damage overwhelmed the modified body, the hybridization began collapsing almost immediately under strain.
The Vajra twisted weakly again.
"Please…"
The giant demon no longer sounded angry.
Only terrified.
Then a shout carried across the combat district from farther beyond the training sectors while movement pressure approached rapidly through the surrounding Academy roads.
"STOP!"
Noctis turned naturally toward the approaching presence while the battlefield itself continued moving around him. Students still repositioned farther backward near the barriers while instructors from nearby sectors gathered along elevated walkways overlooking the destroyed arena. Wind carried smoke, dust, blood scent, and lingering mana residue through the ruined training grounds while the limbless Vajra continued convulsing weakly several meters away across fractured stone.
Farther beyond the damaged field, multiple armored figures advanced together through the Academy pathways with enough coordination that even before Omni Eyes activated, Noctis already recognized organized institutional combat discipline rather than ordinary instructors responding independently to chaos.
Omni Eyes layered information naturally across his vision while the approaching group spread outward entering the ruined combat sector.
Twenty-three demons.
Black enforcement armor reinforced with suppression arrays and restraint formations covered their bodies beneath Academy insignias. Some carried specialized capture chains coiled around their waists or forearms while others held heavier weapons designed for direct suppression operations. The pressure signatures varied, though none were weak. Baron-class bloodlines. Viscounts. Several Counts. Their movement patterns remained synchronized while they advanced through the drifting dust surrounding the ruined battlefield, automatically adjusting spacing between one another whenever fleeing students or damaged terrain interfered with formation flow.
Noctis studied the group briefly while blood continued spreading beneath the mutilated Vajra nearby.
These were likely Academy enforcement units.
The level of organization alone made that obvious enough.
Several enforcers slowed slightly after seeing the state of the battlefield itself. The ruined arena resembled the aftermath of a battlefield engagement rather than a training session. Deep trenches carved through the reinforced ground from failed weapon recovery attempts. Craters spread across portions of the shattered field where overlapping magic impacts detonated earlier. Detached limbs remained scattered through pools of blood while smoke still drifted upward from scorched stone.
One demon stepped forward from the advancing formation after they reached the outer combat boundary.
Red dragonkin.
Tall even among draconic races.
Black enforcement armor covered most of his body while exposed scaled sections remained visible around the neck and jawline beneath the collar plating. A longsword rested against his left side beside reinforced suppression restraints attached near the waist, and unlike several enforcers whose attention drifted toward the mutilated instructor lying across the field, the dragonkin focused entirely on Noctis from the moment he arrived.
His pressure spread outward gradually while he advanced several steps farther into the shattered arena.
"What exactly do you think you are doing?"
The question carried institutional authority rather than emotional outrage, though irritation already lingered beneath the controlled tone after seeing the condition of the battlefield.
Noctis remained relaxed while Bloodfang Reaper Scythe rested loosely against one shoulder and drifting dust moved around both of them through the damaged field.
"The teacher attacked me first."
The dragonkin's eyes shifted briefly toward the limbless Vajra twisting weakly against fractured stone while blood continued pouring through the ruined arena floor.
"You assaulted an Academy instructor during official training."
"He charged me first."
"You escalated the situation beyond control."
Noctis sighed quietly afterward while adjusting the scythe slightly against his shoulder. Nearby students continued watching carefully despite fear spreading throughout the combat district, and several instructors observing from neighboring sectors exchanged increasingly uneasy looks after realizing the enforcement division had arrived in full strength.
The dragonkin gestured sharply toward the mutilated Vajra.
"You severed all his limbs."
Noctis glanced briefly toward the ruined body before returning his attention toward the enforcer.
"He continued attacking after losing control," Noctis said calmly while wind carried smoke across the shattered field between them. "Also, it was six limbs, not four. He's a Vajra. The extra pair of arms on his back still count."
Several students reacted visibly after hearing the correction delivered in such an ordinary tone while the dying instructor continued bleeding across the battlefield nearby.
The dragonkin's expression hardened further.
"That level of brutality is unacceptable even among demons."
Noctis looked at him silently for several moments while drifting dust rolled through the damaged combat sector and the broken field arrays emitted unstable pulses beneath the shattered arena floor.
"Words really are useless," Noctis finally replied.
Multiple enforcers tightened posture immediately afterward while suppression formations along portions of their armor activated faintly in response.
"You're demons," Noctis continued while the battlefield remained active around them with spreading blood, frightened students, and lingering mana pressure from the destroyed arena. "Not clergy from the Holy Church. If you disagree with me, then use your fists. Otherwise stop pretending morality matters here."
The dragonkin narrowed his eyes.
"This Academy is governed by law."
Noctis shrugged slightly.
"Then maybe stop enrolling demons."
Several students farther behind the barriers physically reacted trying not to laugh while the enforcers around the dragonkin shifted into more aggressive positioning. The mutilated Vajra groaned weakly somewhere behind them while nearby instructors debated internally whether intervening now would only make the situation worse.
The dragonkin's pressure increased harder afterward.
"You think strength excuses everything?"
"In demon society?" Noctis looked briefly across the surrounding enforcement formation while the scythe continued resting against one shoulder. "Usually, yes."
The dragonkin's patience finally collapsed.
"Capture him."
The command spread immediately through the battlefield while the twenty-three enforcers accelerated together into coordinated suppression movement. Chains loosened from armored restraints. Rear-line casters activated layered formation circles across damaged sections of the field. Frontline demons shifted into advancing pressure positions attempting to encircle Noctis through overlapping approach vectors while drifting dust exploded outward beneath their movement.
Noctis watched them calmly while the ruined battlefield continued moving around him.
So they truly ignored Valdred's warning entirely.
The Vice Principal publicly warned the Academy several days earlier not to provoke him, yet here the enforcement division stood attempting direct suppression anyway while students and instructors from half the surrounding combat district watched from the barriers.
Bloodfang Reaper Scythe dissolved gradually afterward.
The curved crimson blade destabilized first into streams of blood particles while the long handle collapsed into flowing droplets that spiraled around Noctis's arm and merged naturally back into the black armor and trench coat covering his body. The blood disappeared into the layered fabric and plating while the advancing enforcers continued closing distance across shattered stone.
Then Noctis reached beneath the coat.
Nocturne emerged smoothly into his right hand.
Ruin followed into the left.
Several students focused completely afterward. Most of them had never seen firearms before outside rumors surrounding Noctis, and even portions of the enforcement unit slowed slightly after noticing the unfamiliar weapons because nothing about them resembled ordinary magical artifacts or demonic armaments.
Noctis adjusted his grip naturally while blood continued spreading across fractured stone around him and smoke drifted through the ruined training grounds from still-burning sections of the arena.
Then he looked briefly toward the students gathered near the barriers.
"Watch carefully," Noctis said calmly while the enforcers continued advancing through overlapping suppression formations. "This is what real combat looks like."
No speeches followed afterward.
No dramatic declaration.
Only practical instruction while the battlefield continued existing around them.
The enforcers accelerated immediately after hearing him speak. Suppression chains launched forward from multiple directions while rear-line demons completed restraint circles beneath the shattered arena floor. One heavily armored enforcer shifted left attempting flanking pressure through the drifting smoke while another raised a reinforced barrier formation near the front advance line.
Noctis raised both pistols.
Then gunfire spread through the ruined combat field.
The first muzzle flashes illuminated drifting dust around his position while recoil transferred lightly through his arms and shell casings ejected sideways above fractured stone. The opening rounds crossed the battlefield fast enough that several advancing enforcers failed to process the attack trajectory before impact reached them.
One frontline demon lost half his shoulder immediately when a round punched through reinforced armor, flesh, and bone before exiting through the back of the torso in a spray of blood and shattered plating that scattered across broken ground.
Another enforcer's suppression chain exploded apart mid-flight after a bullet tore through the reinforced links and continued directly into the caster behind him. The impacted demon staggered backward through the drifting smoke while blood spread rapidly across the front of his armor where the round penetrated beneath the ribs.
The enforcement formation destabilized almost immediately.
Not because they were weak.
Because they had no understanding of the weapons Noctis was using.