LEGACY OF THE FALLEN
Chapter 12
The moment Shreya was struck by the Tejas blast from that Immortal Academy student, she collapsed on the spot.
"Shreya!" Ayesha screamed, rushing to her side with Tushar and Aman close behind. Panic surged through their veins as they dropped to their knees, checking her pulse, calling her name—but she was unconscious, her face already swelling, burned by the raw energy.
Rudra didn't say a word.
His head lowered, messy blonde hair casting a shadow over his eyes. And then—he moved.
With a single step, he vanished from where he stood and reappeared right in front of the attacker. His fist connected with the student's face, sending him flying through the air like a ragdoll.
Before anyone could react, Rudra was already on top of him.
He mounted the stunned boy. "Y-You peasant! How dare you—I'm Raj, a third-year of Immortal Academy! You won't... y-you won't get away with this... Stop it! Stop—!"" Raj screamed, terrified yet still clinging to arrogance, shielding his bloodied face with a trembling hand.
Rudra didn't respond. He calmly pushed Raj's hand aside, gripped his wrist with one hand, and began punching him. His fists began slamming into Raj's face one after another—relentless, brutal, and without mercy.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
Blood sprayed with every impact.
The other Immortal Academy students jumped in to stop him, but it didn't matter.
They grabbed his arms. He flung them off.
They held his shoulders. He shrugged them like flies.
Even as five, six students tried to pull him back, Rudra kept punching—his face blank, his body moving with mechanical, unfeeling rage.
The other students, in a desperate move to stop Rudra, began gathering their Tejas.
Aman snapped, "Ayesha, guard Shreya!"
Then he and Tushar also jumped in and covered Rudra from both sides as he was still punching that kid.
The entire place started to become a brawl of students as Aman and Tushar began fighting the other students of the Immortal Academy.
"Stop right there!" Suddenly, a domineering voice came from behind.
The man wore a striking red jacket lined with golden buttons, paired with crisp black pants. A metal badge gleamed on his chest—it read Neil. A thick cigar rested between his lips, smoke curling lazily around his unusually large chin and heavy, pronounced eyebrows that cast sharp shadows over his eyes.
"It's Instructor Neil..." one of the Immortal Academy students mumbled under his breath.
"Sir, these bastards from some no-name academy dared to attack us—and even used Tejas in a public area!" another shouted, clutching his injured arm.
Neil's eyes swept across the scene, silent and sharp. His glare first landed on his own students. All of them had bruises, some limping, others bleeding. But none looked worse than Raj—his face swollen beyond recognition, several teeth missing, jaw shattered, completely unconscious.
Then Neil turned his gaze to the other side.
Not a single injury. Not even a scratch.
"You, come here. Explain what happened," Neil ordered one of the students from Immortal Academy.
"Sir, we came to this restaurant to eat and let our strained bodies relax after training," the student began, trying to sound calm. "But then these students showed up and told us they wanted the place to themselves. They ordered us to leave."
He glanced at Rudra's group with a hint of bitterness in his eyes.
"When we refused, they started insulting our academy—said all students from Immortal Academy are weak. Raj couldn't take their immoral behaviour and challenged them to a duel. One of their female companions accepted. But just when she was about to lose, that blonde bastard jumped in and used his Tejas to sneakily attack Raj. That's what escalated everything into... this."
"Is that so?" Neil's voice was quiet but cold. "You aren't telling a lie, are you?"
The student straightened up nervously. "No sir, I wouldn't dare to lie in your presence."
With a single glance at Shreya's condition—her unconscious body, the burns on her face—it was already clear to Neil what had really happened. But this wasn't just a student brawl anymore.
Crowds had started to gather. Soon, rumors would spread—students from some no-name academy had beaten those from Immortal Academy, the most prestigious institution in the entire empire.
Neil's eyes narrowed. He turned to Rudra. "How old are you, boy?"
Rudra yawned, lazily covering his mouth with one hand. "Huh? Why should I tell you? I'm too tired to even talk right now."
The surrounding students gasped.
"How… how can he speak to Instructor Neil like that?" "I think he doesn't want to live anymore…" they whispered among themselves.
Aman stepped forward, adjusting his glasses with a composed air. "You shouldn't make the scene worse, Rudra." Then he turned to Neil. "Sir, I apologize on his behalf. He's eighteen years old. And for the record—it wasn't us who started this. It was your students who picked the fight."
"What do you think you're doing right now?" Neil's voice dropped a tone lower, each word landing like a hammer. "Did I give you permission to speak?" He shot Aman a sharp glare. "And what's with the attitude of your companion?" His gaze shifted back to Rudra, eyes cold and calculating. "Do the teachers at your academy not teach basic manners? Like how to speak to your seniors? Or that you shouldn't butt into a conversation when you're not addressed?"
A secretive smirk crept across Neil's face. Then, with a louder voice that carried across the gathering crowd, he continued:
"And if that wasn't enough… you even dared to bully juniors from Immortal Academy." He paused for effect, letting the weight of his words settle. "All of the students here are only fifteen years old. But you—" he pointed at Rudra, "—you're already eighteen. An adult. And yet you tried to suppress them?"
His smirk widened. "Ah, now I see it clearly." He turned slowly toward the onlookers. "You just wanted to boost your academy's reputation by bullying younger students from Immortal Academy. Because deep down, you don't have the courage to face anyone your own age from our institution."
He took a step forward, his voice growing even colder. "You planned all of this, didn't you? Pathetic. Aren't you ashamed of yourself?"
The crowd began whispering among themselves.
"So they were just another group trying to boost their academy's reputation by bullying the younger students of Immortal Academy…"
"Pathetic. They actually thought they could flourish by doing things like this?" another muttered, shaking his head.
Tushar stepped forward, casually munching from a bag of chips. With a relaxed tone, he said, "If that's what you think... then we challenge the final-year students of your academy at the Ascendant Arena—four months from now. And only seven students from our academy will participate."
A beat of stunned silence followed.
Then laughter exploded from the Immortal Academy students—and even Neil. "Oh man, what a joke! They're gonna challenge our seniors?" "All our seniors who will enter the arena already reached 3 Stars in Tejas!" one student cackled. Another pointed, laughing, "And where the hell did that fatso even get that bag of chips?!"
Neil smirked, folding his arms.
"Alright then," he said coolly. "Since you want to prove yourselves, I'll accept the challenge. And I'll let you off the hook today. But remember one thing—if you lose, all of you will bow at my feet and apologize publicly."
Rudra, silent until now, stepped forward. "And what if we win?" he asked, his voice low but firm.
Neil laughed, tossing his cigar aside. "Hahaha… You think you can win?"
Rudra didn't respond. He just stared.
The laughter faded slightly.
Neil's smirk twitched. "Alright then. If you win... I'll admit you were in the right today." He paused. "And I will personally apologize—publicly."
"Students, return to the academy." Neil turned and left, still laughing to himself. The other students began limping away behind him—some supporting each other, two of them carrying the unconscious Raj.
Aman, Tushar, and Rudra walked over to Ayesha. Rudra knelt beside her and asked, "How is she?"
Ayesha, wiping a tear from her cheek, replied, "I've done the first aid and cleared out the traces of that bastard's Tejas. She's stable now, but she still needs treatment."
"Then let's return to the academy," Rudra said.
As they began walking, Aman glanced at Tushar and asked curiously, "Tushar, there are only six of us in The Mad Dogs… so why did you say seven would participate?"
Tushar grinned mid-bite, crunching another chip. "Did you forget what Captain Arihant said before he left the academy?" He mimicked Arihant's usual cocky tone: "'I'm going to bring another junior for you… andhe's a monster.'"