"No, I oppose this!" the Poetry Society Chairman was the first to scream.

"If Alvis takes the position, will he suppress the Midnight Singing group?" The Melody Magic Association President questioned skeptically.

"Will he agree to fully implement legal education? I seriously doubt it. After all, he's been in office for four years and has never done anything in that regard," Daniel from the Law Society also expressed his dissent.

"Angel, are you serious? This is equivalent to telling me that all my investments have gone to waste. How are you going to guarantee my interests?" The material supplier's expression was filled with confusion and doubt.

"We're stronger than them, aren't we?" Div, Leader of the Battle Mage Team, angrily interjected, "If there's going to be an annexation, it should be us annexing them! Angel, is there something happening that we don't know about? Or have you betrayed us? I can hardly believe you would agree to such a proposal."

Everyone was questioning Angel, even Mosharili, who trusted him the most, cast a doubtful glance his way.

The core members of the team began chattering noisily.

After a while, Angel finally spoke softly, "Are you done arguing? If you're done, it's time to listen to me. Precisely because we are stronger than them, it must be them annexing us. You should hear my reasons first."

In an instant, the core members of the team perked up their ears.

Angel's gaze flickered as he began speaking softly.

The team members widened their eyes slightly, their faces full of disbelief.

...

Qili stood in the distance, biting her lip, her small fists clenched tightly, breathing deeply over and over again, but helpless nevertheless.

"What should we do?" Gegil asked her, looking dejected.

"I don't know either. I don't understand why Angel would accept these terms. No, it's not even 'acceptance'; he outright proposed it himself. If he was going to propose such terms, why didn't he do it from the beginning? I don't think anyone would have refused him. He consolidated so many people, and it was all for this result?"

"Is it because Alvis has something on him?"

"I don't know; I know nothing—I'm still completely dizzy about it." Looking at Gegil, Qili's eyes were filled with nothing but confusion: "It's not about the terms we proposed; I feel like… I feel like he never intended to negotiate with us at all. He didn't prepare to accept any terms. I have absolutely no idea what he's trying to do."

Gegil stomped the ground fiercely.

If Angel had proactively proposed working with Qili, regardless of what kind of collaboration, Gegil might have 'opposed' it somewhat. After all, this was the guy who had beat him up and humiliated him.

But no, nothing—nothing at all. Angel hadn't even given him the chance. It felt as if there was no forewarning, yet he'd been punched in the face once again. Gegil's face was even a little hot from the metaphorical blow.

...

The news quickly spread throughout the school.

"Could you have guessed? The final trial turned out to be a merger—any two of the three factions merging would create the New Vascular Council. And what's more surprising is that Angel, clearly strong enough to claim the top position, actually chose to submit. The Old Vascular Council, initially the weakest and supposed to be eliminated, has now solidified its position as number one."

"What is this? It makes me suspect that Angel might be a spy planted by Alvis. Could this have all been planned from the start?"

"Who knows? If that's the case, Alvis is far too brilliant."

"Perhaps we've overestimated Angel? A high aptitude for magic doesn't necessarily mean success in other areas. Maybe he's always been nothing more than Alvis's pawn? The real ruthless one is Alvis—using Angel's name to unite people he couldn't control, only to shift allegiance at a critical moment."

...

Angel sat alone on the bench by the flower beds, silently. He seemed to be contemplating, or maybe waiting for something.

Well, not entirely alone—Mosharili was next to him. And countless people were intentionally or unintentionally watching him from afar.

...

Every corner of the school buzzed with discussions about this incident. For a time, Alvis basked in unparalleled limelight.

Members of the Old Vascular Council lifted their leader high and tossed him into the air repeatedly amidst cheers and celebration.

Standing far away, Gegil's sister, Ruiqi'er, watched with a puzzled expression.

Although she had always doubted that her useless brother would succeed, she had never expected him to fail so spectacularly...

Elsewhere, Aurora, who had been eliminated, sighed softly and turned away.

...

Mosharili murmured complaints: "Everyone keeps asking me why we accepted the merger with the Old Vascular Council."

"You didn't tell them, did you?" Angel glanced at her indifferently.

"Of course not! How could I possibly spill the truth at a time like this? I just said… we were all strongly opposed, but you insisted on acting alone."

"That's exactly what you should say—shift everything onto me. Anyway, in the eyes of most people, I've always been the odd one." Angel nodded, then continued, "Just do what you need to do; I'll take care of the rest."

"Alright." Mosharili smiled slightly.

Meanwhile, Angel's team members continued to operate in an orderly fashion within their controlled territories.

...

Time trickled away bit by bit.

In her office, Barnes tilted her head slightly, glancing at the clock hanging on the wall.

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