Upon hearing those students say Sevis was still fighting in the academic building, Ain was undoubtedly extremely worried.
He was well aware of her physical condition. Both her mana and mental state were at rock bottom; he had even worried earlier whether she might drop dead right in her office.
Forcing her to fight under such circumstances, Ain doubted she could even defeat a Tier 1 magical beast.
After dealing with those students, Ain had rushed over here.
Yet, when he arrived, there was only a girl he had never seen before.
Ain's expression darkened as he quickly formulated a plan.
At the very least, he had to deal with this member of the Nightingale Secret Order first.
With a faint smile, Ain turned to face the mysterious girl. With his back to Sevis, he spoke.
“Sevis. That is my name.”
That's my name, isn't it?!
Sevis stared blankly at Ain, completely unable to fathom what was going through his head.
Did he commit some massive crime? Is he trying to make me take the fall?
No way...
What answered Sevis's doubts was another spell from Ain.
“Purigita akvo... (Pure Water)”
“falas (Fall)”
【Tier 3 Magic: Rain of Purification】
【Dispels most negative magical effects and impurities within the designated area, restores the mental state of friendly characters within range, and clears some accumulated toxins from their bodies.】
In an instant, a deep green magic circle emerged above Ain's head once more. A fine drizzle fell, enveloping both of them. The blood mist floating in the air was washed away, vanishing without a trace.
The moment the cool rainwater touched her skin, the chaotic thoughts in Sevis's mind suddenly cleared. She realized that all the negative emotions and thoughts from moments ago had not been her own.
This included her suspicion of Ain.
“By altering the components of the Soul-Shattering Howl, did you make its toxins effective against humans as well?”
With the green magic circle glowing beneath his feet, Ain smiled, a clear glint of amusement in his eyes.
“I have to admit, you guys are pretty clever.”
So it was all because of that blood mist!
Sevis suddenly understood everything.
Sitting on the back of her bear, the petite girl bit her finger, her brow furrowing. She was suddenly thoroughly confused by the situation.
She had originally only wanted to use the magical beasts to cause some destruction and draw the attention of the academy's instructors, but she had happened to run into Sevis, whose physical strength and mana were completely depleted.
But now, another one had suddenly popped up?
According to her intelligence, the first one should have been Sevis. But this latecomer... on closer inspection, he also looked like the Sevis in the reports?
The girl's mind fell into utter disarray.
But if the one she was about to face next was the real Sevis, she stood absolutely no chance.
A Tier 4 Mage... She was only Tier 3. There was absolutely no need to fight him to the death.
She had to...
“Thinking of leaving already?”
Ain chuckled.
“Your thoughts are practically written all over your face, you know.”
“But unfortunately, 'they' thought the exact same thing when they saw me.”
They?
A flicker of confusion crossed the girl's eyes. After a brief pause, a terrifying realization suddenly dawned on her.
No wonder he knew so much about that blood mist!
Someone from her organization had already been taken out by him!
This operation was supposed to be highly confidential. All the high-ranking instructors and students in the academy were either off stopping the source of the magical beast riot or maintaining order elsewhere.
Besides, the members of her organization wouldn't actively expose their whereabouts. How on earth did he...
The girl clicked her tongue impatiently and slapped the thick back of the black bear beneath her. The massive beast seemed to instantly grasp her intent. With a low rumble from its throat, it moved its thick limbs, preparing to flee.
There was no time to think!
She had to find the other members first to confirm the situation!
Ain stood where he was, watching the girl's retreating figure.
“If the Nightingale Secret Order only sent Tier 3 trash like you...”
A dangerous light flickered in Ain's eyes, and an extremely thrilled smile spread across his face.
“Then I'll gladly take all these merits for myself!”
Sensing an impending attack, the girl hastily channeled her mana, forcing the galloping black bear to halt.
The massive body twisted abruptly, acting as a thick wall of flesh in front of her.
“You're just a Tier 4. Don't think you can—”
Before she could finish, her pupils dilated uncontrollably as if she had witnessed something impossible.
The power of Tier 3 magic far exceeded that of Tier 1 and 2, and the required mana surged exponentially.
An ordinary Tier 3 Mage's mana pool was usually only enough to cast three or four Tier 3 spells in succession before completely draining their reserves.
On a rapidly changing battlefield, running out of mana meant being left at the mercy of others. After all, recovering from complete mana depletion was a slow, agonizing process—undoubtedly the biggest taboo for any spellcaster.
No sane person would dump all their mana at once, let alone construct multiple Tier 3 magic circles simultaneously.
But now, the girl had finally met someone who defied all sanity.
“Seven...”
Sevis was equally stunned.
Although she had long witnessed his profound magical mastery, seeing this scene still made her marvel inwardly.
This guy really is a monster.
Hovering before them were seven dazzling golden magic circles. In the center of each glowing halo, brilliant spears identical to the ones before were slowly taking shape.
“This black bear's strength should be at the peak of Tier 3, right?”
“As a beast tamer... your mana seems capable of forcing it into the Tier 4 realm?”
“But unfortunately...”
Ain smiled.
“I'm in a hurry.”
【Tier 3 Magic: Spear of Judgment】
The girl had originally planned to forcefully intervene while he was constructing a Tier 4 spell. If she could disrupt his chanting rhythm with an attack, she could completely cut off his ability to manifest high-tier magic.
As for spells below Tier 3, as long as no more than four came at her simultaneously, she was completely confident she could neutralize them all.
She had assumed that releasing three at once was already Ain's limit.
She never could have imagined that he could manifest seven Tier 3 spells simultaneously in such a short amount of time!
Their combined power was not inferior to Tier 4 magic at all!
Besides, hadn't he already cast three earlier?
How could he possibly unleash seven more?
Aside from high-tier mages, the girl had truly never seen anyone capable of casting so many Tier 3 spells at once!
Where did he get such a vast pool of mana?!
Had this Sevis's strength actually reached such a terrifying level?
No response came from the void. Instead, seven golden spears transformed into streaks of light that tore through the air, hurtling toward the black bear with sharp sonic booms.
The black bear let out a deafening roar, its muscles tensing as it crossed its massive arms in front of its chest to block.
With a harsh, metallic clang, the first two golden spears slammed violently into its fur, sending a shower of blinding sparks flying.
However, this formidable defense held for only an instant before shattering. The remaining five golden spears followed in rapid succession, carrying an unstoppable, devastating momentum that instantly crushed the black bear's guard.
The spearheads ruthlessly pierced its body, pinning the giant beast firmly to the ground. With a final, desperate wail, the golden spears dissolved into countless particles of golden light that scattered into the air, and the massive creature collapsed, dead on the spot.
Ain slowly approached. Fear washed over the girl's face as she stumbled backward.
But Ain didn't hesitate for a second. He swept his leg out, kicking her feet out from under her. The girl crashed to the ground. Before she could struggle to her feet, a green vine shot out from beneath Ain's boots, binding her tightly like an iron chain.
“Stay put.”
Immediately after, Ain returned to Sevis's side. Dropping to one knee, he leaned in slightly and gently pressed his warm palm against the girl's forehead. Unconcealed concern shone in his eyes as he spoke in a soft voice.
“Do you still feel unwell?”
Isn't this distance... a bit too close and intimate?
Is he always like this when dealing with girls?
Seeing no response, Ain's gaze darkened as he scanned the girl, taking in her numerous injuries.
A few seconds later, Ain seemed to spot something. Frowning, he grabbed her arm and gently lifted it.
Following Ain's gaze, Sevis also looked down at her own arm. To her shock, several tiny punctures were scattered across it, slowly oozing alarming black blood.
This must have happened when I was with those students...
Before Sevis could think any further, Ain suddenly lowered his head, pressing his warm lips directly against her slender, pale arm.
The sudden touch made Sevis freeze completely. Her mind went entirely blank. It took several seconds for her to snap out of it, a burning blush rapidly spreading from her fair neck to the tips of her ears.
For once, she showed a rare, girlish bashfulness and panic.
What on earth is this guy doing?!
Rate on N.U.
