The black-robed man stood atop the ruins, ominous dark purple mana surging around him.
“A student?”
He let out a raspy chuckle. In the shadow of his hood, a pair of crimson eyes gleamed faintly.
“Instead of staying safely in the academy, you actually ran all the way out here.”
“Little flower, I'd like to see just how many petals you have for me to snip away!”
The moment he finished speaking, his black robe billowed violently as several pitch-black mana chains shot out from his sleeves, lunging toward Ain like venomous serpents.
These chains were covered in dense, fine barbs, tearing through the air with ear-piercing screeches.
Ain recognized this Tier 2 magic.
Soul-Binding Chain.
Is this guy trying to capture me alive?
Ain tilted his head slightly, his feet not moving even a fraction of an inch.
A pale blue magic circle unfolded silently in front of him. It was as thin as a cicada's wing, yet it radiated a heart-stopping chill.
The moment the chains struck the magic circle, they seemed to touch something of absolute zero. Ice rapidly formed from the tips, and fractured lines spread frantically along the chains, freezing them completely in midair in the blink of an eye.
The black-robed man's pupils contracted sharply. Without hesitation, he cut off his mana supply, causing the fractured icy chains to fall to the ground and shatter into dust.
“You!”
“Good grief, why has it been nothing but guys like you all night?”
Ain pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. Despite tossing and turning all night, his mana was still completely full.
Talk about bizarre.
“Does your Nightingale Secret Order not even have a single Tier 4?”
“Ah, that expression. Let me guess, you're about to say, 'You didn't even use a wand?'”
“You... you didn't even use a wand?!”
The black-robed man was visibly stunned.
How did he know what I was going to say?
Ain rolled his eyes in annoyance.
“Is this the last one nearby?”
Out of the darkness, a snow-white magical wolf emerged like a specter. It let out a low howl, as if giving an affirmative response.
“Sorry, my pet has a rather sharp nose. It seems he's already sniffed out the rest of your associates.”
Ain chuckled softly, slowly raising his right hand.
“In that case, you might as well join them...”
“...and pay us a visit.”
Just as the black-robed man was about to speak, a blazing fire spear was already pressed against his forehead.
He hadn't even seen when the other party had constructed the magic circle.
Gritting his teeth, the black-robed man leaped backward, gripping his wand tightly in one hand.
“Don't look down on me!”
As he chanted a string of incantations, dense mana surged from his body like a tide. The stone slabs beneath his feet couldn't withstand the pressure and began to crack inch by inch.
Six dark purple magic circles unfolded one after another behind him. In the center of each circle, a distorted phantom began to coalesce.
The phantoms gradually solidified, turning into six blurry, pitch-black knights holding various weapons, eerie green flames burning within their hollow eye sockets.
Panting heavily, the black-robed man let out a sinister grin.
“To die by this move, you can consider yourself—”
Before he could finish, the fire spear in Ain's hand shot forward and collided with them.
The leading black knight swung its greatsword. The dark purple blade clashed violently with the scorching flames in midair, erupting in an ear-piercing screech. The fire spear's momentum was forcefully halted, sending sparks flying and scorching the ground with charred marks.
The black-robed man's laughter grew increasingly arrogant.
“What's wrong? Where did all that bravado from earlier go?!”
With a violent wave of his hand, a second knight flanked Ain, its spear thrusting toward him like a venomous snake.
Ain didn't even look at him.
“As I thought, Tier 3 is still too weak.”
“What?”
“I said...”
Ain raised his left hand.
“Tondro.”
Four magic circles of different colors unfolded around him simultaneously, their brilliant light instantly illuminating the surrounding ruins.
No, it wasn't just four!
The black-robed man subconsciously counted, his pupils shrinking to pinpricks.
“Impossible!”
He practically shrieked.
His fire spear was still locked in a stalemate ahead. How could this guy possibly have the spare capacity to construct seven magic circles at the same time?!
Ain ignored his astonishment and simply snapped his fingers.
【Tier 3 Magic: Lightning Core】
【Tier 3 Magic: Frost Burial Spear】
【Tier 3 Magic: Flame Sparrow】
The fifth, sixth, and seventh circles lit up in succession.
Wind Blade, Rock Spike, Light Cone.
Seven Tier 3 spells, seven completely different elements.
The black-robed man's grin froze on his face. The six black knights even instinctively took half a step back.
“...Monster.”
The man squeezed the word out with difficulty.
The moment he spoke, the seven spells blasted outward simultaneously.
Six knights, obliterated in the span of six breaths.
The black-robed man froze on the spot, the hand holding his wand trembling uncontrollably.
He hadn't even had the chance to command his summons to launch a second wave of attacks.
And that guy... was actually yawning!
“You...”
“Alright, number twenty-one.”
The ground ruptured violently as several thorn-covered vines burst through the soil, wrapping tightly around the man without mercy. Soon, the toxin spread, and his consciousness was swiftly swallowed by endless darkness.
【Tier 2 Magic: Soporific Vine】
“Mordred.”
The magical wolf howled softly, slowly siphoning the remaining mana from the man.
“It seems that if I want to cast multiple spells simultaneously, keeping them of the same element and source is the optimal choice.”
“Well, at least it served as a nice little test.”
【Mana Source: Scale of Astral Judgment (Switchable)】
【Tier 6 magical tool: Scale of Astral Judgment】
【Currently available mana: 10,731 / 17,331 (continuously recovering)】
Ain hoisted the unconscious man onto his shoulder and headed toward the potionology laboratory building.
Ain casually tossed the man onto a pile with his ten other unconscious accomplices, pulled over a chair, and sat down leisurely.
This was the academic building closest to the Echo Forest.
“The haul tonight should be more than enough to boost Sevis's performance record, right?”
This idea had popped into Ain's head right after he left that mysterious space.
Not only would he cover the evacuation of the academy's students, but he would also wipe out the members of the Nightingale Secret Order hiding in the school. With an achievement like this, how could the Titan Prosecution Office possibly pin the blame on Sevis?
Ain sneered.
Swapping between Mordred and the Scale of Astral Judgment, and even borrowing some mana from others when he ran low...
Talk about a virtuous cycle.
“Next, I need to find a way to get inside the Echo Forest.”
Ain recalled a potion formula that could erase one's scent as a living creature, which would allow him to bypass those frenzied magical beasts.
This was exactly why he had come to the potionology lab building.
Ain casually walked up to a laboratory, but suddenly heard a voice coming from inside.
“Huh? Why is this still wrong?”
Pushing open the laboratory door, Ain looked at the people inside with surprise.
“Violet? And Erylin?”
“Huh? Ain?”
The three of them stared at each other in stunned silence.
Rate on N.U.
