The hall, once filled with polite murmurs, now buzzed with excitement as the presence of one of the Eight Stars was acknowledged.
Alexander Jaforiss, known as "The Burning Sun," an Eighth Circle Mage whose name resonated across the world.
This was the man who had, in a single night, scorched half of the Sirvana Forest to a barren desert, halting a monstrous horde from reaching the Cronos Empire's Southwest Fortress. This act of devastating power cemented his fearsome reputation.
He was also the lifelong rival of Elizabeth, The Ice Sage of the Atheliya Empire. Their paths had crossed in countless competitions, and each time, Alexander had tasted defeat at her hands. This persistent shadow, this gnawing inferiority complex, had fueled his relentless drive to reach the Eighth Circle. Yet, despite his every effort, he still perceived himself to be perpetually behind Elizabeth.
He had relentlessly pursued ways to surpass her. So, when he saw Silvia at the Research Symposium, he seized the opportunity to try and lure her away from Elizabeth's sphere of influence. He had offered Silvia the absolute best: he, too, possessed a fire affinity, making her a potentially ideal student. As Silvia was a commoner, even if she chose to change her nationality from Atheliya to Cronos, the academy would be powerless to intervene; it would be entirely her personal choice.
He had presented Silvia with an incredibly generous offer: to become his personal student, promising her noble titles, sprawling mansions, vast sums of money, and anything else a human could possibly desire. But Silvia had firmly turned him down. She had grown deeply fond of Venessa Academy, her friends, and her professors. More than anything, she refused to leave her brother and Kayle behind.
It was after this rejection that Silvia's truly miserable life began. Despite the superficial "friendly" relationship between the Cronos and Atheliya Empires at the time, Alexander had leveraged his extensive connections within the Atheliya Empire to systematically make her life difficult. He was the one, in the original timeline, responsible for the tragic deaths of James and Kayle.
And now, this very man stood before Kayle, a deceptive smile gracing his lips, his hand extended for a handshake.
Kayle, despite the turmoil within him, controlled his emotions perfectly.
"I want to burst open his head right now," Aeon's thoughts raged. "That pathetic bastard, hiding his vile intentions behind that fake smile."
"Hello, Sir Alexander," Kayle said, his voice smooth and polite as he shook the extended hand. "It's truly my pleasure to meet you."
"Ah., you know me?" Alexander replied, his smile widening. "The pleasure is all mine, young man."
"Yes, sir," Kayle continued, maintaining his calm demeanor. "I've read about you. You are one of the Eight Stars, alongside our Headmaster Elizabeth."
"Oh, it's very pleasing to hear that a young man like you has an interest in reading about old people like us," Alexander chuckled, though a flicker of pride was evident in his eyes.
"It's not like that, sir. You're very well known in our Empire as well."
"I'm glad to hear that. So, can I have a moment with you, young man?"
"Of course, sir."
Behind him, Olivia and Lucy instinctively grabbed Kayle's sleeves, a silent warning.
"Don't worry, Ma'am. I'll be fine," Kayle reassured them quietly.
Then, he and Alexander moved to the nearby balcony, standing side by side, gazing out at the moonlit night.
"You know," Alexander began, his voice surprisingly gentle, "I couldn't believe what I saw at the research symposium. A kid, barely eighteen years old, working on four research projects at once, and creating 'Focus Points'? Young man, you have fundamentally changed the very foundation of magic. We've all known about compound elements, but creating hybrid elements was something even I had discarded as impossible. Yet, you and Orlando proved me wrong. You are truly a genius, perhaps once in a millennium."
"Sir, you flatter me more than I deserve," Kayle replied, deflecting the praise. "It was primarily Professor Orlando's research; I merely did what I could as an assistant."
"Your eloquent tongue surely knows how to talk," Alexander continued, a glint in his eye.
"Because of you, everyone in this hall who considered themselves 'big shots' has truly felt what it's like to be defeated by an eighteen-year-old young man."
He paused, then turned to Kayle, his expression hardening slightly. "So, Kayle, what I truly want to talk to you about is this: become my student."
"Look at this loser," Aeon thought, disgusted.
"Directly ordering me to become his apprentice, not even bothering with an offer."
"I'll give you anything you desire," Alexander pressed, his voice dripping with allure.
"Whether it's money, power, women, a noble title... you just have to speak the word, and it will be yours. You've already made your name in history, and with me as your teacher, no one can ever look down on you or bother you again. So, what do you say?"
Aeon looked at Alexander's face, now devoid of its earlier pretense, revealing only blatant greed and jealousy. In Aeon's eyes, he was utterly pathetic.
"Thank you for your generous offer, sir," Kayle said, a polite smile on his face.
"Gotcha," Alexander thought triumphantly, a predatory gleam in his eyes.
"You have made a wise decisi—"
But Kayle smoothly interrupted him. "But I will gladly decline. I don't want to leave my friends and family behind."
"What? Why?" Alexander's smile faltered, replaced by confusion. "If you want to bring your friends, you can bring them along with you. And if you're worried about what your Empire will say, don't worry. I can handle it."
"That's not the reason, sir," Kayle stated calmly.
"Then what is the reason?" Alexander demanded, his patience wearing thin.
"It's just..." Kayle took a deliberate step closer, his eyes locking onto Alexander's with a predatory, hunter-like grin. "That I can't become the student of someone who isn't strong enough and who uses his authority to bully people like a pathetic loser."
Alexander, his grip tightening, crushed his wine glass in his hand, shards of crystal falling to the ground. A wave of raw, oppressive mana erupted from him. "What do you mean by that?! Who are you calling a loser?!"
"Isn't it true?" Kayle challenged, his voice dangerously calm. "You, who have always chased after my Headmaster like a stray dog, think you're some big shot in the world, just because you've reached the Eighth Circle?"
"Very well, kid," Alexander snarled, his eyes blazing. "I offered you a chance to come under my wings, but you rejected it bluntly and disrespected me. Even the Emperor himself shows me respect. Now, prepare for the consequences."
"Ohh... finally showing your true colors," Kayle said, a mocking tone in his voice. "But do you truly think you can kill me?"
"Why can't I?" Alexander retorted, mana crackling around him.
"You know that people from two Empires and six Kingdoms are gathered here tonight," Kayle stated, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "And everyone saw me come out here with you. If anything happens to me, it will trigger a war. You know my name has already begun to reach every corner of the Empire. Do you think the Atheliya Empire and Venessa Academy would remain silent after hearing of my death? My beautiful —Elizabeth will tear this place to pieces just to kill you, and you won't be able to do anything. You don't know, but she cares about me a lot."
"Calling your Headmaster by her first name, you certainly have a lot of guts," Alexander sneered, though a flicker of unease crossed his face.
"Well, I do have guts," Kayle said, a mocking smile returning. "But why are you getting so upset? Oh, I remember. I heard a rumor that you used to like her, but you got thoroughly beaten by her and became completely inferior. Isn't that true?"
"You certainly know how to talk," Alexander seethed, his face contorted with rage. "Yes, it's true, I can't kill you here. But don't think the same will apply outside this hall. Start counting your days. I'll make your life a living hell."
"Come at me with everything you've got," Kayle challenged, his voice dripping with defiance. "And I'll show you how I got my name."
"Be ready, Kayle," Alexander warned, his voice cold and venomous, before turning abruptly and storming off the balcony.
"Wooah..... Very refreshing ," Aeon thought, a genuine sense of exhilaration coursing through him. "It's been a long time since I've cursed someone to their face. Now, Alexander and I are mortal enemies. This will keep Silvia safe. It's not like he won't try to mess with her, but I'll be his main target this time."
"The moon is truly beautiful tonight," he murmured to himself, then turned and re-entered the banquet hall. He walked directly to Silvia and the other professors.
"What were you two talking about that took you so long?" Olivia asked, her brow furrowed with curiosity.
"Yeah, Kayle, what did Alexander say? He wasn't looking in a good mood after your talk," Lucy pressed, her concern evident.
"Tell us what happened, Kayle," Mark added, the others leaning in.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on him.
"Nothing, everyone," Kayle said, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "He just wanted me to become his apprentice. Offered me so many good things."
"WHAT?!" a collective gasp erupted from the professors, their eyes widening in shock.
"He offered you to become his apprentice?" Mark repeated, dumbfounded.
"Seriously, what did you say? Did you accept his offer?" Lucy asked, grabbing his face in her hands, her expression a mix of hope and anxiety.
"Kayle, did you accept his offer?" Silvia asked, her hand tightly gripping his.
Sara, standing next to him, also showed her deep concern for Kayle.
"Don't worry, everyone," Kayle said, a warm smile spreading across his face. "I respectfully declined him. I simply couldn't leave behind my friends and professors who have helped me so much. I told him that Venessa Academy is my home and you all are my family. And family is the most important thing to me."
Upon hearing Kayle's heartfelt words, the professors and Silvia couldn't contain themselves.
"Ohhh, my little sweetheart! You're the best! I love you!" Lucy shrieked, leaping at him and pulling him into a fierce hug.
Silvia and Sara, seeing Lucy's unrestrained display, immediately tried to pull her away from Kayle.
"Ma'am, you're a professor! You can't propose to a student like this!" Silvia exclaimed, tugging at Lucy from behind.
"Yes, Ma'am, Kayle is just a student! You're embarrassing him. Professor Olivia, help!" Sara pleaded.
Mark, Orlando, and Olivia, watching Lucy's antics, collectively thought, "she's completely lost it this time."
Lucy finally released Kayle. "You damn people! Can't I reward my student? As he said, we are family, so I just hugged my family member!"
"Okay, Lucy, okay, calm down," Orlando said, trying to mediate. Then he turned to Kayle.
"Kayle, but are you sure about your decision? Are you seriously not regretting it? He is an Eighth Circle Mage."
"No, Professor," Kayle replied with unwavering conviction. "Isn't our Headmaster also an Eighth Circle Mage? And she is a frost user, unlike him."
"Well, you're right," Mark conceded, a proud smile on his face. "Our Headmaster is the best."
"Okay, everyone, let's enjoy the rest of the night to our heart's content!" Olivia announced, eager to change the subject and restore some normalcy.
And with that, everyone resumed enjoying themselves.
Silvia, still holding Kayle's hand, whispered, "Kayle, you seriously said all that to him?"
"Yep," Kayle confirmed with a grin.
Then, he used his wind sonar to whisper directly into Silvia's ear, a mischievous glint in his eye. "I told him I have someone very important waiting for me, so I can't leave her."
Silvia, hearing Kayle's words, felt her cheeks flush a fiery red. Then, she too used Wind Sonar, whispering back, "Y-y-you told him that? Are you not regretting anything?"
He whispered back, a teasing note in his voice, "Well, he said I could have any woman I want in the Empire. Now i thought about that offer. It's quite regrettable."
Silvia, eyes flashing, promptly slammed her heel down on Kayle's foot. She then grabbed his face, turning it to look directly at her. "Don't you dare look at other girls behind my back, or I'll tie you up in my room forever and never let you see sunlight again! Unlike you I have already become Third Circle mage. Understand?"
Kayle, looking into her inferno-like eyes, quickly admitted defeat. "Yes, yes. I understand. I'll follow Silvia's words."
"Good," she said, a triumphant smile on her lips.
"Teasing her sometimes is also refreshing," Aeon mused inwardly.
"Silvia, shall we dance?" Kayle asked, extending his hand.
"Yeah, I was waiting for you to dance with me! Let's go!" Silvia exclaimed, her earlier irritation forgotten as she took his hand.
They moved onto the dance floor, and as they began to dance, the entire hall became mesmerized by their combined charm. They truly looked like a perfect couple, moving with effortless grace.
Sara watched them, a small frown on her face, her fist clenching slightly. She waited patiently for them to finish their dance.
When Kayle and Silvia returned, Sara immediately grabbed Kayle's hand.
"I also want to dance with you," Sara declared, looking directly at Silvia.
"What? Now you're crossing the line!" Silvia retorted, a flash of annoyance in her eyes. "Why do you want to dance with Kayle? There are so many other boys around!"
"I don't want to dance with them," Sara shot back, unwavering. "Besides, Kayle isn't your personal property. And we were also together in research, so it's only right for research partners to dance together."
"You're so shameless!" Silvia snapped. "Kayle is my friend, so he will only dance with me!"
"He's my friend also, so we can dance!" Sara insisted, pulling on Kayle's arm.
Kayle, once again caught in the middle of their spirited argument, stepped between them.
"Both of you, stop! I'll dance with both of you, so please quiet down!"
"Kayle, but—" Silvia began to protest.
"Silvia, don't worry," Kayle whispered, leaning in. "It's just a dance, and everyone is watching us. We're just friends, you know that I only spend my time with you. I promise that when we return to Venessa, I'll spend the holidays with you only, okay?"
"...Okay," Silvia whispered back, mollified. "I'm allowing you just because she's our classmate. And you better keep your promise."
"Okay, Your Highness," Kayle said, a playful bow.
Then, he and Sara took to the dance floor. They, too, danced with remarkable grace, their movements perfectly synchronized. Every boy in the room envied Kayle as he danced with the two most beautiful girls in the hall. And the girls, in turn, were green with jealousy of both Silvia and Sara, wishing they could also dance with Kayle.
They returned after their dance, amidst admiring glances.
_ _ _
After returning from the dance with Sara, Kayle noticed someone standing alone on the moonlit balcony. Amidst the music, laughter, and chatter of the grand banquet, Miss Anna—draped in elegance, her hair flowing freely over her shoulders—stood silently, watching the night sky. The warm glow of the lanterns barely reached her, and yet she radiated a kind of quiet allure.
Kayle made his way to her side, his footsteps light and his voice even lighter.
"Hello, Miss Anna. May I have the honor of standing with you?"
She turned slightly, her gaze softening when she saw him. "Hey, Kayle." A faint smirk curled on her lips. "Don't be so modest… not after flirting with me in front of an entire research hall."
Kayle chuckled. "Oh, you didn't like that? Then I apologize."
Anna looked away, her cheeks tinged with a light blush. "Don't be sorry. I never said I didn't like it."
Kayle tilted his head with a playful smile. "So, you liked it."
She didn't respond. But her silence, paired with that sudden interest in the night sky, said more than words could. A strand of her hair danced with the wind, and she tucked it behind her ear, hiding the faint pink on her face.
"Y-You just tell me what you came to say." she said, attempting composure.
"That's what I like about you, Anna. Direct. No games." Kayle leaned gently against the railing beside her. "So here it is."
He said softly. "what do you think about the empire?"
She frowned slightly. "Why ask me that?"
"Just… curious." Kayle's tone was calm, sincere.
Anna's eyes narrowed slightly, observing him. "Does it even matter what I think? It always comes down to what the majority says. Besides, your opinion matters more than mine tonight. What do you think?!"
Kayle shook his head slowly. His voice lowered. "To me… the empire is a place to return to."
He turned his gaze from the moon to her. "The only place I could come back to."
Anna froze, her breath catching softly in her chest.
Those two simple sentences carried the weight of years. Of battles fought not with swords, but with silence, loss, and longing. Something about his words broke past her walls—walls she didn't even realize she'd built so high.
She turned fully to him this time, a different expression on her face. Not the sharp professor, not the flirty woman—but someone deeply human.
"Kayle… just who are you?" she asked, not out of suspicion, but wonder.
Kayle smiled, eyes glimmering like the stars above.
"Just a student... who knows the meaning of family."
Their eyes met. And for a moment, time stretched. Two souls, two stories—intersecting on a quiet balcony above a kingdom of glitter and masks.
Then Kayle gently stepped back. "I should be going. Everyone's waiting for me."
He reached into his coat pocket and handed her a small box, black velvet with a silver ribbon.
"Here. A parting gift."
Anna blinked. "What's this?"
"Something from me to you. Don't open it here. Wait till you're alone." He turned to leave, then paused with a smile over his shoulder.
"Oh, and Anna—" he said softly,
"you look gorgeous with your hair untied."
And with that, he walked back into the glowing warmth of the hall, leaving her on the balcony—heart fluttering, hand curled around the unopened box, and a secret smile dancing on her lips.
---
As he walked back toward his group, Kayle's thoughts drifted inward.
"Anna… you must be wondering how I knew your answer.
But that wasn't my answer—it was yours. Something you once said to Ash during the war."
His gaze dropped slightly as memories stirred.
"You were on the brink of death, covered in wounds that should've left you unconscious… and yet, you stood. You looked at Ash and asked, 'What do you think about the Empire?' He couldn't answer you. So you told him: 'For me… it's a place to return. The only place I could come back to. That's why I have to protect it.'"
Kayle's fingers curled gently at his side.
"Even with broken bones and torn flesh, you fought until your last breath. And you died… in Ash's arms."
A soft breath escaped his lips.
He blinked once, letting the memory rest.
And with that, Aeon—now Kayle again—reached his group.
He smiled, letting the weight of the past slide quietly into the background.
Tonight wasn't about the ghosts.
Tonight was about the present.
He stepped into the warmth of his friends, laughter, music, and light… and for a few hours more, he simply lived.
And like that, Kayle spent his night: dancing with Silvia and Sara, and meeting scholars and well-known people from across the globe, forging new connections that would undoubtedly prove vital in the future.
_ _ _
Two days later, the time came to depart for the Atheliya Empire. The past two days had been a relentless whirlwind of diplomatic engagements: meetings with the royal family, renowned scholars, esteemed professors, powerful mages, and influential nobles. For Kayle, it had been particularly exhausting, as he'd been roped into becoming Silvia's unpaid bag-carrier, accompanying her until she had meticulously visited every last shop in Boris.
Finally, they left Boris behind. Their journey began with a teleportation gate that transported them to the northeast territory of the Cronos Empire. From there, it was a two-day road trip to reach the eastern border of the Atheliya Empire.
Right now, they were 40 kilometres away from the eastern borders.
Now, as the sun began its descent, bleeding across the horizon in hues of orange and purple, evening settled over the landscape.
Five carriages rumbled along the road, carrying the Atheliya delegation.
Inside one of the carriages, Kayle, Silvia, Sara, Emma, and Alice were all deep in slumber. The two days of travel and endless social engagements had thoroughly exhausted the girls, causing them to fall asleep early.
Kayle sat in a corner, watching the fading light outside. Silvia rested her head on his shoulder, her hands tightly wrapped around his arm, a picture of peaceful exhaustion. The moon had yet to emerge, leaving the landscape steeped in twilight.
Then, he felt it: the distinct presence of several individuals, cleverly concealed among the rocks and trees. Kayle's senses, honed to an unnerving degree, instantly recognized the bloodthurst and registered them as assassins.
He gently lifted Silvia's head from his shoulder and quietly rose. From the carriage's wooden floorboards, a silent shadow clone rippled into existence, seamlessly taking his place and cradling Silvia before she could stir.
"Don't let her awaken," Aeon instructed his clone, his voice a mere whisper in the air.
The clone nodded, its shadowy form perfectly mirroring his own.
Then, without a sound, Aeon dissolved into the deeper shadows within the carriage, vanishing from sight.
Outside, the assassins lay in wait. Two men, perched stealthily in the branches of a gnarled tree, whispered to each other.
"So, these are our targets? Four Sixth Circle Mages inside that carriage. Do you think we can handle them?" the first man, dressed in black, rasped.
"Our target is only one boy named Kayle—silver hair, blue and green eyes," the second man replied, his voice a low grunt. "We're not going to fight those mages head-on. That's why we brought half our assassins with us, just in case things go wrong."
"Kayle... you mean that boy from the newspaper? The one in the headlines because of the Symposium?" the first man asked, a hint of recognition in his voice.
"Yes. The bounty is very generous," the second man confirmed, a greedy gleam in his eyes.
"Wouldn't it be too dangerous if we were found out?" the first man queried, a flicker of apprehension.
"We won't be found," the second man scoffed.
"We attack them disguised as bandits. In the middle of the commotion, we'll kill the boy and take some goods. It'll just look like a standard bandit attack."
"It's a great plan, but why don't we take one of the girls with us?" the first man suggested, a vile smirk spreading across his face. "It'll make it look like a real bandit attack, and they're all beautiful. We could have so much fun with them, or sell them."
"You certainly like young girls despite that hideous face of yours," the second man sneered, though his tone was approving. "Well, we can certainly do that."
A chilling voice, devoid of emotion, drifted from directly behind them. "They are very beautiful. Aren't they."
Both assassins whirled around instantly, weapons drawn, but there was no one there.
"What was that?! Who's here?! Did you hear that too?" the first man whispered, his eyes darting frantically.
He spun back to his partner, but the second man had vanished.
"W-w-w-where did he go?" the first man stammered, his blood turning to ice.
"Are you looking for him?"
Kayle materialized behind him, a hand clamped around the assassin's head, gripping his hair tightly. Before the man could even register what was happening, Kayle took a swift step forward, revealing his face in the deepening twilight. With a silent command, Kayle's 'Shadow Bind' skill erupted, tendrils of darkness coiling around the assassin's neck, legs, and arms, rendering him utterly immobile.
Kayle leaned in, his voice a low, venomous hiss. "You know, I was about to give you a quick death, but what you said about Silvia and the others..."
Kayle with horrific smile on his face said.
" I've changed my mind. Now, feel the pain beyond this world."
Kayle conjured a single, needle-thin shard of solid black shadow and, with deliberate precision, drove it directly into the man's crotch. The assassin thrashed violently, his body contorting in a grotesque dance of agony, but he couldn't scream—his mouth was gagged with shadows. Kayle twisted the needle, and within the man, it multiplied, tearing apart every nerve below the waist with exquisite, agonizing slowness. Veins bulged on the assassin's neck. Bones audibly cracked.
"You thought you'd touch them?" Kayle hissed, his voice filled with chilling contempt. "You think a mere assassin like you can come near them?"
Aeon looked in his eyes. In a horrifying tone he said.
"Who knows how many women's lives you've ruined? Now, it's time to pay for your crimes."
With a single, swift motion, Kayle ripped both of the assassin's arms from their sockets—tendons snapping with sickening pops like stretched string. Then, with a sickening crunch, he dislocated both of the man's legs, tearing muscles and splintering joints.
The assassin's eyes rolled back into his head, his body a broken, twitching mess. But Kayle wasn't done.
He grabbed the man's face with one hand.
Twist.
Crack.
Pop.
He wrenched the head a full 360 degrees, leaving it facing backward.
Kayle stood over the mangled corpse, his face impassive.
"Filth eliminated."
Then, a gaping, abyssal mouth materialized from his shadow on the ground. The two bodies were consumed by the swirling darkness, vanishing without a trace, leaving only the unsettling quiet of the twilight forest.
Aeon, now a silent predator, moved swiftly through the darkness towards the other assassins lying in wait.
Behind a massive, craggy rock, six figures were huddled, their whispers cutting through the hushed evening.
"Hey, where are the others who disguised themselves as bandits?" a burly man asked.
"They're all in the center of the forest. When the carriages reach the center, they'll attack, and we'll kill the boy in the commotion," a second man replied, his voice a low growl.
"Okay, they have four Sixth Circle Mages with them, that's why we've disguised our thirty people as bandits. That should be enough to handle them. Remember, finish the job as quickly as possible," the first man, clearly the leader, ordered.
"Yes, sir," his subordinates chorused.
Suddenly, a severed head came flying through the air with a sickening Whump, striking one of the men squarely in the skull. The impact was brutal; the man's head exploded in a gruesome spray of bone and blood.
The remaining assassins recoiled in shock, their eyes wide with terror.
"Headshot," Aeon's voice echoed from a nearby tree branch. His presence was completely unfelt until that moment.
They scattered, scrambling for cover.
"Y-yo... who are you?" the first man stammered, his voice trembling.
Aeon, standing partially obscured in the shadows, his face hidden, vanished before their eyes.
Then, he reappeared directly behind them.
"Sorry, but I don't have time for introductions," Kayle replied, his voice devoid of warmth.
He placed a hand on the head of the nearest assassin, and a crackling surge of pure energy erupted. "Heavenly Thunder.".
With a blinding flash, lightning coursed through his palm, instantly incinerating the man to a crisp. Kayle then tossed the smoking husk of a body onto the rock; it crumbled into ashes upon impact.
The assassins stared, paralyzed by Kayle's deadly presence. A chilling dread crawled down their spines.
With a unified yell, they attacked, converging on Kayle from all directions.
SHING!
Kayle manifested a blazing fire whip, its fiery tip slicing through the air.
SWISH! THWACK!
Two assassins screamed as their heads were cleanly severed from their bodies.
WHOOSH!
The whip lashed out again, coiling around another assassin, then WHOOMPH! He ignited the entire body, turning him into a screaming, human torch.
Now, only the leader remained. He scrambled to flee, but suddenly, his legs gave out.
THUD!
He crashed to the ground, looking back in terror to see that Aeon had expertly severed his legs below the knees.
"Please, spa... spare... my life," he choked out, fear overwhelming him.
From Aeon's shadow, a gaping maw filled with razor-sharp teeth erupted. CHOMP! It consumed the leader's head in a single, gruesome bite.
"You asked the wrong man for mercy," Aeon said, his voice cold and flat.
Darkness swirled, consuming the remaining bodies, leaving no trace behind.
Kayle then used his skill 'leviate' and levitated into the sky, hovering silently.
"With these six, I've dealt with twenty assassins. Now, thirty remain, waiting for the ambush in the center of the forest." He sighed, a hint of resignation in his tone. "Now, it's up to the professors how they handle them. I can't change the plot as I wish."
With a soft whoosh, he reappeared from the shadows inside the carriage, his clone still cradling Silvia's head.
"Good job," Aeon murmured to his clone. He took his place, and the clone dissolved back into his shadow. Aeon gently wrapped Silvia's hands around his own, closing his eyes, awaiting the inevitable.
When the carriages reached the center of the forest,
A deafening BOOOOM! ripped through the air. All five carriages jolted to a sudden halt. Silvia, Sara, Emma, and Alice, who had been sound asleep, jolted awake, startled by the violent shock and deafening sound.
"Wha... what happened? What was that sound?" Emma stammered, disoriented.
"I don't know, what's going on outside?" Alice questioned, her voice laced with fear.
"Bandits," Kayle stated, his voice calm amidst the chaos.
"What? Bandits near the border of Atheliya?" Silvia exclaimed, her eyes wide.
"Yeah. Let's go outside, we need to check if others are safe," Kayle said, standing up.
They exited the carriage to find a horde of figures approaching, wielding swords and knives.
"Let's kill them and take all the goods!" a man, clearly their leader, bellowed.
Then, a massive fireball, blazing fiercely, streaked through the air towards them.
BOOOOOM!
Then someone came out of the carriage.
"GEEZ, I was exhausted from all those meetings, gatherings, and this long journey! I was finally able to take a nap, and you guys just had to show up!" Olivia's voice, usually bright and cheerful, was laced with furious irritation. "Don't even think about running away!"
It was the first time the students had ever seen Professor Olivia truly angry. She was radiating a pulsating, crimson mana from her body, her eyes glowing with fierce determination.
"Kids, come here, stay behind Lucy. And don't move," Mark instructed, stepping forward.
"Yeah, we'll take care of them," Orlando chimed in, cracking his knuckles. "Besides, it's been a while since I stretched my muscles!"
Both Mark and Orlando strode ahead.
"Come here, you lousy bandits!" Orlando roared, raising his hand. A blinding flash, then ZAAAP! A powerful 'Lightning Water Cannon' erupted from his palm. The bandits in the front lines were hit by a devastating electrical shock, collapsing to the ground, twitching.
ROOAARR!
Mark followed, USING his Sea Dragon spell. Two colossal water dragons materialized, surging forward and slamming into the remaining bandits, scattering them like rag dolls.
"Shit! Where are those useless fools?" the bandit leader cursed, scanning the chaotic scene. "They should have killed the boy!"
"Don't know, Master, I can't feel their presence at all. They're not here," a subordinate replied, his voice laced with panic.
"Where did those guys go?" the leader snarled. "If we fail, the organization head will kill us! Everyone, stop pretending to be bandits and use your assassin techniques to kill that boy!"
"Yes, sir!" they chorused, shedding their bandit facade.
They began throwing knives and spikes in perfectly coordinated, deadly waves. Olivia, at the front, conjured a shimmering Flame Shield, effortlessly deflecting the projectiles.
"Assassins in disguise as bandits, huh? Now this is going to be very fun!" She said smiling like maniac.
"Entertain me more!" Olivia cackled, a wild, almost joyful glint in her eyes.
"Damn, she's lost it again," Orlando muttered, shaking his head.
Suddenly, six assassins attacked Orlando and Mark simultaneously, a blur of motion.
SWISH! WHIZZ! Mark and Orlando expertly dodged, but found themselves quickly surrounded.
"Hey, Mark, watch my back!" Orlando yelled.
"You too! I didn't think I'd get a chance to use this so soon, but I'm more than happy to!" Mark grinned.
With a surge of mana, Mark created two enormous Shape-Shifting Golems.
RUMBLE! CRACK!
The earth groaned as they rose, quickly taking the formidable form of armored knights.
"Chop down these filthy bandits!" Mark commanded.
His Golems charged, their colossal fists swinging. The assassins employed their precise assassination techniques, slicing into the Golems.
But CRUNCH! RUMBLE!
The Golems instantly regenerated, reforming and striking back.
"What?! How can a Golem stand again after being cut in two?" an assassin screamed in disbelief.
"Hmph! You think my Golems are normal?" Mark scoffed, puffing out his chest with pride. "They are the creations of my lifelong effort! You won't be able to destroy them!"
One Golem leaped onto an assassin, and in mid-air, SHHHHK it rapidly shifted its form, wrapping itself around the man like a vise.
CRUNCH! CRACK! SNAP!
Every single bone in the assassin's body was pulverized.
Meanwhile, Lucy stood guard over the students, shielding them. An assassin, seemingly from nowhere, hurled a knife towards Kayle.
WHIZZZ!
But Lucy's hand shot out, catching the projectile with impossible speed.
"Don't you dare touch my students! Especially Kayle!" Lucy warned, her voice suddenly sharp as steel. "Just because you guys are hiding doesn't mean you can hide from my Wind Sonar!"
Around ten assassins, who had been cloaked in the shadows, now revealed themselves and attacked Lucy en masse.
Lucy, who always appeared as a kind, smiling professor, raised her hand.
SWOOOSH! SWISH! SWISH!
She unleashed a barrage of multiple Wind Slashes at once. The assassins dodged frantically, but there were simply too many attacks. Some were hit, their limbs severed with grisly precision.
"Wooah, I didn't know our professors were that powerful!" Silvia exclaimed, her eyes wide.
"Well, it's a given," Emma replied, watching calmly. "They are all Sixth Circle Mages; it would take at least twice as many assassins to make them suffer."
Lucy then summoned her contracted high-rank wind spirit, Rafanis, a beautiful, ethereal fox-like creature.
"Rafanis, protect the kids!" Lucy commanded.
With the students now safe, she launched herself into the fray, engaging the assassins with renewed ferocity. "Now I don't need to worry about the kids," she murmured, a determined glint in her eye.
The assassins, finding themselves struggling, pulled out hidden weapons from their backs. One of them threw several metallic parts to his partner, who deftly combined them into a strange, glowing gauntlet.
THWIP! THWIP! THWIP!
He began firing hundreds of razor-sharp arrows simultaneously. Lucy dodged the barrage, but from behind her, another assassin launched a surprise attack.
CRASH!
She slammed an 'Air Bomb' onto the ground, using the resulting shockwave to propel herself high into the air.
From the sky, she unleashed a powerful hybrid spell: 'Iron Blades.' Hundreds of gleaming, razor-sharp blades rained down on the assassins. They couldn't dodge them all.
THWUD! THWUD!
The blades pierced their bodies, creating countless holes. All the assassins fell, dead.
Lucy landed softly on the ground, her breathing steady. "Are you okay, kids? Is anyone hurt?" she asked, her concern returning.
"No, Ma'am, we're fine," they replied, still awestruck.
"Good," Lucy said, a relieved sigh escaping her.
Then, a truly massive, blazing fire eagle, its wingspan enormous, materialized in the sky.
"She's gone mad," Lucy muttered, shaking her head. It was Olivia, who had just unleashed the high-level spell, 'Blazing Eagle.'
On the other side of the battlefield:
"Hahahaha! Now take this, you filthy assassins!" Olivia roared, attacking the remaining foes with a terrifying delight.
"Olivia, we need some of them alive for interrogation!" Orlando yelled, but it was too late. She attacked them all, burning them to a crisp with relentless fire.
When the smoke cleared, only three assassins remained, badly scorched but alive.
"Ah..." the leader groaned in agony.
Olivia descended, a triumphant, almost manic smile on her face.
"Didn't I tell you we needed them alive?" Orlando grumbled, walking over.
"There are three of them alive, we can interrogate them," Olivia chirped, gesturing to the groaning figures.
Mark strode over to the leader. "Hey, who sent you?" he demanded.
The assassin merely glared, refusing to speak.
"Hey, tell me who sent you!" Mark pressed again, leaning closer.
The leader looked at Mark, a twisted grin on his pain-filled face. "Hehe. It's too late."
"What?!" Mark exclaimed. "What did he say?!"
Suddenly, a hidden arrow, tipped with a dark, glistening poison, flew through the air, aimed directly at Kayle. Everyone who saw it screamed, frozen in horror as it sped towards him.
But Rafanis, Lucy's wind spirit, was there. With a flash of ethereal grace, it snatched the arrow out of the air.
"Ohh, thank God Rafanis was there!" Olivia gasped, relief flooding her face.
Just as they thought it was over, one of the three surviving assassins, despite his grievous injuries, reached into a hidden compartment. With a desperate, final surge of energy, he pulled out a concealed dart-like weapon and fired it directly at Silvia.
All the professors, their attention momentarily diverted, couldn't react in time. The arrow, gleaming ominously, hurtled towards Silvia. She was standing caught off guard, utterly unable to dodge. Her eyes widened in terror, and she instinctively squeezed them shut, bracing for the inevitable.
Then.
CRACK!
Silvia heard a voice. "Caught... caught."
When she slowly opened her eyes, what she saw filled her with a dreadful, agonizing horror.
Kayle stood before her, his body rigid. The arrow, dark and sinister, had pierced directly through his right chest.
His eyes, still open but losing their vibrant light, met hers for a fleeting second. Then, a gush of dark blood erupted from his mouth. He swayed, and with a soft thud, collapsed onto the ground.
Everyone who witnessed Kayle collapsing ran towards him, their faces contorted with anguish.
More blood flowed from his mouth, a horrifying crimson stain spreading on his chest. His eyes, once so bright, were slowly, agonizingly, closing.
"Kayle! Kayle...!" Silvia screamed, her voice a raw, desperate cry as she fell to her knees beside him.
Lucy, Orlando, Olivia, and Mark rushed to his side, their faces pale with shock and fear.
"Kayle! Don't close your eyes! Kayle...!" Lucy cried out, tears streaming down her face.
Kayle's gaze, faint but still fixed on Silvia, held for one last moment. Then, his eyes fluttered shut.