And on a night when Shion Lan closed his eyes, he was in the Vein Domain and decided to confront Shi Yun Lan to see how long he could endure against a genius like him. When he opened his eyes, he looked at the ceiling of the room where he had slept with other soldiers and thought for a moment:
"That damned Shi Yun Lan is truly strong. He is stronger than any fourth-level individual I have seen, whether a student or a soldier. He didn't even need to use what they call Intent—what we know by two names: Weapon Aura and Magic Mind. When he faced me, he used his aura, which erupted with tremendous force and affected me severely. Without even moving, I felt as if my blood was trying to kill me. And after my heart was shattered, I've returned now… I wonder, could I defeat him if I only entered the fourth level?"
In the middle of that night, the sound of horns rang out, waking everyone, and a call was heard:
"Wake up, everyone! The tide of Dark Crows is about to arrive!"
Yes, the long-prepared attack had begun…
In a distant place, a man sitting atop one of the high peaks looked upon the sight of the Dark Crows. With a smile, he waved his hand, and the flock moved at his command, beginning to fly and cross the region. However, arrows soon began piercing the crows' bodies. The man's expression did not change. He looked down and saw the forces of Region 14 and three unfamiliar forces.
"The regional forces, the Rain Battalion, the Magic Tower, and finally the academy students… What is that old man thinking by calling in his students? Does he want them to die or something?"
The man spoke indifferently and commanded, "(Dark Night, Crimson Moon)."
The Dark Crow Domain—formed by four seventh-level crows—created such a powerful field that it enhanced the Dark Crows as a whole. Even the operators were affected; a crow contributing its domain would return triple the effect. All the crows went into a frenzy.
But Amy shouted, "Mages! Stop them from flying!"
Giant magic circles appeared, halting the natural flow of the wind, causing almost the entire flock to fall—except for those of the fifth, sixth, and seventh levels. Even so, they were not granted freedom of movement, as forces of matching levels rose in an instant using flight magic. Among them were Beliza Sano and Rona Flair.
Aiten, Wendy, Amy, and Ryan stood before the four seventh-level Dark Crows. The man who had been seated laughed, then stood up, took a serious stance, and thought to himself, "Let's have a little fun."
On the ground, where the Dark Crows had lost their ability to fly, they managed to find the natural wind flow, but they were already at an appropriate level to exchange attacks. The combat battalions moved in to kill them.
Within the Dark Crow flock were thousands of first- and second-level crows. Their numbers began to decrease from the third level and were far fewer at the fourth—only a few hundred—but the numbers were still massive. Despite this, no one hesitated, and they all attacked.
"Rain Battalion! Prepare! Fire!"
The Rain Battalion consisted of a hundred soldiers with storm-like attributes—ice, water, wind, thunder, and lightning—who primarily used bows and arrows. Thanks to their formation, they could create a violent, devastating storm using arrows alone. Dark Crows began falling dead. Among them appeared the battalion commander, who was at the fourth level, though his power rivaled the fifth. He issued orders to the rear lines while standing at the forefront of his battalion.
They were not the only ones who shone. The Magic Tower granted flight magic to the high-level soldiers and also prevented the weaker crows from flying. They were also tasked with healing the injured using their specialized healing magic. Although they were only five, they were all at the fifth level. In front of them stood the remaining attacking mages of the fourth level, who unleashed long-range magic. Rains of fire and stone spears began to fall upon the crows.
As for the student battalion, they were on a different level altogether—each one possessed the strength of ten soldiers. They began organizing themselves and engaging in combat. Sword techniques and magical spells spread everywhere. Each of them was at the peak of the third level. The fourth-level students were few, but they could support the battalion on their own. Each took a corner or a separate area, acting independently and responding quickly in case of incidents.
Violet Night appeared with her whip, which she swung, easily tearing apart first- and second-level crows. Thanks to the wide range of her attacks, she remained safe. In her other hand was her dagger, which she used to stab crows that managed to evade her whip. She did not use her techniques at all—only Weapon Aura.
As for the First Prince and Shun Ranus, they did not possess Weapon Aura and relied on first- and second-level techniques and spells to reduce energy consumption and maintain endurance.
The regional army followed orders strictly, fighting cautiously, avoiding useless movements, and using combat formations that allowed them to endure the battle.
When the man saw all this, he smiled. "Now let's see how long you can last."
The blood of Dark Crows flew across the battlefield, splattering onto the soldiers' bodies. They now looked more like barbarians than soldiers.
Shion Lan, who was also on the battlefield within the Shilte unit, fought fiercely against first- and second-level crows and a few third-level ones. He drew attention to himself and sighed inwardly:
"When the leader of a monster group is killed, its spirit is marked and hunted by those monsters, becoming the primary focus. The problem is that I didn't just kill their king—I killed the heir as well. If it weren't for the one who enslaved the crows, they would have all tried to kill me at once."
Shion swung his sword. "(Cutting Flames)!"
He cut off the heads of two first-level crows, retreated while preparing his hand, which contained a fireball threaded with lines.
"(Paths of Fire)!"
A fiery trail shot forth and struck the eye of a Dark Crow. Suddenly, the trail's brightness intensified, causing the crow's head to explode, disorienting those around it. Shion took advantage, prepared himself again, struck with (Cutting Flames), and continued in this manner. Blood splattered over him, and he felt something strange about it:
"This is strange… I have a bad feeling about this blood, as if it will cause special disasters—and I have experience with Shi Yun Lan."
They heard the man's laughter as he spoke:
"I am the seventh-level Enslavement Mage, Cliff Biv! Let me kill you now!"
Everyone looked around but could not find the man, who had originally been speaking and observing through the Dark Crows. Shion did not understand what the man meant, but unlike him, when the commanders heard his words, they narrowed their eyes—especially when he mentioned his name. They looked at their bloodstained bodies. Shilte summoned his aura, cleansed himself, and shouted fiercely at the soldiers, "Clean yourselves of the blood!"
"Hahahahaha! It's too late!"
The blood on the soldiers' bodies began to glow, then explode, causing severe—and sometimes fatal—injuries. Limbs were scattered across the field, heads flew, flesh was torn apart. Screams of pain and cries of death spread everywhere.
The losses were not limited to the soldiers; some students also lost their lives in this battle. However, thanks to the First Prince, Jaiden Joul, purification magic was used alongside fifth-level mages, who began casting wide-area spells. The Tower mages also used various means, such as water magic for cleansing and light magic to nullify the darkness element possessed by the Dark Crows.
Upon seeing the losses, the commanders sighed in grief. Half of the army's forces had been annihilated, and the remainder had suffered severe injuries. Fortunately, the Rain Battalion had been positioned at the rear, supporting with arrows. The mages, despite being away from the battlefield, were injured by the explosion magic they tried to contain and mitigate. Most of the student battalion suffered severe injuries, and only a few died—an event that would be considered a catastrophe for the academy.
"Defend! Defend!"
"Rain Battalion, support the army!"
"Healers, tend to the wounded!"
"Half the battalion, go support the army!"
The four commanders of this battle began issuing numerous orders to adapt to the new situation. Half of the students, led by Violet Night—followers of the Second Princess, Jina Joul—moved to support the army, as they included a considerable number of fourth-level members. The First Prince, Jaiden, remained in place with his followers. The prince continued healing, while his followers fought with greater intensity.
A number of Rain Battalion soldiers advanced with their spears to cover the rear lines, protect the mages, and support the army.
Shilte searched for Shion, worried about him after seeing his soldiers die. He scanned the area, looking for survivors. After seeing the injured retreat and receive treatment, he remembered this boy he had only briefly interacted with—but whom he wanted to save and check on more than anything, not as his commander, but as a friend.
He was surprised to find Shion intact, despite still being covered in blood. But he noticed something else—the blood was glowing, yet it did not explode. Instead, its light dimmed and returned to its normal state.
"Shion, are you okay?"
But Shion did not answer. He looked at the number of dead and felt overwhelming rage in his heart. These were soldiers who had been with him just hours ago, laughing and full of life. Now, none of them were alive—not even intact bodies, but mutilated remains scattered everywhere.
Shion turned his gaze toward a specific spot among the terrain, where the cause of this painful moment stood—Cliff Biv. Cliff felt that gaze and pinpointed its location through shared senses with the crows. He saw a young boy with white hair and black eyes standing behind numerous corpses, staring at him in a way that brought back painful memories.
"He's looking at me the same way that old man and that bastard Jord Joul did! Have I become a joke to be looked down upon?! I'll show that boy—especially since the crows bear a grudge against him."
Cliff sent swarms of Dark Crows toward the army where Shion stood. Shion, in turn, moved toward them, activating his art, his necklace, his ring, and his body. His eyes turned silver again with stars within them.
"Shion! Stop!"
Shilt tried to stop him, but Shion had already moved.
"I'll handle them. I don't want anything except enhancement magic."
Shion charged forward with intense fury.
"They kill in front of me?! Even if I'm still at the third level, I won't stop!"
He used his techniques before reaching them:
"(Star Tide)! (Star Surge)!"
Shion unleashed his techniques and plunged ferociously into the sea of crows.