The warm atmospheric conditions and the striking orange light made it impossible for me to escape the sight that tormented my eyes.
Wein took a step, feeling slightly nauseous and dizzy as he stared at the flames consuming the building—it was like Leon's past trauma resurfacing.
But Wein steeled his mind. He stood on his own two feet and then stepped forward slowly to see what was happening.
"Wein!" someone shouted. The cold, soft voice of a girl made him stop in his slow steps. Wein turned toward the source of the voice.
He saw Sherlyn approaching slowly after realizing Wein had noticed her presence.
"Are you okay?" Wein wanted to reach out to touch Sherlyn's cheek, but before he could, a massive explosion caused them both to look toward it.
Dust particles and parts of collapsed buildings blasted into the air, rushing upward with the flames still clinging to them.
An eternal stone can burn? Sherlyn shuddered slightly, glancing toward Wein Arcveil before saying something. "Even eternal stones can be destroyed easily."
Her voice was hoarse; it was the first time Sherlyn showed such a serious expression on her face, and her rapidly beating heart could no longer be hidden.
{Bastard, don't touch me.} Loraine's voice shouted sharply, carried by the wind and echoing to both of them. Silence fell immediately upon hearing Loraine's voice in ancient CyFil.
Wein quickly turned his body, already preparing himself to see what Loraine had faced, calling out to Rigel and Lumine.
"Rigel, Lumine, transform," he said flatly. He understood the ancient language, unlike Sherlyn. Rigel and Lumine immediately stepped forward, standing on either side of Wein Arcveil.
The wolves, small in size, gradually grew larger. Their eyes became fiercer, and their gaze sent shivers down the spine of anyone who dared meet it.
Every inch of muscle tightened, their fur grew stronger, and their eyes glowed red in the dark, emitting a powerful sense of intimidation.
Amid the flickering flames that obscured each passing second, Sherlyn slowly stepped back, her steps unsteady after witnessing the transformation of Wein's wolves.
Their size was unnatural—previously, the wolves only reached her waist, but now they towered over Wein Arcveil himself.
She froze. The once puppy-like wolves had turned into weapons of mass destruction. Sherlyn glanced at Wein and stared at his face.
A blank expression, calm breathing, and muscles amplified by mana many times over—how could he be like this?
Was it rage or self-control?
"Wein, I'll call for reinforcements," she said, her voice trembling. Wein gave a faint smile before walking toward where Loraine had screamed.
"Rigel, lead the way," Wein Arcveil commanded. Sherlyn backed away further, trying to escape the transparent veil.
Lucas Lordmurt:
"Why are you stopping me from getting rid of someone who disobeyed?" Lucas laughed triumphantly before continuing. "Isn't it your duty to punish those who defy the rules?" he asked the Professors standing before him.
Professor Wykenko snapped, drawing both his swords and quickly coating them with mana. "Lucas! How dare a student of this Academy be involved in this act of terrorism!"
A wicked grin stretched across Lucas's face as he began chuckling, sounding more like a madman than a person. "How dare I? Do you think you're anywhere near my level now? How dare you speak to me as though you are my equal! You're nothing but pests with no hope of survival." As he spoke, mana gathered around him before he kicked the helpless Loraine five meters away.
The battle erupted instantly. The Professor began with a basic spell before launching an opening attack. Lucas, sensing the mana fluctuation, quickly dodged and began chanting a spell in return.
His body slowly became enveloped in an aura, with flashes of lightning in purple and black, eventually morphing into a fiery red glow. He grinned even wider this time.
Professor Wykenko shifted his focus, stepping back to analyze what Lucas had mastered. The overwhelming mana fluctuation caused some of the floors to collapse, and the spot where Lucas stood cracked instantly.
The chaos of the battle escalated, starting from a psychological war that Lucas had clearly won. Professor Wykenko then focused his power into his swords and advanced, leaping as Lucas chanted a spell.
Not particularly special, yet a perfect fireball shielded his body like an untouchable fiery barrier. Simultaneously, Lucas opened access to all elements—except light and darkness.
"You still think you're equal to me?" he laughed once more, this time in pure satisfaction, as if someone were steadily tickling his stomach.
Caught mid-air, Professor Wykenko lost control of himself. Lucas took the chance to strike from below, charging a fireball and launching it toward the Professor.
Seconds later, as the fireball drew nearer, the Professor could only brace himself. His unwillingness to end here was clear in his eyes—but the fireball was already too close.
Kaboom! A powerful impact released smoke into the air, followed by the crash of Professor Wykenko hitting the ground, seemingly only scratched but unconscious upon impact.
Regardless of the result, the remaining three Professors tried to strike. Lucas raised his hand with his index finger pointing to the sky—signaling something to rise.
Eternal stone tiles levitated; the three Professors standing atop them fell, and Lucas slammed the tiles down again and again until he was certain they were unconscious.
Screams from the watching students echoed, yet Lucas only grew more delighted. The stronger and crueler he became in public, the more he felt like a revolutionary from Vernisius.
Purple veins bulged across his body, and the aura surrounding him rivaled the dispersed mana output, causing nearby plants to wither. The fireball shielding him thickened, indicating tighter protection.
The fire raged, creating a light that illuminated a new world. The wind tried to catch up but couldn't. Screams echoed inside the soundproof veil, and even light produced optical illusions. Whatever it was, it was dangerous—Lucas stood between the captured students and the fallen Professors.
From the nearest point, a stronger aura emerged. The relentless mana fluctuations made the skin crawl, lightning flashes of black and purple cloaked the body, and glowing purple eyes stared like a hunting eagle. Behind him stood two Dire Wolves, now in massive form.
The wind stopped. The fire no longer sparked or crackled. The crowd of Academy students gaped in silence. Lucas was suddenly pushed back mentally, yet he tried to maintain a smug expression as Wein and his two wolves walked slowly toward him.
That blank face… it wasn't the Wein Arcveil they knew.
.
Z
.
.
.