The Fury of the Headmaster
The air crackled with raw power as Verron Blackspear, the formidable headmaster of Horizon Academy, unleashed a torrent of mana against the shimmering force field protecting the enemy base. Cracks spiderwebbed across its invisible surface, threatening to shatter at any moment, allowing the eager heroes to surge forward. Just as victory seemed within reach, a voice, laced with an unsettling calm, echoed from above.
"You look tired, Master."
Verron's gaze shot upwards. Hovering effortlessly on leathery bat wings, horns curving menacingly from his brow, was a figure that stirred a deep, cold anger within him. "Eren... you traitor, So they send you to die here today."
A chilling smile spread across the man's face. "Don't say that, Master. I'm one of your brilliant Disciple."
"My disciple Eren Duskmoor is long dead," Verron retorted, his voice dropping to an icy whisper, a palpable aura of menace radiating from him. "You are someone who looks like him, but nothing from inside."
"Ohh that make me sad .... Teacher I'm crying umumm," Eren replied, his was smile unwavering by changing his expressions, "but now you should stop, or..."
"Or what?" Verron scoffed, releasing a wave of chilling mana that rippled through the air. "You, an A-rank, can kill me, an SS+ rank?"
"Does rank really matter for me, of all people you should known and I was not foolish enough to think i can kill you ..I was send here because I was closed to the Base so I can take care of any other hero but ... You come out of the question, But its not matters anymore I wanted to show you how much I grown master?" Eren's voice held a dangerous edge, a hint of Demon power that sent shivers down to the Hero's spine. Verron knew Eren wasn't just any A-rank. Ten years ago, he was the academy's strongest, a genius born once a century, capable of wielding all four elements. He could defeat opponents far above his rank. But now, with a pact made with a demon, he was stronger, far more dangerous. He was a force to be reckoned with, a potential stumbling block.
Verron's initial plan was to shatter the mana field, allow the heroes to flood the base, and then deal with Eren. He gathered his power, preparing to strike the shield, but Eren moved first, launching a massive fireball. It wasn't aimed at Verron, but at the heroes poised to enter the base. The orb, infused with black, demonic mana, pulsed with malevolent energy.
With the speed of lightning, Verron intercepted the attack, a shimmering mana shield materializing before him to absorb the destructive force. "You really think I'd let you do whatever you want?" Eren taunted.
"You've truly changed, Eren," Verron said, his voice laced with cold fury. "There was a time when you lacked many things, but I saw your determination and hard work. That's why I took you under my wing and trained you. Because of you, I broke the Law of the Horizon—the rule that forbids the Headmaster from taking a personal disciple. I even considered passing down our family's secret art to you. I thought of you as a son."
He took a breath, his eyes darkening.
"But you chose the darkness. You sought power at any cost, no matter how vile. And now by doing this… you've made me truly angry."
He snapped his fingers.
From the dense forest below, a woman with black hair and striking green eyes, an B-rank warrior, launched a powerful wind-elemental attack, a focused blast of mana aimed directly at the now-cracked mana shield. Eren, seeing the imminent threat, moved to intercept it, but even as he stopped her attack, the force field surrounding the base shimmered and then shattered completely. Verron had tricked him. The base was exposed.
A cacophony of war cries erupted as the heroes surged into the hellish stronghold, clashing immediately with the monstrous Hellkins. From his vantage point in the air, Eren watched the chaos unfold below—flames, steel, and screams blending into a nightmare.
He let out a weary breath, his voice low and strained."Now, now... what am I supposed to do?" he muttered to himself. "I can't save them all... not on my own."
His eyes scanned the battlefield, locking onto a distant figure.
"I just need to get Dr. Nicolas out... and retreat. Backup won't arrive in time, and Verron... Verron's not someone I can face alone."
As Eren grappled with his grim realization, a powerful electric bolt materialized, streaking towards him. He narrowly dodged it, his eyes meeting Verron's. "Is that your demon power that helps you dodge enemy attacks?" the headmaster boomed.
"Maybe," Eren replied, a smirk playing on his lips. "But it's you Master who isn't using your full power. You haven't even drawn your sword, or used your famous Four-Star Art."
"You will see even that," Verron promised, his body crackling with raw electricity. Understanding the impending confrontation, Eren responded in kind, his form shifting as black mist enveloped him, hardening into a demonic armor. His grey eyes bled to an inky black, and his black hair became covered by the demonic transformation.
Their clash began—a symphony of destruction. Each impact between them sent shockwaves tearing through the ground and echoing across the sky like thunder.
On the battlefield below, amidst the chaos and bloodshed, a cloaked figure stood silently. His face was hidden behind a mask, his presence cloaked in mystery. He was the one Lior had spoken to over the communication device.
"So... the legendary Almighty Verron and his traitorous student Eren, now a Hellkin," he murmured. "What a sight—master and pupil, locked in battle."
He reached for the black pendant hanging from his neck. With a pulse of dark energy, it shimmered, releasing a massive black wolf from within. Without hesitation, he mounted the beast.
In the blink of an eye, he vanished into the fray—his team close behind, cutting a brutal path through the Hellkins as he charged deeper into the heart of the enemy stronghold atop his fearsome companion.
Inside the Hellkin Stronghold
Deep within the enemy base, Lior and Elira, accompanied by the children Elira had managed to snatch from their captors, ascended to an upper floor. Their mission: to find more abducted children and free any captured adults who could join the fight. Lior, ever the strategist, had anticipated this day, arming himself with various artifacts designed to incapacitate the hellkins. Elira, her bow drawn, fired arrows, but their effectiveness against the demonic creatures was limited. Instead, she imbued her arrows with nature magic, causing the hellkins' mana to destabilize, leading to their collapse. However, this drained her mana swiftly. She desperately needed her storage ring, which contained potent mana-restoring elixirs and her primary bow. The one she currently used was a temporary creation, fashioned from wood imbued with nature magic.
"Where can we find my ring?" Elira asked, her voice strained.
Lior, setting a cunning trap for the hellkins advancing from the lift, replied, "In Nicolas's office. If you want, I can give you an elixir, but it's not as good as yours."
"It will help," Elira conceded. Lior tossed her a vial, and they quickly took cover with the children. The lift doors hissed open, and as the hellkins poured into the hall, Lior triggered his trap. Boom! Five hellkins were swiftly incapacitated, though not killed.
"How much further do we have to go?" Elira inquired, as they stepped into the lift.
"Just one more floor, and we'll gather the other children," Lior explained. "From the next floor, we'll reach the portal room where the doctor was planning to leave."
Elira's brow furrowed in confusion. "But when my grandpa comes to save us, why do we have to go there?"
Lior was about to answer when a powerful clap of thunder echoed from above, accompanied by an immense pressure that pressed down on them. "Looks like their backup has arrived," Lior said, a grim note in his voice. "And for your question, The reason we have to go there is because it's the most secure room in the base, capable of withstanding the blast if Nicolas decides to self-destruct the base. Nicolas also has his own advanced portal, so he won't have a second thought about leaving once he's gone." Elira understood.
The lift doors opened, revealing a throng of hellkins surrounding them. "Hey, what are you doing? You don't know me, guys!" Lior exclaimed, his hand subtly inching towards a mana bomb concealed in his back pocket. The hellkins, however, were not fooled and moved to intercept him. Just then, an alarm blared throughout the base, signaling the breach of the mana shield and the enemy's infiltration. Seizing the momentary confusion, Lior hurled the bomb. Four hellkins instantly collapsed.
"Fufu, that was my last mana bomb," Lior muttered, adding, "Looks like they've entered the base, so let's go fast!" They quickly moved towards the children's room.
"You don't like to kill them?" Elira asked, a curious glint in her eye.
"It's no need," Lior replied. "It's just not necessary." Elira felt a jolt of recognition. She had heard those words before, two years ago, from a boy her own age. "Killing someone is not necessary, even if they are bad people who do a lot of bad things they have to be punish by the Law," he had said, his golden hair and eyes shining with conviction. She had been impressed by his wisdom. Jon, she remembered.
"Did you say something?" Lior asked, pulling her from her thoughts.
Elira blushed. "No, no, why do you ask?Aandd when will we reach the room where other are?"
"We're in front of it now," Lior announced. The door was unguarded. They entered, and eight pairs of dead, hopeless eyes stared back at them.
"Let's all get out of here," Lior began, but all don't response one of the children stepped forward. "Hello sir , is this our another test?"
"No, no—we have to get out of here!" Lior shouted urgently. "I came to save all of you. Now is the time—we must leave this place, or you'll all die! Come with me, and I'll take you back to your families."
Hearing this, all the children turned their eyes to Lior.
Lior understood the children's despair. Elira, her heart aching, saw a blue-haired girl sitting on a bed, arms and legs folded, a profound sense of familiarity washing over her. Tears welled in her eyes as she gently lifted the girl's head. "Halenne.., is that you?"
The girl merely stared, her voice devoid of emotion. "Who are you and how do you know my name?"
"I'm Elira—your childhood friend. You don't remember me?" Elira said softly. "You have a family, Halenne. Your mother misses you dearly, your father is still searching for you, and your little sister Lyra… she misses you so much."
Elira broke into sobs. "Do you know her?" Lior asked.
"She's my friend, Halenne Nightraven," Elira choked out between sobs. "She's the daughter of Count Alaric Nightraven. We all thought she died after the attack in the ballroom two years ago, but..."
Lior remembered the incident—the missing children. Two years ago, they had been full of life, full of emotion. Now, they were empty, hollow shells of who they once were.
If I had done something… this never would have happened, he thought bitterly.
The drugs had weakened their memories, making it easier for the scientists to implant control chips in their minds. But now that they were rescued, their memories would begin to recover—slowly, once they were far from this place.
"We have to go now," Lior said urgently. "We don't have time. Let's move!"
" But there is one more like us number thirty ?" Halenne asked, her voice still flat, but with a flicker of concern. "Is he dead?" Lior was shocked. She still had emotions, still thought of others. What a strong girl.
"We'll rescue him too," Lior said firmly. "But it won't be easy—the access pin to his chamber is known only to Nicolas. We'll have to find a way around that. And we also need to head toward the portal—his room is right next to it."
Halenne stood up, facing the other children. Her voice trembled but carried strength.
"Let's all go home. I know we've forgotten what our homes look like… but deep inside, we all know there's a place we belong. We're not lab rats anymore. We're getting out of this place—together."
She turned to Elira, her eyes softening.
"And you, Elira… I heard your voice before. Seeing you now—it makes me happy. I may have forgotten their faces, but the voices of my mother, my father, and my little sister… I still hear them in my dreams."
Elira smiled, her eyes misty with emotion. She had finally found her lost friend.
And as Halenne spoke, the other children listened.
Their once lifeless eyes now held a faint, flickering glimmer of hope.
Just then, four hellkins burst into the room, swords and spears drawn. They attacked one of the freed prisoners, who had been rescued by Lior and Elira. The prisoner fell, lifeless. Though low-ranking, Lior couldn't fight them all alone. He engaged one, but another hellkin bypassed him, advancing towards Elira. "Doctor also needs you. Let's go!"
Elira was about to use her magic, but the hellkin seized her, attempting to drag her away. Halenne, moving with unexpected force, shoved the hellkin, sending him blasting into the wall, where he lay unconscious. The remaining two hellkins paused, stunned. Another child, the same age as Elira, pushed them. They seemed weak, but these children possessed the strength of F-rank adventurers, a level children usually reached at fifteen. These children, however, possessed that strength now, when children usually had G-rank strength. Elira watched, shocked, as all eight children fought together, overwhelming and defeating the four hellkins.
"So, we've got a fighting force!" Lior exclaimed, delighted.
"Let's go fast before more come!" They rushed towards the portal room.
The scientists were frantically preparing to escape.
The next to their room was closed, and inside, machines hummed, monitoring human health. These were connected to capsules, and inside one, The boy was Liam who was floating in a green liquid, his eyes closed, an oxygen mask covering his face.
The room door open and Dr. Nicolas enter the room and seeing the Liam he say
"How can I forget my masterpiece, now now number thirty how much time you gonna take open your eyes " , where than a hellkin enter the room and say " sir just as you say they are coming here "
Where Nicolas smile and say " Call the Gamma "