Neid and Eruki, who had teleported, appeared in front of the cliff of the uncrossable bridge. The eyes of the two, who were witnessing the humiliation of Professor Siena, were burning with anger.
"How dare you do that to the professor...?"
"You..."
"What, were there some nice guys? Anyway, they're just simple mages..."
Lucas didn't feel well either. He was an experienced killer, but he made the mistake of missing his target. Besides, he had to take care of all the humans with their minds intact.
"Was that woman a professor? I'm sorry. By this time, she should already be close. On the ground, I mean. Hahaha."
As soon as Lucas finished speaking, Shirone, who was holding Siena on the cliff, appeared instantly through teleportation. His gaze was no different from the others. To what extent can someone be corrupted to throw a person off a cliff?
"I won't forgive you..."
Lucas didn't even listen. The escalating situation was just annoying.
"Hey, what are you going to do? This wasn't in the contract. I can handle it if you just double the payment."
"I don't need your help. I'll handle it myself."
"Then, as you wish."
Lucas sighed and withdrew. His attitude seemed to be that he wouldn't get involved, but in reality, he thought the opposite. Pretending disinterest and waiting, and when the battle began, he would attack from behind. That would be the end.
"Come on, attack me quickly. I'm in a hurry."
Shirone and Kanis slowly closed the distance. Kanis's Spiritual Zone, felt through synesthesia, was a sphere with a diameter of about 50 meters, similar to Shirone's.
"I'll take care of this, so you two stop that guy."
In response to Shirone's words, Eruki looked at Lucas.
"That person? Judging by the atmosphere, I don't think he intends to intervene."
"You never know how things can change when the situation escalates. He's evil enough to throw Professor Siena off a cliff."
Shirone said with a cold look.
"Don't believe anything that guy says."
Eruki mentally prepared for battle. Shirone began to measure the time. The photon emission prepared him for a combat stance.
Shirone started the countdown. Photon emission boasted exceptional activation speed among attack magic. However, dark magic was not far behind in speed.
Kanis's eyes showed no readable sign. They seemed to contain an uncertain future, as if only uncertainty revolved around him.
They were not human eyes. They were eyes so deeply dark that only those who had survived countless times could have them.
What kind of life would someone have led to have such eyes?
Both of them flicked their fingers. In the moment a bird took flight with a squawk, they moved in unison. The photon emission and dark magic moved spectacularly, dazzling their eyes.
Shirone performed a teleport and rose vertically. The dark magic following him vertically vanished in the sunlight.
Kanis chuckled. What he was aiming for was the shadow buried in the ground, not Shirone's body. After belatedly remembering the properties of dark magic, Shirone hurriedly moved out of the cliff. As the shadow disappeared a thousand meters below, the dark magic that didn't reach its target dissipated like flames.
While the photon emission shot like a rapid-fire cannon, Kanis conjured a shadow wall. A dense shadow wall rose before his eyes and completely absorbed the photons.
'Amazing magic. Blocking light with darkness...'
His power in dark magic was strong, to the point of defying the laws of nature. Shirone, who had increased the power of photon emission through countless rebounds, could imagine how strong Kanis's mental strength was.
"So, how about this?"
Concentrating the photons in his hand, Shirone gritted his teeth and launched them with determination. When the Photon Cannon was fired, Kanis maximized the thickness of his defensive wall. For a moment, his smile disappeared, and the Shadow Wall exploded, followed by a flash of light.
'What is this?'
Feeling a chilling sensation, Kanis instinctively cast Dark Skin. As his body turned black, a photon cannon hit him in the abdomen.
"Ouch...!"
The limit of the shock Dark Skin could absorb had already been exceeded at the moment of impact, and the shockwave shook Kanis's internal organs. Kanis's body, sent flying, was buried in the forest.
"Kanis!"
Arin couldn't believe it. Being hit by light was incomprehensible. Light was pure energy. If even a small amount of physical force were present, planets near the sun would have been destroyed.
Lucas's expression also turned serious for the first time. Magic that hits the opponent by flying rapidly like a beam of light. Even if he were in Kanis's place, the probability of avoiding it would have been 50 percent.
"It's not just bad luck, but rather stepping on shit..."
Lucas's eyes sparkled. It was not a game; no game, but shouldn't you pay the debt? His twin swords sparkled as he looked at Shirone.
* * *
Ethella was somewhere in the mountains, 800 meters high above the uncrossable bridge. And in front of her was Arcane, who had become an unofficial third-level mage forty years ago.
From Arcane's point of view, he was an unwanted guest. Despite resting, while casting Abyss Nova, his exhausted mental strength had only been restored to about 60%
But those thoughts didn't last long. Arcane realized the real power of the woman in front of him and squinted his eyes.
'Oh, look at this.'
She wore enormous glasses that made her look clumsy. Her body was also well-developed, and she had a calm appearance that didn't seem suitable for battle.
But he felt it through his skin. Although she was just standing still, all the energy that was in her body found no resistance.
Her eyes were impressive, especially her pupils. They reflected the mind of a superior being that far exceeded the conflicts of lust, joy, anger, hatred, and love.
She was a summoner. Moreover, she was exceptionally talented to be a professor in a Magic academy.
'Abyss Nova... won't be enough to defeat her.'
Ethella was equally nervous in front of a being who had gained fame in dark magic to the extent of becoming an Archmage before she was even born.
"I've heard of you."
"Are you from the Crimson Order?"
Without waiting for an answer, Arcane guessed that Ethella was a nun. However, the response that followed far exceeded his expectations.
"My name is Ethella, Bishop of the Karsis Order. Why is someone who was famous for their dark magic doing something so terrible?"
"It's a Bishop..."
Arcane burst into laughter as if it were absurd. Holding the position of bishop at the age of less than thirty was impossible in his prime.
Particularly, if it was Karsis, it was one of the few religious orders on the continent with 2,000 parishes. And a bishop was in charge of a parish, equivalent to the head of at least a city.
"Where is Alpeas?"
Ethella remained silent. She didn't know where he was either, but even that could be information for the enemy.
"I can hear your head thinking from here. To be honest, it doesn't matter. I didn't think that cunning kid would fall prey to my magic."
"You make me laugh. Why are you looking for the headmaster? If it's a personal matter, it would be more appropriate to confront him directly. If you release the students from mind control and withdraw, I can make the necessary arrangements."
"Hahaha! It seems you gained some reputation while I was gone. But Alpeas now is not the person you imagine. He's the most stubborn and arrogant guy in the world."
"No matter what the past was. The current headmaster is a person respected by all the students."
"Oh, do you mean that?"
Arcane stroked his chin playfully. After all, the Alpeas in his memory was limited to a guy in his twenties in his prime.
"You're curious. What the hell did that kid do to gain respect? Let's hear what you have to say."
Ethella understood Arcane's plan. The moment when the sun would set was nearing. It was a trick to buy time until night came when dark magic would be more powerful.
"If you're waiting for darkness, then stop. As a teacher, I can't allow more mischief."
"What did you say?"
Arcane frowned as if he were disgusted. A young woman under 120 years old dared to treat him as a mage who only wanted to buy time with conversation?
By casting dark magic, Arcane's shadow enveloped the trees. Branches swayed and trunks began to bend in all directions.
"Did you think I was afraid of you just because the sun came out? If so, you're underestimating me by a lot."
Ethella looked up. The trees within a radius of hundreds of meters bent one after another, forming a huge tangled dome like a net. When the sky closed, the surroundings became darker than night.
"Die, monster."
Arcane quickly disappeared into his own shadow. It was the use of a dark ability called "Dark Port." This ability leveraged the shadow's affinity with darkness and removed the notion of distance, allowing him to move instantly to any place where shadows existed.
The ability to approach undetected was the primary advantage of Dark Port. As soon as Arcane disappeared from Ethella, she retreated quickly like a flash. Dozens of shadowy hands swirled in the air.
Arcane began to use Dark Port again and initiated a high-speed battle. It looked as if there were dozens of Arcanes and Ethellas all over the space. Arcane cornered Ethella in a confined space, but she used her superhuman speed to teleport at the last moment. Her torso overlapped countless times, and shadowy hands pierced her residual images.
"Bishop of the Karsis Order. You truly are impressive."
Even Arcane, who possessed an enviable nobility, couldn't help but be amazed. Her mental greatness might not equal his, but her skill and perception far surpassed her age.
"Then you should aim for your weak point."
Ethella's eyes flickered with bewilderment. As the dark magic intensified, thousands of hands flew simultaneously.
Truly, an endless magical power.
The tracking expansion ability was considered a form of magic in itself, but even with that, she couldn't completely evade thousands of hands.
When the shadow of a tree branch grabbed her wrist, Ethella hurriedly stopped. Teleporting in this state would result in her arm being torn off.
"Ugh!"
The tension of the shadow was as strong as iron, but Ethella's strength was not to be underestimated. She gritted her teeth and pulled on her arm, and the central part of the shadow tore apart with a dull sound.
Arcane spoke with a malicious smile.
"You have martial skills too, right? You're a tough nut to crack."
"If you like that, then I'll make it right for you."