Thud
A severed head hit the floor, followed by the lifeless, headless body. The cut was clean, imbued with aura, freezing the wounds and preventing blood from spilling.
The aftershock from the strike sent powerful shockwaves through the air, causing those below the 5th tier to faint from the sheer force of the mana and shockwaves.
The Syndicate members stared in disbelief, especially the 7th tiers. Their leader, one of the thirteen overseers, had been slain. Once the Syndicate realized what had happened, they swiftly swallowed something.
Those still conscious chose to end their lives with poison. In mere moments, the remaining members who hadn't fainted from the shockwaves were dead.
The guards and professors, alongside the Marquess, began to recover from the shock. Their next move was to stabilize the situation. The guards quickly locked the unconscious Syndicate members in mana restraints—a specialized lock designed to forcibly suppress one's ability to harness and channel mana, tailored for different tiers.
While the weaker members helped the injured recover from the battle.
"..."
Eilot glanced around, witnessing the horrors that had turned this once beautiful area to ashes. The main building of the city lay in ruins, surrounded by the bodies of the dead and injured.
He looked at the lifeless body and muttered.
"…I guess this is the end."
Eilot stared at his hands, the faint mana remnants still crackling around them. The exhilaration of his newfound power was quickly overshadowed by a creeping unease. How had he, someone who only just broke through, managed to slay a 9th-tier so effortlessly? It didn't sit right with him—something was off.
'Darius... He was far too weak to be a true 9th tier.'
The professors arrived beside him while the Marquess focused on managing the situation.
Mira spoke up.
"Congratulations on breaking through to the 9th tier, Eilot."
A smile spread across Mira's face, followed by congratulatory remarks from the other professors.
Eilot responded promptly.
"Thank you, but there's still work to be done."
The joyous moment was cut short by Eilot's words. He continued.
"The barrier should be disappearing soon, now that the caster is gone."
By fluctuating his mana around the area, and extending it to the barrier, he could gauge how much mana remained. It wasn't much.
"We need to secure the students' safety quickly. I suspect their situation is far worse than ours."
His words caused the professors to frown. Every student at Lumi Academy was considered a top-tier talent. While other academies might rival them, Lumi had the most support. Most of them were nobles, but their talents, especially those in Class S, were unparalleled.
Yet Eilot wasn't too worried.
'…If Alyssa predicted this situation, she should have a way to handle it.'
"I'm heading to the hotel first."
He rushed toward the barrier and infused mana into his hand as he punched it.
Crackle—
The barrier shattered into countless pieces. Weakened as it was, the barrier was easily broken by his strength.
Outside of the barrier, there were numerous guards and even a Knight outside.
The Knight approached him.
"Sir Verron, could you tell us what has occurred here?"
Eilot frowned, impatient. He quickly replied.
"The threat has been neutralized. I'm heading to the Riviera Hotel."
He unleashed his 9th-tier aura, signaling the knight to step aside.
"Thank you for your work, Sir Verron."
The knight and his guards rushed toward the city hall, while Eilot flew off toward the hotel. As he arrived, he found another barrier, surrounded by guards desperately trying to break it with various abilities.
But it was futile. A barrier like this could even delay a 9th tier.
Eilot frowned. The barrier was still up, cloaked in darkness that prevented any light from passing through.
Sensing it, he determined there were five minutes left until the barrier naturally dissipated.
'Let's shorten that to a minute.'
With his newfound power, he summoned his sword.
In a booming voice, he spoke.
"Get out of the way, I will break the barrier."
With the presence of a 9th tier being drawn out, everyone quickly moved away from the barrier.
Eilot positioned himself in front of the barrier, his eyes narrowing as he focused his mana on his sword. With a swift, calculated motion, he struck the barrier repeatedly, each blow resonating with the force of a thunderclap.
Baaaam—!
Baaaam—!
The barrier shimmered under the assault, cracks forming with each strike until, finally, it began to splinter. A final, concentrated slash shattered it into a thousand glowing fragments, which dissipated into the air like dust.
"Huff.."
In an instant, his mana scanned the entire area, detecting multiple presences on each floor, clustered together. He dashed into the lobby, leaving a trail of soundwaves behind.
The lobby was in ruins, debris scattered everywhere, walls crumbling—a clear sign of a one-sided battle.
Three students rushed toward him. They were the top three ranked first-years.
He felt relief seeing them able to run, but it was quickly replaced by concern. A frown appeared as he noticed their injuries, tainted with filthy demonic energy
While he did get severely injured by demonic energy, his body had undergone a rapid healing process when he broke through, his wounds healing as mana surged through, overpowering the demonic energy.
But these students bore 8th-tier demonic mana.
'...They fought against a Master and survived. Alyssa must have known what to do. But where is she?'
He scanned for Alyssa's mana waves but found no trace of her presence.
Moments later, Liora's voice cut through the chaos, urgent and filled with desperation.
"You have to save Alyssa quickly!"
Eilot quickly responded.
"What happened to her?"
He suddenly realized that he regarded Alyssa as someone who had power but was once reminded of how weak that girl truly was.
"T...that guy who's at a Master level appeared to be in fear from Alyssa and unleashed a punch at her at a speed that I couldn't… see."
She pointed to a massive crater in the wall, with a straight line of trees and destruction in its wake.
Such power indicated the force of a Master level individual.
Eilot's worry deepened as he rushed to the end of the destruction, only to be met with a sight that filled him with horror.
---
"It seems they have failed, my Lord."
A tall woman in a dark robe adorned with a crescent moon and nine circling stars reported, her voice laced with unease.
"Darius was stopped by Eilot, who unexpectedly broke through to the 9th tier during their battle. As for the Jester... we still haven't discovered how he was killed."
Tap
A finger tapped on the throne, and a voice filled with disappointment echoed in the chamber.
"Interesting. So Darius was swiftly dealt with by Eilot?"
A wave of intense killing intent surged from the throne, causing the woman to tremble. She barely managed to respond.
"...I-It appears so, my Lord."
A smirk crossed his lips.
"How intriguing indeed. Even an artificial 9th tier couldn't withstand a true 9th tier for long. But focus on finding out what truly happened to the Jester—no, focus solely on identifying who killed him. "
Sweat beaded on the woman's forehead as she quickly replied.
"Yes, my Lord."
With a mere wave of his hand, the woman vanished into the shadows.
---
Eilot approached the body, his expression hardening as he took in the sight. The figure before him could scarcely be called human—burnt clothing clung to charred skin, wounds riddled with frozen icicles pierced through flesh, and a disfigured left arm hung precariously, as if on the verge of breaking. Blood and demonic energy oozed from every injury. The right arm was nearly obliterated, fingers bent backward at unnatural angles, the result of a force too great for the body to withstand.
'...What is this?'
Nearby, another lifeless body lay crumpled on the ground, clad in a grotesque clown outfit. Its head, cleanly severed, rested beside it, the face frozen in an expression of sheer terror.
'This is the 8th-ranked classified villain by the Union a few years ago. To think he was with the Syndicate...'
Shaking off his thoughts, Eilot turned his attention to the girl. He carefully lifted her and retrieved a high-tier, 8th-grade recovery potion from his subspace.
With precision, he opened her mouth and let the liquid flow down her throat, her body instinctively swallowing as she remained unconscious.
Rapidly, her body began to heal. Disfigured limbs slowly regained their former shape, and her skin knit together, though the lingering traces of demonic energy in her wounds resisted the potion's effects.
'A priest—we need to get one to her quickly. Only an Archbishop-level healer can treat this degree of demonic poisoning.'
Without hesitation, Eilot scooped her up and vanished in a flash, heading straight for the city hall.
---
"Headmaster! The freshman classes S and A are under attack by the Syndicate—it's classified as a 9th-tier assault!"
The urgency in the man's voice cut through the tense atmosphere like a blade.
The Headmaster's eyes narrowed, his expression hardening to stone.
Before the man could blink, the Headmaster vanished in a burst of blinding light, leaving only an empty chair where he once sat.
The man, now alone, clasped his hands together, whispering a desperate prayer.
'Please, Headmaster… make it in time.'
---
Traveling a distance of over 12,000 kilometers in such a short period is a feat beyond the capabilities of most, even for a Sage-level being. Yet, the Headmaster had accomplished it in less than forty minutes, his arrival marked by a sudden, powerful presence hovering above the center of the besieged city.
As he surveyed the scene below, the aftermath of the battle was evident—buildings reduced to rubble, the air thick with the lingering traces of mana and blood. But his sharp eyes caught sight of something that eased the tension in his chest.
'…It seems to be resolved.'
In a blink, the Headmaster vanished from the sky, reappearing right beside Eilot, who stood amidst the wreckage, cradling a wounded student in his arms. It was Alyssa, her body riddled with demonic energy, her face pale and drawn.
The Headmaster's gaze shifted to Eilot, and what he sensed shocked him. Eilot's mana capacity had surged, the unmistakable aura of a newly ascended Grand Swordmaster radiating from him. The Headmaster's heart swelled with pride, but the severity of the situation kept him from voicing it.
Eilot, his voice steady despite the chaos around them, spoke first.
"Headmaster,"
Eilot said, his voice calm but with an undercurrent of urgency,
"Alyssa needs immediate attention from the nearest Archbishop. I'll handle the situation here—Lumi's students are safe, but time is running out."
The Headmaster released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Relief washed over him at the news that the students were safe, but it was quickly overshadowed by a deep sense of dread as he looked down at Alyssa.
"Understood," he responded, his tone resolute. "We need to discuss this later."
Eilot gave a curt nod and turned back to the scene, already preparing to deal with what remained. Meanwhile, the Headmaster held Alyssa in his arms, his expression hardening with how badly her body was.
'The closest Archbishop should be in Verdantia right now.'
His eyes narrowed as he summoned his power, the world blurring around him as he sped towards Verdantia.
---
I woke up to a new ceiling again.