The group could only comfort themselves with this thought.
As long as they could reach that place, they wouldn't have to endure such humiliation anymore.
They had to be cautious, using their bodies to shield against the falling rocks.
Seeing them so careful made Nina even happier; she continued to pick up stones from the ground and throw them at them.
Each member of the group bore various injuries.
Faced with Nina's stones, they had no reaction left, simply catching the rocks with their bodies and gently placing them on the ground to avoid disturbing any spell beasts.
Their sole objective now was to escape as quickly as possible.
Once they were free, they would find a way to exact revenge.
However, they didn't anticipate that the stones would stop being thrown and instead a mass of rocks would be magically fixed in the air, falling like rain upon them.
At this sight, the group could no longer endure.
Before, they could at least catch the individual stones to avoid waking the spell beasts, but using magic to bring down so many rocks felt excessive! Wait! Why could that girl use magic?
Realizing this, the group looked around at the still-resting spell beasts. Nina's magic seemed undetected by them.
This led them to conclude that these spell beasts might be fake, or perhaps they simply wouldn't be roused by magic.
The realization sparked their anger, and mana surged within them, even reaching a state of overload.
Their goal became startlingly unified: to kill the girl before them.
Yet, unexpectedly, the nearest spell beast seemed to sense something.
It sniffed the air, as if about to open its eyes.
The leader of House Windwhisper exchanged confused glances with his companions.
Why did the girl's magic go unnoticed by the spell beasts while their own barely stirred them?
In that moment, they found themselves trapped.
If they continued to use magic, the spell beasts would surely wake.
But if they didn't act, they risked being crushed by the stones.
They exchanged glances, reading each other's thoughts, then unleashed massive waves of mana.
Countless spells aimed straight at Nina, driven by the urge to tear her apart.
Faced with their onslaught, Nina showed no sign of panic; instead, she laughed.
"Haha… this is fun! It's a pity there don't seem to be many from the two families in the secret realm. I wanted to play with you a little longer, but…"
As she spoke, her form gradually faded away.
The furious attacks from House Windwhisper and House Lunastone struck the empty air, exploding with a force that flattened the ground beneath them, leaving a crater.
The spell beasts nearby began to stir. Dozens of them turned on each other, creating chaos amidst the mana fluctuations.
As for the two families… they were obliterated by the onslaught of the spell beasts.
"Ugh, I wonder if I can find any more of House Windwhisper or House Lunastone in the secret realm…" Nina mused, reflecting on the effort it took to locate these few individuals.
She had intended to role-play, blending in among them, but the contrast between the two groups had quickly revealed her true identity.
Nina had no plan to disguise herself; she simply placed the spell beasts there in advance.
It was their reckless use of magic that led to their demise.
Nina was just a good kid who loved to play; she wouldn't kill anyone. Just then, a stranger's voice broke through.
"Are you looking for members of our two families?"
Nina turned to the source of the voice.
A woman in a House Windwhisper uniform stood there, scrutinizing her.
"Are you from Crossbridge Academy?"
"Are you from House Windwhisper?"
Both asked the same question, confirming each other's identities.
A smile appeared on Nina's face. "You seem to be at the peak of tier-silver."
Nina had thought there were hardly any left from the two families in the secret realm, yet here was another.
It felt like a gift from nature.
The woman gazed at Nina. "You're looking for our members?"
In the secret realm, the two families were supposed to cooperate to eliminate the Crossbridge Academy members.
Now, this Crossbridge Academy member sought them out instead.
The woman quickly guessed her intentions.
"Remember, it's House Windwhisper that will kill you, Eloise!"
As soon as she spoke, the tier-silver mana erupted from her, and a small tornado materialized around Nina, attempting to trap her.
But in that instant, Eloise sensed that the Nina who should be caught in the vortex had vanished.
In her mind, alarms blared.
Eloise rolled aside, glancing back to see Nina appear behind her, reaching out a hand.
"How fast!" Eloise thought, amazed.
How had Nina escaped her magic without a sound and ended up right behind her?
She hadn't sensed a thing.
Seeing Eloise dodge quickly, Nina felt a bit disappointed. "I just wanted to say hello; is that so scary?"
Eloise's expression grew serious. She didn't take Nina's words lightly; she understood that this opponent was formidable. It seemed Nina possessed a speed that surpassed her comprehension.
Yet, that was not enough. Eloise knew that Nina hadn't even attacked yet. If not for her warning, Eloise would have likely been struck already.
This time, she surrounded herself with a barrier of wind blades and prepared to cast more spells.
Invisible winds transformed into long spears, shooting toward Nina.
This time, Eloise refrained from trapping her in a vortex, wanting to see how Nina would evade her attack and silently appear behind her.
The invisible wind spears were nearly upon Nina in an instant.
As the attacks drew close, Eloise remained focused; she needed to know if this enemy could be so easily hit.
Sure enough!
Just as the wind spears were about to strike Nina, she vanished!
The spears flew past, hitting the ground behind her.