On the plains.
As Gunn and his blood-red doppelgänger charged at Alan, Alan responded swiftly, launching himself toward Gunn with incredible speed.
His staff-sword radiated dazzling light, and the powerful energy of [Blade Spirit] rippled from him, sharpening the very air.
Gunn and the crimson figure attacked Alan from both sides with the precision of seasoned assassins.
But Alan ignored the blood-red figure entirely, focusing his sword strike on Gunn.
Gunn met Alan's blade with his blood-red greatsword, his expression growing darker.
The blood-red figure was a projection of Alan himself, crafted with Tier-Bronze Peak strength.
For Alan to dismiss it so recklessly was pure arrogance, an act of self-destruction—or so Gunn thought.
As the blood-red figure prepared to strike Alan, a sharp gust of wind erupted from Alan's position, expanding outward in a deadly surge.
Caught off guard, Gunn's body was immediately riddled with cuts, leaving him bloodied.
The crimson doppelgänger, under Gunn's control, charged forward undeterred, ready to trade blows with Alan.
However, when the wind blades struck the blood-red figure, hidden flames within the gust ignited it.
The doppelgänger faltered, its strength draining rapidly.
Gunn, already injured, was caught in the blast and sent flying backward, coughing up blood.
At that moment, the remaining Lioncrest Academy students arrived, their faces contorted with rage as they launched attacks at Alan.
Fort snorted and charged toward them.
With every step, the golden light around him grew brighter, and his body seemed to gain mass and density, causing the ground to tremble underfoot.
Alan joined the fray, charging at the Lioncrest students without hesitation.
One-on-one duels didn't intimidate him, and neither did chaotic brawls.
Francis returned to the scene, glancing at the 30 or so Lioncrest students. "Can I kill these guys too?"
Alan smirked. "They're ready to kill us, aren't they? Hit them hard!"
The plain erupted in chaos as the battle ensued. Spells exploded in every direction, leaving the ground scarred as though plowed by giants.
Alan, Fort, and Francis demonstrated remarkable strength, but their opponents, being Lioncrest Academy students, were equally formidable.
To be accepted into Lioncrest Academy was to be among the elite.
Still, Alan's group held the upper hand.
In just a few dozen breaths, many Lioncrest students were injured and forced to retreat.
As Alan prepared to strike down another student, Gunn reappeared, blocking his blade with the blood-red greatsword.
Gunn's face was grim, his composure shaken.
He had underestimated Alan's abilities and realized that, despite their numbers, they were no match for Alan and his companions.
Alan, Gunn now understood, wasn't just a skilled fighter—he was a deeply hidden magus.
What unnerved Gunn even more was Alan's unparalleled control over elemental forces, which had allowed him to mask his abilities and deceive Gunn's senses earlier in the battle.
"You all leave now!" Gunn barked to his fellow students.
"We underestimated them this time, but there won't be a next time!"
Gunn activated Bloodburn, his ultimate desperation spell.
His body shrank, his skin clinging tightly to his bones as though he were a dried corpse.
At the same time, his aura surged to near-Tier-Gold levels, an enormous leap in power that left the remaining Lioncrest students stunned.
Bloodburn, Gunn's strongest spell, was a terrifying manifestation technique.
As the students watched in awe, Gunn waved his hand, summoning three enormous blood-red mirrors in front of Alan, Fort, and Francis.
From each mirror, a doppelgänger of its respective opponent emerged, radiating the mana fluctuations of near-Tier-Gold strength.
These blood-red projections were directly linked to Gunn's vitality. Realizing the strength of Alan's group, Gunn had decided to stake everything in this final gambit.
"Today, one of us dies!" Gunn roared, unleashing his projections in a ferocious attack.
The blood-red figures engaged Alan, Fort, and Francis in vicious combat. Each doppelgänger was an overwhelming force, and even the trio began to accumulate injuries as they fought back.
However, Gunn's excessive use of forbidden magic took its toll.
His body, drained of vitality, crumpled to the ground as his blood completely dried up, leaving him as nothing more than a withered corpse.
With Gunn's death, the blood-red doppelgängers vanished, their energy dissipating into the air.
The remaining Lioncrest students stared in horror at Gunn's lifeless body. Their shock quickly turned to fury.
"Gunn!"
Their eyes turned bloodshot as they glared at Alan, Fort, and Francis with murderous intent.
"Kill them! Avenge Gunn!"
"FOR GUNN!"
Their enraged cries filled the air.
Francis, clutching a fresh wound across his chest, shook his head and muttered,
"They're acting like they're the victims here. Aren't we the ones being hunted down?"
He glanced at Alan and Fort. Despite their injuries, the two looked remarkably unfazed, their wounds already beginning to heal.
"What kind of monsters are you two?" Francis grumbled, his mouth twitching.
Fort was equally stunned as he observed Alan.
Fort's metal element bloodline made his body naturally resilient and his recovery rate extraordinary. But Alan, supposedly a magus, seemed to possess the same level of physical endurance.
Aren't magus supposed to have weak bodies but strong mind power?
Before anyone could process further, a sharp sound cut through the air, a booming presence descending upon the battlefield.
A towering man appeared, radiating immense pressure that silenced everyone present.
Alan immediately recognized him.
It was Krom, the chief of Lioncrest Academy's Battle Department.
He had been drawn to the commotion.
Alan's heart sank.
This was bad—very bad.
It was not surprising that Lioncrest Academy could no longer sit still after so many of its students had been killed or injured.
Krom glared at Alan, veins bulging on his forehead as his fury threatened to explode.
"After killing and injuring so many of our students, don't you think it's time to pay the price?"
Alan met Krom's gaze without fear, his voice cold and steady.
"Pay the price? Your students from Lioncrest Academy are free to kill as they please, but Sirius Academy students can't fight back? If we're to pay the price, does Sirius Academy have no one left but you, an old man, to exact revenge?"
Krom snorted disdainfully.
"Don't think you can hide behind rules to intimidate me."
"Today, you will die without a doubt!"
He raised his hand, and an icy chill spread from his body. Layers of frost began to form, covering the ground in creeping sheets of hardened ice.
Mutated Ice Element!
Alan felt a piercing pain, as though countless needles were stabbing into his body. Escape was impossible.
At that moment, a cold voice rang out from a distance.
"Krom, have you lost your mind? A senior attacking a junior—how disgraceful!"
Gayle had arrived.
As he spoke, elemental energy surged from him like a tidal wave, sweeping away the biting cold and smashing into Krom.
Krom was sent flying backward, coughing blood, his heart filled with shock.
He had known Gayle was strong but never imagined he could be this powerful. In a single strike, Krom was grievously injured.
Francis swallowed nervously, overwhelmed by the display of power.
"This old dwarf… this headmaster is terrifying!"
Alan, too, was taken aback. Gayle, who rarely showed his strength, had easily defeated Krom—Lioncrest Academy's Battle Department chief.
"Sirius Academy still exists because I am still alive," Gayle said coldly, staring at the wounded and grim-faced Krom.
"If you dare lay a hand on Alan or any of our students again, I promise you that no Lioncrest Academy student will leave alive."
"Try me if you don't believe it. I don't care. Students are expendable—one batch dies, and I'll just recruit another."
Alan, Fort, and Francis exchanged incredulous glances, their mouths twitching.
Gayle didn't act like any headmaster they'd ever known.
Francis muttered, "He deserves a good beating, just to let off some steam!"
Alan grinned mischievously. "Why don't you go first?"
Francis shook his head hurriedly. "You first. I went first last time!"
Alan rolled his eyes. "Think for a moment. Gayle's power is terrifying. Even if we worked together, we wouldn't stand a chance. It'd just be asking for humiliation."
Francis sighed in resignation. "Can't provoke him. Absolutely can't provoke him. That old dwarf is way too strong."
Gayle, having issued his warning, turned to Alan and the others.
"Let's go!"
Francis and Fort prepared to leave, but Alan suddenly spoke up.
"Wait! We haven't cleaned up the battlefield yet!"
The two froze as they watched Alan stroll over to Gunn's shriveled corpse and begin rifling through it.
Muttering to himself, Alan said, "This guy wasn't ordinary. He must have some good stuff on him."
Francis and Fort stared in shock.
Francis finally couldn't hold back.
"Looting corpses right in front of Lioncrest Academy's chief? This is beyond shameless!"
"Can you eat dignity?" Alan shot him a glance.
Francis was speechless.
Unbothered, Alan continued collecting gold coin pouches and staffs from the fallen Lioncrest students.
These staffs, being crafted for Lioncrest's elite, were valuable and would fetch high prices.
"Come on, lend me a hand," Alan said, gesturing to Francis and Fort.
Francis protested, "No way! I have standards!"
Fort added, "I'm the number one genius. This is beneath me."
Alan sighed dramatically.
"Fine. Be noble. Be righteous. Just don't expect any roast meat tonight."
Faced with the threat of no dinner, the two sighed in defeat and reluctantly helped Alan gather the loot.
The remaining Lioncrest students watched in stunned silence. They considered intervening but, recalling Alan's ferocity, decided against it.
"You'll pay for this! Today's humiliation will be repaid tenfold!" Krom roared, his fury barely contained. But with Gayle present, he had no choice but to retreat with the remaining Lioncrest students.
Meanwhile, across the capital.
The news of Alan killing Lioncrest Academy students spread like wildfire.
"That Alan is something else. He dared to kill Lioncrest Academy students in broad daylight!"
"Could Sirius Academy be on the rise? Alan hasn't been there long, and he's already stirring up so much trouble."
The city buzzed with gossip.
Inside the royal palace of the Plantagenet Kingdom.
A middle-aged man in opulent robes read a confidential report, a faint smile of intrigue on his face.
"According to this message from my third son, this Alan is the same youth who faced off against Barton Kingdom in Ironblood City."
"Killing Lioncrest students in the streets… his character certainly stands out."
From behind the throne, a gentle yet firm female voice spoke.
"I've already investigated Alan's background."
"Tell me something I don't already know," the man said, turning toward her.
The woman stepped forward. She was missing an arm, and a striking blood-red mark on her brow seemed to glisten like flowing blood.
"Two things may interest Your Majesty. First, Duke Alice holds Alan in high regard. Second, on the Charlie No. 1 train, Alan clashed with the Church of Steam and Magic but walked away unscathed. The Church has remained tight-lipped about the incident."
King Charlie XXVI nodded.
"Why do you think Duke Alice values him so highly?"
"Partly because of the Ironblood City incident, but more because of his talent. He's a magus. How long has it been since the Plantagenet Kingdom produced a magus?"
"True. Duke Alice values loyalty above all else. Whether it's his love for his sister or his service in Ironblood City, Alan has proven his devotion. People like him are rare."
Charlie XXVI sighed thoughtfully.
After a moment's contemplation, he began carving elegant runes onto a golden token.
When he finished, the token bore a name: Alan.
On the reverse side, two words glimmered: Duke Rank.
"You're giving Alan the same treatment as Duke Alice?" the woman asked.
Charlie XXVI smiled. "You're not objecting, so you must agree."
She nodded. "I trust Duke Alice's judgment. Besides, only someone like Alan can stir the stagnant waters of the capital."
"Good. Deliver this duke token to Alan," Charlie XXVI said, handing the token to his chief emissary.