Stellar Echo: Heart of the Myst

[lordanl]

"By the way, Erik, why did you give the guards the healing pills and mana crystals?"

Upon hearing Erik's words, the director smiled casually and asked curiously, while watching the guards, who began to sweat profusely, rooted to the spot, not daring to even breathe. At that moment, Erik answered calmly and formally, without the slightest hint of nervousness.

"Ah, that's because, in order to capture the kidnapper, I had to hit the young men the idiot was blackmailing to follow his orders. So this is to help them heal their injuries and as a small compensation for the psychological harm caused by that idiot. After all, I felt it was my duty, as an honest member of the order, to deliver justice and compensate them for their misfortune."

(Of course, of course, it's only because of that and not because you want to avoid a collective lawsuit…)

The same thought crossed the guards' minds and the Master-level individuals present, although only the latter dared to show it on their faces.

"Hehe, you really are an example of an honest member of the order. You certainly deserve a reward."

The director remarked with laughter, while in his mind he almost superimposed Erik's image with those of Sigrún and Eleonora, offering him one of their so-called "business opportunities", basically blatant attempts at swindling him. That inevitably made him laugh, somewhat amused. After all, for someone like him, cheerful and fearless children were the best, capable of alleviating the boredom of his long life.

"Of course, I wouldn't dare contradict you, Director, and I will humbly accept."

Erik replied seriously, making a small, respectful bow, which caused the Master-level individuals present to roll their eyes at such a hopeless case, secretly cursing the luck of that pair of troublemakers. Everything good really did seem to fall into their laps.

"Hehe, I like your 'humility'." The director commented with an amused smile, placing emphasis on the last word, to which Erik replied without changing his expression.

"It comes naturally."

"Hahaha, well, we'll talk later, Erik." The director laughed genuinely, clearly entertained, and said, then turned to the guards, adding in a more serious tone.

"Alright, get the surveillance footage and send it to the court. In the meantime, take the injured to the infirmary."

"Yes, sir!!!"

The guards responded in unison with powerful voices as they gave a standard military salute. Then, the director looked back at Erik and commented.

"But we'll still need a direct witness, aside from the claimant."

Upon hearing the director, Olivia raised her hand shakily, terrified, yet mustering her courage with the thought that she couldn't chicken out when her cookie prince needed her, or she'd never live down the shame. This caught the director's attention, and he asked in a calm tone.

"Oh, will you serve as a witness?"

"Y-yes, Director. I've been here since the beginning of the incident, and I can attest that what Direct Disciple Erik says is true." Visibly nervous, Olivia bit her lip and answered in a trembling voice, which prompted the director to nod calmly before saying.

"That's good, then I hope you can appear when the court summons you."

"Y-yes, sir."

Olivia quickly nodded her head fervently while responding nervously, which earned her a small smile from the director. He then turned to the Master-level individuals and commented.

"Alright, it seems this matter is settled. Let's go back to the meeting room."

The Master-level individuals present promptly nodded at the director and vanished from the place in a flash, which the director soon followed, speaking in a friendly tone as he disappeared.

"Then I'll see you later, Erik."

"It will be a pleasure, Director." Erik responded formally, making a slight bow in the direction the director was disappearing in, who flashed him a small smile before disappearing entirely.

…

…

…

The past few months had not been easy for Liliana. For a spoiled young lady brought up in luxury, living on an uninhabited planet was far from simple, despite having everything needed to survive in such an environment stored in her rings. From a portable shelter to automatic cooking artifacts, it was still torture for her to confront nature for the first time.

But her already grim situation of living on a deserted planet in the middle of nowhere was brutally worsened thanks to her "younger brother", Erik. The first time she saw him again after being teleported on the first day of the tournament—having already escaped a bunch of dangers that almost got her eliminated at any moment—he was creating a scene around a column of light that had appeared out of nowhere. Which attracted the attention of most participants and monsters on the planet.

Acting like he was some kind of big shot, he was calmly reading while drinking tea and eating cookies, flanked by two imposing mystical wolves and surrounded by his dragon spirit, which intimidated everyone who approached him, earning him a certain amount of resentment from the participants. Yet, as if that wasn't enough, the idiot decided to make a scene and practically incriminated her as his accomplice, effectively turning her into a public enemy.

Right before the column of light dimmed, her idiot younger brother used some kind of artifact to shoot forward, stealing the staff at the center of the column of light right before all the other participants. They were outraged by his brazen actions and wanted revenge. The problem was that, after that day, nobody could find him, so they ended up taking out their frustration on whoever was around him—in other words, on her, Elara, and Zoe.

Although no one dared go too far—since they were still proud direct disciples protected by respected Master-level mentors—the participants still made sure to pursue them across sky, sea, and land in search of information about Erik, and to possibly eliminate them from the tournament as payback.

Especially because a certain blue-haired bitch seized the moment and organized a full-on witch hunt to chase them around the planet, creating such enormous pressure on them that the three had no choice but to team up and hide for almost a month. That was how long it took for another column of light to appear, which largely relieved the pressure they faced. Even so, it didn't disappear entirely, and they had to remain extremely cautious.

Owing to the persecution they suffered because of Erik, the three decided not to show up during the second appearance of the column of light. As "public enemies", they knew they would be attacked from all sides and thus quickly eliminated, so they chose to keep a low profile. They only began actively taking part in the tournament starting with the fourth appearance, when the situation had calmed down a bit more.

By that time, about nine months had passed since the tournament began, with a new column of light appearing roughly each month. During this period, they discovered the ins and outs of how the staffs and palace trials worked, whether by exchanging information or deducing it from the actions of other teams.

After Erik, the next person to obtain a staff was a rather famous disciple in the order—close to turning three hundred years old and at the Revealed-Competent level—who, shortly thereafter, unlike Erik, whom no one had seen since that day, reappeared fifteen days later with the staff in hand.

After his reappearance, the young man began recruiting talented individuals, quickly forming a group of ten people including himself, and then vanished once again. This led participants to theorize that later trials would require teamwork, triggering the formation of various teams, although based on that young man's actions, these teams were never more than ten people.

From that point onward, the tournament became a massive team-based free-for-all, gradually yielding more information about the staff, which turned out to be a key; and inside the palaces, there were nine other special treasures that secured a spot in the expedition to the ruin. This swiftly led everyone to conclude that the arrogant, star-haired guy had miserably failed after "stealing" the first staff.

Additionally, something quite important that became known shortly thereafter was that each person holding a staff had the option to leave with their earned spot or remain to seek out the palace brimming with treasures that would crown the tournament champion. This further intensified the already chaotic team-based free-for-all in the tournament.

Driven by the urge to secure a place, the participants, besides battling for the staffs that appeared once a month, spent all their time hunting down any teams that opted to remain in pursuit of the champion's palace, sparking massive group battles for the staffs everywhere on the planet. This finally ended the "manhunt" they had been subjected to because not even that blue-haired bitch could afford to focus on them alone and risk missing out on a staff.

However, about three months ago, the chaotic warfare began to die down, at the same time a rumor surfaced that the champion's palace had already appeared. Coupled with the disappearance of several formidable competitors, it effectively became a fact in the eyes of all remaining participants on the planet.

…

"It looks like there aren't many strong competitors left. The champion's palace really did appear."

In the middle of a vast, rocky prairie, Zoe commented with a somewhat complicated expression as she surveyed the surroundings. Various camps could be seen, each formed by groups of participants no larger than ten, all encircling a gigantic pillar of light at the center.

"Well, that's something people have been whispering about for months, so it's very likely. Although one good thing is that we don't have to see any bitch slinking around." Elara nodded and said this in a calm tone, likewise scanning the area while standing next to Zoe.

"In that, you're right. It's definitely a relief not having to see that bitch; she really gets on my nerves…" Liliana agreed while, just like her companions, analyzing the zone that was on the verge of becoming a battlefield.

"Although I feel the same, I still have a slight sense of regret for not even being able to participate in the main battle…" Zoe added with a sigh, to which Elara nodded and spoke in a slightly disappointed tone.

"I get what you mean. It really is a shame not making a stellar debut and taking the championship."

"Don't say silly things. The champion's palace wasn't something we could aim for. We're still too young; that kind of battlefield isn't for us. Our chance will come later. For now, we need to focus on securing our passes for the expedition." Liliana stated this seriously, arms crossed, as she stood next to the other two girls.

"Hmph, don't crush our ambition, Liliana." Elara quickly turned to look at Liliana and replied with a childish pout, slightly puffing out her cheeks.

"I'm not killing your ambition; I'm telling you the reality before us." Liliana spoke dismissively, continuing to scrutinize the other camps' participants in detail, mentally noting the most troublesome ones. Elara responded irritably.

"That doesn't change the fact that you're a killjoy."

"Whatever you say." Liliana rolled her eyes in response, just as Zoe spoke up in a serious tone while watching the pillar of light dim slightly.

"Alright, cut it out, you two. We have an imminent battle on our hands."

"Hmph, I'll let you off today because of the coming battle."

Elara quickly remarked in a casual tone while turning back to watch the field intently, and Liliana replied just as casually, shrugging her shoulders, though her gaze was equally focused on what lay ahead.

"I could say the same. If it weren't for the battle, I'd teach you a thing or two."

""Hmph.""

Even though they bickered, neither one took it seriously, knowing it was simply a way to release tension before the battle. Their minds were already on high alert, simulating possible fights, while their mana circulated constantly, ready to jump into combat at a moment's notice.

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"Fellow disciples, everyone is already prepared for battle."

Suddenly, a male voice was heard from behind the girls, who simply nodded without turning around, completely focused on what lay before them. The girls' total lack of interest brought a somewhat bitter smile to the young man's face, who merely approached and stood next to them.

The young man appeared to be around eighteen years old, with fair skin and a very expressive face, featuring symmetrical features and a softly contoured jaw, along with intense blue eyes. His hair was longer on the top and styled upward, fading from black at the roots to a bright red at the tips, which, combined with the earrings in his ears, gave him a rebellious and modern style.

"What do you think our chances are of obtaining the staff, companion disciples?" Undeterred, the young man asked again with a charming smile on his face, causing Zoe to respond in a serious tone, although her gaze remained fixed on the column of light.

"Disciple Williams, that's irrelevant. What we must do is focus on doing everything possible to obtain the staff."

"Fellow Disciple Laverne is right. I apologize for my recklessness." The young man's face turned somewhat bitter at Zoe's serious words, but he quickly nodded.

"I hope you can stay focused on the battle, Disciple Williams, or you could be eliminated quickly, which would put us at a severe disadvantage."

Zoe added with a grave expression as a beautiful sheathed Katana appeared in her hands. She placed it at her waist, where it hung in midair as if by magic, defying gravity, and then spoke loudly to the companions behind her.

"Prepare your weapons! The battle is about to begin!"

With Zoe's words, everyone present took their weapons from their storage rings. Similarly, in Liliana's right hand appeared a beautiful long staff made of white wood that reached from the ground up to her head. Intricate runes were carved into its surface, and it was crowned by a lovely yellow crystal sphere, emitting a soft whitish aura of light, giving it a holy and immaculate appearance.

Meanwhile, in Elara's hand, a short and sleek black staff with a red crystal at the top and various engraved runes materialized. It had an elegant, polished look while also being easy to maneuver, as it was roughly the size of her torso.

As for Disciple Williams, he held a minimalist wooden staff with intricate geometric details around a beautiful blue crystal sphere at the top, which reached his waist, where a short sword also hung, defying gravity in the same way as Zoe's Katana.

All the young people present nervously watched as the other groups prepared, gripping their weapons tighter for fear they might slip from their sweaty palms. Although they had survived so far by facing various battles, they were fully aware that a single mistake could lead to their elimination.

The tournament was nearing its end, which meant there were very few spots left on the exploration team to fight for, making them even more anxious and prone to errors—fatal in a large-scale battle like the one about to begin. Moreover, that same anxiety affected their enemies, making them more ruthless than before and worsening the chaotic situation.

While the air grew so tense it could almost be cut with a knife, Zoe grabbed the sheath of her Katana with one hand and its hilt with the other, simultaneously spreading her legs and bending her knees. Her gaze was utterly focused, her mana rushing fiercely through her body, and the wind began to stir her robes gently.

Suddenly, the column of light dimmed completely, revealing the beautiful staff inside it. This served as a starting signal for Zoe, who shot toward the staff at blinding speed, propelled by the wind. At the same time, large amounts of mana swirled around Elara, Liliana, and Disciple Williams.

Zoe's action of racing toward the staff was imitated by several other participants. Each participant wielded different weapons in their hands, from spears to daggers, all converging in the center while powerful spells trailed close behind, threatening to annihilate them all without mercy.

The moment Zoe was close enough to her opponents, she unleashed her Katana from its sheath at a speed imperceptible to the others. At the same time, she executed four hand signs with her left hand, her fingers moving as though weaving, and then performed a rapid succession of vertical and horizontal slashes, so quick they seemed simultaneous.

"Dance of a Thousand Breezes."

With Zoe's soft announcement, a net of invisible slashes shot toward her opponents, forcing them to guard themselves in midair. At that moment, all the surrounding spells also arrived, threatening to engulf everyone. Yet, Zoe did not flinch, maintaining a serious and focused expression she once again sheathed her katana.

Although Zoe's attack did not do much damage to her opponents, it achieved its goal of halting their advance. At that moment, multiple barriers of different colors formed between her and the spells about to reach her, creating a robust barrier that protected her path. The same happened to the other participants.

When the wave of spells collided with the barriers, a powerful explosion shook the air, unleashing a shockwave that slammed into the barriers, managing to shatter some of them, though they were quickly re-formed. The participants seized this moment and rapidly sent out various elemental attacks at one another, causing several to be teleported to the space station, disqualified from the tournament.

Meanwhile, the momentum from Zoe's initial jump came to a halt, at which point a platform made of pale yellow light appeared in front of her. She stepped on it confidently, which seemed to trigger the formation of several other light platforms around her, though they were much more subtle and difficult to perceive.

"Dragonfly's Whisper."

Having memorized the positions of the light platforms, Zoe quickly made three different hand signs, ending with her ring and pinky fingers extended. She then began moving between the platforms at a blinding speed, leaving behind residual images of herself made of air, giving the impression she had cloned herself.

In mere moments, Zoe reached the staff at the same time as three other individuals who had stayed far enough away to avoid being affected by her first attack. After exchanging serious looks, they swiftly unleashed their best attacks in an attempt, at the very least, to delay their rivals enough to grab the staff.

"Combustion Chain!"

The first young man, with reddish-gold hair, wielding a long sword resembling a bastard sword, quickly conjured a small, simple-looking magic circle at the center of his sword's guard. He then performed a series of slashes that sent blazing flying cuts toward the other three.

"Final Judgment!"

The second young man, who had a muscular build, with long dark silver hair tied into what looked like a ponytail and shaved sides, and who was wielding a spear, spoke up as various runes tattooed on his skin began to glow. His spear crackled with powerful arcs of electricity as he launched a rapid series of thrusts at the others.

"Sharp Coral!"

The last young man, with short bluish hair, announced while a small and simple magic circle formed at the guards of his two scimitars. He then began executing a series of swift slashes, leaving trails of water in the air that appeared to crystallize into a type of super-long coral needles.

"Dance of a Thousand Breezes!"

With a sharp gaze, Zoe quickly performed the four hand signs with her left hand while simultaneously unsheathing her katana to intercept the attacks coming her way. However, her expression turned grim when she realized it wasn't enough, quickly concluding that it wasn't a four-way clash but rather a three-on-one. With a swift movement, she sheathed her katana once again.

"Dawn Vortex."

Almost instantly, Zoe unsheathed her Katana in an upward arc while making two hand signs with her left hand, causing a vortex of wind to form around her, deflecting some attacks. But just then, the water trails disrupted her vortex, and the fiery slashes and lightning thrusts struck simultaneously, generating a brutal shockwave accompanied by electric fire that tore through her defense like paper.

Wearing a grim expression, Zoe had no choice but to shield herself with her Katana, taking the full brunt of the triple attack that sent her hurtling toward the ground at high speed, while flames and electricity wreaked havoc on her body. In that moment, she glimpsed a line of fire in the air, which caused a furious explosion, emitting such a powerful red flash that it blinded her for an instant.

In mid-flight, Zoe slammed into a wall of light that materialized out of nowhere, forcing a dry groan from her lips. She quickly recovered, and without worrying about her burns or the numbing electricity, she used the wall of light as a platform to propel herself toward the young man with the bastard sword. He had managed to grab the staff and was swiftly flying away on his sword.

A proud smile spread across the face of the young man with the bastard sword as a series of multicolored barriers protected him from the spells pursuing him. Despite quivering under each impact, they held firm, keeping him safe from the powerful onslaught that filled the air with a scorched, murky smell.

Countless attacks of every kind struck the barriers shielding the young man as he fled at full speed on his sword. Suddenly, one of the barriers vanished, taking everyone by surprise—especially the young man, who could only turn to see the gap in his defenses, stupefaction written on his face.

Almost as if it were perfectly timed, the moment the barrier fell, a powerful fire arrow burst through. The young man hastily grabbed his sword, and a magic circle formed on its guard, causing its blade to be engulfed in flames.

"Ignition Recoil!"

With a fluid yet noticeably hurried motion, the young man swiftly intercepted the flaming arrow, at which point a pulse of fire erupted from his sword, deflecting the projectile. However, before a smile could form on his face, an invisible arrow struck his chest, causing him to lower his gaze in disbelief. In that instant, he was teleported to the station, officially eliminated from the selection tournament.

Meanwhile, the staff, which was now ownerless, began a free fall toward the ground as all sorts of mana constructs and elemental spells tried to reach it. But just before anyone could grab it, a burst of flames materialized beside the staff, taking the shape of a nine-tailed fox.

The breathtaking fiery fox caught the staff in its mouth and shot toward Zoe, catching her in midair as it fully materialized. Its stunning white fur shimmered with red markings on its face, and nine elegant, flowing tails extended from its back.

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Immediately after Zoe landed on top of the fox, several powerful barriers surrounded her, shielding her from a fierce barrage of spells that arrived from all directions. These spells detonated in brutal explosions, unleashing shockwaves so potent they sent the other participants who were trying to approach flying.

"Release!"

At the same time, Zoe made a hand sign with her right hand and exclaimed loudly, causing the secondary images of air she had left when moving between platforms to "explode", releasing small hurricanes of cutting wind that made the scene even more chaotic. At that moment, without a second thought, Zoe fled the area at full speed, quickly reaching her group, who were already prepared and flying on all sorts of magical artifacts.

"Go into full defensive mode, cover our retreat like we practiced, and move toward point 3!!"

The instant Zoe rejoined the group, a powerful shout from Elara echoed, causing everyone to take up a defensive formation. They conjured multiple barriers around themselves while they fled at top speed, keeping the white fox at the center and covering every possible attack angle in all three dimensions.

Simultaneously, Zoe jumped off the fox's back to land on Elara's flying carpet. Then, without uttering a word, she took her guard stance, right hand on the hilt of her Katana, ready to attack at any moment. Elara kept her black staff extended forward, using all her strength to maintain part of the barriers.

In a matter of seconds, a wave of spells struck the barriers, unleashing ferocious explosions accompanied by overwhelming shockwaves that ravaged the surrounding terrain, sending massive mounds of earth and huge boulders hurtling through the air. They tore apart the foolish beasts that tried to assault the group, creating a grim scene filled with dust, bloody mist, and shattered corpses covering the landscape.

After enduring the relentless onslaught, Elara swiftly took a mana-recovery potion from her storage ring, drained it in a single gulp, and then tossed aside the beautifully engraved crystal bottle. At that moment, she urgently announced in a loud voice.

"Knights, repel!"

Almost in sync with Elara's shout, six people holding weapons in their hands and surrounded by barriers swiftly cut through the curtain of dust and blood that obstructed visibility. At the same time, their barriers disappeared to allow them to attack, prompting Zoe, along with three other young combatants armed with weapons, to step forward to intercept the attackers.

"Zero Pressure Abyss!"

Zoe performed four rapid hand signs and then drew her Katana to execute a circular slash with such speed it was barely visible, unleashing a wind slash before sheathed her Katana once more. At the exact moment the sound of the blade colliding with the scabbard was heard, the slash collapsed into a single point in front of the group, creating a vacuum that managed to pull in three of the attackers.

"Crown of Thorns!"

A young woman with light purple hair, wielding a black whip, made her announcement while four small magical circles formed around her whip, causing countless darkness-made thorns to cover the whip's entire surface. She then lashed out forward with a circular motion.

The whip's movement caused the darkness thorns to shoot toward one of the attackers, who, despite trying to defend himself, could not hold out and was quickly overwhelmed. Struck in multiple places, he was branded with ominous black splotches before being teleported to the space station, his face showing an expression devoid of will.

"Meteor Strike!"

Another young man, tall, robust, and muscular, with short blonde hair and countless runes tattooed all over his body, quickly announced this while lifting his massive two-handed mace over his head. At that moment, the runes on his body emitted a faint glow, and he hurled his spinning mace forward with all his might. It rapidly became encased in a coat of rock with long spikes.

The "Rolling Meteor" swiftly collided with another attacker, who barely managed to shield himself but was nonetheless sent flying backward, once again lost within the curtain of dust, smoke, and blood. The moment this happened, the young man extended his hand forward, causing the mace to move on its own back into his hand.

"Dance of Sharp Shavings!"

The last young man, who had dark blue hair tied in a ponytail and held a silver Jian sword, rapidly made six hand signs with his right hand while performing several slashes with his sword in his left hand. It seemed to release metal shards that shot forward at high speed.

Those metal shavings quickly reached the last attacker, who held what appeared to be a long staff, which he spun at great speed around his body to block the attack. However, the impact forced him to step back, and combined with the group's swift retreat, he was unable to catch up.

"Let's go for a combined attack to widen the distance. Mages, on my signal!!"

Having managed to repel the offensive, Elara quickly announced in a loud voice, while a magic circle formed in front of her. This was followed by Liliana, the disciple Williams, and three other young people in the rear, using runes or magic circles to cast their own spells.

"Now! Fiery Charge!"

Swiftly, Elara called out loudly. A large amount of fire appeared in front of the group and condensed into a single point before blasting forward. In that instant, disciple Williams pointed his staff ahead, then loudly announced, surrounded by various summoned runes in the air, causing a barely noticeable sphere of mist to follow behind the point of fire.

"Combustible Gas."

"Solar Flash."

Without wasting a moment, Liliana announced confidently, a magic circle forming in front of her, causing a tiny point of light to shoot out right behind the fireball. At that same moment, a young man with tanned skin and long black hair tipped in pale green extended his staff and announced, surrounded by conjured runes, causing a sphere of highly compressed wind to join the lineup of spells.

"Expansive Pressure."

"Explosive Shards."

Simultaneously, a young man with short golden hair and black skin loudly announced, a large magic circle in front of him, prompting what seemed to be a brittle yellowish crystal sphere to shoot forward. This was followed by the last young man, with light blue hair and bronze skin, who had also conjured a magic circle. He extended his staff and announced, causing what appeared to be a sphere of water vapor to launch.

"Overcharged Vapor."

A few seconds later, the spells converged in the midst of the haze of smoke, dust, and blood, with the mist being released first and spreading through the air. At that moment, the fire expanded, creating a brutal explosion that instantly activated the sphere of light, the wind sphere, the crystal sphere, and finally the vapor sphere.

The combination of all six spells produced a colossal explosion that seemed to shake the very world. It formed a massive fireball stretching a couple of kilometers, unleashing a shockwave so powerful that it tore trees from their roots over a radius of several kilometers, only to incinerate them afterward, while a ferocious flash of light blinded everyone present.

Amid the blinding glare, all those present could hear and feel small explosions happening everywhere, while fragments of explosive shrapnel clattered against their barriers, forcing them to use huge amounts of mana to maintain them until the light finally subsided. It revealed a thick cloud of scalding vapor filling the entire area, creating a sort of barrier that hindered pursuit.

Unwilling to let slip their opportunity to enter the ruin, all the groups urged their mages to drink recovery potions as though they were water in order to maintain the barriers. Then they charged forward at full speed, hoping to catch their prey as quickly as possible.

Their pursuers' indiscriminate attacks forced Zoe, Elara, Liliana, and their group to defend themselves with everything they had. They were pushed to their absolute limits and sustained only by the high-quality recovery potions they possessed as direct disciples, including disciple Williams. These they shared freely with their other companions.

With tremendous effort and exhausted beyond belief, the group managed to enter a beautiful forest, which was quickly devastated by the colossal attacks they were desperately fending off. They spent the last of their energy there, which brought broad smiles to the leaders of the other pursuing groups. The leaders immediately began considering how to deal with the other pursuers, believing that these fools who had rushed too far ahead were about to fall.

But contrary to what the enemy leaders expected, the expressions of the group they were chasing did not become filled with despair or resignation. Instead, they bore malicious smiles, while a short-haired blonde girl shouted at the top of her lungs, brimming with confidence.

"DISPERSION!!!"

With her powerful cry, the group unleashed spells with everything they had while a dense fog enveloped them, sending everyone else into a panic. The pursuers began firing spells and attacks in all directions to prevent their quarry's escape. But to their surprise, many of their spells were reflected back, catching some off guard and eliminating them from the selection tournament.

Meanwhile, those who managed to defend themselves in time avoided that fate, but lost sight of the prey that had been so close to collapse. Taking advantage of the chaotic mana, the quarry hid themselves from their ethereal projections and disappeared among the devastated forest foliage, which quickly filled with fog, concealing them completely.

With irritated expressions at having lost something they were about to claim, the pursuing leaders gave orders to deploy wind spells to clear away the fog in a single blow. But contrary to their expectations, the more air they introduced into the fog, instead of dispersing, it intensified, to the point it almost reached them, putting grim looks on their faces.

Seeing no other choice and especially not wanting to give time to the ones hidden in the fog to escape, the pursuers entered the fog. Staying highly alert and extending their ethereal projections as much as possible, ready for any stealth attacks from those elusive opponents.

Stealth attacks, just as the pursuers expected, did not take long to appear. From the moment the fog covered them, spells rained down from all directions, leaving them no choice but to defend and counterattack, gathering in a circle to improve their defense.

…

…

…

In the station's meeting room, the Master-level experts watched the battle playing out on the holographic screens with great interest—especially Ryoma, Thalia, Eleonora, and Jessica, who wore focused expressions as they examined every move of their young disciples.

"Indeed, these tournaments are a wonderful opportunity to see the youngsters' performance firsthand. My little Zoe, for instance, made a couple of mistakes here and there that we need to work on when we return." Ryoma commented, trying to sound casual and humble, but the proud and satisfied smile on his face—brought on by his granddaughter's outstanding performance—gave away his true feelings.

"Fufu, you're absolutely right, Ryoma. I also noticed a couple of errors in Liliana's spell accuracy, in addition to the fact that we need to polish her mana constructs a bit more."

Eleonora added casually, but the emphasis she placed on mana constructs was a clear reminder that much of the success of the youngsters strategy stemmed from Liliana's exquisite mana constructs. These were key in the initial battle and helped pull Zoe out of a desperate situation.

"Certainly, my Elara also slipped a bit with her spell accuracy, and there's a lot of room for improvement in her strategy. After this, we'll need a little review session to refine her skills, hehe." Thalía inserted herself into the boasting contest, highlighting her disciple's crucial role—especially as a tactical leader.

"I couldn't agree more with what you're all saying. My Ethan was somewhat slow to infiltrate the enemy camp and eliminate the mage in charge of one of the barriers, and we definitely need to work on his Illusory Fog matrix. It's still a bit green and has several important flaws." Not to be left behind, Jessica quickly joined in the fray, emphasizing the strategic importance her disciple had throughout the entire battle.

While the Master-levels shamelessly flaunted their disciples' achievements among themselves, Sigrún, feeling somewhat bored, watched on the screens as the youngsters slipped away through various tunnels out of the forest. Meanwhile, Illusions and magical traps assailed their pursuers from all sides to buy them time.

"Truly, the young ones have shown a fine display of strategy and skill. They really are the geniuses who carry the Order's future in their hands." Adrian remarked politely, further inflating the egos of the masters.

"Although I must admit, your disciple's affinities are somewhat surprising, Jessica—fog and illusion, that's quite a curious combination." Sigrún commented with mild interest as she leaned her face on her hands, elbows resting on the table, obviously bored while watching the images on the holographic screens.

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"Yes, well, Ethan is actually the youngest son of my first disciple, and he inherited her fog affinity. The illusion affinity is something unique to him, so I decided to follow a path similar to the one his mother took, turning his not-so-offensive affinity into something more 'useful'." Jessica commented with a small smile on her face, but there was a certain trace of pride that could be perceived in her words.

"Is he Charlotte's son?" Eleonora asked with curiosity as she looked at the young Ethan Williams on the screen, to which Jessica casually nodded and replied.

"Yes, he's her youngest son. Although he's quite mischievous, he's a good boy and very talented. Since his older sister didn't want to focus on the path of magic, his mother asked me to take him as a disciple, which I accepted."

"I see. Although he falls short compared to my Erik, he's still quite decent to have reached the Ascended-Expert level at 120 years old…"

Sigrún commented calmly, not wanting to be left out of the ego fest the other Master-levels were having, which brought a bitter smile to Jessica's face. She had no choice but to agree, after all, Erik was a true monster, to the point where she, as someone on equal footing, born without elemental affinities, struggled to understand how he managed to be so impressive. So, she could only comment in a calm tone.

"Well, Erik is a monstrous talent rarely seen. I think it's a bit unfair to make those kinds of comparisons."

"Hahaha, that's true. I apologize. Sometimes I forget that not everyone has the chance to reach the Ascended-Expert level before 30 or the Revealed level before 40."

Sigrún commented with a 'guilty' smile, almost as if she were truly aware of her mistake, which caused all the other Master-levels present to click their tongues in annoyance. After all, it was truly bitter that Sigrún could still show off even when her disciple was no longer in the tournament, flaunting the absurd achievements of her disciple and her own.

"But speaking of the topic, Zoe has also made considerable progress, reaching the Ascended-Peak level at just 105 years old, a rare genius." Not wanting to give Sigrún any more room to boast, Thalia quickly shifted the topic slightly while looking at Ryoma, passing the ball to him so he could show off a bit. To which he responded with a proud smile on his face.

"Yes, my little one has been working really hard lately and has made great progress. I might even say that in a couple of years, she'll advance to the Revealed level without too much trouble." Once he had boasted to his heart's content, Ryoma quickly looked back at Thalia and returned the gesture with a pleased smile.

"Though your Elara isn't far behind either. A 90-year-old Ascended-Virtuous is no small rarity."

"Hahaha, well, what can I say? I guess my little one was influenced by the great progress Liliana has made. Being an Ascended-Competent at just 50 years old is truly a rarely seen achievement."

Thalia commented with a somewhat proud smile, then passed the ball to Eleonora to let her show off as well, all to overshadow Sigrún a bit. After all, even though Erik was a disciple of both, he was Eleonora's third disciple, which meant that most of the 'credit' went to Sigrún for being his first master. Additionally, Liliana's achievements, though far inferior to Erik's, were still impressive—better than several of the Master-levels sitting there.

"Well, my little Liliana has also worked very hard and, fortunately, has achieved outstanding results. I suppose having Erik as a younger brother has pressured her a bit and brought out her talents."

Eleonora spoke in a calm and elegant tone, though visibly proud, as Liliana's performance had been dazzling. To the point that, if it weren't for Erik, she would undoubtedly be publicly recognized as the best of her generation, just like Desmond. Though it was far from her own achievements and Sigrún's, it was still something to be proud of.

"I can agree with that. Having a monster who can reach the Ascended-Expert level at just 30 years old as a younger brother can't be easy, especially for someone so young."

Adrian spoke with a somewhat serious expression, which made all the Master-levels present nod with grave expressions, except for Eleonora and Sigrún. Even they, Master levels in their own right, who had lived for millennia and had vast experience and minds as stable as mountains, weren't sure they could remain steadfast with such a monster as a younger brother.

As proof, there was Sigrún's 'older brother', who ended up disappearing from the public eye not long after his master's death. This was largely due to the immense pressure he felt from Sigrún's monstrous talent—the thousand-year-old baby Master-level, something never before seen in history.

For the same reason, all the Master-levels greatly respected Eleonora, who not only managed to withstand having a close relationship with someone so absurdly talented and who kicked her off her throne as the genius of the era, surpassing her in almost everything, but also loyally supported her. They were even closer than real sisters, understanding that, even though she was worse than Sigrún, she was still above everyone else—something very few in her position could see so clearly.

"By the way, Sigrún, what ever happened to your older brother? Have you heard anything about him?" Remembering a face she hadn't seen in centuries, Thalia asked with a bit of curiosity as she looked at Sigrún, who responded without much interest.

"Truthfully, not much. We were never very close, and after my master's passing, we lost all communication, to the point where he hasn't even bothered to visit my master's grave once, even though I gave him the location. Though I heard he married into a family from the Boreal League."

Hearing the response, Thalia quickly lost interest and started a new conversation with the other Master-levels about various random topics, while also glancing at the holographic screens showing the tournament to boast from time to time.

…
…
…

In a cave hidden by lush vegetation, several spells, and magical artifacts, Elara, Zoe, Liliana, and Ethan are walking, advancing through the dark place illuminated only by a sphere of light above them. They were accompanied by the other members of the group, who were recovering from their injuries and exhaustion with the help of various potions.

After a while, the group reached the bottom of the cave, where they found a dead end with an intimidating rocky wall. At that moment, Zoe pulled out a small black staff with golden geometric patterns carved all over its surface from her storage ring. She quickly activated it, causing it to glow softly, while the wall in front of them began to retreat rapidly on its own, revealing a magical scene on the other side.

Behind the wall was a spacious grotto with a high rocky ceiling from which numerous thin waterfalls cascaded down, pooling into a serene body of water on the cave floor, creating a small stream. Along with the soft, mysterious light emanating from various magical sources, the environment was filled with a warm and cozy feeling.

The interior of the grotto was finely decorated, giving the impression that the place was more of a themed hotel than an improvised campsite. There was a living room at the front, featuring two large, luxurious curved sofas on either side, accompanied by several individual seats and a beautiful low table in the center, holding an intricately designed magical lamp.

In the back, there were several structures that appeared to be large tents made from sophisticated and robust-looking materials, with different types of runes carved into their surfaces. Additionally, several magical circles glowed softly on the ceiling and walls of the grotto, forming a barrier that protected the place from enemy detection.

Upon reaching the beautiful living room, the group of young people took their seats—some on the sofas and others on the individual chairs—but all of them wore pleased expressions as they looked at the staff in Zoe's hands, the prize they had worked so hard to obtain. This finally allowed them to take a well-deserved and much-needed rest.

"So, we suffered three casualties…"

After glancing around, Zoe spoke in a gentle tone, tinged with some remorse. The battle had been extremely fierce, resulting in the loss of two knights—the female whip user and the other Zazen discipline practitioner—and a young water-affinity mage, all of whom sacrificed themselves to repel the enemy's assault. That left only her and the mace user as melee fighters in a group mostly composed of mages. However, her expression quickly grew serious as she went on.

"Though it's a bit painful that they lost their chance, I won't let their sacrifice be in vain, and I'll make sure to compensate them for their loss."

Though none of those present said anything about Zoe's words, she could easily see the calm and relief they brought to the eyes of the three students who remained in her group. So, with a smile on her face, she continued.

"I'd also like to thank all of you for your efforts because thanks to everyone's hard work and tenacity, we were able to achieve our goal!"

Everyone present nodded, filled with emotion at Zoe's words, who smiled proudly as she held out the staff they had obtained with so much effort. Something curious that had been discovered during the tournament was that the staff couldn't be stored in their storage rings, as it was rejected whenever they tried. But Zoe continued with her little speech.

"But we've only achieved half of our final goal. Now we need to focus on deciphering the staff's riddle to find the palace and secure our places in the exploration of the ruin. So, we can't relax yet—we even have to fight harder and more cleverly to overcome the next trials!"

Zoe sent her mana into the staff in her hand, causing different holographic images of star charts to appear in the air. Everyone stared at them with thoughtful expressions, trying to come up with ideas that could help them solve the mystery. After a while, Elara commented softly, with a pensive expression, as her gaze shifted between the different star charts.

"Those star charts seem to be the ones visible in the night sky on this planet, but don't they seem a bit distorted?"

At Elara's words, Liliana began to examine the star charts while comparing them to her memories of the starry sky visible on the planet, trying to confirm her claims. She reached exactly the same conclusion—the stars were indeed slightly out of place—so she commented with interest.

"You're right. Although the distortion isn't too great, there's definitely a slight distortion, or rather, a 'displacement'…?"

"How interesting. It's possible that those displacements are the clues needed to find the palace." Zoe added with an intrigued expression on her face as she carefully examined the star charts.

Though the other participants couldn't see the distortions Zoe, Elara, and Liliana were talking about, they still began to discuss various hypotheses to solve the riddle based on that premise, splitting into two separate groups discussing different topics.

One group was made up of the girls, who began calculating the distortions in the star charts. The other group, consisting of the three students, began discussing different hypotheses to solve the mystery, leaving Ethan aside, alone and silent, with a rather uncomfortable expression on his face.

After all, like the other members of the group, Ethan was unable to see the distortions the girls were talking about. And since he was now a direct disciple of the Arcane Order, it would be a bit awkward for him to go and discuss with the regular students. Besides, he had already missed his moment, and it would be awkward to join now, leaving him in a very uncomfortable and practically isolated position.

***

A reminder about the levels:

• Initiate
• Apprentice
• Ascended
• Revealed
• illuminated
• Sage
• Arcane
• Master
• Legendary

Each level has nine sub-ranks:

• Initiate
• Novice
• Practitioner
• Skilled
• Competent
• Advanced
• Expert
• Virtuous
• Peak

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Spoiler: Camp image

 

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Without intending to stand aside like dead weight, Ethan quickly retrieved from his storage ring a pair of thermal flasks adorned with beautiful carved runes. Several porcelain cups, and some desserts that were kept in a gorgeous display case that maintained them fresh and at their peak. Ethan then placed them on the coffee table and served them into the cups. At that moment, he looked at everyone present and announced with a smile.

"Here is a little refreshment to lift your spirits—some pastries and coffee."

Upon hearing the announcement, the students turned to look at Ethan and then gazed at the impressive desserts and the cake, quickly assuming he was not speaking to them. But at that very moment, the Direct Disciple opened the gate of the display case holding the desserts, then added with a smile as he looked at them.

"Go ahead, the previous fight was quite tough, and it's good to have a little snack; it might help us better weigh our options in solving the riddle."

"Thank you very much, Direct Disciple Williams."

Upon realizing that it was indeed for them, the students quickly expressed their thanks with cheerful and somewhat moved smiles on their faces, as the chance to eat what the Direct Disciples enjoyed was far too rare; so, with great enthusiasm, they began to take some pastries and their cups of coffee, soon displaying expressions of delight at the incredible taste of what they were eating.

(Direct Disciples really do have the best things…)

Upon tasting the pastries and the coffee, the same thought occurred to the three students—not only were they exquisite, but with each bite, a warm current flowed through their bodies, erasing fatigue and energizing their exhausted muscles. At that moment, Ethan turned to look at Zoe, Elara, and Liliana, then commented with a smile.

"Come on, fellow disciples, although they're nothing out of this world, the pastries are made with High Honey from the Tau System and the coffee is Albor Coffee, so together they can energize the body and clear the mind."

"Thank you for the attention, Disciple Williams, though I must apologize—I'm not much of a coffee fan; I prefer tea." Liliana remarked with a smile as she gracefully took a dessert, a gesture echoed by Elara and Zoe with slight nods as they too took some desserts.

Liliana's words brought a somewhat awkward smile to Ethan, who had only coffee with him, since in his circle—his family and his master—coffee was the most popular beverage, and he was no exception, while tea was something consumed only on rare occasions.

"I apologize, Disciple Faye, but I don't have any tea with me at this moment." Ethan said, his face showing a hint of regret. To which Liliana replied with a smile, simultaneously retrieving a beautiful teapot from her storage ring.

"Don't worry about that, Disciple Williams—I appreciate your thoughtfulness; I do have some tea with me."

"I am equally grateful for your attention, Disciple Williams, but getting back to the topic, I suppose our next course of action will be to wait until nightfall so that we can rearrange the stellar charts with precision." While taking one of the cups of tea Liliana had served, Zoe remarked with a serious expression, prompting the other two girls to nod as they sipped their own tea.

"You're right—adjusting them based solely on our memories could lead to mistakes; it's better to wait until night." After placing her cup on the table, Elara agreed with a nod, then took a small bite of her dessert, a gesture that brought a satisfied smile to her face.

"Then, for now, we can take our leave and rest a bit."

After tasting the dessert, Zoe commented in a calm tone, and the students nodded before saying their goodbyes and heading toward their respective shelters with slow, tired steps. Meanwhile, Elara, Liliana, and Zoe remained in the area for a moment, and by the time the students had disappeared into their tents, Elara turned to look at Ethan and spoke in a calm tone, though visibly tired.

"Disciple Williams, it's best that you rest; we'll meet around midnight."

"Alright, then I'll leave you to rest."

With a slight bow and a smile, Ethan rose from his seat and headed toward his own shelter—a much larger and more opulent structure than the others—leaving behind the beautiful ladies, who shortly afterward departed as a group toward another of the luxurious-looking tents.

Although the exterior of the shelter appeared to be made of some kind of fabric or leather, the interior was completely different, with floors resembling dark marble and ebony walls adorned with all manner of precisely carved runes. This revealed a space far larger than its exterior suggested.

At the center of the room stood a large, luxurious-looking bed, flanked by shelves filled with books and various magical artifacts. Off to one side, a few meters away, was a beautiful dark-wood desk of sophisticated, minimalist design, its surface etched with runes from which several holographic screens emanated.

On these holographic screens were displayed all sorts of numerical tables and statistical graphs with data pertaining to the shelter itself, as well as real-time images of the surroundings. Not only of the shelter but even projections of the exterior of the cave. These were complete with intelligent systems that identified everything shown, to the point of being able to provide a danger estimate.

The place also featured a cozy living area furnished with beautiful leather sofas and a low table at its center. In this area, a large window replaced one of the walls, offering a view of an expansive universe filled with stars and galaxies—as if the site were in the middle of a space station.

With somewhat tired expressions, Zoe, Elara, and Liliana made their way to the shelter's living room, where they collapsed. On the coffee table, a tea set appeared that began preparing tea on its own before floating over and serving it into the cups.

"It really was a complicated moment…" After letting out a tired sigh, Elara commented as one of the porcelain cups flew to her.

"No kidding—the beginning was extremely complicated, and getting hit by fire and electricity hurt a lot, though not as much as colliding with the wall of light; that really knocked the wind out of me and left me dizzy for a moment…"

Zoe added with a sigh after taking a sip from her own cup, glancing at Liliana, who was drinking from hers with a relaxed expression. But Liliana quickly set her cup aside and spoke in a tired voice.

"Well, it was a very tense moment—I feared failing to achieve stability in my mana construction if I didn't make it solid enough. But I'm sorry; I'll practice more mana constructions and try to create stable, resilient, elastic structures."

"Perhaps you should ask your younger brother for help; it seems he's very skilled at that. After all, the throne he conjured at the start of the tournament looked very comfortable." Elara remarked with a smile, eliciting complicated expressions from both Liliana and Zoe.

"Although he focuses more on Myst constructions, it's really crazy what he can do now—even the chairs he creates are practically indistinguishable from real ones. If you sit with your eyes closed, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference; they are truly impressive…" Liliana said softly, with a slight sigh, becoming increasingly aware of her younger brother's astounding talent.

"But speaking of the matter, how should we respond to what he did to us? It wasn't very kind of him…"

Zoe asked with a somewhat troubled expression, for although Erik had indeed caused them many problems with his cunning 'steal and run' act—a fact that had angered her a bit—the truth was that, in her eyes, he still appeared dazzling and even more attractive than before.

His plan had been unexpected and meticulous, analyzing the mechanism of the column of light to perfection before anyone else and moving at the exact moment, catching everyone off guard—able to 'steal' the staff right under the noses of the strongest of his generation and escape unscathed, leaving them as a mere afterthought. Something that, honestly, not many—not even she herself—could do.

But the most astonishing thing of all was that, until now, no one knew for sure how he had done it; although his impressive speed could be explained by a one-time-use magical artifact of maximum Revealed level, everything else remained a complete mystery that many teams, including his own, had tried unsuccessfully to uncover.

Erik's act of passing through the column of light was the most alluring to all the groups, as it granted a substantial advantage in obtaining the staffs. Throughout the tournament, several participants had attempted the same feat with various hypotheses in mind, but so far, those who were lucky ended up with severe injuries, while the unlucky were directly teleported to the space station.

"Really, Erik pulled a very nasty trick on us there, but don't worry—I will personally make sure he gives you a satisfactory explanation for his little stunt. You can trust me on that."

Liliana said with her arms crossed, looking rather angry, as she had truly suffered because of that reckless fool who hadn't even thought to take her along on his spree—or at the very least, warn her of what he was about to do so that she wouldn't be involved—which prompted Elara to reply rather hastily.

"It's not necessary, it's not necessary. Although it's true we experienced some difficulties, this is still a tournament, and technically, we were competitors, so his actions are perfectly understandable." As she spoke, Elara seemed to realize something, and she quickly added in a somewhat shy tone, lowering her voice.

"Although, if he really feels inclined to apologize, I wouldn't mind if we went out to dinner one or two times."

"Hmph, you look like a lovesick fool." Liliana snapped in annoyance at Elara's comment, to which Elara retorted indignantly, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"I'm not a fool! Don't forget who designed the strategy that allowed us to get the staff!!"

"Now, stop fighting, both of you."

With an ironic smile on her face, Zoe said in a strict tone, prompting the two girls to huff before turning their heads—as if to indicate they would ignore the other—though Zoe could only gently shake her head before changing the subject with an amused expression.

"But then, what do you all think of the riddle?"

"Oh!!"

Liliana's eyes lit up at Zoe's words, and immediately, with a somewhat proud smile, she gently waved her hand, causing the view from the panoramic window to change—now displaying an image of incredible clarity of the starry sky. Holographic screens appeared before each of them, showcasing various controls and more detailed images.

"Fufufu, in reality, my shelter can keep records of up to one year of data related to itself, and that includes recordings of the exterior, among which are recordings of the surrounding airspace, many of them pointing directly at the night sky."

Liliana said with a small, proud smile, for her shelter was indeed quite impressive—the very best that could be achieved for a magical artifact of its type while remaining at Revealed level—something only possible because it was made by her master personally. A gift for the tournament given exclusively to her, as Erik had made one for himself, giving her a small sense of victory.

"So you're also worried about a traitor." Upon seeing the impressive display, Zoe couldn't help but comment in a grave tone, to which Liliana quickly nodded solemnly, while Elara straightened in her chair with a similar expression.

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The issue of a possible traitor had been a constant concern for the three girls. After all, it was too much of a coincidence that the three students who ended up eliminated were the strongest in the group below them, the direct disciples, and also the most loyal, as they were part of the same fraternity at the university.

Although the students weren't particularly talented—since they were all around 300 years old and only one, the water-affinity mage, was an Ascended-Expert, while the others were merely Ascended-Advanced—they were still a force to be reckoned with in their current situation, as they had good technique and vast combat experience.

Moreover, since they belonged to the same fraternity—a social group that represented high status and great opportunities at the university—it was unlikely they would commit betrayal. If they did, they would be automatically expelled, and it would be difficult for another fraternity to accept them, as the most valuable asset of any fraternity was its direct disciples. Losing them had been a heavy blow.

But since they had imagined that something like this could happen, especially with that blue-haired fox competing against them, the girls had remained cautious from the start, refusing to fully reveal their plans. Not even to Ethan, who was the new direct disciple of the Order thanks to his master recently joining and the director granting him recognition. As a result, they were the only ones who knew the location of the refuge, which could only be accessed through tunnels created with the help of several magical artifacts, primarily from Liliana and Elara.

The magical artifacts not only created complex tunnels that prevented ethereal projection beyond their walls but also, without the key, the marks left in the tunnels would disorient anyone who tried to navigate them. This ensured that no one could find the path to the refuge, even if they knew the way beforehand, allowing them to maintain relative calm despite the suspicion of a traitor in their ranks.

"Yes, although until now it was just baseless suspicion, some strange things happened in the last fight, so it's better to be even more cautious and control the information we reveal." Liliana commented with a dark expression similar to Zoe's, to which Elara added with a serious look.

"But we also have to consider the possibility that it's just a coincidence, as being overly cautious could backfire, especially when we're in a race against time with people searching for us everywhere."

"You're right about that too. Maybe we're just being a bit paranoid, but it's better to stay cautious, as we have been so far. This is a delicate moment, and we could fall victim to an ambush at any time." Zoe added seriously, elegantly sipping her cup of tea, at which point Liliana asked in a calm tone.

"I completely agree, but what are we going to do about the three openings we have?"

At Liliana's question, Zoe and Elara could only sigh heavily, as it was a truly complicated problem. Elara then commented in a slightly tired tone, bringing her teacup to her lips.

"It's a tricky issue. At this point, it will be hard to replenish our numbers. Almost all the other participants are already organized, especially those with strength similar to the members we lost. Besides, at this stage, it's hard not to be suspicious of any new person who joins."

"Elara's right. We already suspect a traitor in the group, so bringing in more people now would only worsen the situation, which could be more harmful than beneficial." Zoe agreed with Elara's words, who added with a smile, looking at Liliana.

"So, we have no choice but to continue with reduced numbers. It seems we'll have to rely on you and Disciple Williams."

"Yes, I suppose that's the only way…" Liliana nodded with understanding and a serious demeanor, to which Elara smiled softly and asked in a cheerful tone, changing the subject to something less serious.

"By the way, what do you think of Disciple Williams?"

"Honestly, nothing special. Although his illusion affinity is quite rare and useful, he doesn't stand out that much." Zoe replied without much interest, bringing her cup to her lips, to which Liliana responded with a slightly surprised look on her face.

"Are you serious? He was a vital part of our success. If he hadn't infiltrated the enemy group with his illusions to take out one of their mages, we wouldn't have been able to obtain the staff, not to mention that his illusory fog matrix was what allowed us to retreat safely."

"I see your point. Disciple Williams was indeed a crucial part of the operation, but I still don't feel like he stands out particularly. It's like he's missing something…" Elara commented thoughtfully, wondering about the precise reason behind her assessment, but Zoe, who spoke right after, gave her the answer.

"Elara's right. Although Disciple Williams is quite good, compared to Disciple Erik, he still has a long way to go. Even though they're at the same level, the disparity in their ages shows who's more talented.

"But even without that, Disciple Williams' behavior and attitude are too childish compared to the mature and elegant style of Disciple Erik. It really makes you think that the older one is Disciple Erik, when in reality, he's a third of Disciple Williams' age."

"That's it! That's why I feel like he's missing something. He's much worse than Disciple Erik!"

Zoe's words illuminated Elara, who nodded vehemently and commented excitedly, finally understanding why she felt he wasn't good enough. Disciple Erik was too outstanding, and comparisons were inevitable.

Meanwhile, Liliana looked at her friends in surprise, who were exchanging satisfied and understanding glances, wondering where they saw the "mature and elegant" in that fool Erik, who spent his time eating cookies and playing with his wolves like a little child. This inevitably led her to ask incredulously.

"You can't be serious, can you?"

"Of course we're serious. Disciple Williams isn't bad, but he still has a lot to improve compared to Disciple Erik."

Seeing Zoe's serious expression as she responded, Liliana began to reflect a bit on the topic, realizing that they were partly right. Setting aside the "mature and elegant" part that she couldn't see anywhere, Liliana couldn't help but agree that, in terms of pure talent, Erik was a damn monster.

Erik's talent was so terrifying that year after year, he achieved increasingly absurd feats. Ethan, on the other hand, could only be called a rare genius with great potential but no real achievements to show for it, and he was almost a century older. Meanwhile, that fool was already as strong as him and had achieved admirable academic accomplishments, and the most exasperating part was that the fool barely even attended classes lately.

"Well… maybe Erik is a little better…"

With some reluctance, Liliana let out an admission that was somewhat hard to make, as knowing it and putting it into words were two very different things. But wanting to quickly change the subject, she added seriously.

"But let's stop wasting time and focus on solving the riddle."

"You're right. We've rested for a while. Let's not waste any more time and get to work."

After saying that, Zoe activated the staff, and several holographic screens containing images of the staff, overlaid with the actual recordings from that night, appeared in front of each of the girls. They immediately began adjusting the discrepancies between the two, while noting the changes they had to make in holograms that resembled spreadsheets.

…
…
…

A few hours later, the girls finished adjusting the images of the staff, ending up with a long list containing information about all the changes each star had undergone to align with the real images of the night sky.

"Well, I think this confirms that the star charts aren't deliberately distorted but are actually slight changes caused by different observation points." Elara commented with a focused expression as she analyzed the list of data on a holographic screen.

"Yes, it seems there are exactly four different viewpoints. I guess we'll have to calculate the distance of those points using our current position as a reference…" Liliana sighed, a bit tired, as she made the magical teapot brew more tea and took out a couple of desserts from her storage ring. At that moment, Zoe commented with a tired smile.

"It's most likely that the palace is located at the intersection of these four points, so let's not wait any longer. Let's find the place."

With tired smiles on their faces, the girls immediately began calculating the observation points of the different star charts. But since all they had was a very rough and basic map of the planet, with many blank and unexplored areas, when they finally found the intersection point, they realized they had no idea what the area was like.

"It seems we'll be in uncharted territory… this is going to be problematic…"

As she looked at the map on a holographic screen, which showed a pin in a blank zone, Elara commented with some concern. Zoe responded with a slight sigh and said while extending her hand for the floating teapot to refill her cup.

"We have no other choice. Sending a scout ahead could alert the other participants. Besides, we're short on numbers, so we need to be extremely careful."

"I guess that's all we can do. How troublesome…"

Setting her cup down, Liliana commented in a complicated tone, to which Elara and Zoe could only sigh in annoyance as they tried to calm their mood by sipping from their own teacups. They then did a few more checks to ensure they hadn't made any mistakes in their calculations.

After a while, having reviewed all the calculations a couple of times, Elara stretched out on the couch and then rubbed her eyes gently, visibly tired. At that moment, she spoke while lazily stretching.

"Well, I think it's better to get some sleep before midnight. It's been an exhausting day."

"…You're right. But, by the way, what are we going to tell the others at midnight? Will we look at the stars or leave immediately to take advantage of the element of surprise?"

After a tired yawn, Liliana asked while stretching similarly to Elara. At that moment, Zoe covered her own yawn with her hands and commented in a soft voice.

"I think it's best to leave at midnight. If there are traitors, they won't know what's happening until the last moment, which will give us some room to maneuver."

"I agree. Let's sleep for a couple of hours and leave at midnight." Elara nodded and let herself fall tiredly onto the sofa, at which point Liliana commented as she stood up.

"Then that's what we'll do. And are you planning to stay here or go to your own tents?"

"I'll stay here. This couch is calling me…" Elara said in a somewhat funny voice, already almost asleep, which made Zoe shake her head. Zoe then commented as she got up from her sofa, holding the staff in her right hand.

"Yes, it's better if we stay together, though I'll sleep in a bed."

"I'm not sharing my bed, but I'll leave a couple of beds here if you want to sleep."

Liliana spoke in a casual tone, pulling out two beds similar to the one already in the room. She then headed to her own bed with a tired step, falling asleep almost instantly. This made Zoe laugh amusedly as she quickly picked up the sleeping Elara in her arms and placed her on one of the beds. She then let herself fall onto the other bed, also falling asleep instantly while firmly holding the staff in her hands.

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[lordanl]

By the time midnight arrived, Zoe suddenly opened her eyes and tightened her grip on the staff in her hands, which she had not let go of even while sleeping, allowing her to release a small sigh. At that moment, Liliana and Elara also woke up, stretching lazily, visibly rested and energetic.

After tidying up their appearances, the girls left the portable shelter together and headed toward the common living room, where they found Ethan in the company of the other three students, chatting calmly while drinking what appeared to be coffee.

"Good evening, everyone." Zoe was the first to greet, causing all the young people in the room to rise from their seats and greet her in unison while bowing respectfully.

"""Good evening, direct disciples."""

"Good evening, Disciple Laverne, Disciple Faye, Disciple Belmonte." Ethan added, performing a small bow, to which the girls nodded and returned the greeting.

"Well, tonight we're going out, so I hope you prepare everything necessary. You have 15 minutes. Disperse."

With a serious and authoritative tone, Zoe ordered the group of students, who felt a bit confused as they glanced at each other, but quickly obeyed and ran to their own shelters to gather their equipment. After all, they couldn't afford to have several gigantic storage rings like the direct disciples and kept most of their gear in their shelters.

As for Ethan, he remained in his spot, just as confused as the other students, so he couldn't resist asking, filled with confusion.

"Fellow disciples, wouldn't it be safer to send a small scouting team to take pictures of the sky and then analyze them? Besides, I don't think it's a good idea to bring out the staff right now..."

"Hehe, you're right." Elara commented with a smile as a small, discreet flame appeared in front of her, which changed shape, turning into a cluster of words in the air.

[We've already solved the riddle, but we suspect there's a traitor, so we don't want to alert them.]

Upon reading the fiery message in the air, which had deliberately been created from a blind spot of the shelters, Ethan was equally confused and surprised by the suspicion of traitors. However, he wisely chose to remain silent and simply nodded in understanding. Fifteen minutes later, the group gathered again, now fully equipped and ready for combat, so without further ado, they walked toward the shelter's exit.

After Zoe used the artifact to cover the shelter's entrance once more, the group continued walking through the cave, illuminated by a sphere of light above them, until they reached a large crack in one of the cave walls. Despite stretching from the ceiling to the floor, it was so narrow that no person could fit through it.

Quickly, Liliana stepped forward in front of the crack, holding a wooden staff with intricate runes carved into it, which glowed softly. Soon after, the crack widened enough for two people to walk side by side without feeling cramped, at which point she began walking inside.

Following Liliana, the group entered the crack, which immediately closed behind the last person, erasing any trace of activity in the area. After walking for a while through the tunnel, the group arrived at a wide circular area with six arched entrances leading to different tunnels, where Elara pointed to a specific one, and they continued their journey.

The group kept walking through tunnels, encountering several intersections along the way, where Elara always chose the path, until they finally reached a dead end blocked by a massive boulder. Upon arriving, Zoe stood in front of the group and announced in a serious voice.

"Now we'll enter stealth mode. We'll move together at all times. Remember to stay alert."

After everyone nodded in understanding, Liliana and Ethan quickly took their staffs and conjured a magical circle beneath the group, along with various runes that surrounded them, causing them to vanish from sight as if they were mirages. They became invisible and difficult to detect.

After ensuring everything was in order, Liliana swiftly waved the second wooden staff in her hand, causing the boulder in front of them to deform, creating an ascending staircase. She quickly began climbing, followed closely by the group, soon reaching the surface after some time.

Upon reaching the surface, the group found themselves in a jungle area, filled with impressive trees brimming with life and color. However, they didn't waste time admiring the scenery and quickly pulled out their flying artifacts, mounted them, and rose into the air. Liliana, for her part, closed the hole in the ground they had emerged from, returning the massive boulder to its original form, as if there had never been a huge staircase-shaped hole in it.

Flying with the help of various means, the group spent some time in the air, always alert for possible pursuers, passing through different biomes—deserts, jungles, snowy areas, and more—which greatly confused the students. However, seeing the serious expressions of the direct disciples, they chose to remain silent and follow orders diligently.

Finally, after a couple of hours, the group arrived at a beautiful natural canyon, with steep rocky walls composed of layers upon layers of rocks in countless beautiful colors, an indelible record of the geological history of the planet Eryndor. At that moment, Liliana and Zoe turned to look at Elara, who, holding a crystal tablet in her hand, nodded seriously.

"Let's study the terrain a bit without separating."

With Elara's agreement, Zoe quickly ordered, to which everyone present nodded, and they began wandering the area at a leisurely pace, analyzing everything they saw in detail. Meanwhile, Elara and Liliana recorded everything with their crystal tablets, which displayed holograms of a map forming in real time.

The beautiful natural canyon was adorned with all kinds of vibrant vegetation, as well as a small crystal-clear stream running along the bottom, filling the scene with life and creating a beautiful contrast with the earthy and gray tones of the impressive canyon. This made it a good place for a short vacation—a thought that crossed the minds of several presents.

After wandering through the intricate passages of the canyon, with Elara carefully examining her crystal tablet, the group suddenly came across a crack in one of the "walls", prompting Elara to raise her hand. At that moment, Zoe, seated atop a beautiful nine-tailed white fox, ordered in a firm tone.

"Stop."

While Liliana, Zoe, Elara, and Ethan gathered to look at the hologram on Elara's tablet, the other students exchanged understanding glances, finally realizing what had happened. The direct disciples had solved the riddle and were about to enter the palace, which made their eyes shine with excitement.

"It seems this is the place..." Elara commented in a serious tone as she compared the coordinates of the location with those they had calculated, to which Liliana nodded.

"It must be. We checked the calculations several times, and this crack almost looks like an entrance."

"So we've arrived? We've found the palace?" Ethan asked with a hint of excitement in his tone, to which Zoe replied seriously.

"It could be, or it could just be a clue. But for now, let's enter." Seeing her fellow direct disciples nod in agreement, Zoe quickly turned to look at the three students and ordered firmly.

"We're going into the cave. Magni, you're with me at the front, and the rest follow us."

With Zoe's words, the burly mace-wielder quickly stepped forward, holding his enormous two-handed mace firmly, while the others grouped into formation, with Ethan at the rear alongside the young man with dark skin and golden hair. Liliana, Elara, and the young man with tanned skin and black hair with pale green tips remained in the center.

"Let's go."

Zoe quickly gave the order to enter, and the nine-tailed fox beneath her began moving as if walking on air, alongside Magni. He moved on what appeared to be a metallic disk densely engraved with all kinds of runes that allowed him to move with some freedom.

Upon passing through the crack, the group found themselves in a natural cave, not very large, dimly illuminated by luminous stalactites on the floor and ceiling, giving it both a magical and eerie impression. At that moment, Zoe pulled out the magical artifact she used to open the shelter and activated it, causing a light to scan the entire cave, almost like some kind of scanner.

Shortly after, geometric lines of light spread throughout the cave, glowing softly and intermittently for a few seconds before disappearing, at which point the crack they had entered through closed, erasing any trace that it had ever existed.

With the only source of light now gone, the place was enveloped in darkness, which was combated by the faint light emitted by the stalactites. At that moment, Liliana extended her hand forward, and a warm, whitish sphere of light formed above it, rising to the ceiling of the cave after a small upward motion of Liliana's hand.

Meanwhile, without saying a word, Zoe stored the staff that had turned the cave into a shelter and quickly grabbed the tournament staff from her waist, where it levitated firmly, defying gravity, right next to her katana. At that moment, she activated it, filled with anticipation. But unlike before, this time only a single holographic screen appeared, which no longer displayed star charts but instead showed a written message. She instinctively knew that only she could see it.

[Select up to 9 companions.]

Seeing the message, a beautiful smile adorned Zoe's face as she quickly turned to look at her companions, selecting them mentally. Once she had chosen them all, she turned back to the hologram, which now also showed a number of companions with a message at the bottom.

[Only 6 companions have been selected. Are you sure you want to proceed?]

With a serious expression, Zoe quickly nodded while her companions looked at her somewhat confused, causing the message on the screen to change, now displaying a single message in large letters.

[Prepare for teleportation in 5 seconds.] Reading the message, Zoe quickly turned to look at her companions with a serious expression and announced solemnly.

"Prepare for teleportation."

Everyone present was a bit surprised by Zoe's sudden announcement, but quickly prepared, gripping their weapons tightly while taking deep breaths. Then, 5 seconds later, a flash of light filled the area. After a brief moment of vertigo, the group found themselves in the middle of a vast vestibule carved into living rock.

"We're in the palace, I suppose."

Liliana commented as she recovered from the vertigo, looking at the enormous black wooden door at the far end of the vestibule, to which Zoe nodded calmly and commented while studying the surroundings and the door Liliana was looking at.

"That's most likely the case. The staff brought us here, after all."

"I suppose we should head to the door..." Elara commented thoughtfully, also looking at the door, to which Ethan added seriously.

"Though I doubt it'll be that easy..."

Entirely agreeing with Ethan's comment, the girls nodded in unison, at which point Zoe turned to look at the three students, who were also cautiously studying their surroundings, and announced in a firm tone.

"We're in the trial palace, so from now on, we must remain even more alert and ready to react to any unforeseen events. And Magni, you stay with me at the front. We must protect the mages with everything we've got."

"Understood, Direct Disciple Laverne. I'll do everything I can to keep them safe, even if it means getting eliminated from the tournament." Magni quickly responded with a serious tone, tightening his grip on his enormous mace as his runic tattoos glowed faintly, to which Zoe nodded in satisfaction and commented.

"Don't worry. If you get eliminated, I'll make sure to compensate you appropriately."

"Thank you very much, Direct Disciple." Magni quickly responded firmly, performing a small bow, at which point Zoe turned to look at the others and ordered firmly.

"Let's move forward."

Everyone present nodded with serious and focused expressions, gripping their weapons tightly and mobilizing their mana, conjuring runes and magical circles that covered them with various protective barriers. Zoe then returned the tournament staff to her waist and advanced with firm steps.

After spreading out slightly to give themselves enough space to react to any unforeseen events, the group reached the door, which immediately seemed to come to life, glowing softly with iridescent colors, tensing the group. However, they relaxed slightly upon realizing that the lights were actually different holograms containing what appeared to be runes.

"Is that runic language, isn't it?" Liliana asked as she analyzed the words on the holographic screens.

"It seems so..." Elara nodded in agreement, and then the three girls turned to look at Ethan, who was studying the runes on the holographic screen attentively.

***

Hello everyone, the second volume concluded on Patreon with the chapter I published today, and although I left a longer public note over there, I also want to inform you here that I'll be taking about a week off from publishing this novel. The third volume turned out to be quite complicated to write, and it coincided with two equally difficult arcs from my second novel, so I want to give myself a few days to stockpile chapters and better edit the ones I already have.

Spoiler: Patreon

If you like it, you can support me on https://www.patreon.com/lordanl and get up to 10 advanced chapters.

 

[lordanl]

The runic language was an ancient written language used by the Boreal League, though it has fallen into disuse in modern times. It was based on runes that were very similar to those used to create magical artifacts or spells. Although there were some differences, it was common for practitioners of the Aegis System, who were sorcerers, to have some knowledge of this language.

Suddenly finding himself the center of attention, Ethan pretended to cough a couple of times to clear his throat, straightened his posture slightly, and then took a step forward to speak with a serious expression.

"Indeed, it is the runic language. A well-thought-out choice for the test, as, although it is now a disused language, it was very popular in ancient times, and we may encounter it in the ruins. Fortunately, I have learned a bit and can translate it."

"Then we will rely on you, Disciple Williams." Zoe remarked in a calm tone, to which Ethan quickly nodded and focused his gaze on the holograms, adding.

"I will do my best."

With a serious and concentrated expression, Ethan reviewed the runes on the holographic screens, then brought his hand to his chin, thinking about how to adapt the meaning to the galactic language while preserving the nuances. After a few seconds, he nodded in satisfaction and began to speak again.

"...The written message goes something like this:

'In hands of sages, warriors bold, true power lies.
He who walks with wisdom, history as his guide,
The shrouded path shall rise, unveiled to wise eyes.
Reflect the past, wield the key, and knowledge gates swing wide.'

"It's a bit complicated to translate this kind of ancient poetry into the galactic language, but that's more or less what it says."

After reciting the poem, Ethan added in a pensive tone, which led everyone present to sink into their thoughts, pondering its meaning. After a few seconds, Elara was the first to speak, her tone thoughtful, her hand on her chin, deeply immersed in her thoughts.

"I suppose 'the key' refers to the staff..."

"That makes sense, but what does 'reflect the past' mean? Could it have something to do with the light affinity?" Zoe added shortly after, looking thoughtfully at Liliana.

"I doubt it. Although [Past's Reflection] is indeed a light affinity spell, it's something of a much higher level, something only possible for Arcane-level mages. I don't think they expect us to perform that spell. Besides, the light affinity is too rare for the riddle to be related to it." Liliana disagreed, convincing everyone, who quickly returned to their thoughts.

"Liliana is right. 'Reflect the past' must refer to something more metaphorical..." Elara murmured softly, still pensive, while Ethan continued to examine the runes carved into the door, trying to find any useful clues but finding nothing that particularly caught his attention.

After giving up on the door, Ethan turned his gaze to the staff at Zoe's waist. After examining each of its runes, he noticed something strange. Despite being slightly illuminated, the surface of the staff seemed to faintly reflect the image of the door. But what was truly odd was that, through the staff's reflection, a faint figure of what appeared to be a hand could be seen carved into the door.

Noticing this detail, Ethan's eyes lit up like lanterns, and he quickly turned to look at the door again, where he could see nothing resembling what the staff's reflection showed. This brought a huge smile to his face, and he soon announced, absolutely convinced, that this was the key to solving the riddle.

"It's the staff's reflection!! 'Reflect the past' refers to the staff's reflection!!"

Ethan's words caught the attention of everyone present, who looked at the staff with curiosity. Indeed, after staring at it for a while, they found the faint figure of an arm carved into the door reflected in it. Zoe quickly took the staff and began to move it, revealing that the figure was actually a mage fighting a knight.

"You're right. The door's reflection in the staff shows 'a scene from the past'." Elara commented delightedly, while Zoe, with a smile on her face, began to change the staff's position, trying to provoke some reaction, but nothing happened.

"Is it a matter of the angle or the distance?" Zoe asked, confused, as she stepped forward and backward. At that moment, Liliana softly commented after a moment of consideration.

"Maybe it's both. Try taking a few steps back and adjust the angle so that the images of the mage and the warrior appear simultaneously in the staff's reflection."

After nodding in agreement, Zoe took several steps back until she reached the perfect spot where the figures of the mage and the knight appeared together in the staff's reflection. This quickly confirmed that it was the correct answer, as both the staff and the door began to glow brightly.

"It seems that was the correct answer." Zoe commented with a charming smile, which spread to the other two girls, causing the men in the team to swallow heavily, mesmerized by the almost hypnotic beauty the young women exuded.

While the young men were nearly hypnotized by the beauty of the direct disciples, the massive wooden doors opened, revealing a descending spiral staircase of stone steps on the other side. At that moment, Zoe quickly ordered, placing her right hand on the hilt of her sheathed katana.

"Everyone, stay alert. We'll descend in defensive formation. Be ready for combat. Magni, with me."

"Understood."

Zoe's voice snapped the young men out of their trance, and they quickly formed up while Magni stepped forward, announcing firmly. At that moment, Zoe summoned the beautiful nine-tailed fox once more, which appeared in a trail of fire, then offered the staff while speaking in a tone full of respect.

"Hiyori-sama, I will be in your care once again."

"Trust me, little Zoe."

The beautiful fox responded in a sweet, melodious voice, taking the staff in its teeth, then positioning itself in the middle of the formation. Zoe turned to look at her companions and announced firmly.

"Let's go!"

Passing through the enormous doors, the group encountered a long spiral staircase illuminated by pale blue torches. They descended with their weapons ready and barriers up, prepared for any attack or trap. Soon, however, the group reached the bottom, where they found a massive cavern supported by gigantic pillars that made them feel like ants.

But even more impressive was the beautiful palace visible at the center, which seemed to have come straight out of a fairy tale. Seeing the palace in the distance, the group nearly jumped with excitement, but they managed to keep their emotions in check and approached the place cautiously, maintaining their formation.

The group continued their journey toward the palace, alert and increasingly excited to see their objective up close. Their steps grew lighter, but suddenly, a massive fireball struck the barriers protecting them from the side, causing the barriers to tremble violently and crack like glass, while the ground shook slightly.

"We're under attack! Reinforce the barriers and fall back!!!"

Zoe shouted quickly, extending her ethereal projection to its maximum to identify the attackers. This prompted the entire group to spring into action, with the mages rapidly conjuring new barriers at full speed while retreating in an organized manner, also extending their ethereal projections to the maximum in all directions.

Almost simultaneously, several spells came hurtling toward them, impacting the new barriers and unleashing furious explosions that released brutal shockwaves capable of destroying the barriers. The group had to rebuild them, consuming enormous amounts of mana while retreating hastily. Despite having fallen back quite a bit, the group continued to be attacked, so Zoe quickly turned and shouted.

"We need to change tactics. Disciple Williams, conceal us. Liliana, do your best to identify the enemy. In the meantime, let's keep moving."

Without saying a word, Ethan pulled out a beautifully crafted crystal vial containing a luxurious blue liquid—a mana recovery potion—but he didn't drink it. Instead, he held it between his teeth, then, with his staff in hand, conjured a large number of runes around the group.

"Cloak of Fog."

Quickly, the runes conjured vast amounts of whitish Fog that completely concealed the group, to which he added several illusions to make them harder to detect. Meanwhile, Liliana quickly deactivated the light barrier she had been maintaining to protect the team. Her staff began to glow softly, and a large, complex magical circle slowly formed in front of her.

While Liliana concentrated on the magical circle, Zoe guided the group to move erratically within the dense fog. The attacks kept coming, but thanks to the mist and the illusions, the enemy couldn't pinpoint their location and was essentially attacking blindly. This allowed the group to catch their breath, giving the mages a chance to drink mana recovery potions with a bit more calm.

Almost two minutes later, Liliana's magical circle was complete, and a holographic projection formed above it, depicting a group of ten people in an attack formation, with mages in the rear casting spells and drinking potions like water. But the girls' eyes focused on a beautiful young woman at the center of the group.

The young woman, with delicate and symmetrical features, pale skin, blue hair, and eyes of the same color, had an appearance that could only be described as seductive. Her voluptuous and curvaceous body was something she seemed unafraid to show off, wearing what appeared to be a modified version of the university uniform—a super short, tight dress that left her long, toned legs exposed and teased with a plunging neckline that emphasized her ample bust.

Meanwhile, in her right hand, the beautiful young woman held the tournament staff, while in her left she carried another staff, this one black as jet, with an elegant and stylish design adorned with golden metal decorations at the top—a clear indication that she was a mage.

"It's that bitch Christine! Damn it!!"

With Liliana's angry exclamation, the girls immediately raised their alert level to the maximum. Meanwhile, Zoe turned to look at the boys in the group and spoke with a dark expression, her tone laden with threat and murderous intent.

"I'm only going to say this once, so listen very carefully. If any of you dare to betray us for that bitch, I swear I will hunt you down and make sure you regret it for the rest of your lives. You won't find a single place in the University where you can hide from us."

Along with Zoe's icy words came the murderous intent of Liliana and Elara, who scrutinized the faces of each of the men present, engraving their features into their minds. This sent a shiver down their spines, and they immediately nodded in understanding like frightened chickens, utterly terrified by the distorted expressions of the girls, who just moments ago had exuded a warm, hypnotic beauty.

"We need to make sure we enter the palace first, though, it would be best to eliminate that bitch here and now."

After glancing at the men in her own group, Liliana commented with visible resentment. Then she turned to look at the hologram, where she began to study the group composed exclusively of men, except for the beautiful lady with seductive features and a sensual body.

"Let's go with a full-power attack. Let's take advantage of the fact that we can see her, and she can't see us."

Elara quickly added with a Machiavellian smile, as a large magical circle began to form in front of her. Liliana quickly followed suit, and Zoe turned to look at Ethan, speaking in a cold tone.

"Disciple Williams, I expect you to do your best to keep us undetectable. The other side must have some method of staying hidden, and we'll be in trouble if we're discovered."

Seeing Zoe's aggressive expression, Ethan quickly swallowed the potion he had in his mouth and spat out the glass vial, then spoke with firmness and confidence.

"You can count on it, Disciple Laverne."

As if to demonstrate his intentions, the runes around the group increased in number, while Ethan quickly pulled out two recovery potions from his storage ring and placed them in his mouth. This made Zoe nod in satisfaction, and she quickly turned to the students, ordering with authority.

"Everyone, prepare to attack following Disciple Faye. Hiyori-sama, I beg for your assistance in the attack."

"Don't worry, little Zoe. I will coordinate perfectly with everyone." The fox responded in a calm voice, without moving its mouth, but without using telepathy. Zoe quickly bowed slightly in gratitude.

"That is a relief. Thank you very much, Hiyori-sama."

***

There are new public images of the characters on Patreon.

Spoiler: Patreon

If you like it, you can support me on https://www.patreon.com/lordanl and get up to 10 advanced chapters.

 

[lordanl]

"Everyone, get ready, we're going with a combined spell at maximum power."

While taking a mana recovery potion from her storage ring, Elara quickly gave the order, then drank the potion in one go and threw the crystal to the ground, at which point more magic circles formed in front of her. The young man with long black hair tipped in pale green, and the young man with dark skin and golden hair responded in unison.

""Understood.""

After speaking, the pair of young men took their recovery potions in one gulp, at which moment three magic circles began to form in front of the short-haired, golden-haired young man. They started to create small, yellowish points of light that clustered into what appeared to be three prisms of a brittle crystal.

Likewise, around the black-haired young man, different softly pulsing runes began to appear, while the air around him started to swirl, forming a greenish sphere in front of him. At that moment, Elara turned to Liliana and commented seriously.

"Liliana, for now, focus on keeping up the barriers. Your affinity isn't very good for combined attack spells."

"Though I would've liked to give that bitch a good thrashing, fine, leave defense to me. The enemy is about 850 meters northeast of our position."

Liliana answered quickly, with a hint of regret in her tone, but just as quickly canceled the magic circles before her. She then raised the staff in her hand, pointed it at the sky, and announced confidently, causing several magic circles to form around the group, surrounding them in all directions.

"Archangel's Hold!"

The magic circles swiftly conjured six beautiful angel wings made of light, which fluttered gently, then enveloped the group like a mother cradling her child. This caused a spherical barrier to form within the wings and protect them from any attack, while still allowing their own attacks to pass outward.

Meanwhile, small flames began to flicker from the jaws of the impressive nine-tailed fox, yet they didn't even graze the staff between its teeth. At the same time, its beautiful tails rose elegantly into the air, like those of a peacock. At that moment, large amounts of fire began to form in front of it, accompanied by strange currents of hot air, all of which gradually converged into a sphere that slowly turned white.

"Magni, stay alert for any enemy attack." At the same time, Zoe spoke in a serious tone as she took a stance ready to draw her katana at any moment, to which Magni responded sternly, gripping his huge two-handed mace firmly.

"Understood."

Though the barriers were excellent for defense against enemy spells, things were different against knights. Over time, knights had focused on discovering ways to deal with barriers. Methods existed to bypass or destroy them, and even Zoe and Magni knew various ways to attack a mage inside their own barriers. Staying on guard was therefore paramount.

"Attack! Flame Path!"

Once Elara saw that everything was ready, she quickly gave the command. At the same time, three powerful spheres of compressed fire shot into the sky, heading northeast. The two student mages pointed their staffs in the same direction and announced in unison.

""Shear Vortex / Prism Blast.""

Almost instantly, a large greenish sphere of wind and three yellowish crystal prisms soared upward, closely followed by a huge sphere of ominous white fire, and soon they managed to catch up to Elara's fire orbs. They then began to rotate in the air, accelerating further, but suddenly, the crystal prisms exploded unexpectedly, causing the combined spell to detonate prematurely.

The premature detonation triggered a massive explosion in the air that violently shook the huge cavern, sending brutal shock waves in all directions amid a thunderous roar and a blinding flash, momentarily incapacitating the mages. At that instant, the light barrier gleamed brightly.

Simultaneously, the six angelic wings covering them spread wide to meet the explosive shards head-on, creating a powerful air pressure that helped lessen the shock waves. However, the detonation of the crystal fragments, coupled with the small white flames shooting out in every direction, quickly destroyed the wings one by one.

Almost in unison, Magni gave a malicious grin as the runes tattooed on him glowed faintly. He then spun around in a swift motion, aiming a brutal blow with his mace at the head of the black-haired mage, who was caught off guard.

"Silent Tempest."

Just before Magni's attack could reach the young mage, a melodious voice resounded at his side, causing the warrior's face to flood with panic. At that moment, streaks of blood appeared all over his body, one particularly deep across his neck, slowing his perception of time almost to a standstill—long enough for him to turn his head and see the beautiful black-haired girl staring at him with a chill so piercing it could freeze flames. That sight etched itself in his mind as he was teleported to the space station.

Brimming with murderous intent, Zoe once again made three hand signs with her left hand, whereupon a layer of wind enveloped her. She vanished from sight, reappearing before the golden-haired mage with her katana embedded in his neck. The young man's face contorted in terror, but although he tried to lift his hands, he was abruptly teleported to the space station, thus being eliminated from the tournament.

After disposing of the two traitors in her team, Zoe briefly closed her eyes to burn those rats' faces into her memory, quickly turning over in her mind every possible means to make them wish for death. She took a deep breath and steadied herself; this wasn't the time. The situation was too dire to lose focus. Sure enough, the urgent voice of Disciple Williams reached them just then.

"A dozen spells have just entered the fog! They'll impact in a few seconds!"

"Run!"

Zoe quickly commanded in a solemn voice as she leapt onto the nine-tailed fox. Elara immediately drew out her flying carpet, while beautiful angelic wings formed behind Liliana, and a whitish cloud appeared beneath Ethan. The only remaining student produced a futuristic-looking hoverboard.

Once airborne, the mages on the team raised their staffs overhead, various magic circles and runes emerging around them, summoning different barriers as they declared in loud, reverent voices.

"Prism Aegis!"

Upon Liliana's declaration, a prismatic, semi-transparent barrier of light took shape around the group. At that moment, Elara spoke with blazing anger in her eyes, causing a large mass of flames to gather above them, dancing together in harmony to form a fiery barrier.

"Phoenix Veil!"

"Gale Bastion!"

Quickly, the last student announced in a firm voice, causing the runes around him to stir and create a swirling wall of wind to the left of Liliana's prismatic barrier. At that moment, Ethan finished drinking a new mana recovery potion and announced loudly, causing more runes to form around him. These runes lit up, conjuring a dark fog that shaped itself into a cyclone to the right of Liliana's barrier.

"Obscuring Shroud!"

Almost immediately, a barrage of spells slammed into the barriers, reacting differently to each one. Liliana's light barrier caused the spells to split into scattered beams of light striking far from the group, creating massive explosions.

Elara's fire barrier, by contrast, appeared to absorb the spells entirely, making them vanish before flaring even more intensely. Yet, she was guzzling mana potions at a frantic rate, plainly indicating the considerable cost of maintaining such a spell.

Meanwhile, Ethan's barrier functioned similarly to Elara's. The spells that reached the dark fog vanished into nothingness, as if they were mere illusions. However, since he was consuming mana recovery potions at an even faster rate than Elara, it was obvious that maintaining both the barrier and the surrounding fog required an enormous amount of mana. The fog itself was what prevented all the firepower from concentrating on a single point.

Lastly, the final student's wind barrier both deflected and weakened the incoming spells, though with every impact, the swirling wall shrank, forcing him to drink mana potions at a rate almost equal to Ethan's—evidence of just how formidable a disciple of a Master-level could be.

"Damn it!!! We didn't just have one, we had two traitors, and now we're screwed!!" Amid the furious onslaught, Elara shouted from atop her magic carpet, practically spitting flames and itching to skin someone alive with her own hands.

"Now's not the time to complain—we're in serious trouble. We only have five people left, and chances are we didn't do them any real damage." Zoe added with a dark and furious expression, clutching the fur of the beautiful fox beneath her tightly.

"Our advantage is that we're four direct disciples, and that bitch is alone. We could try overwhelming her with artifacts and potions, and we also have stealth on our side. Divine Resurgence!"

Quickly, Liliana added while casting healing spells on Ethan and the last student, both of whom had pale expressions due to the incredible exhaustion they were suffering. Moreover, drinking so many recovery potions in succession wasn't very healthy either.

"That's one plan, but that bitch is definitely surrounded by students pushing three hundred years, so it won't be easy. Still, if we use our stealth wisely, we can whittle down their numbers. But taking her out is another story—let's not forget her background. That bitch is bound to be loaded to the gills with magical artifacts, plus she's probably guessed you can now use [Light Echo], so she'll be on high alert." Elara remarked as she tried to rapidly strategize a workable plan.

Following Elara's words, Liliana quickly tried using Light Echo once more to pinpoint the enemy group. But merely seconds after the magic circle began to form, it burst in a flash of light, proving unable to locate them—something that everyone noticed, prompting bitter smiles all around.

"Certainly, she's taken precautions. But there's no need to worry. Her mother may be a famous artificer, but she's nowhere near my master's level. So if this becomes a battle of magical artifacts, I'm certain I'll take victory."

Liliana said this with confidence, which boosted everyone's spirits. Although they were aware of who Liliana's master was and how skilled she must be, they didn't really know the extent to which Master Silverwood spoiled her disciple, nor how lavishly equipped Liliana might be. But seeing her so self-assured made it evident she received plenty of special attention from the legendary Artificer.

"In that case, what we need is a swift, lethal strike—attack and then escape at top speed." Zoe suggested, newly motivated, and the other girls nodded as they downed more mana potions. Zoe then turned to Ethan and asked in a grave tone.

"Disciple Williams, how long can you keep us hidden?"

"Five minutes if I'm on my own, but if Disciple Faye helps, that time easily doubles." Ethan replied confidently, placing the empty glass bottle from his mouth into his storage ring. Zoe spoke next, in a contemplative voice.

"Then we won't have to worry about that. The issue is how to figure out their positions…"

Zoe's words made everyone think hard about how to solve that problem, even while they kept moving erratically in the fog, dodging the spells raining down like a storm. Some inevitably struck the barriers, but at that moment, the lone remaining student—who flew upon a futuristic hoverboard—cleared his throat and spoke up, visibly uncomfortable.

"Honored direct disciples, as a matter of fact, I might have a way to pinpoint them."

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"Frank, right?" Upon hearing the student's comment, Zoe turned to look at him and asked in a calm tone, gazing directly into the young man's brown eyes, who answered with evident nervousness.

"Yes, honorable direct disciple."

"Well, Frank, what is the method you're talking about?"

Zoe asked on behalf of the direct disciples, who looked at Frank with three parts doubt and one part suspicion. After all, not even Liliana could pinpoint the enemy group's location, so a mere student shouldn't stand a chance. Yet at the same time, the galaxy was vast, inhabited by all kinds of people and curious talents. Instead of rejecting him outright, they decided to listen. Maybe he could bring them a pleasant surprise.

Frank, a young man with an athletic build, tanned skin, kind features, and brown eyes, wore his black hair tied back in a short ponytail whose tips were decorated with a pale green color. He clenched his fists nervously under the scrutinizing gazes of the direct disciples, but after taking a couple of deep breaths, the young man extended his left hand in front of him. This caused a large amount of air to start swirling.

Soon, the swirling air began to take shape, turning into what looked like a small cloud, which fell gently onto the young man's hand. It then moved a bit, and out of nowhere a pair of large, beautiful eyes appeared on it, as though they had just opened. These eyes looked around briefly, then fixed on Frank.

Upon seeing Frank, the cloud's huge eyes gleamed with joy. Small arms and legs extended from it, which it used to stand on the student's hand and begin to jump around happily with its arms raised, while making cute little noises, almost as if it were cheering in its own way.

"This is Lirio, a newborn spirit. Although it can't do much yet, it's somehow able to 'smell' mana and follow it back to its source."

When the young student said those words, the direct disciples' eyes lit up like flashlights as they looked at the small spirit in the palm of his hand. The women, in particular, fought the urge that welled up inside them to smother the adorable creature with kisses. The tiny being watched them curiously with those big, bright eyes.

"… Are you sure it can 'smell' mana?" After a small, fake cough to hide her emotions, Elara asked with a look of intrigue on her face as she observed Frank, who quickly nodded seriously.

"Absolutely. Thanks to him, I've been able to find buried mana crystals and that sort of thing. And even once, when I was looking for the culprit of a 'prank' I was a victim of, he managed to follow the residual mana of a spell all the way back to whoever cast it. It's pretty impressive."

"That's an incredible ability… Remind me of your full name?" Liliana asked, looking at the young man with eyes shining, almost as if she were using her light affinity to make them glow.

"My name is Frank Svensson, honorable direct disciple." Frank replied, doing his best to remain calm. This prompted Liliana to tilt her head a bit and quickly ask with curiosity.

"'Svensson'? Like 'Svens Shoes'?"

"Yes, honorable direct disciple, that's the company my father founded. It's truly an honor that you know of it." Frank answered, somewhat surprised but evidently proud. Liliana then smiled and commented.

"Well, my older brother loves the boots they make, and even my silly younger brother likes them."

"My father will be thrilled when I tell him." Frank replied with a huge smile. At that moment, Zoe spoke up seriously.

"We can take care of that later. For now, let's focus. We need to attack, and we're counting on you, Frank."

"By the way, when we return to the space station, let's meet in the common area on the first floor. We have a proposal for you."

Elara added with a confident expression, causing Frank to tighten his grip around the staff in his right hand with joy. He fought with all his might to avoid shouting out loud, instead speaking quickly in a serious tone.

"Thank you so much for considering me, honorable direct disciple. For Lirio to do his job, we first need to have a sample of the mana for him to 'smell'. After that, he can follow the trail."

"Leave that to me. Prismatic Seal!"

Liliana spoke confidently, and a magic circle formed in front of her. A whitish beam of light shot from it, passing through her prismatic barrier and striking a meter-long icicle that was falling from the sky, covering it completely. The beam of light then turned into a prismatic barrier around the icicle, which flew swiftly toward Liliana.

"Will this work?" Liliana asked Frank with a smile, holding the prismatic barrier in front of her. Frank nodded seriously.

"Yes, that's more than enough." Quickly, Frank turned to look at the cute spirit in his left hand. He spoke gently to it, almost as if talking to a small child, while pointing at the chunk of ice with his staff.

"Lirio, see that piece of ice? We need to find whoever made it."

Upon hearing the instructions, the adorable spirit let out a few cute squeaks while waving its chubby arms. Frank nodded and turned to Liliana, speaking respectfully.

"Lirio says, please allow him inside the sphere of light. There's too much mana around here, and it's confusing for him."

"Absolutely."

After nodding, Liliana moved her staff slightly, which glimmered faintly and formed a small magic circle. This caused several light tentacles to appear inside the prismatic barrier, holding the icicle in place. Then a small opening formed in the barrier, through which the cute spirit leaped comically, propelled by currents of air.

Once inside the sphere of light, the newborn spirit began to fly around the large icicle, making adorable gestures as though sniffing at it, which melted the ladies' hearts. They quickly forced themselves to quell those feelings because it wasn't the right time for that.

A short while later, the newborn spirit squeaked sweetly, flying out of the barrier and landing back on Frank's left hand. It let out a couple of cute squeals while pointing in one direction, prompting Frank to nod in understanding before turning to the direct disciples and speaking seriously.

"According to Lirio, the owner of this mana is in that direction, about two kilometers away."

The moment Frank pointed north, Elara turned her head to look in that direction, eyes wide with surprise. She exclaimed urgently.

"Damn it, that bitch is just distracting us, she wants to get into the palace before we do!"

"And she also attacked us before entering. That bitch knows something! Bombard them with everything! Hiyori-sama, please."

Zoe quickly gave the order while assuming a crouched position, placing her hand on the hilt of her sheathed katana. The imposing fox once again formed a sphere of white fire, which shot into the air as a melodious feminine voice could be heard.

"Leave it to me."

Without wasting a single second, Elara, Liliana, and Frank took mana recovery potions. Then, Elara and Liliana conjured magical circles, while Frank surrounded himself with glowing runes. At that moment, they all pointed their staffs north and urgently announced.

"Dragon's Breath!!"

With several magic circles in front of her, Elara cast in haste, causing a burst of flames to appear before her. It quickly took the shape of a dragon's head several meters long, which opened its huge mouth and unleashed a cataclysmic torrent of fire at an absurd speed toward the north.

"Starfall Barrage!!!"

With that, Liliana made her move as massive magic circles formed in the sky above her, summoning hundreds of orbs of light that shot off at high velocity toward the north in parabolic arcs.

"Tempest Fang!"

Meanwhile, Frank spoke firmly, causing the runes around him to spin rapidly. They soon conjured a massive tornado of slicing wind, which merged with the dragon's breath of fire, vastly increasing its power.

A few seconds later, violent explosions echoed in the distance, causing the cave to tremble and sending overwhelming shockwaves that slammed into the barriers, swirling the surrounding mist. Frank shouted urgently after his spirit squeaked sweetly from his shoulder.

"They keep moving!! They're holding on!!!"

"Shit!!!"

After an exasperated cry, Liliana pulled several spheres from her storage ring, each radiating a strong light. They floated behind her in a perfect circle, spinning slowly around each other. Shortly after they appeared, the projectiles of light from her spell grew exponentially in both size and quantity, and even their temperature rose. They began leaving trails of plasma in the air.

"They've retreated!!! Now they're that way, in a straight line!" Frank shouted quickly, pointing northwest. Elara immediately gave a serious command.

"Attack!!!"

"Dragon's Breath/Tempest Fang/Starfall Barrage!"

Without delay, the trio of mages, along with the white fox, resumed their attacks, aiming to the northeast this time and causing more brutal explosions. The adorable Lirio once again let out a sweet squeak from Frank's shoulder, so the young man promptly said in a serious voice, pointing west.

"They backed off again; they're to the west now."

"Stop, don't attack. We need to keep our stealth. Liliana, help Disciple Williams recover. We need to expand the fog even more and trap them in it." Zoe gave a firm order, turning to Ethan, who looked extremely pale with slightly purple lips, and asked with a serious expression.

"Is that possible, Disciple Williams?"

"I'd need full support from Disciple Faye, but it's doable. Still, I'll only be able to maintain it for a maximum of one minute." Ethan replied with heavy breaths, as Liliana hastily cast a healing spell on him, covering him in a gentle light that improved his condition.

"Dawn's Embrace!"

"That's more than enough." Zoe spoke confidently and turned to Elara, asking seriously.

"Elara, do you have a plan for the attack?"

At the question, Elara brought a hand to her chin, thinking for a few moments before explaining her idea clearly.

"Our best bet is to use the element of surprise. Up until now, they've been cautious enough to stay away from the fog. They're probably afraid of Disciple Williams's illusionary fog array. It's very likely the traitors couldn't give them detailed info since we deliberately kept it hidden.

"So what we have to do is move as close to their position as possible without shifting the fog. When we're right on the edge, Disciple Williams will expand it. In the ensuing confusion, we can pick off several targets, and hopefully that bitch Christine, too. If we can take her down, her team will collapse, and we'll be able to enter the palace without too much trouble."

"I suppose that's our best option." Liliana commented in a slightly tired voice, at which point the orbs of light behind her began to dim one by one. They shattered like glass and fell to the ground.

"Then there's nothing more to think about. Let's get moving." Zoe nodded decisively, then turned to Frank and asked.

"Frank, where are they?"

Frank turned to look at Lirio on his shoulder, who, after sniffing the air a bit—making him look especially adorable—let out an excited squeak as he jumped. Frank nodded and then spoke while pointing southeast.

"They've moved around; they're further off in that direction."

"Understood." Zoe nodded and turned to the pensive Elara, asking.

"Elara, do you have the specific battle strategy thought out?"

The blonde-haired mage nodded quickly, then extended her hand in front of her. A gust of fire formed there, taking the shape of an uneven terrain with tall pillars. On one end were ten markers, and on the other, five. She began to explain, moving the pieces in line with her words:

"Yes, we'll launch a double surprise attack. As soon as the fog expands, you'll circle around them as fast as you can, while Liliana, Frank, and I launch a full-frontal assault. If that bitch manages to survive, you'll make an all-out attack in cooperation with your spirit."

***

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"Understood." Zoe nodded at Elara's strategy and turned to look at the others, at which point she asked seriously.

"Does anyone have any questions or suggestions?"

Seeing that everyone shook their heads, Zoe quickly nodded and continued speaking.

"Then we'll follow Elara's strategy. Although it's risky since you'll be left without protection, I believe it's our best chance. What we need now is the group's location, so Frank, we'll be counting on you."

"Don't worry, direct disciple, I'll do my best." Noticing all the direct disciples' gazes fixed on him once more, Frank quickly answered in a firm voice, prompting Zoe to speak in a grave tone.

"Then let's move out!"

At Zoe's command, the group of five rapidly advanced through the air toward the enemy group, stopping only upon reaching the edge of the fog. There, Zoe tightened her grip on the hilt of her katana and turned to Frank, asking seriously.

"Frank, how far away are they from us? The more precise you can be, the better."

"There's a way to be more accurate, but it drains Lirio quite a bit, and it can only be done a couple of times a day at most." Frank quickly answered with a serious expression, placing his left hand near his shoulder, where Lirio hopped gracefully. Zoe asked after thinking for a moment.

"If he only tries once, can he remain active?"

"Yes, although it'll be a little tiring for him. After a second attempt, he'd be out of commission, and a third would drastically reduce accuracy and force him to disappear and rest." Frank replied swiftly, causing Zoe to respond gravely.

"Let's do it. We have to take that risk."

"Give me a moment, direct disciple."

After speaking, Frank raised his left hand to his forehead and closed his eyes, at which moment the newborn spirit stretched out adorably to touch its contractor's head, causing a small light to flare. Shortly after, Lirio plopped into Frank's hand, moving oddly as though hyperventilating.

"Done, I've got the exact location. They're roughly 600 meters straight ahead, but keep in mind that's where they were at the moment Lirio sent me that information, and the group is on the move. We've only got one more shot at this." Frank explained, producing a rough mana-air construction shaped like a map in his hands, far more rudimentary than what Elara had conjured earlier.

Meanwhile, the direct disciples looked at Lirio in Frank's hands and confirmed he indeed appeared a bit tired and sleepy. Nonetheless, Zoe quickly spoke, showing gratitude.

"Don't worry, Frank, he's done more than enough. I have some things at home that'll be good for spirits, so rest assured this sacrifice won't go unrewarded, regardless of what happens." Zoe thanked Frank, who quickly bowed and commented seriously.

"It's a pleasure to help, and I'm truly grateful that the direct disciple considers me."

"Then everyone, I'll see you in the palace..."

After nodding at Frank, Zoe took a deep breath and spoke while closing her eyes, causing the air around her to stir slightly. A few moments later, she opened her eyes again, exclaiming with a piercing gaze.

"Attack!!"

At Zoe's command, a large number of runes filled the fog, and a magic circle formed over Ethan, who started sweating profusely while gulping down mana-recovery potions one after another. Meanwhile, Elara and Frank began readying their own spells.

"We've got them!"

Just as planned, the mist spread at incredible speed, catching the enemy off guard. Zoe dashed forward at full speed atop the fox spirit. Right then, Ethan cried out, his voice strained, and the dense fog before them lit up faintly, revealing the silhouettes of nine people. By estimating the figures' size, they quickly determined the exact distance, allowing Elara and Frank to unleash their mightiest spells.

"Sol Invictus!!!"

With at least a dozen magic circles around her, Elara proclaimed in a commanding tone, causing a colossal blaze of fire to appear. The flames swiftly gathered into a gigantic sphere—a kind of artificial sun—radiating tremendous heat as it began to grow at an accelerated pace.

"Óvindr's Wrath!!!"

With hundreds of runes whirling like a tornado, Frank shouted at the top of his lungs, summoning a massive tornado that rose into the air, crackling with ominous lightning. It rapidly ascended toward Elara's "artificial sun", devouring it like a snake swallowing a star. The slicing wind tornado transformed into a cataclysmic fiery tornado, seemingly able to destroy anything in its path.

But just then, Ethan opened his eyes wide in disbelief before looking off in another direction. His expression darkened drastically, yet he immediately shouted with urgency as the runes around him began to multiply rapidly.

"It's a trap!! There are two groups!! I need help distracting them with illusions; the second team is racing over here!!!"

"Damn it! Luminous Rebirth!!!"

Letting out an enraged cry, Liliana cast a powerful healing spell on Ethan and simultaneously messaged Zoe to pull back. At that moment, Elara shouted in equal fury, her magic circles suddenly shining like glaring spotlights.

"Disciple Williams, secure Zoe a way back! Frank! We're going all out; let's try to whittle them down!!!"

"Understood!"

Frank responded immediately as the runes spinning in a tornado grew brighter and sped up, making the fiery vortex intensify both in speed and power. At that same instant, Ethan spoke hurriedly.

"I'm on it, but we need to run. I can only hold them for another 20 seconds!!!"

Along with Ethan's shout, Elara and Frank's combined spell reached its destination, triggering a breathtaking explosion that shook the cave violently. Ferocious shockwaves crashed into their barriers, destroying them one by one. Meanwhile, Lirio, still perched on Frank's shoulder, let out a fatigued squeal, prompting the young man to shout gravely.

"The first group is retreating from the fog!!"

"Dammit, he's right! Somehow they're dealing with my illusions and getting away!" As soon as he heard Frank's words, Ethan quickly focused in that direction and spoke gravely, leading Elara to stomp on her magic carpet in frustration.

"Shit!"

Meanwhile, Liliana kept sending every kind of healing spell at Ethan, who was sweating profusely and looking pale. But just as Elara was gearing up for a suicidal charge, Zoe returned, riding the fox spirit, parts of her clothing burned and torn, and bearing some superficial wounds. She announced, visibly resigned.

"They completely outplayed us. Let's pull back. We've lost this round."

Zoe's defeated words brought weary, complicated looks to everyone's faces. The group let out exhausted sighs—everyone but Liliana, whose expression brimmed with resolve. She spoke with a firm tone.

"We haven't lost yet. Hurry to the palace; I'll buy us the time we need."

"Wait, Liliana. If we run now, we can still come back for another attempt. If that bitch is here, it's because as long as we still have the staff, we can try again. There's no need to do this." Elara quickly argued, but Liliana shook her head decisively.

"While that's true, you all know perfectly well that bitch won't let us leave so easily. Who knows how many of us will manage to get out of here—if any. Besides, where can we run? We're stuck in this cave, and though there must be a way out, none of us know it.

"Plus, you all know that bitch well: it's very likely she'll come at us with everything, aiming to score as many casualties as possible before going into the palace. She'll leave people behind to finish us off. Worst of all, if we lose, who knows how long we'll have to put up with her ridicule and that of her underlings. We won't have a moment's peace in the fraternity hall after this. So go on; I have my ways to keep her here long enough."

While she spoke, Liliana pulled a glass bottle from her storage ring. Inside it was a liquid that looked like a rainbow's very essence, vibrant with shifting colors, even causing the surrounding Myst to ripple slightly.

"""Is that?!"""

Zoe, Elara, and Ethan widened their eyes in astonishment at the sight of the bottle in Liliana's hands. Liliana smiled kindly, gazing at it.

"Exactly what you think. It's a magic-empowerment potion—though only a diluted version—it'll give me enough of a boost to keep that bitch here for a while."

"You don't have to waste such a valuable resource. We can still fall back to the chamber where we arrived and fight a last stand there, using the terrain to our advantage. And if it doesn't work out, so what? If that bitch taunts us a bit, we're not delicate flowers who can't handle a setback."

Staring at the unmistakable emblem on the bottle, Zoe spoke with a complicated tone, then looked into Liliana's blue eyes. Liliana beamed almost heroically and replied in a relaxed, cheerful voice.

"Hahaha, I know, but I still feel like I have to do this. Besides, it would be a waste if I didn't use the potion my master specifically gave me for the tournament, so go on—think of it as an older sister paying the debts of her foolish little brother."

Before anyone could say another word, Liliana downed the potion in one gulp, making her mana surge around her in an overwhelming wave. At the same time, a beautiful halo of light formed over her head, and coupled with the wings on her back, it granted her a holy, immaculate aura.

"Go!! Divine Pulse!"

As she cast one final healing spell on Ethan, Liliana shouted loudly and then turned her back on them. The group watched with conflicted expressions as new spheres of light appeared behind Liliana, forming a circle. Several magic circles manifested above her, unleashing all kinds of mana constructs—swords, spears, halberds, etc.—along with six prismatic shields that began rotating around her protectively.

"Let's go!!"

Seeing there was no turning back, Zoe gave a troubled command before racing off on the back of the magnificent white fox, leaving Elara, Ethan, and Frank to exchange uncertain looks. After a long sigh, they took to the air behind Zoe in silence.

Once the group departed and the mist dissipated, Liliana flew at full speed to intercept the attackers, clutching her staff tightly as she inwardly reveled in the incredible power coursing through her. Even so, thoughts of her master and her "younger brother" slipped into her mind.

Initially, Liliana felt her master was casting her aside—that now, with that monstrous fool around, all the affection her master had shown her would vanish. She grew deeply envious of Erik—of the special treatment he received—feeling he mattered more to her master than she did, or even more than Desmond, the first disciple.

Yet what truly tormented Liliana was fully realizing the fool's colossal talent. Not even Desmond—revered across the galaxy—could compare to him. That awareness placed her under tremendous pressure, day by day corroding her self-esteem as she confronted the fact that, no matter how hard she tried, Erik far surpassed her, and sooner or later, her master would discard her.

Those thoughts plunged Liliana into a spiral of hatred in which she viewed Erik as an adversary stealing away her once-happy life. Desperate to regain some peace of mind, she searched fanatically for any flaw in that "monster". While Desmond was undoubtedly a genius, Liliana knew that in the worst case, she could at least match him. But up against Erik, she felt like an ordinary person facing a legendary prodigy.

Time itself, however, proved Liliana wrong. Though she once struggled to see it, her perspective on the world—and on the bond between her beloved master and that foolish Erik—shifted drastically during their journey from the university. She realized that her master's affection for her hadn't diminished in the least, and a prime example was the potion she had just drunk. Even though it was merely a maximum Ascended-level potion, its value could rival that of an entire planet.

The exorbitant cost wasn't just due to the extremely rare and costly ingredients, nor the extraordinary skill required to craft it. What truly magnified its worth was the emblem on the bottle, proving it was crafted by possibly the Arcane Order's finest alchemist, Master Eldurdóttir—something possibly more valuable than the potion itself.

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