Chapter 22: The Invasion of Arcane (3)

The night, which should have been dark, was illuminated by the flames surrounding the cities of this kingdom.

Many people across the kingdom had fallen victim to the invaders’ attacks. A group of black-robed figures had now begun making their way into the heart of the city.

"What a horrifying sight."

Those were the words Magnus uttered before they continued their journey toward Arcane Palace.

As they proceeded, they unexpectedly encountered a group of enemy soldiers. Lukas and the others immediately drew their weapons and prepared their magic.

Haruki, Philip, Magnus, and Lukas each drew their daggers, preparing to attack, while Aelin unleashed her magic.

"Have you fully recovered, Haruki?" Lukas asked.

"What do you take me for, Teacher?"

Lukas smiled before charging forward to attack first, followed by Haruki, Philip, and Magnus.

As for what had happened earlier, Haruki had quickly purchased a healing potion, despite its rather expensive price.

The four of them attacked the soldiers still roaming the area, while Aelin effortlessly dealt with the enemies using her magic alone.

Golden light began to envelop Magnus’s entire body. It was his reinforcement magic, and now his movements had become faster, his enthusiasm for taking someone’s life growing stronger with every passing moment.

Haruki and Philip attacked the soldiers with their daggers. There were even moments when Haruki used his gravity magic and his Blade Recall skill to kill his enemies through clever tricks.

Amidst the battle, a man with long white hair appeared, dressed in a white robe.

He glanced toward Lukas, and suddenly, something resembling an ice sword materialized in his hand. He then swiftly moved toward Lukas and launched an attack.

"Who the hell is this guy...?"

The man showed no reaction. Instead, he kicked Lukas, sending him flying backward.

Seeing Lukas get kicked away, Aelin immediately attacked the man.

However, the man was so fast that he managed to cut through Aelin’s magic.

"H-Hey, Haruki! That’s the man from earlier!"

Haruki quickly finished off the soldier he was fighting before looking toward the place where Lukas was.

"That man..."

Haruki and Philip had intended to help Lukas and Aelin, but the enemy soldiers prevented them from reaching the two of them.

"Damn it! We need to deal with these guys before we can go over there!" Haruki shouted to Philip.

Philip did not respond, but Haruki knew that he had heard him and understood the current situation.

"Lukas Kline, a teacher at Arcane Academy..."

Lukas raised an eyebrow slightly, wondering how the man knew his name. The man then introduced himself.

"I am... Azrath Iceheart, from the Kingdom of Frostval."

Lukas was not particularly surprised by Azrath’s words, as he had never heard of such a kingdom before.

"Frostval, huh?"

Without another word, Azrath swiftly attacked Lukas, but Lukas managed to block the strike with his own sword.

Lukas then glanced at Azrath’s weapon and sensed the magical aura emanating from it. Cleverly, Lukas used his own magic: Magic Nullification.

Under the effect of his nullification magic, the sword Azrath was holding shattered almost instantly.

Azrath retreated several steps, putting some distance between himself and Lukas.

"Magic Nullification..."

He then glanced at the corpses of his soldiers lying nearby. Spotting a sword still hanging from one of the dead soldiers’ waists, he casually took it.

"Huff... Still intent on fighting?" Lukas taunted Azrath.

Both men charged forward simultaneously, their weapons clashing as they attacked each other.

Watching Lukas fight, Aelin realized that if she joined the battle, she would only become a burden.

"Everyone! Head to the palace now!"

"I’ll catch up with you later!"

Haruki, Philip, and Magnus clearly had no intention of leaving Lukas behind.

"What the hell do you mean?! You stupid teacher!"

Lukas could only smile bitterly as he continued fighting.

"This is an order from your teacher! Just do as I say, idiot!"

Philip was furious at Lukas’s words. However, before he could retort, Aelin’s magic dragged him away.

"Let me go, Teacher Aelin!"

"Huff... You’re such a stubborn brat."

Aelin dragged Philip away, followed by Haruki and Magnus.

Now, only Lukas remained, fighting Azrath alone.

"What’s the point of going to the palace anyway?"

"There’s no use going there..."

Lukas felt somewhat irritated by Azrath’s words, as though everything they were doing was pointless.

"What the hell do you mean by that?"

Azrath smiled faintly, preparing to reveal something unexpected.

Meanwhile, the four of them continued running toward the palace. They could hardly bear to see the cities reduced to battlefields.

Haruki and Magnus glanced around, witnessing countless nobles and commoners lying motionless on the ground, blood flowing from their wounds.

"What exactly do they want?" Magnus asked, his expression filled with dissatisfaction.

"Perhaps we’ll find some clues at the palace..." Haruki replied, glancing slightly toward Magnus.

They continued running toward the palace, their hearts filled with anxiety. However, their journey was repeatedly interrupted by the enemy soldiers scattered throughout the city.

"Seriously?! Where the hell are Arcane’s soldiers and King Arcane himself in a situation like this?!"

Those were Aelin’s words before she eliminated the soldiers with her magic, summoning incredibly sharp thorny roots from the ground.

"Hey, Teacher Aelin! Aren’t you going to let me go?" Philip asked, still bound by Aelin’s magical roots.

"I’ll release you once we reach the palace."

"Argh, damn it."

Philip then began thinking about Lukas, who was still fighting Azrath.

’Don’t you dare die, idiot.’

They drew closer to the palace, running with all their might until they finally arrived at its enormous main gate.

"There are no guards..."

Haruki felt increasingly uneasy under the oppressive atmosphere surrounding the palace.

Aelin then released Philip from the restraints of her magical roots.

"Finally... I’m free."

They all sensed something deeply unsettling coming from within the palace.

"Are you scared, Philip~?" Magnus teased him.

"Like hell I am, idiot."

Haruki simply stared at the enormous gate.

’What exactly is inside this palace? Why does it feel so eerily silent, as though it has been abandoned for years?’

[SOMETHING DANGEROUS IS INSIDE THE PALACE]

[SOMETHING DANGEROUS IS INSIDE THE PALACE]

[SOMETHING DANGEROUS IS INSIDE THE PALACE]

’Even the system can sense it...’

Aelin then let out a long sigh and summoned her root magic to break through the gate.

"Come on, everyone."