Chapter 34: First Attack

Haruki and Magnus were breathing heavily as they ran towards the dormitory. The closer they got, the stronger the chilling aura around them became.

"I have a bad feeling about this... We need to stay alert, Haruki!"

"I know."

Haruki suddenly stopped for a moment, remembering Teacher Lukas, who was still lying in the infirmary bed.

"I have to go back. I need to check on Teacher Lukas."

Haruki turned around, but Magnus stopped him. Magnus told him to follow Teacher Aelin’s instructions.

"If you do that, Teacher Lukas will get angry at you too."

Haruki lowered his head before turning around once again and inviting Magnus to continue towards the dormitory. They resumed running.

Eventually, they arrived at the cafeteria, only to be shocked by what they saw. The entire cafeteria had been frozen over. They quickly rushed towards the dormitory corridor, only to find that it had frozen as well.

None of the dormitory doors could be opened because of the thick layer of ice covering them. Magnus tried knocking on the doors of the other students’ rooms, but not a single response came from inside.

Magnus attempted to use his Reinforcement Magic to break through the frozen doors. However, Haruki firmly told him not to waste his magic on something so insignificant.

"Save your energy... I’m certain something is waiting for us."

Haruki continued.

"And besides, there’s been no response from inside. Perhaps the students in the dormitory have already—"

"Don’t finish that sentence. Come on, Haruki."

Haruki said nothing and continued walking down the corridor.

’Please be safe, Vila.’

Neither of them had sensed any dangerous presence in the boys’ dormitory yet, so Haruki decided to check the girls’ dormitory as well.

"T-The girls’ dormitory?!"

"Keep your dirty thoughts to yourself, Magnus."

They hurried towards the girls’ dormitory to check its condition. Upon arriving, they discovered that it had been frozen over as well.

Once again, Magnus tried knocking on one of the frozen doors to check whether anyone was inside, despite the freezing conditions.

However, no voice came from the room. Magnus tried knocking on another door, but the result remained the same. Not a single sound came from within.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed through the corridor.

The presence of whoever was approaching felt strangely familiar to both of them.

Haruki slowly turned around and spotted someone standing behind them, holding an iron sword.

The slightly anxious expression on Haruki’s face immediately changed. His eyes now resembled those of a predator ready to attack at any moment.

"Magnus."

Magnus, who had been knocking on another door, slowly turned towards Haruki before shifting his gaze to the man standing not far from them.

His black hair and brownish eyes...

Haruki still remembered the appearance of the person responsible for inflicting such severe injuries upon Teacher Lukas.

That person was none other than Azrath.

"Fancy meeting you again," Azrath remarked.

A chilling silence fell between them as they stared at one another.

"Azrath."

"That’s the name that will kill both of you."

Following that brief exchange, Haruki and Azrath immediately charged towards each other.

The clash of their blades echoed throughout the corridor.

"Quite an intense and fast-paced battle."

"I can’t just stand here doing nothing."

Magnus then activated his Reinforcement Magic and rushed towards Azrath.

Meanwhile, Haruki opened his system and purchased a Speed skill.

Azrath’s swift attacks forced them to retreat several steps to maintain their distance.

"Magnus, I’m going to use something."

"Huh?"

Haruki slowly disappeared, activating his **Vanish** skill.

Magnus then smiled slightly as he looked ahead.

’So this is the same tactic he used when he defeated Teacher Aelin.’

’Just how many more tricks do you have, Haruki?’

"Did your friend run away?" Azrath asked Magnus.

Meanwhile, Haruki began moving at incredible speed, combining his Vanish skill with his newly acquired Speed skill.

He moved so quickly that even Magnus could feel the gust of wind left behind by his movements.

Haruki lunged forward and thrust his dagger towards Azrath, successfully landing a hit that left a wound across his chest.

However, moving at such an incredible speed made it difficult for Haruki to control his own movements.

He immediately used his Gravity Magic to force Azrath down, preventing him from getting back up.

"D-Damn it..."

"Magnus, attack!"

Haruki ordered Magnus to attack. Even the slightest movement caused him to move too quickly, making it difficult to control his speed.

Without hesitation, Magnus followed his command.

He strengthened his Reinforcement Magic before charging at Azrath with his sword.

However, Magnus’s attack failed to reach its target. Azrath used his Iron Magic to create a thick defensive barrier capable of withstanding Magnus’s strike.

"Damn it!"

The barrier slowly began to crumble, but Azrath quickly retaliated by throwing his sword towards Magnus.

Just before the sword could reach him, Haruki swiftly pulled Magnus backwards, saving him from the incoming attack.

However, Haruki’s Gravity Magic disappeared as a result of rescuing Magnus.

As a result, Azrath managed to stand up once again. He then used his Iron Magic to forge another sword, accompanied by an army of artificial soldiers made entirely from his magic.

These soldiers appeared taller and slightly larger than the ice soldiers they had fought before.

Haruki once again attempted to use his Gravity Magic against Azrath. However, it seemed as though his magic had no effect on him.

"Why?"

Azrath then revealed a Magic Nullification Pill to Haruki.

Haruki was slightly taken aback. His most reliable magic was now rendered useless.

Before Haruki could even get back on his feet, Azrath attacked him, sending him flying backwards.

"How... did you know where I was?"

Azrath flashed a sinister smile before explaining that consuming the pill did more than simply nullify someone’s magic. It also allowed the user to detect the presence of others.

Haruki then deactivated his Vanish skill, realizing that it was no longer useful in this situation.

Meanwhile, Azrath’s artificial soldiers were clashing swords with Magnus. Magnus appeared to be struggling considerably against them.

Haruki opened his system to search for another type of magic. However, before he could even decide which one would be suitable for the battle, Azrath had already appeared right in front of him, his hand ready to swing his sword.

Haruki immediately used his Light Magic to blind Azrath.

It worked, forcing Azrath to retreat several steps.

---

Meanwhile, at Philip’s location...

Philip witnessed a sight he rarely got to see.

He could see cities that had been completely frozen, while others were engulfed in flames.

There were no civilians anywhere in sight. All he could see was the destruction left behind by the Frostval army.

"How annoying..."

The sound of horse hooves echoed from behind Philip.

He immediately turned around and spotted a rather large number of soldiers approaching.

The soldiers began drawing their bows, aiming directly at Philip. They pulled their bowstrings back before swiftly releasing a barrage of arrows towards him.

Instead of running away, Philip remained perfectly still.

He already knew that an attack was coming.

"Rift Magic: Rift Distortion."

A small portal appeared in front of Philip, and every arrow heading towards him suddenly disappeared into it.

The small portal then closed, leaving the soldiers bewildered as they wondered where their arrows had gone.

"Are you looking for the arrows you just shot?"

Philip smiled, letting out a quiet chuckle.

"Look up, you fools."

Slowly, the soldiers raised their heads towards the sky.

A rift suddenly appeared directly above them.

Without any warning, the rift shattered, releasing all the arrows they had previously fired.

The arrows rained down upon the soldiers before they could even react.

"And all you had to do was look up. There was already an opening for me."

"I didn’t expect you to be so obedient."

"Good boy~"

His mockery infuriated one of the soldiers. Angrily, the soldier picked up an arrow lying on the ground and quickly threw it towards Philip.

Philip caught it effortlessly before turning his gaze towards the soldier who had thrown it.

"Heh? Got some courage, do you?"

"If I were you, I’d pretend to be dead and then run away."

The soldier immediately panicked, no longer knowing what to do.

Philip slowly approached him before drawing his gleaming dagger.

"Goodbye, idiot."

Philip’s gaze resembled that of a cold-blooded killer.

He swiftly swung his dagger, killing the soldier.

The soldier’s blood splattered across Philip’s face. He slowly raised his hand to his forehead, brushing his hair backwards.

Just then, another uninvited guest arrived, bringing an entire army along with him.

"Huff... Do they never run out?"

In a place not far from Haruki and Magnus, Aelin was fighting Vaelcryst fiercely.

The fight was so brutal that the first room of the academy showed severe damage from their fight.

"A fierce woman~, that’s what I like,".

"Shut up."

Aelin continued to attack him with her root magic, creating giant roots in the academy. And Vaelcryst also produced dragon ice again, but this time the dragon was a little smaller than before she see.

Vaelcryst then smiled thinly.

"Then be fair~".