The flames that shot up into the sky dyed the dim sky over the outskirts of the imperial city red.
Outside Saint Laurent College, the Dean of the Alchemy College, Kahn, was looking at the huge wall of fire rising into the sky, cutting off the student dormitory area from the outside world, his eyes filled with worry.
"Where are the principal and vice principal?"
"The principal hasn't been back to school for two years. No one knows where he is now."
A dusty instructor wiped the sweat from his forehead and answered, "The vice-president said three months ago that he was going to the astral realm to look for the young traversal beast. He should still be lost in some dimensional rift."
"What about the deans of other branches?"
"Some are out on academic projects, some are visiting the princes' alliance for exchanges, and one seems to be attending a multi-person... noble banquet. They probably won't be back in a short time."
The young instructor looked at Dean Kahn cautiously and said, "In the entire academy right now, you, Professor Kahn, are the only Four-Ring Master present."
"What a bunch of old bastards!"
...
...
Professor Kahn cursed angrily and crushed the wooden stick in his hand.
Of course, he also knew that his colleagues were not to blame.
Under normal circumstances, even if those secret organizations want to make some big news, they will never choose to come to the imperial capital to make trouble.
This is the core center of the entire Fresta Empire, and it is filled with powerful people.
Even if those thugs succeeded in causing trouble, it would be extremely difficult for them to escape from the imperial border while being chased and blocked by the powerful people in the imperial capital.
It is a loss-making business that hurts the enemy by 800 and your own by 1,000.
In comparison, border cities with chaotic public security, few strong men, and close proximity to the border, where one can easily escape to the Lost Territory, are undoubtedly better choices for causing trouble.
For this reason, such a vicious violent incident has never occurred since the establishment of Saint Laurent College. Naturally, there is no sense of crisis or vigilance. The defense measures within the school can be described as a complete face-saving project.
But who knew that it would be the Order of Ashes that came this time.
Compared to other forbidden organizations that were classified as heretics by the Theocracy, the Order of Ashes was only average in terms of size and number of powerful members.
However, they have one biggest feature:
That means you are very stubborn.
Other taboo organizations will also consider the impact and losses when acting in order to preserve their own strength, avoid the loss of high-level strongmen, and pursue the maximization of interests.
But the Ash Cult, a bunch of arsonists who shout "burn, burn, burn" all day long, never consider things like casualty ratio.
Even if captured, these arsonists would only shout Anhurra Akbar and Meteor Ichijo and turn themselves into a huge bunch of fireworks.
It can be described as a complete suicide truck, sticky with dog shit that everyone hates.
No matter how powerful a force is, they can only curse their bad luck when they encounter the Order of Ashes.
Professor Kahn's emotions went out of control for a moment.
But he quickly calmed down and looked into the distance with a serious look.
He could feel that a faint spiritual force had locked onto him.
Patriarch of the Order of Ashes.
As the only two four-ring players present, the opponent had been targeting him from the very beginning.
Although he hadn't taken action yet, the cold feeling made Professor Kahn feel uneasy. He knew that the patriarch might launch an attack at any time.
This is also the reason why Professor Kahn did not take action to break the fire array.
His instinct told him that even though they were both in the fourth ring, he, a professor who had been teaching for many years, was no match for the murderous patriarch.
"It seems that we can only continue this stalemate. This is the imperial capital, and time is on our side."
"Unfortunately, Professor Kahn, time is not on our side."
A steady voice sounded. It was from a middle-aged man in military uniform. He had a resolute and stern face, and a black eagle pattern was engraved on the collar of his uniform.
Behind him, a huge beholder was floating in the air.
Hundreds of tentacles were waving in the void, and the mental fluctuations slightly vibrated the surrounding air. They should be using some kind of large-scale perception type of skills.
The officer waved his hand, and a blurry screen of light emerged, showing the image perceived by his eye demon pet.
All we saw was dozens of thugs in black robes and holding sickles patrolling back and forth in the central square of the dormitory area which was blocked by a wall of fire.
In the four corners of the square, hundreds of students fell to the ground.
However, apart from being bound by hemp ropes, there were no casualties, and most of the students did not even have minor wounds on their bodies.
In the center of the square, a dark altar was being rapidly built.
From time to time, dark illusory flames would appear in the sky above the altar and diffuse into the surrounding fire walls, serving as the core of the formation to support the continuation of the fire blockade.
Deeper inside the altar, there seemed to be some deeper and more sinister power brewing.
Even just viewing it through the projection screen made the professors present feel a chill.
"These arsonists were probably planning to use the students in the dormitory as sacrifices to launch a fire ritual."
The middle-aged officer said in a steady voice, "According to the fluctuations of magic detected by the Eye Demon, once the Fire Sacrifice Ceremony is completed, with its explosive power, at least half of Saint Laurent College will cease to exist."
Professor Kahn felt relieved when he saw the officer coming: "Lieutenant Colonel Sieg, you are here... Then the other support..."
The middle-aged officer named Sieg glanced at Professor Kahn and shook his head: "I am the only fourth-ring officer who is here to provide support."
"After learning the news here, the great nobles in the imperial capital put a lot of pressure on the military and the Administration Bureau, requiring all available forces to strictly guard the main city area, especially the upper city area where they live, to prevent any invasion by the cultists."
"In the short term, there will probably be no more support from the imperial capital."
Professor Kahn's face flashed with surprise: "But, the Ash Cult is clearly a provocation to the majesty of the empire..."
"Of course, we will respond most seriously to the Empire's provocation."
"However, for those great nobles, the best option to fight back is undoubtedly to beat the enemy when they are running away, rather than actively stepping into the trap set by the enemy at this time."
Lieutenant Colonel Sieg looked at the stunned Professor Kahn and shook his head slightly.
He didn't say some things completely.
In fact, the great nobles in the imperial capital were mentally prepared to sacrifice Saint Laurent College in this incident.
Of course, if the hostages locked in the academy this time included the children of the nobles themselves, the situation would naturally be very different.
It is entirely possible to force the military and the administrative bureau to mobilize all their forces, or even to mobilize the private armed forces secretly controlled by the nobles themselves to come to the rescue.
However, the Ash Cult chose a good time for their attack this time, which was right at sunset. The noble children who were originally studying in Saint Laurent College had already returned to their mansions in the imperial capital.
Those who are still in the academy are basically civilian students who have no one to rely on in the imperial capital.
For the great nobles in the imperial capital——
They have no background and are at best a group of commoners with some talent.
If he tried to rescue them forcibly when he knew that there was a fourth-ring warrior on the other side, he might even lose the power of his master beastmasters in the opponent's counterattack.
With such a scale, you can tell which side is more important without even looking at it.
After hearing the officer's words, Professor Kahn was silent for a moment.
After a long while, he spoke again: "Lieutenant Colonel Sieg, let's join forces to fight against the Patriarch..."
“It’s difficult.”
Lieutenant Colonel Sieg's voice remained serious: "According to my perception, he is at the high level of the fourth ring, the same level as me. He should not be an ordinary person among the Patriarchs of the Ash Cult."
"With you being a mid-level fourth-ring fighter, it won't be difficult to suppress him and gain the upper hand, but it will be extremely difficult to win quickly within half an hour."
"According to the fluctuations detected by the Eye Demon, the internal sacrificial ceremony should be completed within 20 minutes. By then, it will be useless even if we defeat the Patriarch."
"But no matter what, as a member of the military, I have to give it a try."
The middle-aged officer summoned a giant bear-like pet beside him: "In fact, there is another way to break the impasse."
"The Patriarch of the Ash Cult has been pinned down by us on the outside, and the arsonists inside the wall of fire are all second-ring."
"If the students of your school are strong enough, there may be a chance to destroy the altar from the inside. This will not only prevent the sacrificial ceremony from continuing, but also break the blockade fire array, allowing the army and instructors to enter and rescue the hostages."
"Students inside..."
Professor Kahn's gray eyebrows knitted up, and then a hint of joy appeared on his wrinkled old face: "Although many senior students are out on missions, I remember that the most elite student union members are back."
As he spoke, his eyes, which were looking at the Eye Demon's detection screen, suddenly lit up: "Do it!"
Behind Professor Kahn, phantom spots of light in red, blue and green suddenly appeared.
The light spots quickly condensed and transformed into humanoid creatures with tiny wings.
They are elemental fairies with the three attributes of fire, wind and thunder.
Moreover, unlike ordinary commander-level elemental elves, the elemental elves summoned by Professor Kahn have clearer shapes, and the outline of a crown has already appeared on their heads.
This means that his three elemental elves have reached the fourth level and can be called fairy kings.
The three-colored light spots quickly condensed and then turned into beams of light, shooting towards the direction of the fire wall.
On the other side, the giant bear summoned by Lieutenant Colonel Sieg also stood up and let out a deafening roar, and a circle of khaki halo spread out.
boom--
A giant with lava flowing all over his body appeared in the flames, and his fist wrapped in magma punched the oncoming elemental wave.
The elemental wave was broken, but the lava giant also staggered a few steps, and the dark volcanic rock on his body cracked.
In a very short time, the three master-level beast masters came to blows. …
And on the other side of the firewall.
Almost at the same time, the three four-ring warriors outside started fighting.
Several students who were originally covered in dust and disguised among the captives suddenly stood up.
One after another, the majestic figures of pet beasts emerged, with powerful momentum, revealing their masters' identities as second-ring beastmasters.
Those who are able to be promoted to intermediate beastmasters as students of the Extraordinary Academy are all outstanding students.
They were all members of the Saint Laurent College Student Union and had fought side by side many times and carried out many difficult missions of the Adventurer's Guild.
This time, he discovered the altar, the key point to breaking the deadlock, early on, so he deliberately disguised himself as a prisoner and quietly sneaked near the dark altar.
Then, after communicating with each other with their eyes, they coordinated to launch an attack on the dark altar.
Holy chants sounded behind them, accompanied by pure beams of light.
It turned out that Diris summoned her pure white unicorn, and one auxiliary type of enhanced skills after another were bestowed on their pets, making the attacks of those pets much more powerful.
This sudden change cheered up all the students present, as well as the instructors outside who were using detection skills to investigate, and they all looked expectant.
Mature thinking, sharp tactics and tacit cooperation.
There is also an enhanced BUFF bonus.
These are the elite of Saint Laurent Academy!
Now is your chance to break the crisis of Saint Laurent Academy, become the hero who saves the academy, and be bathed in flowers, glory, applause and cheers!
However, it was beyond everyone's expectations.
At the moment when the pets' attacks were about to fall on the dark altar.
Wisps of black flames that seemed to devour the light appeared silently around the altar.
Then.
In an instant.
Almost all the pets that approached the altar let out mournful cries, their flesh and blood being burned and corroded.
Even if their masters immediately took back their soul contract space, they could only barely hold on for a breath.
The pain that came back from their pets through the soul contract made those students turn pale and they fainted.
A few seconds.
The student union elites who were highly expected by everyone were completely defeated and could never rise again.
…
"Hahahahahaha... Do you really think that we in the Ash Cult are all brainless lunatics? Would we expose a flaw specifically for you to attack?"
"The altar is suppressed by the Lord's token, how can you ants destroy it?"
Arrogant laughter came from the group of black-robed thugs, and an arsonist who looked like a leader stood out from the crowd.
His undisguised power made all the captured students present feel depressed.
Three rings!
High-level beastmaster!
And it’s not my first time.
In addition to the patriarch outside, there is actually such a strong man hidden among the arsonists this time.
The intermediate level beastmaster was already the limit for the students in school. The third ring seemed a little out of reach for them, and they were only qualified to be generals in the military.
This is not just the difference of one more soul contract, but also the difference of the pet's growth level limit from the extraordinary level to the commanding level.
It is an almost insurmountable gap.
The arsonist leader glanced around.
Then, it stopped on Diris, whose pretty face turned pale due to exhaustion of mental strength from releasing multiple auxiliary skills in the crowd.
He raised the sickle and pointed it at Diris's swan-like white neck, with a hideous and ugly smile on his face.
"I heard that a pure white unicorn will only make a contract with a virgin girl."
"Such a pure soul should be suitable as the Lord's first sacrifice."
…
"Asshole, let go of President Diris!"
"Stop! Your atrocities will be judged!"
Seeing Diris with a sickle pointed at her neck but still stubbornly refusing to bow to the arsonist leader, many students roared in anger.
As the student union president of Saint Laurent College, Diris has always been conscientious and responsible in her work. She is well-educated, gentle and kind to both teachers and classmates.
Coupled with her outstanding appearance, she has long been the perfect goddess in the hearts of countless civilian students.
Seeing the goddess in their hearts in danger, many people wanted to rush forward to save her, but they were tied up with ropes and could not move at all.
As the crowd scolded and cursed, the arsonist leader's action of driving Diris to the altar actually stopped.
But it wasn’t because of those meaningless roars and scoldings.
He turned around, frowned and stared into the distance: "Who are you? Come out."
"Oh, it seems that there are indeed some smart people in the Order of Ashes, and not all of them are crazy with their brains burning with anger."
"Yes, if you only knew how to burn, burn, burn, you would have been used as a gun and destroyed long ago."
"As expected, the secret forces that can exist in the world for a long time naturally have their own unique way of dealing with the world."
Some lazy words came from afar.
A man and a woman walked out of the group of houses.
The man had black hair and black eyes, and was wearing a windbreaker. He had his hands in his pockets and looked lazy.
The woman had long hair draped over her shoulders, and the simple student uniform of Saint Laurent College did not hide the beauty of her fair face at all.
She was standing slightly behind the boy, her light golden hair fluttering in the heat of the fire.
It was Char and Aira.
Char put his hands in his pockets and looked the arsonist leader up and down: "By the way, I'm a little curious, does everyone in your Ash Cult have a sickle as standard equipment?"
"Are you really in the cosplayFFF group?"
Baboon group?
The arsonist leader frowned slightly, not understanding Char's question.
But soon, he shifted his attention away from Char and locked onto the blonde girl holding a silver spear next to Char.
This blonde girl gave him a very strange feeling.
Clearly judging from his age and perceived mental strength, the opponent should not have reached the third ring and is still at the level of a mid-level beastmaster.
But in his spiritual perception, the girl was like a sharp knight's sword, filled with sharp murderous intent.
It seemed that no matter whether it was gold, iron or rock, once it appeared in front of her, its only fate was to be pierced into powder.
The arsonist leader's expression gradually became more serious.
There was no doubt that the blonde girl in front of him was a strong person who could pose a threat to him.
Although they are both second-ring products, they are incomparable to those rotten fish and shrimps before.
"Char, Airola."
Noticing the presence of the two people, Diris looked up in surprise.
The captured student group also rebelled.
Some students looked at Airola with hope, because she was the strongest in Saint Laurent College.
Maybe what the elite students of the student union couldn't do before could be done by this guy who ranks first in the school and is said to have been carrying out missions in the military for a long time?
Another group of students were asking people around them who Char was with a confused look on their faces.
“Ahem.”
Char looked around and cleared his throat.
"Everyone, look at me, everyone, I have an announcement to make."
In an instant.
Students, arsonists, mentors... all eyes were focused on Char.
Even the three four-ring warriors who were fighting on the battlefield in the distance allocated a small part of their mental energy to pay attention over.
All the back-up plans of both sides have been revealed, and it is now the decisive moment when both ammunition and food are running out.
At this moment, Char and Aira may be the final variables that determine the final outcome of the battle.
Then.
In full view of the public.
Char said something that made all the Saint Laurent teachers and students' eyes go dark.
"Well, I think President Diris's soul level is still a little low."
"Or... let me be the sacrifice first."
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