The chaos at Arcane Academy had reached its breaking point.
The entire courtyard was scarred by fire, lightning, ice, and blood. Cracks split the earth, crumbled walls stood half-destroyed, and pillars of stone and flame still smoked in the sky. The battlefield that was once the pride of Arcania's strongest academy now looked like the stage for an apocalyptic war.
And yet, the battle was not over.
---
Raelyn's Struggle
Raelyn panted, his glowing bow shimmering faintly in his hands. Across from him, Akito's floating cards shimmered in a twisted crimson aura, while Cyrus stood, fists tightened, his veins glowing with unnatural energy. Both were locked in Seraph's mind spell.
"Cyrus! Akito! Please… fight it!" Raelyn shouted, his voice heavy with desperation.
But Akito only sneered under the spell's control, his cards flashing as he invoked:
"Card Circle: Life Spiral!"
The cards whirled into a blinding circle around Raelyn, locking him inside like a magical cage.
Cyrus leapt forward with terrifying strength, each blow redirected through the spinning spiral. Every punch multiplied and slammed into Raelyn from all angles, exploding into shockwaves that rattled the Academy's broken walls.
The courtyard was engulfed in light and dust.
"Raelyn!!" cried Karen, her voice trembling as she reached out but couldn't move.
The dust began to clear.
Raelyn's silhouette shimmered above them all, soaring high into the air with radiant wings of light glowing behind him. His bow expanded into its true form—pure white, infused with the power of his Radiant Magic.
His voice echoed like the call of an angel.
"Absolute Radiance!"
A torrent of divine light rained from the sky, arrows of radiant energy piercing through the spiral of cards, neutralizing it, and engulfing both Cyrus and Akito in a cleansing glow.
The spell binding them shattered. Their eyes flickered back to normal, and they collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily.
Raelyn descended slowly, his bow fading into light particles. He closed his eyes with relief.
"One by one… we'll bring everyone back."
---
Show vs. Halik, Hibiki, and Teach
On the other side of the courtyard, flames erupted.
Show stood in the center, his fists ablaze, his jacket fluttering in the winds of heat. His eyes burned with unshakable determination. Across from him loomed Halik, the commander of blood, his crimson aura seeping across the battlefield like living veins. Beside him were Hibiki and Teach, both still under mind control, their auras warped by Seraph's curse.
Halik smirked. "You're strong, Show… but you can't protect them all."
Dozens of blood pillars erupted around Show, spiking from the ground like a crimson forest.
Show cracked his knuckles. "Try me."
With a roar, he charged forward. His fists blazed, striking pillar after pillar. Each punch shattered them into bursts of blood mist. Flames carved through the crimson forest until nothing stood before him but Halik's rage.
"Teach, now!" Halik barked.
Teach's power surged, his blood magic amplifying Halik's aura until rivers of crimson lashed out at Show.
But Show didn't flinch. He leapt into the air, colliding with Hibiki mid-flight. Their clash cracked the skies, fire and wind colliding into a spiraling explosion.
They crashed back down to the ground, dust and flames erupting.
Show stood slowly, flames dancing across his body. His aura had grown hotter, fiercer, until even the ground around him began to melt.
Hibiki's eyes widened in fear, the control spell trembling.
"N-No… no way… how… how can he use that without going into… that form?! This is impossible!"
Show's eyes locked on them, blazing like the sun itself.
His voice thundered:
"Ancient Magic: Blazing Surgurer!"
A massive eruption of fire surged outward, flames shaped like blades and serpents devouring everything in their path. The inferno swallowed Halik's blood, Hibiki's winds, and Teach's cursed aura, cleansing them all in a fiery storm.
When the flames vanished, Hibiki and Teach fell to the ground, freed at last. Halik staggered back, burned and weakened, his smirk fading.
And for a brief moment—victory seemed theirs.
---
The Poison of Despair
But then… Delimia stepped forward, her lips curling into a cruel smile. Beside her, Seraph's eyes gleamed with cold amusement.
Suddenly, a black and purple smog seeped across the courtyard, rolling like an endless tide of poison. The once clear skies darkened as the haze spread.
The students coughed violently, collapsing one by one. The poison wasn't just choking them—it was sapping their mana, their very life force.
Lina dropped to her knees, clutching her staff. "N-No… this poison… it's beyond healing…" Tears welled in her eyes as she tried to pour her healing magic into Raelyn, who struggled to stay conscious. "I… I can't… I can't heal all of them…"
Show staggered, his flames flickering. "Damn it… everyone's—weakening…"
Seraph walked calmly through the smog, his dark cloak swaying. His grin widened as his aura pulsed with malevolent power.
"Children of Arcane Academy… you fought bravely. But this is the end. Your light… is meaningless before the shadow."
The poison thickened, swallowing hope itself. Students began collapsing, one after another, until only Show, Raelyn, Lina, and a handful of others still forced themselves to stand.
Lina's voice cracked in despair. "We… we can't win…"
---
The Return of Jespry
And then—
BAM!
Seraph's eyes widened as a powerful fist slammed into his gut, sending him flying backward through the haze. The impact cracked the stone beneath their feet, forcing even Delimia to step back in shock.
Everyone froze.
From the shadows of the collapsing academy walls, a familiar figure stepped forward. His robes were tattered, his face scarred from battle—but his eyes burned with unyielding fire.
Professor Jespry.
Tears streamed down his cheeks, his body trembling, but his presence radiated strength like a shield wrapping around the students.
"Don't worry… children…" his voice cracked, but it carried across the courtyard like thunder.
He clenched his fist, glaring at Seraph with a teacher's fury and a father's love.
"Now…"
His aura exploded in a burst of golden-blue light, forcing the poisonous smog to part around him.
"I AM… HERE!!!!!!"
The students gasped, their fading hope rekindled at once. Show's eyes widened, his flames roaring back to life. Lina's tears turned to relief. Raelyn smiled weakly.
The pillar of hope had returned.
---
Special Filler: "The Magic Summit – Teachers' Party Arc!?"
The Magic Summit, a gathering of the greatest minds and Principals of every magic academy in Arcania, was supposed to be a place where serious issues were discussed. The safety of the students, the rise of the Dark Order, and the unstable magical phenomena sweeping across the kingdom—everything rested on their wisdom and leadership.
The atmosphere outside the grand hall was tense. A dark aura seemed to cover the building, as if something ominous was about to occur. Guards stood at every corner, and even the air felt heavy.
But inside…
🎶 Loud music. Confetti. Laughter. Plates clattering. 🎶
The great hall was in complete chaos—but not from any dark enemy. Instead, all the Principals and senior teachers of every academy were partying like there was no tomorrow!
—Some were dancing on magically conjured platforms.
—Others were playing card games using enchanted decks that made losers grow rabbit ears.
—A few were stuffing themselves with magical cuisine that sparkled with rainbow-colored steam.
It was less like a council of leaders and more like a… magical carnival banquet.
---
Principal Alden of Arcane Academy sat at the long table, slamming his palm on the surface with tears in his eyes.
> Alden: "WHY… WHY DID I EVEN COME HERE!!?? 😭😭 We're supposed to be talking about the Dark Order, not watching a karaoke competition!!!"
Narrator (teasingly):
"And so, the most important meeting in all of Arcania… ended as a giant teacher's party. Truly, the future of the kingdom rests in great hands."
---