Seeing the eager glint in his teacher Sellen's eyes, Bai Shi knew that her resentment toward the academy's sorcerers had been simmering for a long time. After all, she had been imprisoned in the Weeping Peninsula, suffering magical torment every waking moment. Bai Shi glanced at the Cuckoo Church, connected to them by a covered walkway, and asked his teacher: “Teacher, what’s the plan?” Sellen let out a soft laugh, her expression turning unnervingly sweet. “My apprentice, the Cuckoo Church has only two exits.” Inside the Cuckoo Church, several sorcerers were posted on guard duty. Of course, they were nominally on guard, but in truth, none of them were taking it very seriously. Someone may have found a key and infiltrated the academy today, but with the grand lift destroyed, they figured the intruder had no way of reaching them. With nothing to be concerned about, each of them was engrossed in a tome, studying their own sorceries. The weather today seemed strange. A few claps of thunder had rolled through earlier—an unprecedented occurrence, as far as they could remember. The sorcerers had taken this anomaly quite seriously, even sending someone out to investigate. As it turned out, it was apparently nothing more than a simple change in the weather. Suddenly, a sorcerer reading in the center of the church lifted his head and glanced toward a nearby wall. From behind it came the sound of footsteps. That direction... it had to be the side door leading to the academy classrooms. Had one of the mages sent as reinforcements returned? Just then, a figure entered, clad in a sorcerer's robe and a Karolos Glintstone Crown. The sorcerer in the church immediately noticed something was amiss. This man was definitely not one of the sorcerers they'd seen leave as reinforcements, nor could he possibly be one of their own. Because this sorcerer... was wearing shoes! All sorcerers of the Academy of Raya Lucaria go barefoot! There was no mistaking it. This was the intruder they'd been warned about! He had to alert the others that the intruder was here. He immediately shouted a warning to the other sorcerers: The sorcerer standing in the center of the church tossed his book aside and raised his staff. Marionette Soldiers dropped from the rafters as the sorcerers on the second-floor balcony prepared to attack. They just had to hold out until reinforcements from the academy arrived. The Cuckoo Church was under magical surveillance. If they could just hold on, the reinforcement party that had left only a short while ago would be able to return... But could they truly hold on? Sweat began to bead on his forehead. It was terrifying. They thought the intruder was trapped below, but now he'd appeared directly from their rear. It was too bizarre. And everything about this man was a mystery. Bai Shi had no idea how they had identified him so quickly. He had emerged from the direction of the academy, and his robes and crown were flawless, yet some low-level grunt had recognized him in an instant. And here he thought his disguise was rather good. It seemed he'd have to study up a bit, or future attempts at infiltration might prove troublesome. For now, however, all he needed to do was eliminate every witness in the Cuckoo Church. The sorcerer opposite him and the mages on the second floor had already raised their staves, loosing a barrage of glintstone sorceries at Bai Shi. In response, Bai Shi conjured several shields of pure magic before him. The glintstone spells struck the shields one after another, only to shatter harmlessly. No matter what spells the sorcerers cast, they could not break through Bai Shi's defense. This particular magical shield, designed specifically to block sorcery, was not a profound spell. Bai Shi had spent just a few moments learning it from Sellen earlier. The spell's strength was largely dependent on the amount of magical energy supplied. And Bai Shi's reserves of magic were already immense; the energy consumed defending against these spells was utterly negligible. Behind his shield, Bai Shi unhurriedly began to try out the dual-casting technique he had just learned. Instantly, a spray of glintstone shards burst from the tip of his staff, scattering toward the numerous sorcerers and Marionette Soldiers. Sorcery—Crystal Burst. Like Crystal Barrage, it was a spell recreated by sorcerers through the study of Crystallian magic. If Crystal Barrage was a glintstone machine gun, then Crystal Burst was without a doubt a glintstone shotgun. The glintstone shards, carrying immense energy, fanned out, shattering all the Marionette Soldiers on the first floor in an instant. However, the sorcerers here reacted quickly, swiftly conjuring magical shields to block the glintstone fragments. Seeing this, Bai Shi switched tactics and began casting Crystal Barrage at the sorcerer before him. The dense stream of glintstone crystals pelted the shield, shattering on impact and continuously draining the opposing sorcerer's magical energy. But the sorcerer being sprayed by the glintstone machine gun was not alarmed; he was elated. The intruder was now targeting him, which meant the sorcerers on the second floor could attack without restraint. Though their opponent could dual-cast and was formidably powerful, they had numbers on their side. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⟡𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕥⟡𝕟𝕖𝕥 Casting Crystal Barrage while simultaneously maintaining a defensive spell—the intruder was surely at his limit. The sorcerers on the second floor clearly thought the same. Several mages continued to cast spells at Bai Shi to keep him suppressed, while a Lazuli Sorcerer vaulted over the railing and leaped down. The Lazuli Sorcerers wielded sword and shield, studied both Carian and academy sorceries, and excelled at close-quarters combat. While still in mid-air, the Lazuli Sorcerer had already conjured a Carian Greatsword and brought it down on Bai Shi. But before the sorcerer's greatsword of magic could land, Bai Shi did something that caught everyone completely by surprise. He simply dispelled the magical shield in front of him. The spells striking his body were little more than pinpricks, barely breaking his skin. Then, with his free left hand, he threw a punch that instantly tore the Lazuli Sorcerer in two, sending organs and blood splattering through the air. As the sorcerers stared in shock, a Night Comet, hidden within the stream of Crystal Barrage, pierced through the first sorcerer’s defense. The Night Comet shattered the magical shield into pieces. The sorcerer's body was first run through by the comet, then riddled with countless bloody holes by the magical machine gun, reduced to a pulp of flesh and gore. Just moments ago, they believed victory was within their grasp, waiting to overwhelm the cornered intruder. But now, the sheep they had surrounded had suddenly transformed into an unstoppable monster. Witnessing such a brutal scene, the remaining sorcerers screamed in terror: “This man isn’t a sorcerer at all!” Bai Shi casually tossed out another Crystal Burst followed by a Meteorite spell, sending it toward the three remaining sorcerers on the second floor. The three mages upstairs barely managed to survive the volley by using cover and defensive spells. Realizing the situation was dire and that they were outmatched, two of the sorcerers exchanged a glance, left the third to fend for himself, and quietly crept away. On the second floor of the Cuckoo Church was a balcony, usually ignored and cluttered with junk. But now, it seemed to be their only escape. The ground below was soft mud; a jump wouldn't hurt them. However, as they returned fire while inching toward the balcony, they were stunned to find someone already waiting for them. Sellen sat perched on the balcony railing, one foot propped on the guardrail, her arms wrapped around her knee, her head resting upon them. Her other leg dangled freely, its smooth, jade-like calf peeking out from under her skirt, glistening with rainwater and exuding an alluring sheen. Sellen turned her head to look at the two sorcerers who had appeared before her, a sweet smile playing on her lips. “Hehe, I knew you’d come this way~” “But to think you’d abandon a classmate to stall for time while you run... you’ve truly broadened my horizons.” “Academy sorcerers... they really only think of themselves, don’t they.” The two sorcerers recognized the beautiful female mage before them, and sheer terror gripped their hearts. At this moment, they would have rather run back into the Cuckoo Church than face the woman before them. Because this was the most terrifying witch in the history of the academy. The one who had murdered countless sorcerers to explore the Primeval Current, ‘Sorceress’ Sellen. Now, trapped between a wolf and a tiger, there was no way out. In that case, they had to take a gamble. They had heard the terrifying rumors about Sellen, but they didn't know how much was true. Compared to Bai Shi, whom they already knew they couldn't defeat even with their combined strength, Sellen seemed like an easier opponent. They had to risk it and try to break through the balcony. Having made their decision, the two charged at Sellen together. The Lazuli Sorcerer raised his shield, reinforcing it with another layer of magical defense, attempting to block Sellen's attack. The other, an Olivinus Sorcerer, began to cast Meteorite as he ran. Sellen looked at the two sorcerers rushing toward her and simply shook her head at their foolishness. She raised her Azur's Glintstone Staff and aimed it at the pair. The next moment, a tremendous amount of magic surged from the tip of the staff, and a torrential azure comet completely engulfed the two sorcerers. Founding Rain of Stars──a primeval super comet. This was Master Azur’s ultimate technique—Comet Azur. When Sellen ceased her attack, the two sorcerers had been utterly obliterated. The Cuckoo Church behind them had not been spared either; a large section of brick and stone was simply erased, reduced to the finest dust. However, Sellen’s control over her magic was so precise that she had kept the range and power at an appropriate level. By disrupting the magical energy in the vicinity beforehand, she ensured this level of destruction would not alert the rest of the academy.