Just as the red-robed individual's spell was completed, he smiled and launched the attack.

But suddenly....

A golden shield appeared before Azar, instantly deflecting the spell.

Dodging the rebounded attack, the red-robed individual frowned deeply.

He refused to believe Azar could somehow block his spells, so he continued attacking relentlessly.

Yet no matter what he cast, every attack was blocked.

At this point, blood was already flowing from Azar's nose while his body trembled violently.

Still…

He continued chanting.

Closer and closer he got to completing the spell.

The red-robed individual suddenly felt a deep sense of dread as his eyes darted around, searching for the cause.

"You…" his gaze finally locked onto Veya.

At first, when he noticed her healing and supporting Azar, he had not considered her a worthy threat.

But now…

He realized he was wrong.

Azar was dangerous.

But this young girl…

She was the true problem.

Without hesitation, the red-robed individual cast a massive spear engulfed in darkness and launched it rapidly toward Veya.

"Heh… good. You fell for it," Azar murmured weakly from the side with a faint smile.

Instantly, Veya spoke.

"Swap."

A basic spell capable of exchanging one's position with another target.

Normally, it would never work against someone as powerful as the red-robed individual.

But because the taboo spell had violently disrupted the surrounding mana, the spell had a small chance of succeeding.

And they were lucky.

Suddenly, the red-robed individual's expression changed drastically.

But it was already too late.

Shiiing!

His own attack pierced straight through his body and pinned him violently to the ground.

Blood burst from his mouth as disbelief filled his face.

He…

He had actually been outsmarted by a group of children?

Azar immediately stopped chanting as he collapsed onto the ground, the violently fluctuating mana finally calming down.

Veya rushed toward him and quickly held him up.

"Help me over to him," Azar muttered weakly.

Veya nodded before supporting him toward the fallen Magi.

Now that the hood had fallen away, Veya could finally see the burned face clearly.

For some reason…

She felt a slight tug at her heart.

"You brats…" the red-robed individual growled furiously.

But alas…

He could do nothing anymore.

The dark spear slowly disappeared as he fell to his knees.

A massive hole had been torn through his chest while blood poured out endlessly.

"I understand your anger and hatred toward us," Azar said weakly, blood covering parts of his face.

"But like I said before… it wasn't us."

"We'll be different."

"What proof… do you have… that you won't become… like them?" the red-robed individual asked painfully between breaths.

Every breath now felt like dozens of sharp shards scraping against his lungs.

He could feel his body growing weaker and weaker.

Before long, he would succumb to death.

"Trust…" Azar whispered weakly.

"If you can trust in me…"

"I'll prove it to you."

"I'll make this world a better place for everyone."

The red-robed individual laughed softly upon hearing those words.

And with that final laugh…

…life faded from his eyes.

Azar slowly closed his eyes before turning toward Veya.

"Sorry… for placing all these burdens on you," Azar said quietly.

And for the first time, the girl who always called him "senior brother" no longer seemed annoying to him.

Instead…

She felt dependable.

"Thank you, senior brother," Veya replied with a smile.

"I'm happy to share your burdens."

Azar nodded faintly.

"Let's rest and recover our mana for a bit… then we'll go help the others."

The two sat down on the ground and quietly began recovering their mana.

---

Meanwhile, at the island's core…

Most of the students had already fallen unconscious after entering mana overdrive.

They had reached their absolute limits.

And for the few still fighting…

There was no longer any hope.

Death was approaching.

Yet they still refused to give up.

"Is this… the end?" one student muttered tremblingly from the back.

"Not yet… maybe Azar will come help us," another student replied hopefully.

But a stronger student nearby shook his head bitterly.

"Azar might already be dead. That was a Tier 3 Magi…"

Those words instantly plunged everyone into despair.

Did that mean they were all going to die here?

Fear gripped their hearts tightly.

But just as all hope seemed lost…

Suddenly, everyone felt their bodies rapidly absorbing mana.

Azar appeared alongside Veya, blood still covering parts of his body.

The moment the students saw them, joy and relief filled their faces.

Although many students felt hopeful again, others still looked frightened.

"How did you escape from the Magi? Is he coming here?" one of them asked nervously.

Veya shook her head slowly.

"He is dead."

Badump.

Everyone felt their hearts skip a beat.

Wait…

Did that mean a teacher had arrived?

Or perhaps the tree had killed the Magi but aren'tthe two working together?

"Are we rescued? Are the teachers here?" someone asked quickly.

"No," Veya answered calmly.

"Azar and I killed him."

For a moment, the students thought it was a joke.

But neither Azar nor Veya looked like they were lying.

Everyone instantly felt lost.

They…

They killed a Tier 3 Magi as Tier 2 Magi?

Yes, perhaps such feats could happen in Continent A.

But the gap between Continent A and Continent C was nearly unimaginable.

Here in Continent C, Tier 3 Magi were regional powerhouses.

Meanwhile, in Continent A…

Tier 3 Magi were little more than cannon fodder.

The revelation shocked everyone deeply.

Yet once again, they were reminded of the terrifying capabilities possessed by the most talented individuals among them.

"Let's wrap this up," Azar said with a faint smile as he slowly stood up.

Everyone was still too shocked by Veya's earlier words to even react.

Suddenly, Azar's expression turned serious.

"Veya… protect them," Azar said quietly.

Veya hesitated.

"I can… but what about you? Can't you do it from here?" she asked worriedly.

Azar gently held her cheeks and slowly shook his head.

"I'm sorry…" Azar spoke with a weary smile.

"My body might completely destroy itself from this. I'm not even sure I can cast it without—" Azar stopped midway as tears streamed down Veya's face.

She wanted to argue.

She wanted to suggest another plan.

But Azar had already turned around and begun walking away.

His back looked lonely as he alone walked toward the tree.

Veya slowly closed her eyes as she spread out her hands, causing a protective dome to cover the remaining students.

"Mena kisoko…"

Azar's steps were filled with determination.

Perhaps he would die here.

Perhaps the Braven Family would never rise again.

"Shi… usibi… ganera…"

Shiiing! 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Shiiing!

Every Tier 1 and Tier 2 creature that approached him was instantly sliced apart as Azar continued walking forward relentlessly.

The surrounding mana began shaking violently.

"Vina giyosi… pa…"

"Vbanj… sgij… cede… lema…"

Memories flooded Azar's mind.

His past…

His parents…

His siblings…

His colleagues and friends at the academy…

Even Teacher Tofan's happy expression whenever he looked at him.

"I'm sorry, Teacher…" Azar thought silently.

And finally…

The last memory to appear in his mind was Veya's bright and pure smile.

…She's cute.

Azar thought softly as the entire world suddenly fell silent.

The students' shouts became muffled.

Veya's cries…

The growls of the monsters…

Everything disappeared.

Only silence remained.

Azar's body trembled violently as he felt the space behind him compressing and twisting unnaturally.

His body slowly levitated into the air as blood poured from all seven of his orifices.

Even the giant tree turned its gaze toward the boy who was risking his life to cast a forbidden Tier 3 spell.

From underground, countless roots exploded upward and shot toward Azar.

"Your struggles are already too late…" Azar muttered with a faint smile as he spoke the final word of the spell.

"Civ."

Instantly, Azar felt an overwhelming sense of peace.

There was no deafening explosion.

No destructive shockwave.

No terrifying sound.

Only pure white light filled everyone's vision.

Slowly…

From the nearest roots around Azar's body to the giant tree itself…

Everything began disintegrating into tiny particles of light that floated gently into the sky.

Veya desperately tried to open her eyes.

But when she finally looked around…

Azar was nowhere to be found.

Both he…

…and the tree…

…had vanished completely.

Only the empty island remained behind with the survivors standing silently upon it.