The other young Sorcerer’s pupils shrank violently.

The same guy who had been bragging moments ago now looked like helpless prey.

He clearly could not keep up with a battle moving at this speed.

In the next instant, Seratra’s blade came down.

Clang!

A sharp metallic crash rang out.

Wardin had returned almost like teleportation itself, intercepting the strike with his sword.

Fast!

Seratra was genuinely surprised by his speed.

The young Sorcerer’s face went pale.

He had narrowly escaped death.

Blackhex Blade hovered just inches away.

Staring at the strange black markings covering the weapon, Wardin felt a deep sense of danger rise inside him.

His instincts screamed at him not to get cut by that blade.

Whatever those markings did, they definitely were not handing out lottery prizes.

Wardin immediately made his judgment.

He retreated at once, grabbed the young Sorcerer, and hurled him backward to create distance while cutting off Seratra’s pursuit route.

"I’ll hold her here. Go notify the academy!"

"Got it!"

The young Sorcerer quickly regained his composure and turned to flee without hesitation.

That brief exchange had already convinced him.

He stood absolutely no chance against Seratra.

Without Wardin, he would already be dead.

This so called Grade Three Sorcerer was far more dangerous than they had expected.

But then Seratra made a move Wardin never anticipated.

She suddenly put her full strength into throwing Blackhex Blade directly at the fleeing Sorcerer.

The blade streaked through the air in a vicious arc.

"Not happening!"

A violent surge of Cursed Energy erupted from Wardin.

This time he had learned his lesson.

Knowing Seratra’s attacks could alter trajectory, he simply blasted the entire surrounding area apart with raw force.

A torrent of Cursed Energy exploded outward.

Boom!

The massive explosion echoed through the abandoned building, nearly collapsing half the structure.

Blackhex Blade was blown away by the impact.

Once the Cursed Energy supply was cut off, the weapon vanished.

This was classic Sorcerer combat.

No technique was flawless.

As long as the proper countermeasure existed, any technique could be resisted or broken.

Seratra’s weakness lay in the fact that her Construction Technique was still incomplete.

If the weapons she created could continue existing for long periods without a constant Cursed Energy supply, her threat level would rise dramatically.

True Hit was powerful.

Unfortunately, her Construction Technique still lacked refinement.

Though considering her age, achieving this much in such a short time already made her monstrously talented.

Wardin’s combat power came entirely from his core technique.

Boiling.

His technique allowed him to superheat his own Cursed Energy.

While in a boiling state, his explosive force and destructive power increased several times over.

Without that amplification, his hand to hand combat would never have reached such terrifying levels.

Naturally, this came at a cost.

His offensive techniques were relatively limited.

Most of his fighting style relied purely on physical combat enhanced with Cursed Energy.

In exchange, his close combat abilities were powerful enough to brawl head on against Heavenly Restriction users specialized in physical strength.

And because Wardin possessed Cursed Energy while they did not, he usually held the advantage.

The fleeing Sorcerer’s footsteps still echoed from behind.

Wardin finally relaxed slightly.

"Now the academy reinforcements should arrive soon..."

The thought had barely crossed his mind when the footsteps suddenly stopped.

The younger Sorcerer had been pushed forward by the shockwaves from the battle behind him.

Too afraid to stop moving, he hurried toward the building exit.

Then suddenly.

As he passed through a dim corridor, he instinctively glanced toward a shadowed corner.

Just one glance.

Caelum’s face entered his vision.

Caelum smiled at him.

Then.

Boom!

The young Sorcerer exploded into a spray of blood.

If he had not looked over on instinct, he would never have seen Caelum.

And Caelum would not have bothered killing him.

He was enjoying life as the hidden mastermind just fine.

There was no reason to reveal himself yet.

At least not now.

The footsteps stopped abruptly.

The thick scent of blood drifted over.

Wardin’s expression twisted with rage.

Damn it.

He had completely forgotten there was apparently a third party involved.

Another Sorcerer was here.

While Wardin was still shocked, Cursed Energy gathered in Seratra’s hand.

Blackhex Blade reconstructed itself once more in her right hand.

And in her left hand was another blade.

A Special Grade Cursed Tool designed specifically to absorb an enemy’s Cursed Energy.

The perfect counter against Wardin.

The outcome had already been decided.

The moment Seratra pulled out that weapon, Caelum already knew the battle was over.

Wardin no longer had any chance of victory.

By dusk, Cursecraft Academy finally discovered the battle site.

Zephyr and Sylas arrived to find complete devastation.

The abandoned building had collapsed entirely into ruins.

Wardin’s corpse lay among the wreckage beside a large pool of blood.

Sylas inspected the body briefly.

"The fatal wound came from some kind of curse."

Meanwhile, Zephyr stood silently before the exploded bloodstain nearby.

That brutal death instantly reminded him of someone.

The image of bodies bursting into blood mist still lingered vividly in his memory.

Though blind, his perception had only grown sharper than before.

Sylas asked quietly, "Do you think it was him?"

"I hope not."

Zephyr rubbed his forehead.

"Because if it is, we’re in trouble."

As former friends, both Sylas and Zephyr genuinely wanted to see Caelum again.

But if that reunion happened as enemies standing on opposite sides, then maybe it was better not to meet at all.

"What had Wardin been investigating recently?"

"The Death Eye."

"..."

Zephyr turned and headed back toward Astra.

This time, he intended to kill every last one of those old bastards.

Meanwhile.

Sorcerer World, Black Flag Guild Headquarters.

A massive middle aged man rapidly formed hand seals while presiding over a complicated ritual.

At the center of the ritual sat a shrine resembling an urn.

Inside it rested the image of a ferocious wolf faced deity posed in arrogant dominance.

The man conducting the ritual was named Lethe.

He served as Black Flag Guild’s representative within the Sorcerer World.

Unlike most players, he had been lucky enough to start with the background of a prestigious Sorcerer clan.

With the Black Flag Guild pouring enormous resources and support into him over the years, he had successfully inherited the position of clan head over a decade ago.

That was how he learned the Sorcerer World’s greatest secret.

Risei’s inheritance.

And the existence of the Wheel of Reversal.

The Sorcerer World’s greatest mission was ensuring Risei’s inheritance continued uninterrupted.

As long as the inheritance endured, the Sorcerer World itself would never truly perish.

As a proper player, Lethe’s first thought had naturally been that destroying the Wheel of Reversal would reward an absurd amount of Interference Value.

Unfortunately, that dream was impossible for him.

No one in this era possessed a method capable of dismantling the Wheel of Reversal.

Lethe and the Black Flag Guild had invested tremendous effort into researching it.

In the end, they were forced to conclude that destroying the Wheel of Reversal was simply impossible.