Raze looked to the Vice-principal and noticed him straight away. There were a few run-ins while at the academy that the Dark Magus had with him.
What he didn’t know was why he was there and what his involvement with everything was in the first place.
‘Does he know about the fact that we killed Feebie? If he does, then doesn’t that make him the enemy?’ Raze thought.
The only reason why he was still calm at the moment was because the Crimson Crane weren’t reacting either. It seemed after everything that had happened, no longer did anyone want to fight anymore.
“I came here in search for you,” Amir stated. “When the other Red Headband students returned, they had informed me that members of the Lethal Bite Clan had aimed for their lives.”
“I had assumed that they would aim for yours as well, and with you not returning, it seemed I was right. I knew Feebie had a direct grudge with you. Do you mind telling me, did you happen to see her?” Amir asked.
Before answering, Raze was trying to measure everything up. Sure, the Crimson Crane were exhausted and tired, but if they truly had to, they could muster up something.
Looking at Amir himself, he didn’t seem to be in the best condition either. The issue was that Raze had used up a lot of Qi as well. The move, although devastating, using all of the ten steps, was not something he could do repeatedly.
“Your lack of answer already gives me an answer,” Amir said. “She was always too rash when it came to these situations.”
“If you hadn’t done it, then it would have been done by someone one way or another,” Amir said, letting out a big sigh.
Raze was a bit confused. For such a large matter, the killing of a head of one of the five main clans in the Dark Faction, the reaction was abysmal. It was as if he didn’t really care.
“What’s your part in all of this? Judging by the reaction of the others, you were the one that killed the Dimension Boss. Why did you personally come just to get me, and why aren’t you shocked by everything that’s happened?” Raze asked.
“Didn’t I say that we had a lot to talk about?” Amir replied.
“Your growth has become outstanding to me honestly, and that was the real reason why I decided to come fetch you.”
“You see, I bet you yourself don’t really understand how special you are, do you?”
Hearing this, Raze’s heart almost skipped a beat. Too many thoughts were going through his head. Did Amir know that he was the Dark Magus, or did he know about the fact that the current body he had wasn’t really his?
“I can see the confusion on your face,” Amir said and looked over to the Crimson Crane members. “I have said this to you before, that there is so much in this world that you really don’t know about. I thought you, Raze, were a bit different with you being a member of Alter.”
Immediately Raze took a step back and magic started to swirl around his arm. Those that knew about Alter were two types of people, the ones that were in Alter itself, or those in the Bonum Society.
Right now, Raze was trying to keep the power of his dark magic a secret. So if that was the case, he would have no choice but to eliminate Amir.
“Calm down, do you see me trying to start a fight with you? I have changed my view while observing you many times,” Amir explained, raising his hand.
“I knew you were part of Alter, the moment those other two showed up. They should have been more careful, or perhaps they were trying to figure out who was a part of the Bonum Society in the first place.”
Raze’s eyes widened; it was as he expected. This man, the Vice-principal of the Dark Faction Academy, was part of the Bonum Society.
‘I should have expected this, if Alter is a large organization that has its hands everywhere. Then the ones that Alter are weary of, the Bonum Society should be equally as big.’
A memory had entered Raze’s mind, though, of the night he was attacked.
“Was it you, were you the one that had sent that person to kill me, and that letter?” Raze asked.
Amir looked at the ground for a moment, averting his eye contact before turning back.
“That was to be expected, after all, I’m sure you have figured it out. Our two sides have been at each other for years.”
“I couldn’t have someone spying in our academy right under our nose, but I want to make things clear. My stance back then, and my stance right now has changed.”
“Tell me something, Raze… are you from Alterian, or are you from Pagna?”
The question Raze was trying to figure out. Why was the Vice-
principal asking such a thing? Did it matter what way he answered? Would it change something?
If anything, with Amir being a part of the Bonum Society, maybe he could get the answers he was looking for.
“I… am from Alterian, I am a mage,” Raze answered.
This was what the members of the Crimson Crane had expected as well. Most likely he was a mage with the things he could do. After all, no Pagna warrior could do such a thing. freewebnoveℓ.com
Apart from the Light Faction Elder they had witnessed.
“I expected as much. You see, that was the mistake I had originally made, and this is why I was saying you are more special than you realize,” Amir went on to explain.
“I originally thought you were someone from Pagna working for Alterian. Sending in reports where you could, but as time went on strange things were occurring.”
“You, a Pagna warrior, were growing at an exceptional rate, you were winning more fights than you should have done, and things were happening that didn’t quite make sense.”
“But that’s when I got my answer, perhaps it was because you are not a Pagna warrior, but you were a mage from Alterian. But this was so hard for me to come to a conclusion to, do you know why?”
While listening, the only thing Raze could think of was that it should have been a simple conclusion. Especially since Amir already knew about mages and Alterian.
“As I thought, you are a very confusing one,” Amir said, scratching his head. “It’s as if you have been chucked in the middle of all of this with no explanation as to what is happening at all.
“Did you only join Alter because they were the first ones to find you?”
It was a rhetorical question; little did Amir know how right he was. Raze was in the middle of everything and had no idea.
“Those from Pagna are unable to learn magic. If they do, then the Qi in their body will strike their heart,” Amir explained.
This explanation matched with what Raze had experienced with Safa. She had nearly died, and if it wasn’t for the fact she was learning light magic…
“Similarly, those from Alterian are unable to form a true Qi dantian. However, they can use mana to supplement their Qi, allowing them to still use martial arts.”
“But what this means is a person is only able to perform martial arts or use magic; they can’t produce both of them together.”
The realization had hit Raze; why Amir had been calling him special.
“But you, young child, after watching you for so long, and seeing what you just did. You are able to perform both correctly, you have a magic core and a dantian,” Amir stated.
Chapter 446 A special gift
At the academy itself, things weren’t easy for Dame and the rest of them. They felt like they had no choice but to run away.
At least Dame did; he had given the option to the others to not follow him. The academy had no idea about the planned uprising, and they wouldn’t, but if they found out what clan he was from and the fact that he was from the Demonic Faction, they would very well pin all of the blame on him. In the end, everyone had come to escape with him, and they had been able to get some help from Gunther. A middle-stage warrior who worked for the academy and was a part of the five major clans, the Flowing Force Clan.
However, their luck was against them. Just as they had entered the large open cliff-top area that would lead them down to the valley of fog, none other than the principal himself, Murkel Dockthron.
The strongest man currently in the Dark Faction, the head of the Pagna Academy, and the one known to be closest to moving on to the Divine Realm.
“It’s a shame; I told you all that you were our treasured students, the next stars of the Dark Faction, and yet here you are all trying to escape?” Murkel commented.
“What was it, tell me, was it that last assessment? Did we push you too far? You see, we had no choice; our faction’s position is important, you all need to look at the bigger picture.
“In two months’ time, the Martial Arts Tournament will begin, and we need to show that we have growing strength, or our faction will become nothing. People already think of us as the weakest faction, so we had to resort to measures like these.”
The students didn’t know what to say. They understood the principal’s words, but they had already made up their minds.
Many of them felt like they would have already been dead if it wasn’t for Raze. They were realizing that the Clans treated them as expendable, and it was the same as the academy.
Although the principal’s words might be true, he was essentially also saying if they didn’t perform, they would get rid of them.
“Just… let us go,” Simyon eventually said. “I joined the academy so I could become a stronger warrior, so I could protect the people in the villages and towns from getting hurt.”
“From creating another me. I just wanted to make sure fewer people suffered. I don’t want to take part in these political games. I… I… I quit the academy!”
Hearing the words from Simyon, Dame couldn’t help but smile in that situation. It reminded everyone of their resolve.
“That was well said; we all quit the academy, so get out of our way unless you want a fight!” Dame stated.
“I thought there was something different about you; I can tell which student you are. Do you think I couldn’t see you were using demonic energy as well?” Murkel stated. “It appears that someone from the Demonic Faction had corrupted the students.
“I also need the students for the Martial Arts Tournament, so I have been put in quite a predicament. I shall beat some sense into all of you, and as for you from the Demonic Faction, I will eliminate you.”
Right after Murkel had finished talking, Dame threw a fist in the air. It was a short burst of impact. The air currents rippled where his fist landed.
They were still a few meters away from the principal, but he knew his attack would hit due to the effects of the gauntlet.
A Qi blast went through the air, and right at the principal, just before it hit him, he swung his arm quickly, hitting the attack away.
“Projectile Qi? No, that’s impossible; that attack was far too weak to be projectile Qi; it seems you are quite interesting but not enough for me to keep you alive!” Murkel stated.
“Come on, we have to help him; if we all go in, it’s only one person, we can do something!” Tinson claimed.
Charging in, his two friends helped him from behind. Joe and Violet followed.
“They’re going to get themselves killed; we have to support them!” Simyon stated.
After he ran out, so did Safa and Liam.
‘With my system, I can use Royo’s strike, or I can use one of the Lethal Bite Clan’s skills that I observed as well. I should be able to do something and catch the principal by surprise.
‘These are skills from the top warriors in Pagna; they should be able to do something, right?’
At the same time, Ricktor and Mada had felt the same way. With all the distractions, the others could get in; if they could get one good hit, then maybe Gunther or Dame could finish the person off.
However, for Liam, something happened as they were approaching. [Warning, the target is too powerful; suggestion retreat, retreat now!]
‘What, even with all my skills!’ Liam thought.
“You idiots!” Gunther called out, but he knew it was too late to do anything. Ideally, rather than creating a distraction for the two of them to get a hit, it should have been the other way round. While Dame and Gunther were fighting, it would have been best for them to just escape, and they would try to find a way out of here.
Gunther knew, winning against the principal was impossible.
Murkel looked at all of the students in front of him, with their Qi sharpened and bursting, like wild fangs coming at him.
Not moving from his spot, his pure Dark Qi started to linger out from his back. It went from his feet and continued to grow.
It looked like visual Qi, and it appeared to be consuming the entire area of all light and color. It expanded out in a large size, covering the entirety of the students.
They were moving too forward to even avoid it, and it was just Qi, so what could it do? The moment the dark Qi touched their bodies, though, there was an instant reaction in all of them.
They felt incredibly weak, a large feeling in their stomach was churning, and all of their bodies started to sweat.
Their energy felt like it was being zapped from their bodies, and before they knew it, they had fallen to the floor.
Murkel started to walk forward past the students that were on the ground. He walked past Ricktor, who was gritting his teeth as he looked at his father.
‘Damn it, now that I’m at the fifth stage, I thought something like this wouldn’t happen, but even now, I just can’t resist his Qi!’ Ricktor was angry at himself, and seeing the scene, he felt kind of silly.
Even with the mysterious Raze, did they really think they could go against the principal? Perhaps just once, Ricktor wanted to go against his father.
“So did you have any plans in case we were caught by the principal?” Gunther asked. freēwēbnovel.com
The only two that were still able to stand were Gunther and Dame, but even Dame was being affected.
“I do… there’s something I have… a gift from somebody that’s really special,” Dame replied.
Murkel continued to take his steps forward. When he heard the sound of something from behind, and could feel a large immense amount of Qi.
Immediately he turned and raised his hands. An erupting volcano fist was coming his way, and using his Qi, Murkel had no choice but to stop the attack.
As the fist was caught in Murkel’s hand, shockwaves went out in all directions, even uprooting some of the trees in the forest.
The bunny beasts scattered in the area, and the whole valley was rumbling from the sound of the single punch.
Murkel looked at the fist he was holding, a powerful strike but not just a powerful strike.
‘That was a move from the Erupting Fist Clan, why would one of my own attack me? And the only person who has a fist this strong is the vice-head.’
Looking at the end of the fist, Murkel was in for even more of a surprise, because he wasn’t holding onto flesh. Instead, he was holding onto stone embedded with Qi.
What he was looking at was a moving statue that had an immense amount of power.
Safa on the ground with the statue in her possession knew what to do.
“What is that thing?” Gunther asked.
“It’s the gift I was talking about; it’s now or never!” Dame shouted.
Chapter 447 Where To Go Raze?
Raze had listened intently to what Amir was saying. What made him special, or what made him different compared to others.
It was the first time he had heard of such a thing in his life. During his time as a mage himself, there was a time where he thought himself as talented.
He had worked hard and studied magic all by himself, but when joining the world of mages, he realized that he was far behind others.
So he put in more work than anyone else because of his love for magic, the magic that broke him away from his cruel life. He returned the favor by learning everything he could.
Even then, though, it was hard to say it was due to talent that he got to where he was. In the end, he was even unable to surpass the others he needed to.
So he went and resorted to the only thing left, Dark Magic. Sure, some might have said he was talented in Dark Magic, but the truth was, it was just because no one was able to study it as extensively as he could.
It was his way of surpassing and surprising other mages by using Dark Magic. Right now, was the first time he had ever felt like he was different or special compared to others.
‘Is it because of the body I am in currently, the body I am in now, is not of Alterian. If I was to answer Amir’s question differently, or more correctly the fact would be.’
‘I am someone from Pagna, with the knowledge of those from Alterian. If what he said is true, there had to be a reason why I managed to survive. I had no dantian before, and had made a magic core first.’
‘Or was it because of the state this body was in the first place. There are too many variables to think about, but it’s a good fact to know.’
“You know a lot about Alterian, and it seems Alter as well. I have a few questions to ask myself,” Raze stated.
“What are the links between your society and Alterian, and what about Alter as well? Why do some of the items have the marking of Idore the Noble? Why are his mages coming here in the first place, and what do you know of the Dark Faction founder!”
There were so many mysteries and leads that Raze was currently following, going down to try and figure out a way back to Alterian, but even more so, Raze didn’t just want to kill and defeat the Grand Magus, he wanted to tear down everything they were doing.
They were involved in this world, in the world of Pagna, he could feel it, and Raze wanted to slowly creep in the fear, getting rid of everything, causing them to panic before eliminating them all.
While thinking this, his fists were tensing relatively hard until his knuckles went white.
“You have a lot of anger in you,” Amir answered. “Those questions you are asking, you will know more than I do about that.”
“I only know the state of Pagna, my focus is on helping Pagna. You are right, Alter and the Alterians seem to have a connection, what that is or if they are working together it is beyond my scope.”
“The Council of the Bonum Society might know more, and I don’t think I have to tell you, to talk to them you would have to join the society.
“However, now that you are linked to Alter, I very much doubt they would even let you in through the front door.”
Raze couldn’t help but scorn at the lack of information. The same with Alterian, all of these groups were holding information at the very top, hiding it from those at the bottom.
They would inform the bottom of just enough to give them a reason as to why to fight. A cover-up to the truth of things.
“Then why not kill me, if I am in Alter and you are in Bonum Society,” Raze asked.
“Because I think you will be able to help Pagna. From the way I see it, these mages are slowly invading our world of Pagna, first our dimensions, but what happens when they can freely travel to Pagna?”
“From what I have seen with you, you seem to have a large hatred for the mages. You should know the saying, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, it is more beneficial to keep you alive.” .cσ๓
There was no lie to that, it wasn’t that Raze wanted to get rid of the mages, just the Grand Mages, and since their two goals aligned for now.
“So this is a good story between you two, and it’s really hard for me to follow, but I was wondering, Raze is it, rather than Dark Magus?” Alba asked. “Are you even able to get us out of this place?”
The Crimson Crane had been standing by the side for a while. The conversation, of societies and groups, it was hard for them to follow, and Alba wanted to look into it more as soon as she got back.
“A word of caution,” Amir interrupted. “I want to say with your special case I believe you have the potential to grow stronger than the principal, but with the way you are right now, you do not stand a chance.”
“If you were to head back to the academy, he will look into matters. The death of the Lethal Bite Clan, it will cause the Dark Faction to be in uproar, and they will need to pin the blame on someone.
“To put it simply, if you go back now, you will die.”
The Crimson Crane members couldn’t believe it. After they had just witnessed what the Dark Magus was able to do, Amir was still saying that.
Amir himself was strong, and he had seen what the Dark Magus could do, so he was the most likely person to be able to gauge the strength between the two of them.
“I will head back to the academy, and I promise you, I will do everything in my power to make sure that all of your fellow students and friends stay alive. I have some sway over the principal; he will listen to me.”
Listening to it, Raze was wondering, was it okay to trust the Vice-principal with such a thing. He had helped them before.
‘When… did I start worrying about the others so much.’ Raze thought to himself with a slight smile.
“If you don’t do as you promise, then you will be added to my hit list as well,” Raze said looking directly into Amir’s eyes.
It sounded like a light-hearted joke, but Amir could see the conviction through his eyes and his words, he was serious.
“Wait, but if you’re not going back to the academy, then where will you go, where can you go?” Alba asked.
Thinking about it, there were a couple of options. Raze could head to the Neverfall Clan. There was Rayna who would look after him along with the Clan head.
He was extremely powerful and would be good protection, but being there would limit him in his investigation.
If he could, right now he still wanted to stay in the Dark Faction, and if that was the case, it only left him one choice.
“I will head to Alter.”