Chapter 196: The New Threat

The gates of Stonefang Combat Forge stood tall and gleaming, freshly repaired, their massive cog-and-claw sigil catching the morning light. Three days had passed since Dren’s attack, and true to dwarven reputation, the scars of destruction were already gone—as if the academy itself refused to remember weakness.

Zane and Mira stood near the gate, travel-ready. In front of them was Grom, arms crossed, his posture heavy yet steady.

So much had happened in such a short time.

Zane had already told Mira everything about the Vassel organization—what they were, how deep their roots ran, and how Dren had become one of their pawns. The guest lectures had concluded as well. Mira had spoken with clarity and composure despite everything, while Zane’s lecture on mana vibration theory had left even veteran instructors stunned. The concept alone had shaken several long-held beliefs in Stonefang.

After that, the three of them had moved together.

The bar in Stren City—the Vassel hideout—was wiped clean. Mostly low-level grunts. The important ones had already slipped away, leaving only silence and blood behind. Dren, along with the two hooded figures, had been thrown into the city prison. Their faces were ruined beyond recognition—burns and scars layered deliberately, a final precaution by the organization to erase identity.

No information yet.

Zane exhaled lightly.

“So… looks like our work here is finished.”

Grom nodded, his expression serious.

“Thank you for everything you’ve done, lad… no—Mr. Zane.”

Zane waved it off with a faint grin.

“Nah. No problem. It was fun for me.”

Mira smiled, then turned to Grom.

“See you soon, Master Grom.”

The old dwarf’s eyes softened.

“Take care, kid.”

Then Grom stepped closer to Zane, lowering his voice.

“I’ll report anything we extract from those two… and from Dren. They’re being transferred to the castle prison in two days. I’ll also speak with the king myself. After seeing all this—he’ll agree to the academy alliance.”

Zane nodded once.

“And,” Grom added with a short chuckle, “next time, tell me more about that mana vibration theory of yours. It was… interesting.”

Zane smiled.

“Anytime.”

He placed a hand lightly on Mira’s shoulder.

“Shall we go?”

Mira nodded.

“Yeah.”

A dark-blue magic circle bloomed beneath their feet, humming softly. In the next moment, both of them vanished, space folding neatly closed behind them.

Grom stood alone before the gates for a while, staring at the empty air.

Then he turned around and walked back into his academy—carrying the weight of what was lost… and what was coming next.

—

The space in front of Astralis Arcanum folded gently, like a curtain being pulled aside.

Zane and Mira stepped out.

Zane glanced up at the familiar spires and smiled faintly.

“Here we are.”

The guards at the gate froze.

For a heartbeat, they just stared—eyes wide, hands half-raised, minds still trying to process the fact that two professors had appeared out of thin air.

Mira cleared her throat awkwardly.

“Ah… sorry. Teleportation still feels really weird to watch from the inside.”

She paused, then added more quietly,

“I mean… feeling it.”

The guards snapped out of it, hurriedly bowing as Zane and Mira walked past. Neither of them paid much attention. The academy grounds felt calm—almost deceptively so—compared to everything that had happened in Gravundar.

As they walked deeper inside, Mira slowed her steps.

“…Professor Zane,” she said hesitantly.

Zane glanced sideways.

“You can just call me Zane. Go on.”

She took a breath.

“From everything I’ve seen so far… I know this might sound obvious, but—”

She looked straight at him now.

“You’re the strongest person I’ve ever met. Probably the strongest in the world.”

Zane didn’t react. He kept walking, hands in his coat pockets.

“So… how did you become that strong?” she asked softly.

He was quiet for a moment.

Then he answered plainly, without drama.

“My situation was complicated,” he said.

“You could say I was placed in a position where the only solution… was to become unimaginably strong.”

Mira listened without interrupting.

“So I trained,” Zane continued.

“I learned things from scratch. Things most people never even consider. I failed, repeated, rebuilt myself over and over… until the problem no longer existed.”

He glanced at her briefly.

“That’s all.”

Mira swallowed.

After what she had seen—Dren, the Heart, Vassel—that simple explanation somehow felt heavier than any long speech.

“…Zane,” she said, voice steadier now, “can you train me?”

He stopped walking.

Mira hurried on, words spilling out.

“After this trip, I finally understood how weak I really am. I’m an A-rank, six-star mage—but that means nothing in front of monsters like that. I don’t want to just survive anymore. I want to be strong. Truly strong.”

She bowed her head slightly.

“I know it’s embarrassing, asking this as a professor… but please. Train me. Make me strong like you.”

For a second, there was only silence.

Then—

“Sure.”

Mira’s head snapped up.

“…Really?”

Zane nodded casually.

“But on one condition.”

She tensed.

“Anything.”

He looked at her, expression calm.

“Smile like you usually do,” he said.

“I don’t want you turning all serious and gloomy.”

There was a beat.

Then—

Mira’s face lit up.

“Really, Zane?!”

Her usual bubbly smile burst back onto her face as she jumped in place.

“Thank you! Thank you!!”

Zane chuckled lightly.

“When I’m free, I’ll teach you a thing or two.”

Mira nodded rapidly.

“Okkkkk!”

They continued walking into the academy together—

one carrying the weight of the world,

the other burning with a new, fierce determination.

Zane didn’t linger after returning.

He went straight to Caelum’s office.

Behind closed doors, he told Caelum, Lucen, and Seris everything—Gravundar, Dren, the Heart of the Deep Forge, Vassel’s interference, and how close the academy had come to disaster.

The room fell silent.

Lucen’s expression hardened, disbelief flickering in his eyes.

Seris pushed her glasses up slowly, lips pressed tight.

Even Caelum, usually unshakable, leaned back in his chair, exhaling deeply.

“…So Vassel has already moved this far,” Caelum said at last.

Zane only nodded.

After that, there was nothing more to say.

—

Later, in the teacher’s residence, Zane returned to his room.

The door closed softly behind him.

He sat down on the edge of the bed, posture relaxed, gaze unfocused as if replaying the events in his mind.

From his wrist, Eira’s familiar voice chimed.

“Quite an adventure, boss.”

Zane gave a small hum.

“It was decent.”

He leaned back, resting his hands behind him.

“At least I finally got to use some of my strength,” he continued calmly.

“It actually took about one percent of my current, limited power in this universe to beat Dren.”

Eira paused.

“…One percent?”

Zane nodded slightly, as if that were the most natural thing in the world.

“I usually can’t even use that much here on this planet ,” he said. “The planet wouldn’t take it well.”

Eira went quiet.

Inside her processing layers, a single thought echoed—

My boss has limited his strength to the absolute maximum this universe can tolerate… and even then, it only took one percent to defeat someone like that.

Zane was about to speak again—

Then he smirked.

“Oh,” he said lightly, eyes glinting, “looks like something interesting is coming.”

Eira perked up.

“What do you mean, boss?”

He glanced toward the window, sensing something far beyond the academy walls.

“The clone souls made from you,” Zane said.

“Now known as Eirenyssa.”

Eira froze for a fraction of a second.

“You remember,” Zane continued, amused, “I sent her to Everion.”

He leaned back, smile widening just a little.

“If she’s coming back,” he said, “she’s definitely bringing something… entertaining.”

The room grew quiet again.

But this time—

It felt like the calm before another storm.

Far away from Astralis Arcanum—

A woman staggered through shattered terrain, each step leaving faint traces of blood behind her.

Her hair, long and stormy grey, clung to her back in tangled strands. Dust and dried blood streaked across her face, but her eyes—grey like a gathering tempest, with faint specks of purple buried deep within—were still sharp. Still burning.

She was badly wounded.

Too badly.

Her breathing was uneven, one hand pressed against her side where mana struggled to knit flesh that refused to stay closed. Whatever she had faced… it was not something meant for this world.

She straightened despite the pain.

“I have to get to Master…” she muttered hoarsely.

Her vision blurred for a moment, the world tilting—but she forced herself forward, teeth clenched.

“They’re moving,” she whispered, voice trembling with urgency rather than fear.

“The world is going to end…”

Her fingers dug into the ground as she steadied herself, eyes hardening.

“If he doesn’t intervene,” she said, each word heavy, absolute,

“they will destroy everything.”

The wind howled around her, carrying her warning into the distance—

Toward a man who alone might be able to stop it.

She pushed her body harder, mana screaming through torn pathways as she forced herself into the sky. The wind split beneath her feet as she flew, bleeding light and exhaustion, but she didn’t slow down.

Astralis Arcanum was close.

She could feel it.

Then—

Space shattered.

Not tore.

Not warped.

It broke, like glass struck by a hammer.

Light poured out of the fracture, blinding and absolute. Two figures stepped through as if descending from a higher plane, their forms wrapped in radiant halos. Their presence alone crushed the air, turning the wind heavy, suffocating. Every particle of mana around them bent in reverence.

Holy.

Too holy.

One of them looked in the direction she had fled, eyes glowing like burning suns.

“She went that way,” the first said calmly, voice echoing as if spoken by the sky itself.

The second tilted their head slightly, lips curling into something that resembled a smile.

“She is injured,” they said. “but still moving. Impressive.”

The first raised a hand, light gathering around their fingers, sharp and merciless.

“But irrelevant.”

Their gaze fixed on the distant horizon—toward Astralis Arcanum.

“We have to kill her,” the second said, tone devoid of emotion.

Behind them, the fractured space began to close, light folding inward as if the world itself wanted to forget they had ever been there.

And then—

They vanished.

Leaving only silence…

and an omen racing desperately toward the one being who could stop what was coming.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep