Chapter 203: Zane Vs. End Of The World

Selene stared at the white magic circle floating before her.

It was beautiful—

and terrifying.

Runes overlapped and intertwined, layered in a way she had never seen before. None of them were unfamiliar individually, yet the way they were arranged… it felt wrong. Unnatural. As if the circle itself rejected careless hands.

Just looking at it made her mana tremble.

She swallowed and began.

Under the heavy mana pressure, Selene carefully guided her mana forward, shaping the first rune. It formed—slower than usual, but stable. She moved to the second, then the third, sweat already forming on her brow.

She connected two runes—

—and froze.

…Wrong.

The instant the thought crossed her mind, the runes shattered into light.

“You made a mistake,” Zane said calmly.

“Do it again.”

Selene nodded without arguing.

Again.

This time she was more careful. Her movements slowed further, every rune traced with deliberate precision. One by one, the structure took shape. A quarter of the circle formed.

Then—

Crack.

The entire formation collapsed.

“Again,” Zane said Calmly.

Selene clenched her jaw.

How did he trace it that fast…?

She didn’t ask. She started again.

Again.

And again.

Every mistake—no matter how small—was punished instantly. The moment a rune wavered, the circle shattered. Every time, the same word reached her ears.

“Again.”

Time blurred.

Her hands trembled. Mana control burned through her nerves. Sweat soaked her uniform, breath growing ragged as the pressure refused to ease.

Two hours passed.

Finally—

The last rune connected.

The magic circle stabilized, glowing softly, perfectly aligned.

Selene collapsed onto the ground, gasping.

“Hah… hah…”

Zane looked down at her.

A small smile appeared.

“You did decent, kid.”

Her chest tightened.

Just hearing that… made everything worth it.

Zane turned toward the rest of the class.

Jax was hunched over, face slightly swollen from Maera’s relentless strikes. Fighters were exhausted, mages drained, all of them barely standing.

“All of you did good,” Zane said.

“Today’s training is dismissed.”

A collective sigh of relief spread through the field.

“You’ll be practicing like this for a few more days,” he continued casually. “Prepare yourselves.”

Then he turned away.

The mana pressure vanished instantly.

The students felt light—too light—some nearly stumbling as the weight disappeared.

Zane left without another word.

Behind him, exhausted but exhilarated, the students realized something.

They hadn’t just trained today.

They had survived.

Zane sat quietly in the chair of his room within the teachers’ residence.

The room was calm.

Too calm.

Eirenyssa stood nearby, her posture tense, eyes fixed on the window. She felt it before it happened—the shift, the pressure, the wrongness crawling across the world.

Zane opened his eyes.

“It’s about to begin,” he said softly.

—

The orangish-red sky shuddered.

And then—

A white sun appeared.

Not rising.

Not descending.

It manifested.

Blinding light tore across the heavens, washing the clouds away as if they never existed. The air itself trembled, heavy with something alien and absolute.

Across the world, panic erupted.

In Astralis Arcanum, students poured out of their residences, shielding their eyes, fear etched into every face. Professors rushed into the open grounds, instincts screaming that this was no natural phenomenon.

This was visible everywhere.

—

In the Gravundar Kingdom, Grom stood on the academy roof, staring upward.

His breath caught.

“…What is this…?” he whispered, eyes wide, hammer trembling in his grip.

—

In Sylwenora kingdom, beneath an ancient world-tree glowing with emerald life, Vira Thornleaf paused mid-sip.

The tea in her cup rippled.

She looked up at the white sun, eyes narrowing.

“…The end of the world?” she murmured.

“Or something far worse…”

Her green eyes opened fully.

Black, swirling patterns rotated within them, veins of gold igniting as ancient perception awakened.

“But Why my eyes… refuse this reality ?”

—

In Solvanyr, within the towering Dawnspire Institute, Elena Voss wiped sweat from her brow.

Orders rang out through the halls.

“Prepare the chambers—now!”

Her hands shook as she clenched them into fists.

“What the hell is happening…?” she muttered.

“…Is this really the end?”

—

In Valdoria, within the royal city, a familiar figure turned toward the sky.

Light-purple eyes reflected the white sun.

Zayne Creed exhaled slowly.

“…Do I have to intervene?”

Mana stirred around him.

Behind him, a tense yet little afraid voice spoke.

“Zayne—what’s happening?”

Valeriana Azurecrest.

Zayne paused, sensing something deeper. Something… reassuring.

He smirked.

“Boss,” he muttered under his breath.

Then, aloud, with confidence:

“Don’t worry, Val.

Everything’s going to be alright.”

—

Back in Astralis Arcanum, fear clutched the students.

Ron stood frozen, fists shaking as he stared at the sky.

“…Damn it,” he muttered.

“Is this really how it ends…? I still have so much to do.”

“Ron.”

He turned.

Lia stood there, just as tense, just as angry at the world.

“…Lia.”

He pulled her into a tight hug.

Nearby, Jax, Selene, and Maera watched in grim silence. Lucen and Seris stood rigid, minds racing. Around them, professors whispered frantic theories.

Caelum’s light-blue eyes widened in horror.

“This mana…” he breathed.

“…This is divine mana.”

“How is this possible…?”

—

Ron closed his eyes.

And then—

A warm hand rested gently on his head.

He looked up.

A familiar back.

A long coat.

Unshakable calm.

“…Professor Zane?” Ron whispered.

Lia opened her eyes.

So did the others.

One by one, students and teachers turned.

Zane Creed stood among them.

The white sun still burned overhead.

But somehow… it felt less dangerous now.

Zane turned, purple eyes steady, voice carrying effortlessly through the chaos.

“Everything is going to be alright,” he said.

A faint smile.

“I’m here.”

Zane smiled.

Then he rose.

The air cracked softly as he lifted off the ground, drifting upward toward the white sun as if gravity itself had decided not to argue with him.

Behind him, something golden followed.

A woman emerged into the sky—stormy grey hair flowing freely, stormy grey eyes calm and resolute. A pale golden aura wrapped around her like thin sunlight, gentle yet unmistakably divine.

Ron stared, mouth slightly open.

“…Who is she?” he muttered.

Caelum’s breath caught.

His eyes widened further, pupils trembling as his instincts screamed.

“A divine being…” he whispered to himself.

“How is she here…?”

“And how is she connected to Zane…?”

Above them, near the descending sphere of divine mana, Zane slowed and turned his head slightly.

“Eirenyssa,” he said calmly.

“You should’ve stayed.”

Eirenyssa bowed her head just a little, floating beside him.

“My lord,” she replied, voice steady.

“I needed to witness this. Even if my soul is a copy—made by you—”

She looked at the blinding white sphere.

“—as a divine being, I cannot ignore divine mana meant to erase mortals. This is my responsibility too.”

Zane glanced at her.

Then he smiled.

“Well,” he said lightly, “I told you to stay because you’re quite weak for this.”

Eirenyssa stiffened slightly.

“But,” Zane continued, “if you insist—stay behind me.”

He turned fully toward the descending white sun.

“And watch,” he added softly,

“your lord work.”

The enormous sphere of divine mana descended further, reality warping around it. Space trembled. Light bent. The sky screamed in silence.

Zane raised a single hand.

Palm open.

As the divine mana touched him—

The world was swallowed by blinding light.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep