Chapter 232: Zane’s Students

The courtyard trembled under shattered stone and lingering corrupted mana.

They stood in formation.

Front line — Ron, Maera, Lia.

Mid — Jax and Drevin.

Rear — Selene.

Varak Thorne stood alone before them, polearm resting against his shoulder, amber eyes gleaming with amusement.

Maera’s red aura flared.

“Attack!”

The three in front launched simultaneously.

Ron shot forward first, dark blue flames roaring around his spear. He thrust low, aiming for Varak’s thigh. Lia appeared at his right flank, her dusk-pink wind mana sharpening her blade into a slicing current. Maera charged head-on, claws blazing red, intending to overwhelm through sheer brutality.

Varak moved.

Not backward.

Through them.

His polearm spun once, intercepting Ron’s thrust with a metallic screech before sliding along the spear shaft and redirecting it. Lia’s blade sliced through where his torso had been a fraction of a second ago.

He leaned sideways just enough for Maera’s clawed punch to miss by inches.

Smirking.

“So coordinated.”

Behind them—

THWIP.

Drevin’s mana-coated arrow tore through the air toward Varak’s exposed back.

CLANG.

The obsidian polearm flipped behind him without looking, knocking the arrow aside.

Two white flashes followed immediately.

BANG. BANG.

Jax’s mana bullets streaked in from opposite angles, forcing Varak to tilt his head and pivot his torso. One grazed his shoulder guard. The second scraped his ribs.

He clicked his tongue.

“He is annoying.”

Ron pressed the opening.

“Flaming Spear: Flaming Stab!”

His black spear burned red-hot as he thrust again, this time in a feint. Lia slid beneath the arc of the polearm and slashed upward.

Maera leapt from above, claws aimed straight for his skull.

Varak’s grin widened.

He spun.

The polearm whirled in a full circle, forcing all three to disengage or lose limbs. The blade edge kissed Ron’s sleeve, slicing fabric. Lia’s ponytail was severed slightly at the tip. Maera was forced to land backward to avoid being bisected.

And then—

He advanced.

Fast.

The polearm thrust like a spear toward Ron’s chest.

Ron barely parried in time, boots digging into the stone as he slid back meters from the force.

Lia darted in again, her movements sharp and precise, slicing at Varak’s side in rapid succession. Maera followed with relentless body blows, her gauntlet cracking against his guard.

For a moment—

They pushed him.

But only slightly.

Drevin loosed another arrow. This time it split mid-air into three. Jax followed with synchronized shots, bullets curving subtly under his focused control.

Selene raised her staff.

Orange rune bloomed behind Varak.

“Rune Magic 3rd circle: Flying Blades.”

Six glowing rune knives shot forward from blind spots.

Varak’s smirk widened.

He stomped once.

Corrupted mana pulsed outward in a wave.

The rune blades shattered.

The arrows deflected.

The bullets lost trajectory.

Ron felt the pressure immediately.

“That mana—!”

Varak swung wide.

The blunt end of his polearm slammed into Maera’s side, sending her skidding across broken stone. Lia blocked a downward slash but was forced to one knee from the impact. Ron countered with a sweeping spear strike, but Varak stepped inside his range and drove an elbow into Ron’s jaw.

CRACK.

Ron staggered.

Jax fired again, faster now.

Varak tilted his head just enough.

One bullet grazed his cheek.

A thin line of blood appeared.

Silence.

Varak touched the blood with his thumb.

Looked at it.

Then laughed.

“Kekekeke… all that just for this.”

His aura darkened.

Thicker.

He lifted the polearm properly now.

“No more warm-up.”

The ground beneath him cracked outward in a spiderweb pattern.

All six of them felt it.

They hadn’t been fighting his full strength.

The pressure from Varak’s aura rolled outward like a dark tide.

Ron wiped blood from the corner of his mouth.

Lia adjusted her grip.

They looked at each other for a fraction of a second.

No words.

Just understanding.

Ron inhaled deeply.

The dark blue flames around his spear intensified — no longer flickering, but roaring. The heat shifted in color, becoming deeper, hotter, almost white at the core. The air around the spear distorted from temperature alone.

Lia’s dusk-pink wind aura sharpened as well. It no longer flowed softly around her blade — it condensed into razor-thin currents, slicing the air in faint, invisible arcs even before she moved.

Varak noticed.

“Oh?”

Maera stepped back slightly, giving them room.

Ron moved first.

He didn’t thrust.

He vanished forward in a burst of flame.

The spear came down vertically, wrapped in searing blue fire that cracked the stone beneath it before impact.

Varak blocked—

But this time his boots slid.

The heat forced him to disengage quickly instead of casually redirecting.

Lia was already there.

Her white blade flashed sideways, dusk-pink wind condensing into a slicing crescent that tore across Varak’s flank.

The obsidian polearm intercepted at the last second, but the wind pressure alone cut through part of his sleeve.

Ron followed instantly.

Without any gap or breathing room.

His spear spun and thrust again — this time the flame didn’t just burn.

It exploded outward on contact.

Varak parried, but the blast forced him two steps back.

Behind them—

Drevin fired in rhythm with Ron’s thrusts, arrows threading through the smallest openings. Jax’s mana bullets no longer fired singly — he staggered them, forcing Varak to shift constantly.

Selene layered support from the rear.

Orange rune sigils formed beneath Ron’s feet — boosting traction.

Another rune formed and stick to Lia’s chesr — increasing mana output efficiency.

Maera re-entered from the side with wild red aura appearing more feral, red claw gauntlet blazing as she aimed for Varak’s ribs while he blocked Ron.

This time—

Varak had to truly defend.

His polearm spun faster, intercepting flame, wind, claw, arrow, bullet in tight succession.

CLANG. BOOM. SCREECH. CRACK.

The courtyard cratered further.

Ron pressed harder.

“Flaming Spear: Scorching Coil!”

He twisted the spear mid-thrust, creating a spiraling vortex of blue fire that wrapped around Varak’s weapon and tried to burn it .

Lia dashed inside the spiral.

Wind Butterfly: butterfly slash

Her blade carved a precise diagonal slash, dusk-pink wind wity glittering pink butterfly trail compressing into a cutting line that sliced across Varak’s chest armor.

This time—

It cut deeper.

A thin red line opened across his torso.

Varak’s smirk twitched.

He stepped back sharply.

For the first time—

He wasn’t leisurely.

He was responding.

Ron’s flames roared hotter.

Lia’s wind screamed sharper.

And the rhythm of their teamwork tightened like a machine designed for killing.

Varak rolled his shoulders slowly.

The mocking amusement remained.

But his amber eyes sharpened.

“Now that’s better.”

His corrupted aura thickened.

And the battlefield trembled again.

Varak rolled his shoulders slowly, the obsidian polearm resting across his palm.

“Come on puppies.”

Corrupted mana erupted outward in a violent pulse, cracking the ground beneath his boots. The pressure thickened instantly—dark, suffocating, heavy enough to make the air feel viscous.

Ron stepped forward first.

Blue flames surged hotter around his black spear, deepening in color until the core burned almost white.

“Inferno Spear: Flaming Stab!”

He thrust.

A blazing line of fire carved through the air toward Varak’s chest. Varak deflected with a sharp twist of his polearm—but Lia was already moving.

“Wind Butterfly—First Technique: Elegant Speed!”

She vanished in a blur of dusk-pink light, butterflies scattering in her wake. She reappeared at Varak’s blind angle and her blade flashed.

“Wind Butterfly—Second Technique: Butterfly Slash!”

A compressed crescent of razor wind tore across his flank. Armor split. Blood followed.

Varak retaliated instantly, sweeping wide with crushing force.

Maera stepped in without hesitation.

“Savage Spiral Rend: Twisting Fang Rush!”

She charged in a low spiral, clawed slash breaking his guard before her gauntlet drove forward with brutal rotational force. The impact slammed into his ribs and forced him half a step back.

That half step was enough.

From mid-range, Jax raised both pistols.

“Spellshooter Arsenal: Arc Burst Shot!”

A rune-charged bullet detonated midair beside Varak, exploding into a spherical lightning shockwave that disrupted his footing for a split second.

Drevin didn’t waste it.

“Nightstalk Arrow: Umbra Volley!”

Shadow-forged arrows split and curved unpredictably through the air. Varak spun defensively, knocking several aside—but one pierced through and embedded in his thigh.

Selene lifted her staff calmly from the rear.

“Rune Magic 2nd Circle: Storm Etching.”

Runes flared in the air and arcs of lightning chained across Varak’s body in crackling bursts, forcing him to shift under constant pressure.

He growled.

Corrupted mana exploded outward, a shockwave that forced them back several meters.

Then he disappeared.

He reappeared directly before Lia, polearm descending for a lethal strike—

Ron intercepted.

“Inferno Spear—Second Technique: Scorching Coil!”

He spun his spear in a blazing vortex, the spiraling heat repelling the descending blade and forcing Varak upward.

Maera leapt to meet him.

“Savage Spiral Rend: Reaving Spiral Crash!”

She descended in a rotating slash, claws tearing downward before her double-fisted gauntlet strike detonated against his shoulder.

Stone shattered.

But Varak answered with a violent eruption of corrupted mana, throwing all three backward.

They landed hard.

Breathing heavy.

Bleeding.

Still standing.

“You puppies…!”

His aura thickened further, pressing against them like a storm front.

And then—

Something shifted.

Ron inhaled deeply. The chaos dulled at the edges of his senses. His heartbeat slowed into steady rhythm. His Iron Pulse activated, not as panic, but as control. Beside him, Lia’s breathing synchronized naturally with his, her movements sharpening with quiet precision. Drevin felt it too—their pulses aligning, their focus narrowing into clean, lethal clarity.

Maera was different.

Her pulse surged faster instead of slower. A feral grin spread across her face as her chest pounded with rising excitement.

Iron Pulse: Wild Resonance.

Her red aura flared violently, instinct and aggression sharpening her movements instead of calming them.

Behind them, Jax closed his eyes for a fraction of a second.

Everything vanished.

Sound.

Pain.

Smoke.

Only the target remained.

Convergent Stillpoint.

Trajectory lines formed in his mind—angles, velocity, impact timing.

Selene exhaled softly.

“Tranquil Veil.”

A calm veil settled over her thoughts. Distraction disappeared. Mana flowed naturally through her channels like breathing. Her perception expanded, reading every fluctuation in Varak’s corrupted aura.

They moved as one.

Ron surged forward.

“Inferno Spear—Third Technique: Cinder Lance!”

A precise thrust streaked forward, trailing burning embers and striking Varak’s guard, forcing it wide.

Lia transformed immediately.

“Wind Butterfly—Third Technique: Hurricane Dash!”

She became a pure dusk-pink gale, blasting forward with concussive force and thrusting sword, butterflies scattering behind her like fragments of light.

From above, Maera roared.

“Savage Spiral Rend: Reaving Spiral Crash!”

She descended like a rotating red drill, claws tearing downward before her gauntlets prepared to smash through.

From the left flank—

Jax fired.

“Spellshooter Arsenal: Duality Crash!”

A crimson bead and an icy blue bead shot forward simultaneously, spiraling around each other in opposing rotation to collide at Varak’s torso.

From right side—

Drevin released.

“Nightstalk Arrow: Blinding Shadow!”

The arrow struck.

Darkness swallowed Varak’s vision instantly.

At that exact moment, Selene slammed her staff down.

“Rune magic 4th Circle: Beast Binding Array!”

Radiant runes erupted beneath Varak’s feet. Blazing ethereal chains shot upward, binding his arms and legs, constricting, burning, disrupting his mana flow.

Varak roared, blinded and bound, corrupted mana exploding wildly around him.

“Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

He tried to move.

Too late.

Ron’s spear ignited beyond anything before. Blue flames surged to near-white intensity at the core as he stepped forward, calm and focused.

“Inferno Spear—Cinder Oblivion!”

The spear thrust forward, wrapped in extreme blue inferno—

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