“AESTREAA!”

In the middle of his furious battle against Zeva, Aestrea froze. A voice rang out, pulling his attention away from the clash.

He immediately leaped back, before looking around, and seeing everyone looking at them with confused expression.

Then he turned to Lucas and saw a strange creature right in front of him.

“A void lich… so it’s a void-type dungeon, huh,” Aestrea muttered, darting his eyes towards Zeva.

Now, she too, had noticed the situation.

But instead of jumping into the fight, Zeva merely raised her voice, loud enough for everyone to hear.

“Consider this boss fight as part of my class! Whoever performs well enough will at least get a B-level grade!” Her declaration rang out, and she casually stepped back from the fight, a smirk playing at the corners of her lips.

But as she turned away, she shot a glance at Aestrea.

“We’ll continue our fight later,” she said, her smile widening mischievously as she winked at him.

Aestrea clicked his tongue in response.

“Crazy bitch…” he muttered under his breath.

But his attention quickly shifted back to the Void Lich, the creature looming menacingly before them.

『 Judgement Eye (✦ S-Level Skill ✦) 』

“Mhm… no weakness whatsoever. This kind of monster is really annoying. You can only defeat it with sheer strength.” Aestrea crossed his arms in thought.

He turned to look at the students. Even the ones who had been paralyzed by fear seemed to snap out of it the moment Zeva spoke.

After all, in his perspective, now they could do their maximum because they knew that the professor would save them if they were in danger.

And taking the chance, Ella shouted, “Let’s realize our old plan!”.

Immediately, the students moved. Groups formed, dividing the room into smaller teams. The healers stayed behind, and the fighters moved to the front, preparing for the battle.

The groups split into two types of fighters: those who would distract the Void Lich, and those who would focus on dealing damage.

“Rose!” Ella shouted and suddenly, Aestrea felt the heat of the room increasing.

『 Fire Series: Hell Vulcano! (✦ 6th-Level Spell ✦) 』

From the ground, massive currents of lava erupted, swirling like an inferno. It was like Mia’s spell, but much stronger, more intense.

Strangely, the currents of lava also divided the whole room into three parts, just enough for the three groups!

It seemed like this was part of their plan.

The first group, the ones tasked with distracting the Lich, began hurling spells at it. But the Void Lich’s magic was too powerful.

Its void aura absorbed the attacks, negating them without much effort.

But then, the second group took advantage of the situation, attacking all at once, landing several blows on the Lich’s exposed back.

“…Grahfh…”

The Lich let out a strange, growling sound, recoiling slightly as it swayed.

In response, a small black ball began to form in the air, swirling with dark energy.

Aestrea narrowed his eyes, as he reached out to his sword, but then he realized, that his help wasn’t needed.

『 Devastation Sword! (✦ Advanced-level Swordsmanship (A) ✦) 』

“Die, you damned bastard!”

Shouting loudly, Lucas swung his sword, which was wreathed in black flames, at the void ball.

Shing!

His sword sliced through the small black orb, splitting it cleanly in half, and then Lucas twisted his body, and spun, swinging his sword at the lich.

CRACK!

But before the attack could fully connect with the Lich, a void skeleton appeared in front of the creature, intercepting the blow and taking the hit.

Then, the Lich raised his staff, and a swarm of void skeletons began to appear around them.

“Shit!” Lucas cursed under his breath.

He quickly spun on his heel, leaping back just as Maya surged forward, just like they had planned before.

『 Corrupted Sword! (✦ Advanced-level Swordsmanship (B+) ✦) 』

Lucas twisted his body, dealing with the skeletons that were now swarming around him.

Meanwhile, Maya charged straight at the Lich, her fists glowing with a blue aura. She threw a powerful punch directly at the Lich’s sturdy structure.

CLANG!

The impact of Maya’s punch sent a jolt up her arms, her teeth gritting from the force of the hit. But before she could throw another punch, the Lich swung its massive arm at her.

Maya quickly crossed her arms in an ‘X’ shape, blocking the blow.

Puff!

Maya was sent flying toward the wall, crashing into it with a painful thud. But before she could hit the ground, Iris was there, jumping into the air and catching her.

“Iris!” Maya groaned, but Iris was already healing her, casting a spell to mend her injuries.

As the battle continued, the other students formed a tight circle around the Void Lich, their teamwork growing more synchronized by the minute.

They dealt small bits of damage here and there, but their combined efforts were enough to keep the pressure on the Lich.

But even if the battle was going well, some things weren’t.

“Ella, I can’t hold it anymore…!” Rose shouted as her mana reserves began to dwindle. She was almost at her limit and couldn’t hold the spell anymore.

Before Ella could respond, there was a sudden flash in front of Rose’s eyes. A figure appeared, standing in front of her.

A familiar white-haired boy.

“A-Aestrea…?” Rose stammered, looking at him in surprise.

Aestrea smirked, positioning himself behind her in an instant. He wrapped his arms around her waist, making a small blush creep out to her face.

“Wha-wha-wha, w-what are you doing?!” Rose exploded, her voice rising as she started to fluster, her face starting to match the color of her red hair.

Aestrea didn’t say a word because he didn’t need to. Rose immediately felt a warm surge of mana flowing into her, filling her to the brim with power.

“A-ah…” She immediately understood the reason behind Aestrea’s actions.

Aestrea was giving her his mana.

The instant his mana infused her, the strength of her spell skyrocketed. Aestrea stood silently behind her, guiding her hands, and helping her manipulate the lava currents.

From the swirling lava, small fish made of lava began to form, swimming through the air toward the Void Lich.

It passed a while, and finally, when Rose could manipulate the spell alone, Aestrea slowly stepped back, releasing his hold on her.

“Ah… What’s up with your shy expression?” Aestrea teased with a grin, leaning in slightly.

“Did you fall in love?”

Rose’s face turned even redder, her cold expression had completely melted under Aestrea’s presence, in just a few minutes.

She avoided his gaze, glancing down, too embarrassed to meet his eyes.

“T-this…”

“I’m just kidding, relax a little.” Aestrea chuckled, flashing her one last mischievous smile.

But then, he leaned even closer than before, his lips just a few centimeters away from her left ear.

“Until later, cute redhead~”

Before she could say anything, Aestrea vanished from her sight.

Rose, left standing there, blinked several times, trying to recover from the sudden rush of emotions.

Her knees wobbled slightly, and she bit her lip in frustration.

“Bastard…” she muttered under her breath, swatting at her face with her hand in an attempt to cool down while still manipulating the spell.

On the other side, Aestrea smiled lightly.

“That was fun…”

Clang!

Afterward, his gaze locked on the Void Lich as his eyes narrowed slightly.

Fwip!

Suddenly, the entire room was bathed in a brilliant golden light, so bright it made everyone squint and instinctively step back, creating a little gap between them.

Ella, glowing in that intense light, stepped forward, gripping the handle of her sword tightly.

『 Royal Swordsmanship: Heaven’s Punishment! (✦ SS-level Swordsmanship ✦) 』

The golden light flared to life, almost blinding in its intensity. As she leaped high into the air, her sword expanded, becoming a massive beam of radiant energy.

She swung it horizontally, the golden light trailing behind, slicing through the air like a comet.

With a force that shook the very air around them, her sword slammed down against the void lich.

The air around it vibrated, humming with power.

“….GLUATHG!”

The Void Lich lifted his staff just in time to try to block the blow.

A huge, black rectangular barrier formed above his head, crackling with dark energy as it clashed with Ella’s strike.

SHIISSSSZ!

The sound of sparkles flying echoed loudly throughout the boss’s room.

At that moment, black flames erupted toward the ceiling, and Lucas like a lightning bold, dashed forward, making a piercing pose.

“Demon Slaying Sword Art…”

『 Piercing Sword! (✦ S-level Swordsmanship ✦) 』

The temperature in the room skyrocketed the heat from the flames intensifying as Lucas plunged the blade straight into the Void Lich’s stomach.

BOOOOM!

An explosion shook the entire room, sending a shockwave that knocked everyone back.

The force of the blast was so powerful, the room was instantly shrouded in a thick cloud of smoke.

Debris flew everywhere, bits of stone and rubble hitting the walls, the floor trembling beneath their feet.

For a moment, everything seemed frozen in time.

No one moved.

No one spoke.

Only the sound of the debris falling into the ground remained.

And then, from the smoke, two figures stepped out.

Ella and Lucas.

“YEAAAAHHHH!”

“LET’S GOOO!”

“WE DID IT!”

The students, who had been holding their breath, erupted into cheers, their voices filling the room with pure joy.

They clapped and shouted, the tension from the fight finally melting away.

As the smoke began to clear, they saw the lifeless remains of the Void Lich on the ground.

“Ahh… we really did it…” Ella let out a long breath, her body sagging slightly.

“Yeah, we did… but I think I just burned through all my mana with that last hit.” Lucas, panting heavily, couldn’t help but smile.

“I’m stoned…” Ella declared, limping towards the rest of the group.

Immediately, Maya, who had been waiting anxiously, rushed over to them, her eyes wide with excitement.

“So? Did it drop the Lich Heart?” she asked, practically bouncing with energy, grabbing Lucas’s hands.

“N-no?” Maya’s face instantly fell, the excitement vanishing in an instant.

“Aw…” she groaned, her shoulders slumping.

Behind her, Iris chuckled as she added:

“Don’t worry, Maya,” she said with a playful grin, “I’ll take you to that restaurant as a reward for your hard work.”

“Yay!” Maya jumped very high, making some kind of winning position, with her fist in the air.

The group only chuckled at her actions.

With the battle over, the students started heading toward the newly appeared exit gate. They’d earned their victory, and now it was time to leave.

But as the last of the students stepped through the gate, Aestrea, under Zeva’s approached the dead body of the Void Lich.

“Hey… wake up you bastard.”

“I know that you’re still alive.” he kicked its bones.

Seeing this, Zeva’s smile only seemed to have widened as another good aspect of Aestrea had been noted in her head.

Creack…

As soon as Aestrea spoke those words, the bones of the Void Lich began to tremble.

The skeleton shifted, and then—crack—it reformed into a smaller, incomplete figure, its skull missing entirely.

The Void Lich had a very hidden ability.

Ressurection from the dead, or in other words, it had two lives. And apparently, the other students seemed to have forgotten that, but Aestrea didn’t.

However, after being revived, the Void Lich were much weaker than before and it would take years before they could truly regain their true strength.

Aestrea’s hand pressed against the Lich’s brittle ribcage, the bones cold and fragile under his touch.

“So, tell me…”

His eyes began to glow in a deep, unsettling red.

The Lich shuddered violently, its form quivering as if trying to escape her grip.

“What kind of curse did you put on the students?”

The Lich’s skeletal body trembled, its empty eye sockets shaking in terror.

The air around them grew thick, heavy with an unnatural chill, as if the very room itself feared Aestrea’s cold voice.

The bones creaked, the Lich’s spirit trapped and trembling under his gaze.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep