After dealing with the female follower of the Church of Light, White Star turned her gaze toward the distant wall of the outdoor training ground.

At that moment, Karien was also observing the battle in mid-air.

Upon noticing White Star looking in his direction, he quickly turned around, looking at another enemy and pretending as if he had done nothing just now.

After glancing at Karien, White Star's eyes hesitated slightly, unsure whether the leader of Red Leaf Academy had helped her earlier.

When she was under the control of that female cultist, she had caught a glimpse of Karien holding a weapon and pointing it at the cultist from below.

Shortly afterward, the female cultist was engulfed by flames.

But wasn’t the weapon the leader held similar to the one Mia from Red Leaf Academy had used?

Could it really have worked from such a long distance? And it even pierced through the cultist’s invisible shield?

The doubt passed quickly, and White Star soon focused her attention on the direction of the square and the elusive wizard hiding somewhere.

Regardless of whether it was Karien, the leader of Red Leaf Academy, who had helped her earlier, at least White Star was saved. Now, the most important thing was to deal with the current crisis.

Overlooking the entire battlefield, White Star tried to locate the position of the wizard. But the enemy was cunning.

After the holy female cultist had died, the wizard had stopped using curses.

The more often a curse was used, the easier it became for the cursed person to sense the medium through which it was cast.

So, the enemy chose to pause the curses on White Star and lay low, waiting for the right moment to strike with another curse when the battle reached a critical point.

"Tsk!"

The enemy's cunning was getting on White Star's nerves. After thinking for a moment, she dove down to a spot below.

With a swift kick, she sent a summoned stone gargoyle flying, landing on a wooden post in the training ground.

She called out to the golden-haired Wills not far away:

"Wills, do you know how to break a curse?"

Wills, who had been struggling with a stone gargoyle, froze for a moment and then turned toward the wooden post, responding,

"Elder White Star, are there wizards around?"

"Yes!" White Star frowned, continuing,

"I just saw that Dean Shoti was also killed. His strength was no less than mine, so there’s no reason for him to be easily killed by the enemy.

"I suspect that the enemy has a medium for cursing all of our main forces and will curse us at a critical moment. I almost fell into their hands just now!

"You're a teacher at Nightfall Academy and probably know more about wizards, so we need your help to come up with a solution.

Otherwise, the situation will only get worse for us!"

Shoti referred to the Dean of Blue Crystal Academy, who was also a powerful 6th-tier Magic Sorcerer.

As Wills listened to White Star’s explanation, he quickly recalled what he knew about wizards.

Among the Magic Sorcerers, wizards were a rather special profession.

Unlike mages, who focused on magic power, or martial artists, who focused on physical skills, wizards specialized in mental power.

Their training was strange and unpredictable, but generally, they focused on curses, divination, and soul manipulation.

Among these, curses were the most common—and the most troublesome.

Compared to other professions, wizards were generally more fragile, so they often hid in the shadows and attacked stealthily.

"Elder White Star, what does the enemy’s curse specifically affect?" Wills asked.

"Heart!"

White Star nodded.

Wills' expression sharpened as he spoke quickly,

"If it’s the heart, it should be the ‘Heart Wrapping Curse,’ which uses sweat as a medium. Although it's a basic curse, it’s not easy to break. However, we can weaken it with the ‘Night Blessing.’"

White Star’s eyes lit up.

"How do we do that?"

Wills hurriedly recited a spell, releasing a dark light toward White Star.

He said,

“This ‘Night Blessing’ was something I found in the magic library back when I was attending university in the royal capital before I joined Nightfall Academy.

Though I memorized the spell, this is the first time I’ve used it, so I’m not sure how effective it will be.”

White Star nodded.

“Having a solution is better than none. I’ll go support Elder Ellison. You go assist the other deans to prevent them from being affected by the curse.”

After finishing her words, White Star flew into the air, heading toward the square.

At this moment, Elder Ellison was trapped by the enemy’s domain on the high platform of the square. If White Star could break his confinement, the tide of the battle could quickly turn.

Most of the students had already been placed under the protective barrier, and with no further restrictions on Ellison, he could freely attack the enemy.

With the power of the "Hands of Annihilation," defeating all the enemies here would be easy.

A whooshing sound rang out as White Star reached the sky above the square. She then charged toward Bartolo, who was badly injured from the earlier explosion, intending to capture the leader first.

As long as Bartolo posed a threat, he would have to cancel the domain on Ellison and protect himself instead.

But just as White Star was about to reach Bartolo, a cloud of smoke appeared in front of her, releasing a barrage of poison needles.

This forced White Star to dodge, reposition, and attack again.

However, the speed of the smoke was almost on par with White Star’s, consistently blocking her and protecting Bartolo.

This smoke was a transformation magic of the ape-like ghost-faced man, Bauer. It was part of his ritual magic, allowing him to shift freely between human and smoke forms, even creating clones with the smoke.

At this point, Bartolo was severely wounded and struggling to maintain his domain, so although Bauer wasn’t pleased, he took on the protective role around Bartolo, continuing his defense.

After several failed attacks, White Star paused in mid-air.

At that moment, her heart suddenly throbbed with pain again, signaling that the hidden wizard had cast another curse.

It seemed that Wills’ “Night Blessing” was working. The pain in White Star's chest was much less intense than before, and she was still able to hold on.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Calculating the distance between herself and Bartolo, White Star once again initiated an attack.

But Bauer, still in smoke form, continued to block her.

Just then, White Star enhanced her gravity, diving down with incredible speed, crashing heavily onto the ground, creating a large crater.

The ground beneath Bartolo suddenly formed enormous stone arms that slammed down toward him.

Though White Star excelled in martial arts, that didn’t mean she couldn’t use magic. When she made contact with the ground, she could manipulate the land around her.

However, the stone arms didn’t affect Bartolo, as he had created a holy light shield around himself to block the attack.

But White Star’s aim wasn’t to crush Bartolo.

She manipulated the stone arms, seizing Bartolo’s holy light shield, and quickly chanted a spell.

A 6th-tier ritual magic, “Gravity Field.”

Twenty times the gravity!

With a resounding crash, Bartolo and the two cultists beside him, along with the holy light shield, were all subjected to intense gravitational pressure.

The twenty times gravity nearly caused Bartolo to faint, and his injuries worsened under the strain.

This momentary attack made it impossible for Bartolo to maintain his domain.

As a result, the domain trapping Ellison was broken, and the holy spear that had been keeping Ellison in check collapsed as well.

With the "Holy Light Judgment" domain broken, Ellison, who had been standing on the square's high platform, was no longer restricted.

He quickly raised his staff and aimed it at Bartolo, ready to cast the “Hands of Annihilation” to eliminate him.

But just then, a long sword pierced through Ellison’s chest from behind.

His eyes widened as his attacking arm froze in mid-air.

The sword had pierced his heart.

Slowly turning his head, Ellison saw a face with heavy eye bags.

It was Lidon, the Dean of Nightfall Academy!

“You…” Ellison gasped.

Lidon grinned sinisterly and whispered in Ellison’s ear,

“How can the holy light shine without the darkness to contrast it?”

"Elder!!"

Jessica, who was closest to Ellison, watched in horror as his heart was pierced.

With a roar of fury, Jessica extended her hands, attempting to cast a spell at Lidon, the Headmaster of the Nightfall Academy.

However, Lidon simply waved his hand, and Jessica was sent flying dozens of meters, crashing to the ground, spitting blood uncontrollably.

Meanwhile, White Star, also in the plaza, saw Ellison’s chest pierced by Lidon and was stunned, her face filled with disbelief.

Gritting her teeth, she screamed, pushing herself forward, charging toward the high platform.

At that moment, Lidon extended his hand and muttered a spell.

White Star’s heart was instantly struck as though by a heavy blow. She collapsed to the ground, gasping for air.

Even with the "Blessing of the Night," White Star’s heart ached as if it were being torn apart.

It turned out that the one who cursed White Star was Lidon, the Headmaster of the Nightfall Academy!

Ellison, who was over sixty, his hair neatly combed, clutched the sword’s tip protruding from his chest as blood continuously spilled from his mouth. He struggled to speak, his voice weak:

"Y-You… are from the… Fallen faction!?"

With a swift motion, Lidon yanked his sword out, his voice cold:

"Otherwise, do you think I would have advanced to a seventh-tier Mage? If I followed the narrow doctrines of the 'Upholders', when would I ever gain a domain?"

Falling to the ground, Ellison felt his life force rapidly slipping away. He grasped his staff, trying to summon his last spell, "Hands of Annihilation," to collapse the space around him and take Lidon down with him.

But no matter how much mana he tried to channel, he couldn’t cast the spell.

"Are you wondering why you can’t use magic anymore?" Lidon sneered, slowly circling Ellison. He stopped in front of him, bent down, and grinned, speaking each word with malice:

"You—have—been—abandoned—by—the—gods!"

Ellison’s eyes locked onto Lidon, his hand reaching out as if to grasp him, but more blood surged from his mouth.

Standing tall, Lidon raised his sword, preparing to end Ellison’s life.

But then, he suddenly sensed danger approaching. He swiftly turned his head to dodge.

A metal bullet zipped past his cheek, narrowly missing, and Lidon soon felt someone behind him.

He spun around and swung his sword, cleaving the figure behind him in half.

However, when he looked closely, he realized the figure was a white-robed corpse.

At the same time, dense smoke exploded one after another, enveloping the entire platform.

When Lidon turned back, Ellison had disappeared.

Looking up, Lidon saw a figure clad in full metal armor holding Ellison’s body, flying away from the scene.

His eyes darkened, and a pair of black wings sprouted from his back. He shot into the air, intending to pursue.

But as soon as he flew up, White Star, with her white hair tied back, was already standing in his way.

Spreading her arms wide, White Star glared at Lidon, gritting her teeth as she nearly growled:

"You traitor! After all the trust the Principal and Elders placed in you!"

Even now, White Star was still suffering from the curse, but the excruciating pain in her heart couldn’t stop her from acting.

Clutching her sword, Lidon sneered:

"Those old fools are probably dead by now."

Elsewhere, Karien had carried Ellison away from the plaza and flew to the training field, shouting:

"Healer! Healer!"

At this moment, Karien was no longer wearing the K7 suit but was instead clad in the experimental K8 armor.

Unlike K7, which focused on stealth and agility, K8 prioritized performance and power, with its full-body exoskeleton, including a mask covering his face.

Hearing Karien’s call, several healers from Palos Magic Academy quickly ran over.

Though they were surprised to see the armored figure, they were more concerned about Ellison’s injuries.

Five or six healers gathered around Ellison, attempting to heal him.

But Ellison’s gaze continued to fade, his breath growing weaker.

He trembled as he reached out, seemingly trying to grab something.

Karien quickly retracted the mechanical fingers of his hand and clasped Ellison’s palm.

"Child…"

"Stay true… to your heart…"

"Remember… stay true… to your heart…"

Weakly whispering these words, Ellison’s eyes grew dim, and his breath finally ceased.

"Elder!"

"Elder!"

The healers shouted, exerting all their effort to intensify the healing.

But it was already too late.

Ellison had not only been stabbed through the heart but also injected with dark magic by Lidon, rapidly eroding his life.

Even a seventh-tier healer would have been unable to save him at this point.

Karien held Ellison’s lifeless body, his face, hidden behind his mask, showing fear and helplessness.

This was the first time since arriving in this world that Karien felt such panic and unease.

"...I let you go around disrupting others' teachings..."

"...Many things can’t be avoided by force. No matter the outcome, don’t blame yourself. You’ve already done enough..."

"...I’ve already spoken to the Emerald Institute on your behalf..."

"...I treat every student as my own child, including you, Karien..."

"...Stand tall and show the world... you, Karien, can create magic arrays that will amaze them..."

"...I’m also looking forward to your Red Leaf Academy’s performance this time..."

"...I’m looking forward to your lecture during the open class..."

Breathing heavily, Karien found it hard to accept the reality.

"It shouldn’t be like this…"

Above the plaza, Lidon, with heavy bags under his eyes, sensed that Ellison’s breath had finally gone silent, and his urgency lessened.

He sneered and unleashed his domain, further strengthening the curse on White Star.

Faced with a full-on assault from a seventh-tier Mage, White Star instantly found herself unable to move, completely helpless.

"Originally, I didn’t want to reveal my identity, but you all forced my hand."

Lidon’s earlier death at the hands of Bartolo from the Light Church was all part of the act. His true power was far from simple.

When Bartolo struck him with the Holy Lance, he had purposely fallen onto the plaza, closer to Ellison, ready to strike at any moment.

In Lidon’s plan, if the Light Church and other members of the Fallen faction successfully killed Ellison, he wouldn’t have had to intervene.

Unfortunately, Bartolo was ambushed by an unknown explosion, unable to kill Ellison, which allowed Lidon to seize the opportunity and strike.

"Forget it, exposure or not, as long as the mission is completed."

With that, Lidon swung his sword, ready to end White Star as well.

However, White Star endured the curse’s effects, strengthening her gravity to twenty times its normal force, making her fall uncontrollably.

With a loud crash, White Star slammed to the ground. Though she was injured by her own spell, she broke through Lidon’s hold and quickly retreated to Ellison’s side.

Seeing White Star escape, Lidon didn’t rush after her. Instead, he gestured for someone.

Soon, a cloud of smoke gathered beside him, and the ape-like demon, Bauer, materialized. He placed his hand on his chest and respectfully said:

"Headmaster!"

Looking down at the battle on the training field, Lidon said coldly:

"Nice acting earlier. I’ve enhanced their curses. Their power is greatly diminished. Deal with them."

With a nod, Bauer transformed into smoke, heading toward White Star and the others.

Seeing the situation under control, Lidon turned to Bartolo, who was injured, and said from above:

"Bartolo, how did you get so beaten up?"

Supported by his followers, Bartolo stood up, glaring at Lidon. He didn’t respond to the question but instead spoke in a low voice:

"Our cooperation was limited to Ellison. Now that he’s dead, it’s time for you to fulfill your promise. Hand him over to us."

"Tch," Lidon clicked his tongue and extended his right hand, reaching toward the training field.

There, Hui, who had been assisting the team against the enemies, suddenly felt his body move uncontrollably and was pulled into the air.

Wills, not far from him, tried to grab him, but failed.

Hui, his face almost ashen, was dragged up into the sky, and Lidon grabbed him by the collar.

"Let me go, you traitor!"

Hui shouted, struggling to free himself, but couldn’t.

"How dare you speak to your master like that?" Lidon narrowed his eyes and cast a spell on Hui.

Soon, Hui’s vision darkened, and he fainted.

With one hand holding Hui, Lidon turned to Bartolo and said:

"It’s rare to have an apprentice with ten-star affinity for both Light and Dark elements. I’m almost reluctant to give him to you."

With a grim expression, Bartolo replied coldly:

"Are you trying to go back on your word?"

"Heh, I wouldn’t dare."

With that, Lidon casually tossed the unconscious Hui toward Bartolo.