After a moment.

Sun's Child, who had been suppressed and on the back foot by the combined efforts of Solum and Bibilionia, let out a sharp howl, suddenly unleashing a blinding and scorching light that completely engulfed the two of them. The light was so intense that Nidhogg, who had regained most of his magical power, couldn’t bear to look at it and had to turn away, closing his eyes.

"Haha, the madwoman is using that move again. Nidhogg, recover your magic here first. If she tries to escape later, join us in giving her a lesson she won’t forget!" Yunli’s voice carried a strange excitement, giving his otherwise pale and sickly face a grotesque and ferocious look.

Nidhogg nodded instinctively.

From beginning to end, Nidhogg didn’t even understand why he had become the focal point of this contest. On one hand, Sun’s Child’s arrogance and domineering attitude had completely enraged the three from Blacksaw Tower Sorcerer Academy; on the other, it seemed his presence had disrupted some unspoken rule?

With a cold chuckle, Yunli vanished beside Nidhogg as a space distortion took place, joining the battle in the sky.

The overwhelming, aggressive waves of fiery energy spread in all directions, leaving Nidhogg both shocked and awed. Even the last few sorcerer apprentices watching from a distance, who hadn’t given up on the secret realm, felt their bodies shiver, extinguishing the last of their hopes.

Moments later, the unbearable dazzling light in the sky dissipated. With a muffled groan, Sun’s Child’s body streaked across the sky like a meteor, shouting, "Blacksaw Tower Sorcerer Academy! I will remember this!" Her voice dripped with hatred, bone-deep and ceaseless.

On the ground, Nidhogg waved his Blood Bat's Kiss staff and rode a wind-element bat into the sky, joining Solum, Yunli, and Bibilionia. They became four streaks of light, relentlessly pursuing the fleeing Sun's Child.

Bibilionia laughed with a "pure" face, "Sister Mina, we at Blacksaw Tower Sorcerer Academy are worried you won’t remember this well enough. This time, we’ll not only defeat you and seize your reward but also chase you through the secret realm to the very last day, leaving you with unforgettable, bone-deep memories. Let's see if you dare to call yourself the best and criticize our Blacksaw Tower Sorcerer Academy.”

Sun’s Child remained silent, only pressing forward with her flight.

Though silent, her chilling hatred was freely projected, and whenever she encountered a "passerby" sorcerer apprentice from Blacksaw Tower Sorcerer Academy, she didn’t hesitate to pause momentarily to kill them without mercy.

In the sky, Sun’s Child's grand and terrifying mark fluctuations extended three to four hundred meters, drawing everyone's attention. But what was more shocking was that this Sun’s Child, possessing such overwhelming power, was being chased by "four" Despairers, unable to stop or rest, fleeing in panic.

On the wind-element bat, Nidhogg's golden hair fluttered in the breeze, wearing Vine’s Heart on his left ear and Eternal Earring on his right, with the Fountain of Joy necklace swaying on his chest. Through the pale mask, he watched the formerly arrogant and overbearing Sun's Child now fleeing like a wounded beast under their pursuit, feeling a sense of satisfaction.

Looking at the ground quickly passing beneath him, Nidhogg suddenly recalled when Sun's Child once pursued Bibilionia, only to be chased in return by Solum, Yunli, and Bibilionia. Back then, like many other apprentices, he watched the sky's domineering Despairers with awe and fear.

Now, he had become one of them, an object of admiration for other hidden apprentices below—a feeling of indescribable excitement swelled within him.

Never had Nidhogg experienced such a strong desire for power.

Once, Nidhogg armed himself out of fear of death and the harsh rules of Blacksaw Tower Sorcerer Academy. But now, he actively yearned for greater power, wanting to control his destiny and everything around him.

...

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In a temporary camp far below, Nina's eye transformed into an eagle's eye, watching the fleeting figures of the five Despairers in the distant sky with a sigh.

However, when she unintentionally noticed the silhouette on the wind-element bat, her body shook with surprise!

Until the "five" Despairers disappeared completely, Yorkris and the others gathered around her excitedly asking, "Nina, what’s going on over there? Tell us..."

"It was four... Despairers pursuing Sun's Child."

Nina’s face looked a bit forlorn; she hadn’t mentioned Nidhogg's name and turned away.

Yorkris and the others assumed Nina felt disheartened after seeing the gap between themselves and the Despairers and didn’t pay much heed, instead speculating excitedly about changes in the secret realm.

Sitting inside her tent, Nina bit her lip, silent for a long time before finally understanding something. She relaxed, murmuring, "What have I been thinking... Why can’t I let myself become stronger? That way, I’ll still be me, and he’ll still be him."

With this realization, her mood improved, her pupils flickering with thoughts of new plans.

The next day.

A grand mark fluctuation appeared above the sky. Armland and Belle looked up in horror as searing flames descended, prompting Armland to shout, "Watch out!"

At his shout, mysterious golden markings appeared on Armland’s body, and his sword exploded with thunderous power, releasing a burst of crackling electricity.

Gone was his usual calm and wisdom; what remained was a fierce determination, muscles straining as Armland poured all his strength into slashing the blazing flame descending from the sky.

"Armland!"

Belle gasped, quickly reciting a spell. The ground trembled underfoot, transforming into a giant earth element turtle.

The turtle, nearly five meters in size, had its heavy shell magically reinforced into solid granite, glowing coldly and unyieldingly.

Boom!

With a violent explosion, Armland and Belle took refuge under the giant earth turtle.

The turtle let out a silent scream as its shell shattered, sending chunks of granite flying while softening under the explosive heat. The magic reinforcing it was “purified,” dissipated, and the granite reverted to dirt.

From a distance, it looked like a giant, shell-less turtle cowering protectively over Armland and Belle.

"They're not dead?!"

Flying through the sky, Sun's Child’s face turned grim but dared not linger, continuing her flight into the distance.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—four figures flew past.

The four exuded powerful mark fluctuations, pursuing Sun's Child while casting curious glances at the battered Armland and Belle below, who they saw huddling beneath the giant turtle.

Solum, having joined the Bloodsail Alliance, gave Armland a courteous smile.

"Solum, Yunli, Bibilionia... Nidhogg!?"

Armland's eyes widened in disbelief.

In the past, despite learning that Nidhogg's mark value was thirty, Armland had thought of him as a rival at most, assuming his high mark value was due to lucky circumstances.

Secretly, Armland never considered Nidhogg worthy of being a Despairer. But now...

Armland clenched his fists, a pale face full of self-mockery for his arrogance and ignorance.

Belle’s clear, beautiful eyes widened too, murmuring, "Nidhogg?"

Seemingly doubting herself, Belle rubbed her eyes and confirmed that the figure riding a wind-element bat wearing the iconic pale mask was indeed Nidhogg, whom she met during the second secret realm.

"No wonder... No wonder the poison-tongued queen took a liking to Nidhogg. Has he reached such a level? A hidden genius in the new generation of the academy?"

After the surprise, Belle's eyes gleamed with curiosity.

...

The five great mark fluctuations pursued for nearly three days, almost circling the entire trial grounds, before Solum signaled a stop to the chase.

Everyone had been simultaneously using magic stones to replenish their energy while continuing the pursuit.

"Brother Solum, after being chased like this, I doubt that madwoman will ever call herself number one again," Bibilionia said, her face openly expressing satisfaction.

Holding a test tube with seven or eight drops of fresh blood, collected from the injured Sun's Child during the pursuit, Nidhogg shook it curiously, noticing slight temperature changes around him.

"What are you doing with the blood of that madwoman?" Yunli asked, looking at Nidhogg with curiosity, as Solum and Bibilionia turned their attention to him.

Bibilionia guessed, "To curse her using bodily traces? But with her abilities, it's almost impossible for a sorcerer apprentice to inflict a deadly curse on her. Even special curses would require a large altar and more bodily traces, plus a sorcerer apprentice with a rare talent for curses."

"Uh... I just want to see why Sun's Child can control fire elemental energy so terrifyingly, trying to unravel her secrets from her blood. After all, she dissected your talents."

Nidhogg explained.

From Sun's Child’s words, Nidhogg had deduced that Bibilionia's golden iris talent involved a deep use of a rare water element rune.

And Bibilionia's attack style fit this explanation, as every enemy observed by her golden iris met death through dehydration.

This made Nidhogg think of his two broken branches.

If he could decipher the rare rune within and integrate it into his soul element magic circle, perhaps he could reach Bibilionia's power level...

Regarding Solum’s talent, as per Sun's Child's explanation, it involved symbiosis with some "creature," a concept Nidhogg struggled to understand. What creature could bestow such a powerful ability of bodily immortality?

Perhaps it related to the fact that Nidhogg had never seen Solum "die."