Jamie vanished from her seat, reappearing just one inch from Alackster. Her foot was already in motion, swinging directly at his face.
Slam!
The kick connected with Alackster's jaw despite his last-second block. The force was amplified by Mirror Guardian's law of overpowering an enemy the host is weaker than.
Alackster was sent flying backwards, crashing into a few chairs.
Jamie landed in a defensive stance, the pupils in her eyes turned red, then quickly faded to black when the danger was temporarily averted.
She blinked, looking around her, confused. "Huh? How am I here?"
The entire hall erupted into chaos of whispers.
"How is she so fast?"
"What kind of body enhancement spell is that?"
Alackster pushed himself up from the rubble, wiping blood from his lips. His face curved to a smile before quickly changing into a cold expression.
"You…" His tone was calm. "...Dare attack me?"
Wind magic erupted from his body, curling around him like a tornado that grew larger by the second.
Papers and books flew through the air in random directions. The chairs scattered in an instant.
Some students were caught up too, floating alongside the books.
"I'll kill you both!"He launched forward with devastating speed, his arm aimed at Jamie's face.
Jamie stood there frozen, her body could not respond in time. The ❰ Mirror Guardian ❱ had faded away when Arthur was out of danger, leaving her vulnerable.
Meanwhile, Arthur watched as Alackster closed in at the last second. He saw the killing intent in his eyes… and the mortal danger approaching his twin.
Time stopped.
He felt something twist inside him violently. Every fiber of his being tried to move against the odds, every muscle in his body screamed at him in pain, but he didn't care.
There was only one goal in his mind.
Protect Jamie!
Then a holographic screen appeared in front of him.
❰ Mirror Guardian activated ❱
❰ Assessing enemy… ❱
❰ Enemy is far stronger than the host… ❱
❰ Adjusting power levels of the host to match enemy's…❱
"Wha…?" Arthur's pupils turned golden, glowing with great intensity. Raw power began flowing through his veins.
❰ Adjusting power levels…54% ❱
❰ Adjusting power levels…87% ❱
❰ Adjusting power levels…99…100! ❱
Arthur raised his hand to feel the huge amount of Arcana energy passing through him.
He looked up to see Jamie and everyone else frozen. He waved his hand slightly and time continued.
This was no longer Arthur; Mirror Guardian had taken over his body to fulfill its law.
As time continued, Alackster was still in motion to harm Jamie.
Just then, a translucent barrier formed a wall between them, rising as high as the class's roof, blocking Alackster's attack in realtime.
The wall cracked, so did the floor from all directions.
The area was crumbling.
Crash...!
The impact sent a shockwave throughout the entire building.
The smoke cleared. Jamie was safe, unharmed by Alackster's attack.
Alackster's fist pressed against the barrier, his expression turning to shock.
"What... is this?!"The barrier held firm despite the cracks spreading across its surface like lightning frozen in crystal.
Arthur stood behind it, one arm up, maintaining the barrier. His eyes glowing so bright.
Blood dripped from his nose, but he didn't seem to notice.This was ❰ Mirror Guardian ❱ in complete control.
Alackster pulled his fist away, magic dispersing from the edges.
"A weakling matching my power Impossible!"Alackster began to conjure up another new spell when a voice rang from the class door.
"Enough!" Everyone turned towards the door.
Aurelia Asterion walked in, her silver hair flowing behind her like wind through water. Ice began to spread from her feet. It crawled across the floor in geometric patterns, reaching Arthur and Alackster, creating a solid wall between them.
"Have you gone mad?" She stood between them. Arthur's ❰ Mirror Guardian ❱ faded away since Jamie was not in any danger, and he stumbled as he regained consciousness.
"They attacked me first!" Alackster jabbed a finger towards Jamie and Arthur. "And even stole from me..."
"I don't care who started it or who stole from you. You three are responsible for this mess!" Aurelia scolded them.
"Wait...!" Another voice came from the door once more.This time it was Acheron!
"There's a way to settle this," Acheron said.
Aurelia turned her head slightly towards her direction. "And what might that be, Lady Acheron?"
Acheron stepped into the center of the room, glass crunching beneath her feet as she walked. "A duel."
"..."
There was complete silence after hearing the words that came out of Acheron's mouth.
Alackster broke into a smile. "You want to fight me? All by yourself?" He laughed. "Even if all three of you fought, there's still no way you would win!"
Acheron's lips curved slightly. That was what she wanted to hear."If that's the case, then we will all face you... all three of us."
Alackster grinned. "It will be more interesting watching not one but three Anaxagoras lose."
"What about the stakes of the battle?"
Aurelia looked Acheron in the eyes. She had a feeling of absolute certainty that Acheron believed she was going to win.
But against a person at least four, five levels higher than her?She doesn't even stand a chance.
"For the stakes... if we win..." Acheron looked at her siblings. "Senior Alackster gives me the right to select students for the dungeon expedition."
The hall became noisy once more, whispers spreading like wildfire through the remaining students.
"She wants to choose?"
"That's the craziest thing I've heard!"
The dungeon expedition was one of the academy's most prestigious events, held once every academic year to test the academy's finest students against real dangers. It wasn't just about gaining rare relics or proving your worth—it was about survival, strategy, and demonstrating the kind of potential that caught the attention of many well-known individuals in the kingdom.
Alackster was one of the top three best graduating students in the academy, hence making him one of the perfect choices to pick students to dominate the dungeon with him.
Alackster crossed his arms, rubbing his chin. "What if I win?"
Acheron smiled again, but this time she didn't hide it."I will give you one of my family's greatest relics... God's Gift."
"..."
Everyone stopped to look at Acheron. That was probably the strangest and boldest thing they had heard in their entire lives!