My body slammed hard, dragged dozens of meters across the wet, rocky ground before finally coming to a stop at the edge of the cliff.
"Uhuk!"
Thick blood spurted from my mouth, staining my mangled academy uniform. A sharp pain shot through my ribs, screaming that something inside was broken.
In front of me stood that figure. A woman with long red hair tied in a ponytail, fluttering wildly in the strong wind blowing off this cliff. The oversized white robe she wore was still clean and spotless, contrasting with my pitiful condition. Her pair of glowing red eyes stared at me from a distance—not with anger, but with a cold, condescending gaze. As if I were nothing but a failure.
The roar of the waterfall behind me was deafening, in sync with my weakening heartbeat. The sky above us was a deep gray, as if mourning my death.
It had been an hour. An hour I had spent trying to kill her, and the result was nothing.
I laughed bitterly, even though it felt like my lungs were being pierced by needles. How ridiculous. At the Academy, people trembled at my mana capacity.
But in front of this woman ... in front of the Master ... I was still a useless child.
"Hah... hah..."
Forcing out my last bit of strength, I raised my right hand. A flash of blue lightning crackled wildly, breaking the cold air.
I shot the lightning spear straight at her heart. However, the woman didn't even move an inch. Just before the magic touched her skin, my lightning disappeared. It simply dissolved into meaningless particles of light.
The Zero ability possessed by the Master. An absolute wall that I could never pass. Even the strongest wizards couldn't.
Before I could process my despair, a shadow flashed.
Bam!
A powerful kick hit my solar plexus. My body hit the ground again. This time, the tip of her boot pressed hard against my chest, forcing me to look up at her face from below. That gaze... a gaze full of disgust.
"Pitiful," she muttered softly. "Is this all you've got after betraying the Organization?"
The woman reached for something from behind her white robe. My heart sank when I saw the object glistening in the dim light.
A black pistol with intricate gold engravings.
I recognized that weapon. Of course I did. It was a masterpiece we had designed together in the lab years ago. The object she referred to as the symbol of my graduation. Who would have thought that the "graduation" she meant was my death.
"Goodbye, my dear student."
She pointed the barrel of the pistol right at my forehead. Purple magical energy began to glow at the tip of the barrel, humming softly, ready to blow my head off.
I closed my eyes, letting the cold cliff wind caress my face for the last time. In the darkness, one stupid question crossed my mind: Where did I go wrong? Was it when I chose to protect him?
BANG!
The explosion sounded much louder than I had expected.
The heat wave pierced my chest, not my forehead. Incredible pain exploded instantly, paralyzing all my nerves. Before I could scream, one last kick hit my ribs.
My body floated. Gravity pulled me down into the roaring waterfall mist below. The last thing I saw before my consciousness was swallowed by darkness was my master face receding, standing tall on the edge of the cliff like a goddess of death.