"Damn it," Vivian muttered.

His sword was broken, and only the hilt remained in his hand.

It was the same sword his father had given him on his tenth birthday.

That sword had stayed with him through every hard moment, through every battle and struggle.

Losing it felt like losing a piece of himself.

"Haaa…" He let out a long sigh and carefully placed the hilt into his subspace.

His chest felt heavy, his heart bitter that something so precious had shattered so easily.

When he looked up, his eyes met the professor's.

The man was staring at him with hollow eyes, calm yet filled with something dark.

"You broke it twice," Vivian said through gritted teeth.

"If I don't make you my slave, then my name isn't Vivian D. Zenithara."

The air around him trembled as he declared those words.

Mana surged from his body, shaking the floor beneath his feet.

He stomped the ground and dashed forward.

The professor moved too, his speed was shocking.

The professor swung his great sword in a wide, horizontal arc, aiming to cut Vivian clean in two.

But just as the blade neared, Vivian jumped, his body twisting in the air to barely avoid the deadly edge.

"Ice," he muttered.

In an instant, a spear of ice formed in his right hand, its tip sharp and glimmering with cold light.

As he descended, he aimed the spear straight at the professor's head.

But the professor didn't retreat.

Instead, he swung his great sword back and turned the blade sideways, blocking the attack with the flat side.

Crash!

The spear shattered into countless icy shards, scattering through the air.

But before the pieces could even hit the ground, Vivian's horns glowed with a fierce white light, his next attack was ready.

But before he could fire, the professor suddenly lunged forward, slamming his forehead straight into Vivian's.

"Tsk." Vivian clicked his tongue and crossed his arms just in time to block.

Boom!

The impact shook the ground.

The professor's headbutt sent Vivian flying backward, his arms throbbing from the blow.

But midair, Vivian spun around and gathered condensed air in his palms.

With a sharp push, he blasted it toward the ground.

The burst of wind stopped his fall, helping him regain balance.

His feet hit the floor, sliding slightly as he lifted his head toward the professor.

His eyes glowed.

The light between his horns brightened to a blinding point.

Whosh!

A powerful beam of light burst forth, slicing through the air toward the professor.

The professor didn't move from his spot.

He simply raised his great sword and swung it down with tremendous force.

Even without using any elemental power, the blade sliced the beam of light clean in two.

The cut was so sharp that the air itself split apart for a moment.

But he didn't stop there.

The professor's eyes locked onto Vivian as he charged forward, his steps heavy and fast.

Vivian took a few steps back, his eyes never leaving the professor's figure.

The man's calm yet terrifying presence made the air around them feel thick and hard to breathe.

Then, a clear and calm voice rang out from the distance.

"Astra."

The professor's eyes flicked toward the source.

Charlotte stood there, her hair swaying in the rush of mana around her.

In front of her, a massive sphere of energy, made from the fierce mix of fire, earth, and wind, was spinning wildly, glowing with chaotic colors.

The moment he saw it, the professor stopped chasing Vivian.

He turned sharply, raising his great sword again as the huge sphere came flying toward him at lightning speed.

The ground cracked under his feet as he steadied his stance, preparing to face the storm head-on.

In the blink of an eye, Astra was right in front of the professor.

Yet his expression didn't change, his eyes were still empty, cold, and calm.

He raised his great sword and brought it down just like before, the same motion he used to slice through Vivian's light beam.

Boom!

But this time, the result was completely different.

The power behind Astra was on a whole other level.

The moment the sword struck, a violent shockwave exploded outward.

The professor was thrown backward like a rag doll, crashing into the ground.

His right arm twisted at an unnatural angle, fractured from the sheer force.

Still, his face showed no pain, no anger, not even surprise.

With that same broken arm, he reached out and gripped his great sword again, his knuckles turning white.

Vivian saw the opening and didn't waste a second.

Mana surged beneath his feet as he flashed forward, closing the distance in an instant.

But before he could strike, the professor's body moved faster.

His leg shot out with brutal precision.

Thuk!

The kick slammed into Vivian's stomach, the impact echoing through the hall.

Vivian's body folded from the blow before being sent flying backward, smashing into a pile of debris.

Dust and stone burst into the air as Vivian hit the ground hard.

The professor didn't even look back.

His eyes turned toward Charlotte, his figure blurred, and in the next moment, he was already moving toward her with blinding speed.

Cough… cough…

Vivian spat out a mouthful of blood, his vision blurring for a moment.

Through the haze, he saw the professor rushing toward Charlotte.

Panic shot through him as he forced his trembling legs to move.

He pushed off the ground and sprinted, ignoring the pain tearing through his body.

But no matter how fast he ran, he was too far, the professor had already reached Charlotte.

The professor's great sword swung down in a deadly arc, slicing through the air with a thunderous roar.

Charlotte's eyes widened, but she didn't lose her composure.

Her voice was calm, though rushed.

"Earth Wall!"

The ground beneath her rumbled as thick slabs of solid earth shot upward, forming a massive barrier between her and the professor.

Boom!

The professor's sword struck the wall a heartbeat later.

The impact was like a bomb going off, rock shattered, and a wave of force exploded outward.

The shockwave sent Charlotte flying backward through the air.

Her mind went blank as she spun uncontrollably.

The world turned into a blur of wind and sky.

She was falling fast, too fast.

If she hit the ground like that, she wouldn't survive.

As the ground rushed up to meet her, her eyes snapped open again.

She tried to channel mana, to regain flight, but her body wouldn't respond in time.

The air screamed past her ears as the earth below came closer and closer.

Though Charlotte was falling fast, there was no panic in her eyes.

She knew she couldn't regain her flight in time.

So instead, she shouted with all her strength—

"Vivian!"

"Coming!" came the reply, clear and sharp through the chaos.

A blur cut across the air, and before she could blink, Vivian was there.

He caught her mid-fall, one arm around her waist, pulling her tightly into his chest as he kicked off the air and retreated far from the professor.

He didn't stop moving, dashing backward across the ruined ground, his eyes never leaving the professor's figure in the distance.

"That guy…" he muttered, his tone rough with disbelief, "he isn't feeling any pain after whatever the fuck he just did."

His voice trembled with frustration and exhaustion.

Charlotte, still pressed against him, could feel his heartbeat pounding against her ear, strong and fast.

Her face flushed red as warmth spread through her cheeks.

She tried to speak, but the words tangled on her tongue.

"Charlotte? Did you faint?"

Vivian asked, his voice suddenly urgent, eyes flicking down at her.

"Ahem… ahem… no, I didn't faint," she said quickly, her voice soft and shaky.

"Were you… asking something?"

Vivian tilted his chin down to look at her, and his eyes widened slightly.

Blood trailed from her nose, her face red as a tomato, and she clutched his shirt tightly, trying to hide her embarrassment.

Though she was embarrassed and the blood came out for other reasons, Vivian thought otherwise.

He gritted his teeth.

"That guy," he swore, "I will make him serve me for his whole life like a slave."

But for now he could only retreat as the professor chased after him.

After a deep breath he asked, "What about that spell you prepared? Can it stop him for a brief moment?"

He looked at Charlotte, his eyes serious.

"Two seconds would do," he said.

"I tried to get close, but that bastard would kick me the moment I get near."

Seeing how serious he was, Charlotte shook off her daze.

She wiped the nosebleed with shaking fingers and said, "I can, but after that I can't fight."

Vivian nodded and quickly moved back, putting more and more distance between himself and the professor.

When he was about a hundred feet away, he gently placed Charlotte on the ground and said, "I'll distract him. You focus on preparing the spell."

Charlotte opened her mouth to reply but stopped when Vivian suddenly dashed forward, his fists glowing faintly with mana.

The ground cracked under his feet as he rushed toward the professor with full speed.

Meanwhile, Charlotte frowned slightly.

A small smile appeared on her face as she whispered, "I was enjoying the chase earlier… but right now isn't the time."

She took a deep breath and flew up into the air, her long hair waving with the wind.

Closing her eyes, she began to chant softly, her voice calm but firm.

Light started to gather around her hands as the spell slowly took shape.

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