Chapter 376 - 376- Festival 107- Raid on a Rainy Night 46

Words : 1848 Updated : Oct 15th, 2025

Their bodies tensed, a shudder running down their spines as their eyes flared open in shock. Their muscles locked, Arma squeezed tightly into a ball while their shoulders slumped down, slow breathing taking root in their chest. Their eyes flicked to one another, yet their heads did not move. As if a silent message was being transferred to the other. A warning of some sort, or perhaps a mental plan. But that was dumb. None of them were psychic. Yet they still did it. Subtle, without physical movement. Just a nudge of their head, as if glancing at each other would give them a better view of their predicament. But it didn't. What came next was a footstep, then footsteps. Slowly, purposefully, one by one, two by two, group by group. From a door within the darkness. Hidden. Unknown. Confusing. For a moment, Darrell could have sworn they were the only ones present in that area. The front of the Lecture Theaters was hardly ever used. Not for anything worth noting. After all, what stood in front of the lecture theatre was a sloppy field of amphoteric grass and a pond in the middle. A well-cultured one. Lily pads, a current that only swirled within, unperturbed by the presence of humans around. A tranquil blue that cast its elegant glance over the skies, stale. Riddled with duckweeds, lotuses and water hyacinths. Its ornate purpose was merely for observing, seeing from a distance. Only to appreciate the beauty within. It had always been there, untouched by the students. Merely gaze upon it for a moment, a silent appreciation for its purpose within their minds. Darrell was one of the few who truly knew their worth and appreciated it. After all, a semblance of mother nature in a school of conflict was an anchor that tied him down to his roots. The reminder of his deep connection with their goddess, Gaia. He stood still in the moment, Carl doing the same until the footsteps came too close for comfort. Still, they didn't move, didn't flinch. Not yet, at least until the world around them had been confirmed. "It's Darrell Silvan and Carl Dunham." A familiar voice pierced through the air, causing Darrell's gaze to bulge open slightly. His head turned backwards with precision and sluggishness. His gaze swept past the robed figure who stood behind him and landed instead on the three familiar figures behind. 'Javier....yon Duke...and Aurora.' His expression hardened. Anyone could tell at a glance what was going on, and he especially didn't need to spin his mind around it to come to a conclusion. His lips parted. "finally showing your true colours, Javier? At a time like this too." Carl flinched at his statement, his head darting behind as well. "classmates of yours?" He asked through gritted teeth. "well....former." Javier and his cohort– well, what was left of it walked out into the open. Their figures basked in the moonlight, water lining down their bodies from their heads. A silent tension hung between them. For just a second, enough for Darrell to finally land on a plan. "Don't speak, Javier." one of the robed figures said with a sigh. "there are always those who would ridicule you for your decisions. Especially one that resembles betrayal, but there is no such term used between a System user and Non-system user." Darrell scoffed. His gaze grew dimmer. His silver eyes shrank into a slit. "Hah....this again." He said with amusement. A cold hue hung deep at the back of his throat. "again and again. With the same thing. Do you realize no one but you discriminates between us?" The robed figure tilted his head slightly, an amused chuckle escaping his lips. His dull, dark eyes shimmered slightly, a malevolence so deep, bearing forth suffering that was buried within. "You speak because you do not know the world yet, Darrell." Darrell flinched, his head reeling back in silent resignation. "The world isn't black and white....there's Grey....there's orange....and there's red. Look around you when you finally leave your comfort zone." The man folded his arms, a cold venom lingering at the tip of his tongue. "Perhaps you will see the seat of corruption that dwells deep in society. You all are the cause of that corruption– that suffering and we will be the blades that cut you down." He took a step back and the three robed figures behind him walked up to them, one at a time, a weapon shimmering into play. It was obvious what intent they had now, not that it mattered. Not that Darrell was going to stand and wait for it to happen. His mana swirled, a deep shade of crimson ignited in his chest, around his heart, a fiery storm. 'Ignis.' A fiery light ignited between him and the incoming figures, a sudden roar trembling the skies as a pair of crimson wings shot out into the air with a shift. Slamming against the enclosed space of the walkway, it screeched, a fiery might exuding its snout as a blast of crimson lava shot out in the blink of an eye. The figures jumped back, panic evident in their gazes, expressions growing firm as the Dragon's form cast a shadow over their figures. Large, growing, evolving, a fiery crimson light. Spirit magic. It crumbled the very tension that hung, landing its scarlet feet, ever glowing, ever crushing against the walkway. It broke it, its feet nearly faltering from the sudden loss of foothold, wings flapping with a solid strength that pulsed within it. Darrell whipped his gaze at Carl, the latter already locking gazes with him. Without a beat, without wasting time with words. Their feet moved, and they jumped. Landing atop the Dragon as it swooped into the air, a blast of wind left in its wake, blasting the figures back with a quake. They struggled and groaned under the weight of the wind but stood strong. Waiting, standing. Soon, the wind ceased, giving them the reprieve to glance up. Javier clicked his tongue in annoyance, taking a step forward, his gaze lingering on the shrinking crimson dragon. He turned to them curtly. "Are we seriously letting them go?! They know too much. We should end them as well." The robed figures glanced at one another and then at the boy. One of them sighed outwardly. "Just to make things clear. Javier. You no longer have a place in this school. Whether we kill those who see you or not. The headmaster sees us and he won't let you slide free." Javier's face twisted. Confusion, realization and something deeper. A confirmation. "Then...why does he let us go now? Why not stop us." The robed figure shrugged. "We've made a name for ourselves within the Academy. We've made contingencies, plans to fall back on if they do act now. The Headmaster must be aware that intervening is futile. He may find us and kill us....but he will never end us." Javier tilted his head slightly, a pang of understanding. Still, confusion lingered. "Why wouldn't he?" The robbed figure glanced at him, his arms stretching slightly from his robes as he turned around. "Because he can't." In his arm was a gun. A machine of fiery destruction, endowed with the best magical technology. Advanced form, ornate structure and patterns. Silver, glowing, a flicker of zoom, something deadly hidden within. One would think it was owned by a Noble, one of high standing. And not a mere lecturer at his level. He raised the gun into the air, pulled the trigger and recoiled slightly as a blast of sound erupted in their ears. A slight ring lingered behind as a bullet projected into the air with a sonic speed, exploding into an art of crimson and lilac. It crackled in the pouring rain, an even greater sound ripped apart with a loud A shade, a mixture. A trumpet. A summons. The colour hazed in the sky, trickling down like dying fireworks. Vibrant and clear. Colouring the night sky in a scarlet hue. Darrell and Carl stared from above, wings flapping with furious intent. A purl exuded from the depth of the Dragon's throat as its scaly eyes flicked with pressure. Its head glanced down, muffled flames exuding from the edge of his lips. Darrell's fingers twitched slightly. Resting warmly atop its back. His eyes flicked towards the Dragon's, a clash of intent meeting at a point as the dragon stared right back at him. Darrell sighed. A dry smile played at the edge of his lips. "I apologize, ignis. It has been a while since I last summoned you." The Beast growled low. A thick murmur that spread a sudden vibration down its back. Carl flinched, his eyes bulging open while Darrell chuckled slightly. "I know you are displeased. I am in the world of humans. I can't summon you as I please. They will fear you." It growled again. Short. Deep. Their conversation reached its junction. Darrell nodded slightly. "Yes, I will summon you immediately when I get back to the Elven Forest." Carl's gaze widened slightly. Flicking between the Dragon and the Elf before him. He sat behind, his gaze landing on Darrell's back as he raised his arm and tapped him. Curiosity was etched in his expression as the former turned towards him. "You– you talk to it?" Darrell raised a brow. A slight annoyance in his expression. His jaws clenched slightly, brows furrowed, but then he sighed and looked away. "It's not an 'it' Carl. It's a she. Ignis, the golden dragon. Many live in the spirit world. Many beings, divine spirits of godly nature who you humans refer to as beasts." His gaze flicked for just a moment. "Wha– what do you mean?" He asked. Confusion and curiosity laced at the tip of his tongue. Spirit animals were referred to as beasts. Beings were seen in an ethereal plane, mostly by elves and a few humans who were specifically chosen by them. They were powerful. Mysterious. An aura of control always warped around them as they went about their activities. They were far different from Devils and Demons. They were purer, holier you might say, but not holy. They were simply spirits. Good and bad. Carl glanced at it once more, tracing his fingers along the ridges of her scales. A tingling sensation creeps at the tip of his fingers. He felt a calmness overtake him, his thoughts reeling in slowly. 'Perhaps....perhaps this is what I'm missing.' The Dragon flew in slow motion, basking in the cold rain that simmered down its body, evaporating just slightly above its hardened skin. The boys had followed that motion, tranquil. Safe. Until– A trail of molten boulders lined the skies. An incoming barrage of predetermined missiles launched for their demise. They blinked. They held for life.

Chapter 376 - 376- Festival 107- Raid on a Rainy Night 46

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