The clouds above the city had a hole caused by that explosion, and on the ground a crater had formed, since an attack on the same level as a ninth circle is much harder to withstand, requiring maximum effort—exactly why someone of the ninth circle could still destroy the world, but as said before, they would have to give everything in a single attack and hit specific points of the world, repeating several strikes.
"This is truly unbelievable… this world had to multiply its magical and physical resistance thirty-two times to withstand this. These guys are reaching the level of a God."
As the system spoke, Vaen's skin began to crack apart, and he looked at his own hands with a new feeling rising in his heart, since today was the day he was born—at least until he returned inside Enrico and fully merged with his memories.
At first, it was a feeling of absolute hatred toward Jago, wanting to kill him at any cost and giving everything he had. Now it was a burning frustration in his chest, because he felt this had happened before, except this time he might have had the chance to kill him.
"The next… will be the last… I… promise."
Completely shattering, Enrico returned to normal, falling unconscious to the ground while Lira, from afar, was the first to find him, since she had been watching him for a long time even with her third eye constantly being destroyed during the monstrous battle that had unfolded.
'I never thought you would be like me—no… you're more complete, since it seems you weren't just an experiment to make you stronger.'
Lifting him by the arm, she placed his arm over her shoulder, carrying him to a different place so the others wouldn't discover he was half Nartheis.
"We managed to protect all the mages and civilians; that's good."
Hao had created a protective barrier around the civilians and mages the Nartheis had sent away, since that explosion had been massive and only didn't go further because Xuelan halted its expansion to a very distant place, creating a safe zone outside the explosion radius, which exceeded ten thousand kilometers. Meanwhile, Renzou used his magic to protect the nearby cities, while the remaining Kings, along with Virelle and Angela, joined Sofia to protect her kingdom by combining their magic.
'Even so, there were still many deaths, and we lost people who could have helped us in the future.'
The more time passed, the more mages and knights with potential they lost. Dusting off his clothes, he created several barriers with eyes, sending them to different places.
"I have to find where that Nartheis is."
It took only a second for him to receive information from everyone who was still in the destroyed city. Not seeing the Nartheis anywhere, he sighed in disappointment.
"Damn, it seems he left."
"Who left, Director?"
"The Nartheis who helped us."
Virelle approached, massaging her shoulders, as that destructive attack had really forced her to use most of what she had.
"Since you sent those observation barriers, tell me—are my students and my disciple alright?"
"Haha, I'm really not surprised anymore that you care so much about them… well, don't worry, I see they're fine, and Lira is carrying Enrico to the left, where the healers are."
"Great. Angela, let's go there so you can heal him."
"Of course, Lady Virelle."
Thanking him, the two began flying toward where Enrico was, reaching it in less than a second due to the speed they were using.
"It seems they see him as someone important in their lives… makes sense, after all, such potential can't be wasted."
"Potential? Looks like someone caught your interest, Director, and that makes me curious. But what I really want to ask is: what happened in my sister's kingdom?"
Surprised, Hao turned to see one of the seven ninth circles of the continent who had left to train outside their world—Marzello Sforzare, sister of Sofia Sforzare, the Queen of Vesparello.
'Looks like I'll have to explain a lot or he'll get irritated.'
In many places, people were crying over the deaths of their companions, friends, or family members. Valença and Kai watched with sad expressions, especially when they saw Serenya in the distance, staring at Caelan's lifeless body with open eyes, while Elian covered his face, crying.
Both Kai and Valença looked devastated, their expressions turning frustrated, since Caelan had become an important friend. In the distance, they were also surprised to see Narisse sitting with frustration marks on her face as she stared at Grark's body.
"How many students died?"
"At least ten."
Their frustration came from not being able to find their friends to help them, bringing a sense of uselessness to their hearts—especially imagining how Enrico must be feeling, since Caelan was one of his closest friends.
"I have to find my Ketsumei."
"I'm going with you. We can't let my master stay hurt after facing something like that."
As Rina and Yumeha left, Valença began following them. Behind her, Seraphina also followed with a thoughtful look. Kai, truth be told, felt disappointed in himself for wasting time with that guy who had appeared before him.
'If I were stronger, maybe I could have defeated him easier and gone to save more people… maybe even Caelan… I have to help Enrico recover.'
Following the girls, he noticed he wasn't the only one—Liang also seemed to have fought someone and wore an irritated expression. One could see in his eyes the desire to get stronger, and Kai would do the same.
'I lost to that guy again…'
Liang was thinking about the illusion user. He had fought him a second time, but it seemed during the competition he had been holding back, since in this second battle Liang was easily defeated.
"I swear I'll return this humiliation."
Lamia, who had been listening to the girls' conversation, followed them from afar, not wanting to interrupt, especially because they were in mourning.
'I'll try talking to Enrico later.'
The following day, a funeral would be held for everyone who died, and officially the Throne of Runes was canceled. Meanwhile, in a dark room, figures covered in shadows discussed the potential of Astrong Academy's students, which was far greater than they had imagined.
"Very well. It's decided—tomorrow we will place a barrier around that academy and turn it into the Nartheis' hell."
"Yes, great lord."
The seven at the table stood up, bowing as they left, while the man seated in the chair watched many battles from the Throne of Runes competition, as they were the only things preserved from the day before.
"Seems I had to advance my plans… so be it. None of them will survive that academy tomorrow."