She had judged him wrong.
"Heal yourself," the man who pulled Emma away from William said in a heavy voice.
Emma turned toward him. "Why are you here, Sir Kaizek?"
He was her father's right hand, a man whose duty was to guard the Tower Master. By all rights, he shouldn't have left the Tower.
Natalie and the others had already recognized him. Kaizek—a Seven-star warrior, a man who had made headlines more than once. One of the elites who had slain a true devil with his own hands.
A dangerous existence.
"Your father was worried. And now I understand why," Kaizek replied flatly, his eyes never straying from the figure Emma had just saved…and then got stabbed.
William hovered mid-air, wrapped in aether that raged around him like a storm.
His aura climbed with every passing second, showing no signs of slowing down.
The ground quaked beneath him, chunks of earth breaking free and levitating without him even trying.
The teenager floated above them, a smile of pure contentment on his face.
He was enjoying it—his newfound power.
Kaizek's eyes narrowed. This presence was dangerous.
He looked down at Emma. "Give me the Mark of God."
Natalie's eyes widened. "Why would you need such a high-grade spell to deal with him?"
Kaizek's voice was grim as he pointed at William. "You see that boy? Most people have between seven and ten mana nodes. A rare genius might possess fourteen, like the young lady here…" He gave Emma a glance, then shook his head. "But that floating anomaly—his mana nodes are multiplying with every breath."
"What?!" Laila gasped, her voice trembling with shock. She wasn't alone—everyone felt it.
"That can't be…" Lizel whispered. "William is one of the weakest in the academy."
Kaizek raised a brow. "Then why don't you try suppressing him yourself?"
Lizel fell silent. The ominous pressure William released was undeniable. The aether around him warned anyone foolish enough to step into his domain.
The night demon that had nearly killed William not long ago—under this power, it would have been crushed with ease.
Emma suddenly pressed her hand against Kaizek's back. A glowing magic circle appeared, radiant and steady, assuring him that unleashing his full strength wouldn't harm him.
But before Kaizek could move, Emma grabbed his collar and pulled him back. Her voice rang out, firm and commanding:
"You are not allowed to take his life. That is an order."
Kaizek studied her for a long moment, then exhaled deeply.
"As you command."
The man stood and took a few deliberate steps.
His hands went to the knot tied at the back of his head. Slowly, he loosened it and removed the fabric covering his eyes.
Pale white eyes now stared out, sharp and unyielding.
The air around him seemed to shift.
Now he could see it—every single mana node William had been creating.
Sixty-four… I need to distract him. Kaizek trusted his own skills, but he was human. Even he had limits.
If he didn't act fast, William's body would become a complete hive.
Kaizek crouched and lifted a large stone from the ground. It seemed to obey him, drawn toward William's domain.
It's like he's slowly increasing the gravitational field around himself.
Kaizek had a rough understanding of what kind of sorcerer William was.
He pulled his arm back, channeling aether into his muscles, and then—
STOOOO
The stone shot forward like an arrow, hurtling straight at William.
The boy's smile faltered for just a moment—but before the rock could strike, it stopped in midair, suspended by an invisible force.
Kaizek's eyes narrowed. The multiplication had paused.
Good.
William's dark eyes locked onto the figure standing in his way.
A toothy grin spread across his face as he clenched his fists.
The ground trembled violently. Massive boulders were ripped from the earth as if drawn by his sheer will.
Natalie's breath caught in her throat. Her pupils widened in shock. The same boy who once struggled to lift a single stone was now summoning enormous boulders with ease.
William's gaze stayed fixed on Kaizek. "Yes… you'll do. After so long, I can finally use my powers to their full extent."
With that, he hurled a colossal boulder at the black-haired warrior.
Kaizek's eyes narrowed. He saw the intricate inner structure of the rock, every fracture and weak point.
With lightning precision, he lunged forward, tapping specific points with his fingers. The boulder shuddered—and then shattered into multiple fragments before it could reach him.
Laila whistled, "That was dope."
William nodded, "You know your stuff, eh? I like that."
Suddenly, the blond lifted his arms and several huge chunks of crystals pierced through the ground and levitated around the chanter.
"Now, show me if you can dodge these."
Kaizek wryly smiled, 'This is going to be tiresome.'
°°°°°°°°°
A/N:- Thanks for reading.