"Stop yelling and come to the garden."
The voice echoed in Hayatobi's mind—sharp, clear, and dripping with a subtle, melodic mockery. He raised an eyebrow, recognizing the unmistakable mental signature of the woman he called the 'Old Hag.'
"Follow me," he commanded.
He didn't wait for a response, banking sharply and descending toward a sprawling emerald expanse nestled in the heart of the Sword Academy's fortress. Mirabella and Hitachi followed in his wake, their bodies buoyed by a shimmering translucent platform of mana.
'The ability to fly... I don't have a skill like this yet, and I'm certain Hitachi doesn't either,' Mirabella thought, her mind tracing the complex geometric patterns glowing under her feet.
'Hayatobi must be channeling a high-tier AOE wind or levitation skill to carry us. The mana control required to sustain three people at this speed is terrifying.'
Below them, on the stone walkways, the academy's elite watched their descent. Andrew, the top-tier student with the fiery warrior bloodline, moved with a calculated haste. The female student at his side whispered urgently:
"Young Master... Lord Hayatobi doesn't take students lightly. He hasn't accepted a personal disciple in decades, and now, there are two. Both are at the God rank."
Andrew exhaled, his gaze fixed on the trio in the sky. "Hitachi Azul... I understand him. The Azul clan has always produced monsters. But that girl—who is she? Is she truly powerful enough to sit at the right hand of a Master Teacher?" A cold, hungry smile touched his lips:
"The Glory Flag competition next week will be the ultimate trial. We'll see if she's gold or just polished lead."
______
[Sword Academy Garden]
The air here was different. While the Dragon Academy's gardens were wild and ancient, this place was manicured with lethal precision. At the center stood a gargantuan Wisteria Tree, its lavender petals glowing with a faint, bioluminescent pulse that indicated it was a high-grade mana conductor.
Hayatobi's boots touched the grass first, followed by his two students. Mirabella scanned the area, her eyes instantly locking onto a tea table set beneath the weeping branches of the Wisteria.
Seated there was a woman who looked no older than twenty-five. She was a vision of blonde elegance with piercing green eyes that seemed to hold the weight of centuries. Standing behind her like an unmoving statue was Jessica, her presence as sharp and cold as a drawn blade.
"I thought you said she was an old hag?" Hitachi whispered, his confusion evident.
"Watch your tone, kid," the blonde woman said. She didn't look up, but she flicked a single finger toward the air.
A needle-thin trace of spirit energy, compressed until it was invisible to the naked eye, hissed toward Hitachi's throat.
Hitachi's instincts screamed. His Celestial Eyes snapped open, the red iris spinning violently, forming countless colors. The sheer pressure of his gaze acted as a physical barrier, shattering the incoming energy into harmless sparks before it could touch his skin.
"Oh?"
The lady finally looked up, withdrawing her hand and daintily licking a stray drop of tea from her finger:
"Fascinating... you've evolved your eyes significantly since the last time the Azul clan sent a representative. Your potential is... spicy." She turned her gaze to Hayatobi. "My friend, you didn't even try to stop me. You must trust your student's strength implicitly."
Hayatobi narrowed his eyes, his aura flaring just enough to make the grass around them flatten. "Your student is no different."
Jessica didn't move, but the faint glow of her third eye indicated she was indeed analyzing their every mana fluctuation.
"Fufufu... we are alike, Hayatobi. Without that level of discernment, we wouldn't be Master Teachers—the apex of our respective empires," the woman said.
"Don't tell me you are still using that forbidden skill to maintain this facade, Nadia Bauhinia?" Hayatobi asked, his voice low.
"Please, at least have a seat before you start interrogating me about my skincare routine," Nadia gestured gracefully to the empty chairs.
Hayatobi stared at the seat, then at Nadia. He knew that a conflict here would level the academy and plunge the continent into a catastrophic war. With a huff, he sat down, his clenched fist resting heavily on the table. "You know why I'm here. Start speaking."
Nadia stared at his hand, then met his gaze with a playful tilt of her head. "You mean what happened in the Red Dungeon?"
"Stop answering my questions with more questions!" Hayatobi's voice cracked like thunder, causing the tea in Nadia's cup to ripple.
"Ok, ok," Nadia chuckled, the sound like wind chimes. "My student was simply following the Ancient Protocol. You know the rules, Hayatobi. A student of one academy is permitted to eliminate a student from another if they are deemed an 'obstacle' to a strategic target."
Nadia took a slow, deliberate sip of her tea. "I sent Jessica there for something of vital importance to the Sword Empire. Your students were simply... in the way."
Hayatobi's jaw tightened. The Ancient Protocol was a brutal law established by the three founding Master Teachers to ensure that only the strongest survived to lead the empires. It was a rule he hated, but one he was bound to respect.
"Fine," Hayatobi growled. "But what was the goal? How did you even locate a Red Dungeon in that specific realm?"
Nadia lowered her gaze to her cup, her playful demeanor flickering for a fraction of a second. "It's useless to explain the 'how' now. Someone took what I was looking for before Jessica could secure it." She raised her head, her green eyes locking onto Mirabella with terrifying intensity.
"Someone took it. And if my intuition is correct... it's this student of yours."
Hayatobi looked back at Mirabella, then back to Nadia. The air grew heavy. "So, what's the play, Nadia? Do we settle this here?"
"No. I will let her keep what she took as an 'apology' for the... inconveniences Jessica caused. We'll call it a draw," Nadia said. She signaled to Jessica.
Jessica stepped forward and placed a small, ornate silver box on the table. Nadia slid it toward Hayatobi.
"And this," Nadia added, her smile returning. "Consider it a gesture of goodwill between masters."