The black-robed figure swung his right hand back, silently casting a magic shield upon himself.
Standing within the faintly glowing, eggshell-shaped transparent barrier, the black-robed figure spread his hands and slightly raised his head, beginning to chant an incantation.
"Be careful! This person is an ancient mage!" Elina shouted.
Lanen desperately tried to recall what he had learned from his magical defense studies.
Feeling the opposing magical energy gradually gathering, he deeply realized that knowledge is most precious when it is needed, and since he had no practical training, he felt utterly unprepared.
"We're doomed. This was reckless," Lanen thought in the blink of an eye.
A fireball came whistling toward them.
Lanen struggled to channel his magic according to the book's instructions, attempting to counter the fire spell, but he shamefully failed. At the critical moment, a sharp cry was heard as Elina also acted almost simultaneously.
Someone who had undergone practical training in the second half of the first year was indeed different—Elina's fire spell counter succeeded on the first try. The fireball ahead popped like a soap bubble in the sunlight, "Pop!" and then vanished without a trace, as if nothing had ever flown past.
The black-robed figure on the opposite side snorted coldly. As another incantation ended, another fireball flew over, slightly larger than the last, emitting a low roar as it approached.
Lanen and Elina jumped to the left and right respectively, dodging this attack.
The fireball that flew past them carried a dangerous heat, then tore the doorframe from the wall and shredded the curtain with its explosive force, demonstrating formidable power.
When the third fireball came, perhaps due to a surge of potential in the critical moment, Lanen's counter-spell succeeded, extinguishing the incoming fireball.
"This won't do! Even if our magic consumption is low, our total reserves are far inferior to his. We can't hold out much longer! Think of something!" Elina anxiously shouted to Lanen.
Lanen pondered a solution and was about to speak.
Two vines flipped over from the wall—one intercepted the fourth fireball, while the other snaked through the air, abruptly thrusting toward the black-robed figure.
Reinforcements!
Lanen's heart nearly leaped out of his chest in excitement.
"Who's there?!" roared the black-robed figure, who had withstood the attack with his magic shield. His hope of escape grew increasingly slim, and he appeared more agitated.
"You're the one who kidnapped the children!" came an angry voice as the Magical Flora and Fauna teacher walked in through the doorway. With green light flickering at her fingertips, more vines extended from behind her and the dense foliage above, pointing menacingly at the black-robed figure. "You two, step back! I'm going to turn him into a specimen!" With a wave of her hand, numerous vines shot toward the black-robed figure like arrows.
Unfazed, the opponent raised his right hand, unleashing a ring of fire that expanded outward, pushing away all the vines and charring some of them black as they fell. The two exchanged spells while circling the center of the room, with vines and fire magic clashing back and forth in a cacophony of battle.
Meanwhile, Lanen, relieved, carefully maneuvered, trying to find an opening to land a decisive blow.
However, the Magical Flora and Fauna teacher was gradually being overpowered by the black-robed figure, likely due to elemental disadvantage—fire magic, as one of the four foundational elements, strongly countered the derived wood magic.
The teacher gradually lost the opportunity to counterattack, only able to frantically defend herself with vines while occasionally blocking spells aimed at Lanen and Elina.
Watching the teacher fall into a disadvantage, Lanen grew anxious but felt helpless.
"Bang! Bang!"
Two gunshots.
After the first shot, the magic shield shattered like glass. With the second, blood spurted from the black-robed figure's thigh.
The startled black-robed figure instinctively hurled a fireball at the newcomer, forcing him to roll awkwardly out of the way. Seizing the moment when the black-robed figure's shield was broken, injured, and his magic already unleashed, Lanen took a stride and leaped high—
Lanen delivered a straight punch to the black-robed figure's temple.
The frail and wounded opponent finally succumbed to the physical blow, collapsing on the spot.
Lanen immediately pounced, pinning the black-robed figure down.
By then, the teacher had also reacted. Snake-like vines swiftly crawled over, binding the enemy tightly and hoisting him a person's height off the ground. Meanwhile, the old policeman, covered in dust, got up and reloaded his weapon, aiming it at the black-robed figure.
The battle was over.
Lanen was still panting heavily. He turned to see Elina in the same state. Looking up, he spotted Sophia and Hal's group rushing over breathlessly from the path.
"How is everyone? Is everyone alright?" Hal shouted. Then he saw the enemy, trussed up like all the mischievous kids in Magical Flora and Fauna class, dangling in the air, and Lanen and Elina sitting on the ground, gasping for breath. He quickly grasped the situation—they had won. He reached out to help Elina up, while Sophia pulled Lanen to his feet, letting him lean on her back for support.
"You finally came!"
This was Beta's first words after the gag was removed from his mouth.
Heidi and the others wept for joy, hurriedly pulling out a small knife to cut the ropes binding Beta.
As the ropes fell away, Beta embraced Heidi, Tina, Vera, Camry, and Julie tightly, sobbing uncontrollably. "Wuwuwu, thank goodness you're here. I thought I was done for this time." Lanen, squeezed to the outside, could only reach out and pat Beta's shoulder.
The old policeman was conversing with the Magical Flora and Fauna teacher as they slowly lowered the enemy. The black-robed figure was gradually regaining consciousness—Lanen's decisive punch hadn't been fatal. Throughout the process, the policeman's gun remained trained on the black-robed figure's head.
Suddenly, Lanen smacked his forehead. "Almost forgot! There are two more over there. Let's check on them quickly."
With Sophia supporting him, he led Hal and Elina to the two figures piled in the corner.
They were also bound tightly, their heads facing the wall, their robes indicating they were fellow students. Earlier, their heads had been turned inward, their robes tattered and dirty, their hair messy and unkempt, making them blend into the corner like a pile of clutter—easy to overlook.
When the two in the corner were turned over, the group realized they were also awake, merely gagged and unable to make a sound.
To Lanen's surprise, he recognized both of them. One was someone from the Mage Chess Club, though he couldn't recall his name, they had chatted a couple of times. The other had long, pointed ears—
It was Scott Silvermoon.