A Sorcerer’s Journey

Up in the sky on a giant bird’s back, a Level-2 Sorcerer was leading eight Sorcerers-Apprentices toward the Hydra Wrath Academy whilst flying at high speed, their shadows just fleeting images on the ground.

One of the Sorcerer-Apprentices behind whispered, “Jilgus, you’ve been in combat with the Hydra Wrath Academy before. It’s almost time for the Holy Tower Qualification Battle, are there any Sorcerer-Apprentices that are noteworthy on their side?”

After the death of Atlas Skull of Shadow Argus Sorcerer Academy seventy years ago, Jilgus was known as one of the three most powerful Sorcerer-Apprentices among the Shadow Argus Academy, also known as ‘The Explosive Maniac’.

Wearing a pair of black toad-eye-like sunglasses, Jilgus always seemed to have a grin on his round face that revealed a missing incisor and a black goatee that hung from his chin which gave him a convoluted style.

During the Academy War, the Sorcerer-Apprentices of the academies would decide the outcome of the battle within the assigned cities. The outskirts of the cities were under the control of the official Sorcerers and it was exceedingly dangerous. The increased friction between both academies in the life-and-death battles allowed both academies to have a vague understanding of their opponent’s powers.

“Haha, don’t underestimate the Hydra Wrath Sorcerers, throughout these years there has been word of some insolent, elite Sorcerer-Apprentices that have popped up over there. Besides Star’s Light, Storm’s Roar, Demon Skull, there’s already been a bunch that have stuck out to be famous elite Sorcerer-Apprentices in the past battles. In the last Academy War, I’ve encountered plenty of rather tricky guys, all of them have originated from the Hydra Wrath Academy…”

Jilgus popped a flaming red bead out from his thumb before catching it again.

“From what I’ve heard, there came along an exceptional teacher in that academy with a strong grasp of sorcery knowledge. That’s why there’s been so many pain-in-the-ass, trump card Sorcerer-Apprentices being churned out from there. The overwhelming majority of Hydra Wrath seems to be below average though, so I assume that this tutor only teaches the most elite Sorcerer-Apprentices.”

Beside Jilgus, a Sorceress-Apprentice nodded her head when she recalled something.

“Thirty years ago, I exchanged blows with Storm’s Roar and found him outrageously strong. Oriana, Zeppelin and I barely escaped. However, during the last Academy War, I’ve heard of this renowned and powerful Sorcerer-Apprentice. He overwhelmed the long-time famous Sorcerer-Apprentices, and he wants to become the best by sweeping away the rest of the competition during the Holy Tower Qualification Battle.

Meiya, Orianna and Zeppelin barely managed to escape Storm’s Roar with their powers combined…

Just how strong was this guy?!

The Hydra Wrath Sorcerer Academy managed to produce an even more terrifying monster that had defeated Star’s Light, Storm’s Roar and Demon Skull as well as an unknown number of Sorcerer-Apprentices in terms of power. The thought of that justified the Sorceress-Apprentice’s fear.

To be on a mission with ‘The Explosive Maniac’, Jilgus, indicated that the Sorcerer-Apprentices on the giant bird were among the Shadow Argus Academy’s elites, and they were expected to qualify in becoming a Demon-Hunter in the Holy Tower Qualification Battle.

“The Star of Hydra Wrath! I’ve heard about this person from a Hydra Wrath Sorcerer-Apprentice I killed ten years ago. The Star of Hydra Wrath who’s claimed to be the legendary Sorcerer-Apprentice amongst all the elite Sorcerer-Apprentices. Generally, it would take one hundred years for a Sorcerer Academy to produce such a powerful Sorcerer-Apprentice, and the Sorcerer-Apprentice in Shadow Argus Academy that was mostly likely to grow to that level, Atlas Skull, was killed by an official Sorcerer of Hydra Wrath seventy years ago.”

The furthest Sorcerer-Apprentice from the group of eight murmured worriedly, from his tone everyone could hear him imposing his worries. The Star of Hydra Wrath was a Sorcerer-Apprentice that truly existed, and perhaps he was the Hydra Wrath’s ultimate trump card among their trump card Sorcerer-Apprentices!

Several Sorcerer-Apprentices began to whisper among themselves, the Level-2 Sorcerer that was at the very front suddenly sighed, “Ugh… Compared to what you described about these Sorcerer-Apprentices, it seems like the Hydra Wrath mentor is the one who is the true nightmare,” causing the Sorcerer-Apprentices to glance at one another, not knowing what to say.

The recognition of Sorcerer-Apprentices generally only lingered among Sorcerer-Apprentices, official Sorcerers were a subject matter that they simply could not care about. Even if they did care, it was futile.

“This mentor you speak of is a disciple of one of the deans of the Hydra Wrath Academy, an elite Demon-Hunter of the Holy Tower of Seven Rings. Known as the ‘Silent Killer’, an elite among Demon-Hunters. Throughout ten years, he’s managed to kill two deans in the Shadow Argus Academy, nine Level-2 Sorcerers, and up to thirty official Sorcerers!”

After hearing this record, the Sorcerer-Apprentices could not help but take a deep breath, some were quaking in their boots. Some were quaking with anticipation.

This Level-2 Sorcerer would not be…

Through their spies, the Shadow Argus Academy had determined that the Sorcerer who had attacked the Sorcerer Tower before was none other than the Hydra Wrath’s concealment Sorcerer, Grimm!

In order to deal with this concealment Sorcerer, the Shadow Argus Academy had even held a grand sorcerer meeting and the strategic system of the Academy War was changed accordingly.

As it turned out, it was a Demon-Hunter from the Seven-Rings, and an elite among Demon-Hunters. This kind of Sorcerer who specialized in assassination was truly terrifying.

He had brought the Slaughtering Will of the Foreign World into the Academy War of the Sorcerers World!

“Caw caw caw caw, Young Master, I’m blushing from all the praise!”

On the giant bird, as the Level-2 Sorcerer sighed, suddenly there was a loud cackle that erupted from beside him. This shocked both the eight Sorcerer-Apprentices and the Sorcerer who had been hearing nothing else but the flapping of the giant bird’s wings.

“Who?!”

The moment the Level-2 Sorcerer opened his mouth, he felt a wave wash over him, followed by pain blossoming from his neck, as something sharp had sliced across it.

His eyes widened and his body reacted before he could even think, activated elemental energy with a ‘bzzt’ sounded as he transformed into a bolt of lightning before appearing several meters away from the group, narrowly avoiding danger.

Crack!

Grimm had anticipated this, bringing up a black arc discharge to absorb the light around him before pinpointing it toward the chest of the Level-2 Sorcerer. Without a word, the Level-2 Sorcerer was instantly disintegrated.

“Ah! Master…”

“Run…”

The Sorcerer-Apprentices looked over to the mysterious and powerful Sorcerer that just suddenly appeared. No, the mysterious and powerful Sorcerer who had just now been revealed, and all that they felt was terror.

Their leader, Mezlang, who was supposed to direct them on the mission during the Academy War was instantly wiped out without even getting a chance to fight back. Just like that?

“Transmuted magnetic field!”

Under the calm voice, the eight frightened Sorcerer-Apprentices and the soul-slave giant bird found their bodies paralyzed one by one. Their bodies were torn to pieces with a ‘poof’ sound before the now gruesomely entangled limbs started falling from the sky.