Magus Supremacy

The man on the rooftop was watching what was happening with an uneasy look on his face along with a deep frown.

"A corrupted beast? Damn! The academy needs to know of this. Unless I'm growing old, which I'm not, with the speed that beast displayed, it was surely at the tier of a Sky-ranked beast.

But now, with it being corrupted, it has gone up a stage and has reached the level of a Saint-ranked beast. Well, while trading its lifespan that is. Usually, beasts live for around two hundred years unless they are killed early.

But when corrupted, their lifespan becomes drastically shortened. They would only live for fifty or maybe twenty-five years at most. Rarely has a corrupted beast lived longer than that or managed to extend its life. Shit! These kids have just been thrown into a t…"

"Let them be." A voice whispered directly into the man's ear, causing him to halt mid-sentence.

"What?" The man asked, thinking maybe he had misheard.

"Two of those students down there are related to the Cromwell." The voice added again, causing the man's eyes to widen in shock.

"Th… the Cromwell?" The man asked in surprise.

"Of course. I'm telling you this because I trust you. Now, I don't know if they are direct descendants or disciples of the family. What I do know is that one of them has displayed the family technique." The voice explained.

"Family technique?" The man mumbled as his mind flashed back to the previous fights.

The red bands were clearly the direct descendants, so he hadn't paid much attention to them. Instead, his gaze had been drawn to the yellow bands, especially to Grey.

He now recalled the brown-haired youth using a form of breathing technique that sounded oddly familiar. With the voice's reminder echoing in his ears, he finally realized where he had seen that technique before.

"So, I want to see how strong he truly is and how far he can go. You know as well as I do that apart from the direct descendants of the clans, the others are considered cannon fodder. But if cracks are beginning to form, then we need stronger members from the newer generation.

So monitor them, but let them be. Only when you see that their lives are truly at stake should you intervene."

And with that, the man's ears fell silent. He was left with no choice but to remain on the rooftop and watch what was unfolding below.

"I hope they can pull through." The man muttered under his breath, his eyes never leaving the battlefield.

__

Meanwhile, back at the battlefield, Rivock had just been saved from certain death.

"Now!" Noelle roared, her voice sharp and commanding, and a deafening bang echoed across the field as Mada shot off after performing the flash step.

He sped forth with blistering speed, his body blurring as he infused his sword with Ki, strengthening its durability until the blade seemed to gleam with a faint aura. With a final sprint, Mada shot into the air, his figure rising like a streak of light before he slammed his sword down against the beast's chest.

The impact was thunderous, sending the creature skidding several inches away from Rivock and forcing it to crash against the ground. A low rumble followed, shaking the earth beneath their feet.

The direct descendant landed back down with a heavy huff, his chest rising and falling as he glared at the beast. A thin trickle of black blood now dripped down its chest from the spot where Mada's sword had struck, staining the ground with a foul stench.

"Thanks," Rivock said, his sword now vibrating with power as the yellow aura surrounding it grew even more intense.

"No problem," Mada replied, his eyes narrowing as he watched Rivock step forward.

"I just want to say… I'm sorry that you all won't be able to be of much help here. Just try to support me as much as you can," Rivock said, glaring firmly at the beast, which now looked furious and more enraged by the second.

"What do you mean by that?" Mada asked, his tone sharp and seemingly offended that his friend was already counting him off.

'Judging by the little amount of shadow wrapped around its body, it shows that it only recently became corrupted. Which means it hasn't had the time to fully adapt yet,' Rivock thought as part of his iris began glowing an unnatural yellow, his gaze piercing and cold.

AWHOOOOOO!

The Lycan roared in anger and, without a second thought, dashed forward with explosive speed. The ground cracked beneath its steps as it came charging like a feral storm.

"Listen to me and don't act rash!" Rivock howled as he pressed his feet into the ground, shattering the surface. With a deafening crack, he also exploded forward, his speed astonishing, leaving trails of dust behind him.

In the blink of an eye, Rivock and the beast clashed dead in the center. The Lycan swung its massive claws at him, and Rivock swung his Ki sword to meet them head-on.

BOOM!

A shockwave erupted, blowing out a violent gust of wind. Rivock's hands trembled slightly under the force, the ground beneath their feet splitting apart, debris scattering into the air.

"ARGH!" Rivock groaned, leaping back in time to avoid the Lycan's other claw that sliced dangerously close to his legs.

Now airborne and directly above the beast, Rivock quickly encased his entire foot in Ki. Without hesitation, he hammered it down in a brutal axe kick straight onto the Lycan's head.

BOOOOM!

The impact triggered an even greater shockwave, slamming into the others and forcing them to skid several inches backward.

The ground beneath the beast cracked and quaked violently, forming a deep crater as Rivock pressed down harder, pouring more and more power into his foot. For a moment it seemed like he had the upper hand, driving the Lycan lower and lower into the earth.

But suddenly, the beast stopped budging altogether.

"Grraaahh!" it growled angrily as it swiped its claws at the air above, aiming to slash Rivock.

Sensing the danger, Rivock instantly kicked off the beast's head, leaping back into the air and narrowly avoiding the strike by the skin of his teeth. His heart pounded as the claw barely missed him.

But before he could even recover, the Lycan bent its legs and launched itself upward, soaring into the air with monstrous agility. In one swift, fluid motion, it swung its heavy, furry foot forward.

Rivock's eyes widened. He couldn't react in time. The only thing he could do was lift his arms above his head to block.

CRACK!

The beast's leg smashed into his arms with crushing force. Pain exploded across his body as a loud bang echoed through the field. His body was flung down from the sky like a broken arrow.

BANG!

He crashed into the ground with immense force, his body carving a deep crater as dirt and debris burst outward.

"Kuuk!" Rivock coughed out a mouthful of blood, his body trembling. The beast landed a few meters away, its heavy frame shaking the ground.

"Shit! We need to help now!" Noelle shouted, her voice ringing with desperation.

"Ahead of you!" Mada snapped back as his Ki flared violently around his feet. Without hesitation, he burst forward with tremendous speed, determination blazing in his eyes. His only goal was to reach the beast before it could move in for the killing blow on Rivock.