The Runic Alchemist

With one leg down, the ape lost its balance as Sam, Lucian, and the others attacked from the side, sending it crashing to the ground with a thunderous impact. The ape screeched in pain, a sound so convincing it seemed real, though it was likely just an act. Evrin and Kamisen ran to join Damian, finally unleashing their spells upon the helpless ape's body, while other spellswords delivered massive cuts to its hands.

Damian flared his pitch-black aura, activating its forceful aura-output runic circle, and leapt onto the ape's thrashing form. Sam, Lucian and Einar aimed for its head, but its hands blocked the strikes. Lucian and Maelor attempted the same but were similarly thwarted. Meanwhile, Alex had moved silently to position himself behind the ape's head, preparing for a surprise attack from the ground. Everyone was vying for the final blow that would end the monster.

Maelor activated a spell etched onto his armor while Lucian and Einar chanted their own incantations. Damian, wasting no time, pulled two vials of potions(Mana Pulse & Lifesprout potion) from his side pouch - broke the seal and drank them to restore his mana and stamina. With his mana back up to a safe 40%, he activated two of the five spells engraved on his massive two-handed sword.

In an instant, Damian's sword transformed into the base for a massive air blade, spinning rapidly like a chainsaw, its sharp edges reinforced by the sharp cutting winds from the Gale Barrier. He had combined elements from Air Blade, Gale Barrier, and Light Barrier to give the weapon a solid and effective structure.

This was one of the swords he and Lumi had theorized together, based on her similar idea. When Damian showed her the completed blade, she had been beyond ecstatic. The weapon measured over 7 meters in length and was dangerously sharp.

Damian charged forward with all his might, the others momentarily frozen by the intimidating weapon. The ape's wounded hands moved sluggishly in defense, but the blade tore through with ease, slicing cleanly through the creature's skull. Its health, already in the critical red, dropped to zero instantly.

As the ape dissolved into shimmering particles, leaving behind a bounty of loot, everyone landed onto the ground with flattened trees. Damian pocketed a few items but ignored the rest, his storage was already full.

A tense silence followed, unsettling in contrast to the earlier chaos, though the audience beyond the exam ground erupted wildly, seeing the scene on the big screen. Some near him continued to stare at him, while others quietly calculated their next move.

The bell had already chimed during the fight, signaling the end of the monster wave. And now more and more Spellborned Legion students began to gather around them. Damian overheard a few whispers about the Valor group moving in force toward the Knowledge Keeper's house.

Damian did not like the looks they were giving him at all. One guy among them did not hesitate for even a moment—Alex stepped forward, his grip tightening on his weapon taking a battle stance against him. All eyes were fixed on the two. Damian's massive air blade still swirling threateningly for another 10 seconds before the spell lost its power completely. Enjoy more content from empire

"Hey, guys... we're a team, right?" Damian asked, doubt creeping into his voice.

"Of course we are," Alex replied coolly, his expression cold as he gestured toward Damian's weapon. "Why don't you put that blade away?"

Einar said loudly with a mocking smile. "Is that the spatial storage item? The one with civilians inside?" Her words drew everyone's attention to the two iron boxes hanging from the pouch at his waist. Murmuring started among them again.

"We still get points if they're in storage and we have it, don't we? It couldn't get any safer than that," Evrin added, Kamisen nodding in agreement beside her.

"Hey! Didn't I just save you two?" Damian protested. His complaint fell on deaf ears.

"He is the Knowledge Keeper's shield and sword," Lucian muttered, analyzing the situation. "Without him, their defenses are useless. They've also got too many civilians stored."

Maelor flashed Damian a sweet but chilling smile as he gripped his blade. "Well, what are we waiting for, then?"

"Oye! Aren't you supposed to be just and all..?" Damian retorted in exasperation.

"Getting rid of you is the greatest act of justice," Sam declared, stepping into a position opposite from Alex. Damian couldn't help but notice the exchange between the two, filled with pure disgust and anger.

"Now that's just plain unfair..." Damian muttered as his sword's spell effect faded, and the intimidating air blade turned back into a simple longsword.

There was still one more spell etched into the blade, glowing at full power—a spell he had yet to use. However, the blade itself wasn't in the best condition; while the massive, sharp air blade had been impressive, it was a taxing spell for even steel.

Damian slowly reached into his side pocket and pulled out three vials—one containing Abyssal Strength potion(temporarily boosting physical strength at the cost of stamina), another with Voidstep potion(allowing brief teleportation over short distances), and the last with Flameburst potion(a burst of flame to expel at will) immediately drinking them after breaking their seals.

"Don't let him drink those!" Sam shouted, and the Spellborne Legion students immediately rushed in, surrounding Damian. He was quickly overwhelmed by the sheer number of students.

Without hesitation, Damian activated eight armor pieces, each glowing green, infused with fast gale spells. In an instant, powerful gusts of wind blew outwards, throwing back the students closest to him. Many crashed into each other, their health bars dipping lower. The battlefield cleared around him, but the real challenge was just beginning.

Sam's glowing sky blue blade, faster than ever, cracking with lightning bolts was nearly on him, and surprisingly, Alex wasn't far behind. That was impressive speed from him. Lucian and Einar were also closing in within a few meters, while Maelor was already chanting something, his armor activating again. Even Kamisen and Evrin started chanting from the rear.

What the monstrous beasts and the critical exams couldn't accomplish, Damian had achieved alone. The entire Spellborne Legion was now united against him. He could have used Voidstep and Fireburst to escape, but that wasn't the purpose of this moment.

This was an exam to test their skills, and the goal was to show off as much as one could—to stand out as much as possible. After he was done, there shouldn't be a single person in the audience or the academy who wouldn't be convinced enough to award him his 200 points.