Swish——
The rain drizzled down.
The weather on the island was ever-changing; the dark clouds from last night turned into a brief shower as sunrise approached.
Inside the great hall of the Central Castle.
Colin stood by the window, watching as the ruins outside were shrouded in a misty veil of rain.
Thanks to this shower,
the flames sparked in the Wizard Territory and Blackstone City gradually extinguished, preventing further damage.
"Hiss—"
Beside him, an apprentice was applying medicine to his wound... burns caused by flames were not as easily treated as other conventional injuries.
A huge blister had formed on the apprentice's arm from the burn, and after he pricked it, a pale yellow tissue fluid flowed out...
Around him, there were many other wounded like him,
some with more severe injuries, some with lighter ones...
Colin withdrew his gaze.
After the protective shield of the Witch Array had shattered,
Colin thought they would be in a "king versus king, general against general" situation against Arman's group of monsters.
They might even have a standoff for a while.
But unexpectedly, the battle escalated into intensity in an instant...
That moment was both a climax and a finale.
That mountain area was merely a stage for Arman and Lap.
Those apprentices, perhaps, could not even be considered spectators.
Colin sighed softly in his heart.
After an endless light.
He came back to his senses amidst the ruins, seeing nothing but broken walls and fallen, wounded apprentices.
In the aftermath of such a battle,
The apprentices, just like those dark red monsters, were utterly fragile.
He somewhat couldn't understand...
What was the purpose of gathering these apprentices there?
Were they merely waiting to be injured by the remnants of the battle?!
But soon, he shook his head.
If things had proceeded normally,
These apprentices would have stayed within the Witch Array until the projection of the leader of the Blood Meat Thorns Sect disappeared, then they would have gone out to handle the remaining dark red monsters and clean up the battlefield...
Who could have anticipated that Arman could deceive the defenses of the Witch Array, thus drastically altering the battle situation.
Colin rubbed the white crystal pendant at his chest through his Wizard Robe, feeling inexplicably emotional.
'Blackstone Island is ultimately just a cage...'
If the sacrifice ritual of the Blood Meat Thorns Sect hadn't been discovered prematurely and had succeeded instead,
the projection of the Evil God summoned would undoubtedly have been even stronger!
If it was strong enough to surpass the capabilities Lap the Wizard could handle...
Then these Wizard Apprentices, no matter where they hid on the island, would ultimately have only one path—death.
Their only chance of survival might be to escape to the sea... although that seemed more like a dead end.
'Perhaps I should buy a ship and learn some essential witchcraft for the sea,' Colin mused silently.
With his current strength, going to sea alone, although perilous, was no longer a certain death like when he was an Intermediate Apprentice.
If faced with an insurmountable danger, heading to sea would be the last hope,
"Colin." Berkeley suddenly approached. "Wizard Lap wants to see you."
He appeared somewhat tired, yet his Wizard Robe was still clean and neat.
"Alright," Colin responded with a nod, his expression calm, not too surprised.
After cleaning up the battlefield and aiding the wounded, he had found Berkeley to report what he had seen before Arman breached the shield— the monster that transformed into red mist merging into Arman's body, and the streak of gold mingled within the red mist.
... As long as he could not leave the island, the fate of the Lap School was tied to his.
Such crucial intelligence should not be concealed.
Berkeley nodded slightly and led him through the crowd of apprentices, across the hall to the gray-black corridor, and finally to the study at the end.
He pushed open the door.
At the grand floor-to-ceiling window, Wizard Lap stood with his back to them.
Outside was a delicate lawn and several lush trees.
It was nearing sunrise, the sky faintly brightening, the rain had stopped, and a barely discernible rich golden light appeared on the horizon.
"Master Lap," Berkeley greeted respectfully.
"Lap teacher." Colin also greeted him.
Wizard Lap, being the head of the School, was also the common teacher of them all.
"Mm," Lap hummed slightly and slowly turned around.
Under the gray hood was the face of an ordinary middle-aged man, his temples revealing that his hair had already turned white.
At this moment, his complexion was unnaturally pale, but his wizard robe was intact, and there was no sign of injury.
"Describe in detail the scene you witnessed," he said as he paced to the bench behind the desk and sat down, staring at Colin.
"Okay, Lap teacher," Colin slowly began to narrate.
As time passed, the originally dim room gradually brightened, with golden light slowly breaking in through the windows,
If one looked up, through the stained glass windows, one could see a golden sun rising from the deep blue sea level in the distance.
Night had retreated, and dawn had arrived.
"Mm, I understand."
After hearing his narration, Wizard Lap didn't reveal much emotion, merely furrowing his brows.
Then he instructed them to leave.
Exiting the study, down the long corridor.
"Lord Berkeley, I shall head back to Blackstone City first," Colin said, turning to bid farewell to Berkeley.
"Mm."
Berkeley nodded slightly, watching as Colin gradually walked down the corridor.
Inside the study.
Wizard Lap leaned back on the bench.
The light of dawn streamed through the stained glass window behind him, enveloping him in shadows.
He sighed softly, adjusted his sitting position, and slightly relaxed.
It was then that one could see the signs of nearly three hundred years on his slightly stooped figure.
He gasped for breath.
The pain radiating from the wound in his abdomen drained what little energy he had left.
Vine-like wrinkles crept over his pale face, his eye bags drooped, his forehead no longer smooth...
In just a moment, he had transformed from a middle-aged man into an old geezer.
He took a breath and exhaled shortly, clutching his abdomen, sitting up straight.
The wrinkles that had just appeared receded like an illusion.
He resumed his middle-aged appearance, only his complexion was even paler.
Lap raised his hand from his abdomen, slightly knitting his brows.
The fingers were not smeared with blood—
But with some gory, maggot-like wriggling slender red flesh strips!
"Hmph."
Lap snorted coldly.
A ball of flame appeared out of nowhere, instantly burning the flesh strips to char.
Orange flames also appeared on his abdomen, where the slender flesh strips at the wound turned to char.
After doing this, he breathed a sigh of relief, rose from the shadows, and stepped in front of the bright stained-glass windows.
His expression was calm, his thoughts unknown.
*
*
*
Walking through the hall, he exited the Central Castle.
Colin's expression was calm as he stepped on the rain-soaked gravel path, moving forward unhurriedly.
Drip-drop.
Raindrops fell from the green leaves of the trees alongside, shattering on the ground, and birds began to chirp.
The air was filled with the fresh scent peculiar to after the rain… just like always.
If it weren't for the black architectural remnants and ashes scattered around as reminders,
No one could tell that a battle, which might have affected the fate of tens of thousands on the island, had taken place here last night.
Approaching the cliff, Blackstone City at the foot of the mountain came into view.
The gray-black buildings were closely spaced, and a careful look revealed many of them had burned down and collapsed, leaving only ruins.
However, beside those ruins, crowds bustling like ants reduced the sense of desolation.
Just as he withdrew his gaze and prepared to walk down the mountain.
"Colin."
A voice called out to him.