CHAPTER 60— Spell showdown(3)
A long, heavy silence streched around the area.
For a moment no one moved, no one spoke. Everyone was just standing still.
Frozen.
It was like the time itself has frozen.
Like everything has gone quiet after after the passing of a ragining Strom.
The crackling thunder was gone.
The roaring flames had disappeared.
Only silence remained.
A suffocating silence
Tikh...
Tikh...
Tikh...
But then—
Tikh... Tikh... Tikh... Tikh... Tikh... Tikh...
The sound of blood dripping down the floor finally broke the silence.
Creak!
Thud!
The sound of something breaking and falling to the ground was heard.
Every student's eyes immediately shifted toward the source.
Seris's wand.
The wand that had endured countless battles.
The wand that had accompanied him through every victory and every mission every battle.
It had finally broken.
Fragments scattered across the cave floor.
It has been broken into pieces after the clash and then fall helplessly to the ground.
His plam was a bloody mess. The veins of his plam had been torn open.
The blood kept dripping out of his plam coating his fingers and then hitting the ground where his wand has fallen.
Seris looked at his fallen broken wand with eyes of grief as if mourning an old friend. His blood dripping and landing on the fallen wand like the rain drops falling on a grave.
Sighhh....
A heavy breath escaped his lips, his gaze never leaving his fallen wand.
Ashwin stared at him. The blood dripping down the palm, the raptured veins. The heavy breathing and the lowered gaze.
"It was a great battle." Ashwin finally said.
"I have fought many of my peers, my seniors, juniors and masters too, and...
A berife pause followed as Ashwin nodded in acknowledgement.
"you are one of the better opponents i have fought until now."
For the first time since the battle began—
Ashwin openly acknowledged him.
Not as a dark mage.
Not as an enemy.
But as an opponent.
A worthy one.
Then Ashwin's expression became serious.
"But—"
The silence returned
"You should accept your situation now."
His silver-gray eyes narrowed slightly.
"There would be more dignity in it." Ashwin said.
The cave fell quiet once more.
Behind Ashwin, the students began whispering among themselves.
"We won."
"Of course we did"
"It's Ashwin afterall."
"So what now?"
"Do we kill the dark mage?"
"Keep your voice down."
"Shoosh."
Kaizen glanced at Ashwin with a smile.
'That was incredible,'
His eyes were shining with admiration.
'I had never thought an exchange between students could be this exhilarating.'
Then he shifted his gaze and glanced at the dark mage who still hadn't moved his eyes remained down towards his wand.
The murmures of students filled the cave.
But non of those murmures affected Seris.
The only thing that was affecting him right now was the loss of the thing he considered his friend.
When Ashwin's words registered in his mind. A soft chuckle escaped his lips.
"Hmh... Seriously."
He slowly lifted his head with a smile.
There, standing infront of him, were the students of grand Aetherion. At the forefront was of course Ashwin, the one who defeated him. And behind him were many students of Grand Aetherion.
Seris didn't bother to count their numbers, he couldn't. Because now there was no meaning to it or maybe there wasn't any meaning to begin with.
He lifted his head and looked at the stone slab that had closed his way to escape still hovering over his head towards. Closing the hole from where he should have escaped.
But now he can't... That path that was now forever closed.
The opportunity has long been gone.
For a few seconds—
He simply stared at it.
Then his smile widened.
Memories surfaced within his mind.
Memories surfaced within his mind.
Four idiots.
Arguing.
Complaining.
Getting lost.
Blaming each other.
Laughing together.
Denin.
Junim.
Nitin.
And himself.
The image of all four standing together appeared vividly in his thoughts.
His smile grew brighter.
'I hope they have left already.'
The thought brought him unexpected comfort.
With that he lowered his head and stared at the grand Aetherion students infront of him.
His smile still the same as if refusing to leave his face.
Some students flinched looking at his smiling face.
"What is he smiling for?"
"I think he's lost his mind."
"Maybe he is trying to act tough."
But Ashwin knew, his eyes narrowed since he knew.
That's the smile of someone who has accepted death.
The students still wishpered among themselves.
But seris didn't pay any attention to their words anymore, his eyes landed on Ashwin.
"Accept my situation?"
He chuckled at those words.
"Weren't you the one who said not to expect fairness from the world.".
Dark-purple mana suddenly erupted around him.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Several students immediately tightened their grips on their weapons.
"Migl."
A fiery orange spirit materialized beside him.
"Sani."
The blue tiger spirit appeared moments later.
The air trembled.
Dark mana spread through the cave.
The scattered bones began moving.
With that dark purple aura surrounded seris.
The scattered bones began moving.
Click.
Crack.
Crunch.
Broken skeletons reassembled themselves.
Fragments crawled across the floor.
The fallen Chimera corpses trembled.
Dark light ignited within their empty eyes.
One by one—
They began rising again.
Undead creatures surrounded Seris from every direction.
The two spirits stood beside him.
A final army.
A final stand.
Ashwin watched the spectacle.
Then—
A faint smirk appeared on his face.
He slowly raised his wand.
Across from him—
Seris returned the smile.
Dark-purple mana wrapped around both of his hands.
His torn palm continued bleeding.
His body was exhausted.
His wand was broken.
His chances of survival were practically nonexistent.
Yet—
His smile looked brighter than ever.
Like a stubborn child refusing to give up.
The undead army roared.
The spirits prepared themselves.
The students raised their weapons
And within the cave—
The battle was about to begin once again.
'If I'm going to die anyway...'
The dark mana around him surged.
His eyes shone brightly.
The smile on his face brighten even more.
Almost causal.
Almost childlike.
'Then I might as well see this through to the bitter end.'
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CHAPTER ENDS