The Last Chance

Isabel wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, and a soft healing magic emanated from her hand, slowly mending the severe wound on her abdomen.

At the same time, her gaze remained fixed on the hulking figure that had pushed down houses and was now advancing towards the academy.

The healing light in her hand dissipated, and a touch of color returned to Isabel's pale, pretty face. The internal bleeding caused by the critical blow to her abdomen had slightly subsided.

Meanwhile, behind the hulking figure, the wound where Isabel had gouged out a chunk of flesh was healing at a visible rate. The arm that Isabel had nearly severed was also rapidly recovering.

After stabilizing her injuries, Isabel did not charge at the hulking figure again. The hulking figure's strength and defense had now reached the level of a Platinum Rank expert, and a direct confrontation would be suicidal.

Furthermore, although she could move, it was impossible for her to gather all her battle qi to fight at full capacity.

Seeing that the hulking figure was not attacking her, the enemy who had injured him, but was instead heading towards the academy, Isabel guessed that this monster was being controlled.

Perhaps the mastermind behind this was the Alchemist responsible for this crisis. By controlling this monster and sending it towards the academy, he might be trying to probe the academy's defenses.

The houses he had passed were destroyed, and many residents were still inside. Isabel also had to rescue these residents from the buildings to prevent further casualties.

At this moment, the Alchemist, hidden in the shadows, watched Isabel being easily sent flying by the hulking figure, and he let out a cold laugh.

"The Titan Bloodline is indeed powerful. If this race weren't too foolish and had to serve as slaves to the Mountain Spirits, perhaps the continent would be ruled by them now, not humans."

Then, the Alchemist's eyes shifted to the dark corner of an alley, where Coles was clenching his fists, watching everything that had just happened.

The hulking figure who had always been by his side had now transformed into a powerful monster, and even Isabel couldn't do much against him.

Although he had imagined the hulking figure's strength many times, never had it been like this.

In his imagination, the hulking figure's strength could be controlled by him, and the hulking figure was not just a mindless killing machine.

He envisioned them becoming honored guests of Counts and even Kings due to their immense power, and his William family would ascend to its peak under his guidance.

However, all of this had now turned into a pipe dream. The hulking figure had become a monster, and he remained as weak and helpless as ever.

In the face of a real crisis, he was powerless.

The Alchemist's eyes seemed to possess a magical quality, allowing him to see through all obstacles and into Coles's heart. Upon witnessing his self-blame, helplessness, and anger, the Alchemist felt a strong urge to abandon the plan and simply take him away from here.

This was the most gifted Alchemist genius he had encountered in many years; even the so-called geniuses at the Alchemist gatherings were insignificant in his presence.

His talent was so exceptional that it made the Alchemist consider abandoning the pursuit of the Divine Sword.

Meanwhile, in the academy's plaza, the reserved Magic Crystals were arranged in several piles in energy-absorbing positions. The sheer quantity of these Magic Crystals almost formed small hills.

However, despite the abundance of Magic Crystals, they would prove to be woefully insufficient once the Magic Array was activated.

The younger students, currently exhausted, sat on the ground, panting. It was important to note that these Magic Crystals had been painstakingly moved from the storage by them, one by one.

At the center of the plaza, Chen Cheng and Professor Pempes finally carved the last Magic Markings.

Instantly, the patterns inscribed on all the magical artifacts placed throughout the plaza lit up in unison, followed by the entire academy plaza doing the same.

The Magic Crystals, piled into small hills in their designated positions, began to dissolve at an unimaginable speed. The immense magical energy was then absorbed by the array patterns on the ground.

This was a grand magical spectacle that these young students had never witnessed before. An incredibly thick magical beam shot out from the plaza, shattering Pempes's concealment methods and piercing straight into the sky.

Then, this colossal, pillar-like magical beam began to spread across the heavens, revealing a massive magic shield that enveloped the entire Hui Dun City.

The next moment, Hui Dun City seemed to be covered by a giant bowl, and the undead skeletons continuously attacking from outside the city were now repelled.

The soldiers fighting on the city walls, along with Hui Dun and the others, erupted in cheers.

The commotion within the academy also alerted those both inside and outside the city. The Alchemist, who had been hiding in the shadows, believing his plan to be foolproof, saw this and his expression changed.

Having traveled extensively across the continent, he was naturally knowledgeable. Just by observing the surge of magical energy from the colossal, pillar-like beam, he knew that the defensive shield's tier was no less than Platinum Rank, and this was a large-scale defensive formation.

"How is this possible? How could the small Kingdom of Como possess such a powerful defensive formation?"

The Alchemist roared inwardly, his voice filled with hysteria.

He had lost his previous nonchalant demeanor. Now, even if he wanted to escape, he couldn't. The entire Hui Dun City was enveloped by this defensive beam.

On the city walls, Jamir repelled a wave of undead troops attacking the city. He then turned his gaze towards the city behind him.

A look of shock spread across his face, and he finally understood why the academy's instructors and senior students had arrived so late.

"Old man, I never expected you to have such a contingency plan. It seems the Holy See underestimated you."

Jamir withdrew his gaze, knowing that this crisis had passed. As for the confrontation with Adolf and Hui Dun, it would have to wait until after this crisis was resolved.

On the city walls, upon seeing the magical beam shooting into the sky, Hui Dun and the others knew that their previous plan had truly succeeded. The nightmare of the city falling and everyone perishing, which had been haunting Hui Dun's heart, was finally coming to an end.

When the shield that enveloped the entire city finally descended, and the charging undead were blocked by the shield, everyone erupted in thunderous cheers.

However, beneath this jubilant celebration, Hui Dun Academy found itself in a state of deep crisis.

The previous instructors and senior students had been dispatched by Pempes to defend the city. Now, within the academy, apart from Professor Pempes, there were only junior students like Chen Cheng.

The vast majority of them had not even mastered the most basic Magic Markings inscription. In essence, the academy was in an extremely vulnerable state.

The now somewhat crazed Alchemist knew this was his last chance. Whether he intended to obtain the Divine Sword or to escape, he had to destroy the formation's core within the academy.

All the shambling Walking Dead scattered throughout the city were now being summoned by him towards the academy. Coupled with the hulking figure's giant body, which had temporarily achieved Platinum Rank combat power by consuming life force, he was preparing for a final gamble.

Just as everyone within the academy believed the crisis had passed, the appearance of the surging mass of Walking Dead shattered their complacency.

Especially when the hulking figure's giant form appeared, Pempes knew the battle was far from over.

The old professor flashed forward, appearing before the hulking figure. He could not allow the hulking figure to breach the academy, as the formation, currently in a state of extremely fragile balance, could collapse due to power imbalance.

The sight of the charging Walking Dead, however, terrified the younger students, turning their faces pale. It was then that Chen Cheng spoke up:

"Students who have already inscribed basic magic, step forward. Now we must work together to defend the academy gates."

Chen Cheng aimed at the Walking Dead at the very front of the charge. He activated the basic Fireball within him, and with his incantation, a small fireball was launched towards the Walking Dead.

Seeing this, Fini also addressed the still stunned students:

"Don't just stand there blankly. Didn't you hear Brown? Those who have inscribed basic magic should take the lead. And you from the Warrior Department, remember to draw your swords and hold the line if we can't hold on.

I believe Principal Adolf and the others will be back soon."

Fini's words jolted the dazed youngsters awake. Then, those who had inscribed basic magic one by one mustered their courage and launched attacks at the approaching Walking Dead.

Although these Walking Dead looked terrifying, once hit by the small fireballs and ignited, their clothes would catch fire, and they would be burned to death by the flames.

Students like Chen Cheng, who had inscribed basic fire magic, followed his lead and began attacking the Walking Dead at the forefront.

While the magic of students with other attributes might not have much attack power, they effectively took on the task of hindering the advance of the Walking Dead.

Meanwhile, Fini used her Wind Magic to conjure numerous wind arrows, shooting them directly at the heads of the Walking Dead.

Each arrow she shot could pierce the head of a Walking Dead, and once their heads were pierced, these creatures would fall to the ground, unable to move.

Despite the seemingly favorable situation, Chen Cheng knew that they, as magic apprentices, wouldn't be able to hold out for long.

The reality unfolded just as Chen Cheng had predicted. After defeating only a few Walking Dead, several youngsters had already exhausted their magic. Without Magic Markings to store mana within their bodies, they simply couldn't sustain casting spells for long.

The only ones still capable of using magic were Chen Cheng and a few other students whose mental power was stronger, forcing the communication with external mana to sustain their spells.

Chen Cheng, at this moment, had no good solutions. His body had been focused on sorting out fragmented Magic Markings, so he hadn't inscribed any mana storage patterns.

Even if he could still cast a super-class magic spell one more time, it would be futile against the ceaseless tide of Walking Dead pouring in from outside.