Fight! Fight!

Facing the Elf before him, who radiated powerful energy, Dean Wilfred didn't dare let his guard down.

He said to the Aolu Mages behind him, "Take the children and leave. Evacuate everyone inside this castle."

"Yes, Dean."

The Aolu Mages rarely saw Dean Wilfred act so seriously. They immediately obeyed, ushering the students away.

A short while later, alarms rang throughout the castle. Then came the sound of hurried footsteps and chairs scraping and crashing upstairs and down.

Luke first lowered Clear Sky's level to 80 to save power, then stood quietly and waited.

While he was at it, he looked up information about Dean Wilfred on his mental phone.

He was already 172 years old, the 27th dean of Aolu Academy, and the longest-serving dean in its history.

He had his part-psychic bloodline to thank for that.

His long life, diligence, and talent had given Wilfred extraordinary skill in Magic.

Era Game classified Wilfred as a five-star hero. But, like many five-star heroes whose true strength exceeded their rating, by Player standards... Wilfred should have been a five-and-a-half-star hero.

This time, Luke wasn't ambushing Red Dragon Nilcolon, who was also a five-and-a-half-star hero. He wasn't confident that level-120 Clear Sky could kill Wilfred in ten seconds.

And his phone didn't have enough power to keep level-120 Clear Sky around for ten seconds anyway.

With level-100 Clear Sky, he should be able to escape.

After all, Wilfred's age spoke for itself. His old arms and legs could manage a few flaps as an owl, but they couldn't withstand an intense battle.

Soon, the commotion died down. Everyone who was supposed to evacuate must have already left.

Dean Wilfred broke the silence first. "You don't seem as vicious and ruthless as Councilor Virgil described. I heard you killed over a hundred people in Cape District. I wonder if he exaggerated."

Luke readily admitted it. "That's right! He was completely accurate... I killed a lot of people in Cape District."

Dean Wilfred asked another question. "Councilor Virgil also said you stole a summoning artifact from the Raging Wave City Alchemist Association called the 'Heart of Red Dragon Nilcolon.'"

"I didn't steal it."

"Do you have it?"

"I refuse to answer!"

To Wilfred, that was almost as good as an admission.

"I can tell you mean Aolu Academy no harm. I don't want to make such a troublesome enemy of you, either, but I need to know why you came here.

"Tell me!

"As long as you don't threaten the academy, I'll let you go."

While looking through Wilfred's information just now, Luke had discovered something interesting.

"Dean Wilfred, you and Professor Felix were very close friends, weren't you..."

Wilfred's expression changed. He replied in a low voice, "Yes, Felix and I were good friends. He was even my teacher.

"He was a true genius, able to master any academic field with ease. If not for certain special circumstances, he would have become the 27th dean of Aolu Academy.

"You're asking me about this... It seems you've discovered something?"

"I know you have psychic blood and can take two manifested forms... a tree monkey and an owl.

"Given your relationship with Felix, you must know he guarded that library in spirit form. I suspect that when you learned I'd entered the library, you followed me there and hid in your phantom form.

"Then you kept following me.

"That's how you were able to show up in time to save Lydia.

"And the real reason you're stopping me now is the Book of Calamity."

With his purpose laid bare, Wilfred stopped pretending.

He gripped his staff and struck the floor hard once more. Beams of magical energy spread out from beneath his feet. The bricks in the walls on either side and in the ceiling flipped over, and the narrow corridor rapidly widened.

With a rumble, the ceiling rose...

The space expanded, the walls rearranged, and the rooms shifted and rotated. In a short time, a vast hall the size of four basketball courts took shape.

"I can feel that Felix's soul has passed on. It was a release for him, but you can't take the Book of Calamity. Since you know about that library, you should understand what happened here in the past.

"It's a mysterious artifact that brings nothing but disaster. No one can control it, and anyone who tries will be corrupted by its darkness.

"Give me the Book of Calamity, and I'll let you go."

A magic circle unfurled on the floor before Wilfred, and a curtain of light rose from it.

A continuous series of roars came from within.

When the light curtain descended, a gigantic gorilla appeared. It pounded its chest with its fists, looking extremely violent, but the outer ring of the magic circle restricted its movements.

It fixed its blood-red eyes on Luke, waiting to be released.

Wilfred gave Luke one last warning. "This castle is enchanted as a whole. It's incredibly sturdy and difficult to damage. You won't escape!

"You aren't a purely evil Elf. Your mind has simply been affected by Secret Arts.

"Hand over the Book of Calamity. This is your last chance."

Seven whirlwinds formed throughout the hall, crackling with electricity.

Luke hadn't expected things to come to this.

It was completely at odds with how the story was supposed to go.

He could only blame himself for making such a huge commotion. He'd drawn the Security Bureau and Secret Intelligence Bureau of Raging Wave City to the scene, so there was no way he could have avoided drawing Dean Wilfred's attention.

Now, he could only take Wilfred on in a battle of magic.

Ice Dance Garden.

As Ice Mist Flowers bloomed in the air, the temperature in the hall plunged.

Rain began to patter indoors, freezing into a layer of ice on the floor in the blink of an eye.

The rain turned into ice crystals and snow, swirling through the air in the whirlwinds.

The Ice Mist Flowers continued to bloom.

The hall filled with storms, lightning, ice, and snow.

And a gigantic gorilla roared inside the magic circle.

Holding Star Dust Starry Azure, Luke said to Wilfred, "Dean Wilfred, you're over 170 years old. Don't be so confident in your strength.

"If I kill you, Aolu Academy won't be able to withstand the blow."

"Looks like you're ready. Then let's fight!"

"Fight!"

Dean Wilfred struck the ground with his staff again. The formation restraining the summoned beast collapsed, and the gorilla charged out like a truck. It ran toward Luke on all fours, leaving deep claw marks in the ice. The floor of the hall trembled with every step.

On the ice, Luke's feet seemed to have skates on them. He leaned slightly and slid out of the gorilla's path.

The gorilla tried to turn sharply but slipped on the smooth ice. It fell, its body hurtling uncontrollably toward the wall.

Meanwhile, Luke slid across the ice at meteor-like speed, charging straight at Wilfred.

Behind him, the gorilla's enormous body slammed into the wall, shaking the entire castle.