Chapter 11

There was some hesitation. "Could Crystal be too old to fly?

That won't do. The old man's life can't end here."

Luo Lun was about to cast a Float Spell to slow his descent when his body suddenly felt light. Crystal, his mount of many years, caught him with perfect precision and slowly circled in place.

The teachers and students watching below let out a collective gasp.

Several teachers secretly broke into a cold sweat for the attention-seeking vice principal.

Crystal was a fish-type magical beast, its fins and tail covered in spines.

Three flat, blade-like fins extended from each side of its body. Its dazzling colors made it obvious at a glance that it was a ferocious magical beast.

The magical beast Crystal was enveloped in a layer of water.

Although Luo Lun sat on its back, his body was not wet at all. Many students had never seen such a peculiar fish-type magical beast and could not help applauding and cheering.

Luo Lun smiled faintly. Crystal had allowed him to make a grand showing before the entire school, and he felt quite pleased with himself.

"Has the counterattack team been assembled?"

Astride Crystal, Luo Lun asked in a booming voice.

The fat Qikeda was the first to step forward from the crowd, followed by four other academy teachers.

"Students," Luo Lun said publicly, "I am the academy's vice principal, Luo Lun Hobbs.

"This magical beast attack is extremely dangerous, but as long as you stay obediently within the magic formation, the school can guarantee your safety.

"Once the defensive formation is activated, do not wander around carelessly.

"The formation has counterattack magic set within it, and you may be injured by mistake.

"Other than the four colleagues in the counterattack group, the remaining teachers must also ensure the students' safety."

Lin Hanxuan looked enviously at the Crystal Lionfish floating in the air. Its mouth opened and closed as though it were breathing.

He had not even seen Kun's face and had no idea whether Kun was more imposing than Crystal.

But given Kun's lofty status, Kun was unlikely to agree to become his mount.

Qikeda continued reminding the students uneasily. "Remember, once the magic formation is activated, only the few teachers who know its magical frequency fluctuations can freely enter and leave.

"None of you are to run around recklessly."

"Let's go." Luo Lun patted Crystal's neck and said to the other four teachers, "Let's go up the mountain and assess the situation."

After Luo Lun and the others left the tower, the defensive magic formation was activated as well.

As they watched the faintly visible semicircular barrier above their heads, the students began whispering among themselves.

"So that wasn't a dark cloud. It was a huge swarm of magical beasts," said one student who was obviously a freshman.

"Yeah. I heard the catastrophe that caused much of Northwest Forest to vanish last month was also related to magical beasts," another male student agreed.

"How awful. Just thinking about so many bugs flying in the sky makes my skin crawl."

Women were naturally possessed of an inexplicable fear of insects, and the other girls nodded in agreement as well.

"Weberstein, you said the disappearance of Northwest Forest was related to magical beasts?" Lin Hanxuan walked over to his classmate and asked softly.

"Mm. My family in the imperial capital told me so.

"I heard that two grand magicians had both gone to investigate the cause of the disaster in the continent's northwest on His Majesty's orders," Weberstein replied quietly.

"So Grandpa went to the northwest," Lin Hanxuan muttered to himself.

On the highest hill within Saguli Academy, Luo Lun calmly assigned their tasks.

"Qikeda, when the Locusts approach the academy, cast Storm first and slow their advance.

"Judge the distance carefully. Don't let them get too close to Axon Town."

Qikeda gripped his magic staff tightly. He looked somewhat nervous, but he still nodded to show that he understood Luo Lun's instructions.

"Tianrang, Muller, wait for my command. When I say attack, unleash large-scale Lightning Strikes.

"Muller, you will handle the upper half of the magical beast swarm.

"Tianrang, you will handle the lower half."

"No problem," said the magician Muller, whose face had already turned somewhat pale.

Yi Tianrang, standing beside him, was much calmer.

Lightning magic had a higher success rate and greater power the closer it was to the high sky. Yi Tianrang's magician rank was one level higher than Muller's, so Luo Lun assigned the lower half, which was harder to strike with Lightning Strike, to Yi Tianrang.

"Junqing." Luo Lun took a wand entwined with a water serpent from his magical space. He was a six-leaf water-element magician and was also believed to have the potential to become the Thunder Eagle Empire's fourth grand magician at any time.

"Yes, Vice Principal. What do you need me to do?" Yi Junqing bit her lower lip.

Although she was fairly capable, as a woman, her fear of insects was more apparent than that of the other men present.

Luo Lun smiled at her. "If any Locusts come near us later, us stinking men will all be relying on you to protect us."

"Alright." Yi Junqing gripped her feather fan, her knuckles trembling slightly from the force she used.

The advance forces of the magical beast Locusts had already reached Axon Town.

Flashes of magic occasionally shot from the streets toward the Locusts, accompanied now and then by miserable screams.

"Mm, it seems the Yi Family was prepared as well. Qikeda, get ready to act," Luo Lun said.

The fat magician raised his left hand high and stared fixedly at the dark swarm of insects above Axon Town.

His mental power was intensely focused, and in an instant, sweat covered his forehead, dripping down in bead after bead.

The wind atop the hill suddenly shifted. Gusts of strange, powerful wind blew toward the Locusts in the air.

Sure enough, they slowed the Locusts.