Magus Academy
Headmaster Delbrand could be seen standing at the edge of the dock. His static figure only started to move after he saw a ship descending from the sky. Not long after, the interceptor class ship was landed.
The huge door of the transport swiftly opened, and six figures came rushing out. It was Eshoo, Jinkan, Armand and two others. All of them were the acolytes from the Nephilim faction.
Realizing the Headmaster was there in person, instead of immediately going on with their next business, the six of them decided to approach and give their formal respects to the esteemed man.
Delbrand looked towards the six acolytes. With a tone of approval, he said, “You have managed to destroy an elven outpost in less than 6 days. Well done.”
“Thank you, Headmaster,” Jinkan answered with a smile. With that, all of them excused themselves and left the dock.
As soon as the six disappeared in the distance, a dark-skinned, middle-aged Grand Magus bearing a black uniform could be seen. With heavy steps, he approached the Headmaster.
“You need to stop worrying about them. Whatever happens, it is all part of natural selection.”
The Magus who just arrived was Magister Griffith. He was the new head of enforcers placed within the academy.
In response, Delbrand only heaved a sigh. Then, he asked about something else, “Many have returned. Now, give me the report on the situation so far”
The magister being one fully informed of all magus alliance missions, checks the data from his bracelet.
“26 teams have returned, that is one-third of the total teams deployed. So far, we have 4 casualties.”
Hearing the information about more deaths of the students, the Headmaster was once again lost in his own thoughts. Noticing the look on his superior’s face, the grand magus quickly said.
“Considering where we are sending them, this is a good number. They still did much better than the others before them.”
As soon as the headmaster finished muttering under his breath, there was a blinking on his device. The word “urgent” shows along with the alert.
“What is it?”
A mix of surprise and anxiety crossed the magister’s expression as he read the notification. Immediately after, he turned to Delbrand and said, “One of the acolytes’ missions just might turn into a bloody battle”
The magister then provided a concise summary of what happened, which gave the Headmaster another headache as he exhaled another heavy sigh.
“Don’t worry, the alliance has sent the closest cruiser to intercept.” said the magister
“Which team is it?”
Upon hearing the team’s name, Delbrand looked up into the sky and heaved his third sigh of the day. He then spoke in a weary tone, “That group is just really unlucky, aren’t they?”
***
Nexus Station – Science lab
A series of frantic footsteps accompanied the hundreds of mechanical soldiers rushing toward the labs. Slowly but surely, they moved like a massive wave, destroying Emery’s jade summons one by one.
Some managed to get past the summons, firing their weapons at the entrance of the lab. Emery had to use his [Lightsaber] to parry and bounce the energy blast shots back at them, successfully defending the lab behind him.
Amidst the unrelenting chaos and sounds of metal colliding with each other, Emery received a message from Julian.
[Message has successfully sent to the alliance, reinforcement on the way, approximate time 4 to 5 hours]
With the good news, Emery glanced toward the science minister and asked.
“How is it? How much more time do you need?”
“I-I don’t know! ..I need more time!”
Unfortunately, the group of Nexus Magus has finally arrived on the scene. There were three of them, all wearing the signature Nexus blue cloaks.
They calmly walked past the destroyed mechs, and arrived just at the end of the 10-meter wide tunnel leading to the lab.
One was a white-haired, middle-aged man standing in the center. On both sides of him, there was a bald, wiry man and a woman with a pale face.
These three were Magus-level individuals. All of them are on Crescent Moon stage, and their strength was similar to the three who attacked the rebel base before.
Emery stepped into the tunnel and decided to take the fight in a tighter space, to limit the enemy’s chance of surrounding him.
The white-haired man’s glare and demeanor carried a certain coldness that gave chills to those sighted him, and his steps were brimming with apparent confidence. With a curious glance, he looked at Emery.
“I am Wilf, vice commander of the Nexus Magus. What is your name, acolyte?”
“Emery Ambrose,” Emery answered without hesitation.
“Ambrose, you are too young for an envoy… what are you doing here, really?”
,m Emery decided to answer the magus’ inquiry because he was hoping to buy some time. With no reason to hide it, he used the time to explain himself and his friends, and how they were here as part of the Magus Academy test.
The man looked at him up and down, as if judging his worth, then he calmly said, “A student… you are not supposed to be here, acolyte. Stand down, and I will make sure you and your friend will be returned to the academy safely.”
Emery stood tall still as he said, “No! acolyte or enforcer, we are here on a mission,” he replied to the man, determination clear in his voice, “You should be the one to stand down and receive the judgment of the alliance.”
Hearing this, the man calmly said, “If that’s the case, I guess we have to neutralize you first.”
The white-haired man looked at the woman standing next to him, and she took out a metallic item from her storage ring. It looked like a cube that glows in many colors and dropped it to the floor.
The cube floated a few inches from the ground, then it gave off a low, humming tone. To Emery’s complete shock, the small, unassuming device was able to affect his Spirit Reading.
Noticing the look, the magus named Wilf then said, “Just something to prevent you from escaping.”
A quick check revealed the magus was not exaggerating. The cube emits some kind of formless waves that are capable of disturbing the surrounding space, forcing him to refrain from casting his usual space magic.
Wilf then raised his hand, and like a wordless order, the two magus next to him took out their weapons. Emery’s face instantly turned serious; the bald guy, the woman, and the white-haired magus were ready to fight.
“I want him alive”
As soon as the words left their mouths, the three dashed forward, ready to strike.