At this moment, Rowan was ready to sacrifice himself, prepared to face death.
But a hand rested on his shoulder.
It was Daniel’s hand.
“Headmaster!” Rowan exclaimed.
“There’s no need for this. Step back,” Daniel said, gently moving Rowan aside and stepping forward himself. His expression remained calm, serene.
At that moment, the members of Crossbridge Academy witnessed something truly miraculous.
The massive tornado summoned by the head of House Windwhisper, meant to sweep everyone at Crossbridge Academy into the air, never materialized.
It was as if… it had simply vanished, like a gust of wind that dissipated in an instant.
And all the variously colored spells, hurtling like rain toward them, froze as they neared Daniel.
They came to a complete stop, suspended in midair.
The members of Crossbridge Academy could hardly believe their eyes.
“These… these spells… why did they all stop?”
“Yes, there are so many spells — just looking at them is terrifying.”
“Is this the headmaster’s true power?”
The students, who had never seen Daniel in action, were awestruck.
This was the first time they had seen him fight. Hundreds of spells suspended in midair before him… it was almost unbelievable.
Such a feat — only a tier-sage could accomplish this, right?
What level of power did their headmaster actually possess?
For most of them, it was their first time witnessing Daniel’s abilities, and they were astonished.
At this moment, Daniel appeared almost godlike, hundreds of spells halted before him, as if some invisible barrier held them in place, allowing nothing to pass.
Reed, Nina, and a few others who had trained privately with Daniel, simply nodded with calm expressions.
This was exactly as they expected Daniel to be.
Even in that massive, sinister magic array earlier, they hadn’t panicked. They knew that, among everyone present, Daniel was the strongest by far.
If Daniel wasn’t worried, there was no need for them to be.
Daniel, standing at the front, moved. With a light wave of his right hand, the spells vanished in an instant, as if they’d never existed.
Was this truly something Daniel had done? When did he gain such immense power?
To halt so many spells and make them disappear with a single wave… the thought alone was beyond comprehension. Even if all of them joined forces, they could never hope to match this.
In that moment, the head of House Windwhisper felt his mind grow unclouded with realization.
This Daniel… was someone they could never hope to defeat!
In fact, even combined, their two houses couldn’t be considered worthy opponents.
The head of House Lunastone began to panic. He pulled a scroll from his storage crystal and tore it open, letting his mana be rapidly absorbed by it.
A terrifying wave of mana began to emanate from the scroll.
Sensing the dreadful power, the head of House Windwhisper and Blake looked at the head of House Lunastone in shock.
“Are you insane?! Do you realize what you’re doing?”
This power — it had to be a forbidden spell!
Magic that was forbidden to be recorded, written, or used…
Once unleashed, it would lead to irreversible destruction!
If this forbidden spell was cast here, it could destroy all of Riverside City!
Had the head of House Lunastone lost his mind?
Why would he use such a scroll now?
At this moment, even the head of House Lunastone realized his error. As he felt the immense mana surge from the scroll, he looked first confused, then regretful.
“No… this… this was only supposed to be a powerful spell… how could it be a forbidden spell? He… he lied to me!”
But it was too late. The scroll had absorbed all of his mana, and the forbidden spell was ready to be unleashed.
As the destructive mana prepared to spread outward, Daniel moved swiftly, appearing beside the scroll.
He looked at the suspended scroll.
The activation process had begun. Tearing the scroll and feeding it sufficient mana for a forbidden spell — now, it was only a matter of time.
Time, which would allow the spell to annihilate everything around it.
The entire Riverside City would be destroyed.
Daniel extended his hand and grasped the torn scroll. At that moment, the terrifying mana wave quieted, as if a mouse encountering a cat, completely subdued.
With a slight exertion of his right hand, Daniel crushed the scroll, destroying it entirely. freēwēbηovel.c૦m
As for the forbidden spell sealed within… it vanished as well.
To a tier-sage, a forbidden spell… was merely a joke.
Forbidden spells were untouchable for ordinary mages, forbidden to learn or use due to their devastating power.
But a tier-sage was beyond the limitations of ordinary mages. For Daniel, handling a forbidden spell — especially one sealed in a scroll — was simple.
A single grasp, and it was destroyed in an instant!
The head of House Windwhisper watched in disbelief, finally realizing that he and the head of House Lunastone were no match for Crossbridge Academy.
Or for Daniel.
Perhaps from the very beginning, Daniel could have defeated both of their houses single-handedly and taken control of Riverside City.
But he hadn’t done so. Instead, he’d chosen to honor the rules his father had left behind.
Although, in the end, it seemed the outcome was the same.
Crossbridge Academy was destined to rule Riverside City.
And their two houses… had foolishly chosen to break the rules.
In the end, all of the younger generation from both houses had perished in the secret realm.
Now, the head of House Windwhisper felt utterly defeated. He could do nothing but despair, as Daniel alone had crushed his will.
The head of House Windwhisper looked at Daniel and remembered a man who had come to Riverside City many years ago… the one who founded Crossbridge Academy.
“Our House Windwhisper… is willing to submit to Crossbridge Academy,” he said, bowing his head before Daniel.
“Submit? I don’t need it,” Daniel replied coldly. “The moment you decided to turn against Crossbridge Academy, you forfeited any chance to submit.”
The head of House Windwhisper gave a bitter smile.
If he had known, he wouldn’t have made such a reckless decision.
This was indeed his own doing; he had broken the rules. He had acted for his family’s future, yet he had led them into ruin.
Unable to bear the strain, he collapsed to his knees, darkness filling his vision.
As for the head of House Lunastone, drained by the forbidden spell’s mana consumption, already aged and reeling from anger and fear, he had long since passed out.
Perhaps this was a mercy, sparing him from the crushing mental burden.
The mages from the two houses looked upon their heads, one kneeling, the other unconscious. They wanted to help, but seeing Daniel standing there, they hesitated.
The terrifying display of power replayed in their minds.
Daniel’s strength had imprinted a deep fear within them.
If he wished to kill them, it would be as easy as crushing an ant.
None dared to move.
They didn’t even dare to think of escaping.
“The names of House Windwhisper and House Lunastone shall be erased from Riverside City!” Daniel declared. “From now on, Riverside City will have only one force — Crossbridge Academy!”