Adrian knew he couldn’t take any chances.
He could feel Juggler’s magic coiled tightly around Sylvie like invisible chains. One wrong move, one mont of haste, and she would be the one to suffer.
The boy standing before him—blue-eyed, cold, and unreadable—was proof of that.
Three knives were already buried in Adrian’s gut, and thighs, carefully placed to miss his vitals. Every breath was agony.
"I rarely show myself during operations," Bishop said, his voice calm as he drove another blade in, slow and deliberate.
"Guh..." Adrian bit down hard, forcing back the cry that burned in his throat.
"But you—" Bishop’s gaze sharpened, his tone dripping with disdain. "You forced to co out. You made harm you. Twice now you’ve broken through my barriers. You’ve damaged my pride."
STAB
The next dagger sank into Adrian’s chest. His lips parted, blood trailing down as his face grew pale.
Through the haze of pain, his eyes locked on Sylvie. She was trembling, her eyes wide and glassy with tears.
Adrian shook his head at once, desperate, his voice hoarse. "No, Sylvie. Don’t. Don’t do anything foolish. Just keep walking... or this pain I’ve endured will an nothing."
He couldn’t let her act out of panic. One reckless move, and all would be lost.
Adrian knew the truth: if Bishop went for his vitals, instinct would force him to react. He would try—no matter how impossible—to protect Sylvie. But until that mont ca, he had to endure. He had to buy her every precious second he could.
Sylvie sniffled, tears running down her cheeks as she forced herself to move. One step. Then another. Only three more steps and she would be at Adrian’s side.
Bishop’s jaw tightened. Why is he still standing?!
Every knife was dipped in Paralyzing poison which must have made him trembling ss. How was he still standing?!
Snarling, he grabbed Adrian’s limp right hand and held it up. "Craftsman’s treasure, eh?" His lips twisted into a cruel grin as he plunged a dagger straight through the palm.
"Guh—!" Adrian’s body jolted, his teeth grinding as a guttural sound tore from his throat. He had never felt pain like this—every nerve was on fire, every muscle screaming—yet still, he fought back the cry. He had to.
Behind them, Juggler let out a mocking laugh. "What’s wrong, Bishop? You can’t even make him scream?"
Bishop’s face twitched, his eyes burning red with fury. His hand trembled—not from fear but from rage—as he twirled the bloodied knife in his grip. "Let’s see how he holds back when I carve out his eye."
"NO!" Sylvie’s voice cracked, breaking through the tension. Her body moved before her mind could catch up.
Juggler’s laughter bood, cruel and gleeful, as he raised his hand. Mana coiled around Sylvie like a serpent, glowing threads of power ready to constrict. One squeeze and her bones would snap. One flick and her body would crumple lifelessly.
The distance was still too great. No matter how desperately she lunged forward, Juggler—one of the cult’s core mbers, a master of destruction—could end her in a dozen ways before she could reach her destination.
However, just then—
*THWACK*
A loud noise resonated before Juggler was pushed back—his connection with Sylvie severing and the girl reaching Adrian without disturbance.
Juggler slowly raised his head and looked at Adrian—or to be more precise, at the familiar artifact he held in his hand.
Shock turned into panic as he cried, "BISHOP, RUN-"
*BOOM*
The warning was unheard.
Because the person it was directed to was dead.
His head burst like a tomato.
His lifeless body fell on the ground with a dull thud.
Juggler staggered back—why...this happened? Didn’t Spade check him thoroughly? Then...how did he get another artifact?
Adrian held Sylvie’s arm and waved at the Acolytes, "See you soon, fellas." And with that he jumped into the ti Chamber with Sylvie.
...
[A few minutes ago]
Sarah’s breath caught as she peered from behind the rough bark of a tree, her body pressed close to the trunk. Her expression was tight, every muscle wound with tension.
She had finally found them—the missing students.
They were huddled together, bound with thick ropes, gags muffling their cries. Cuts and bruises marred their faces, ugly reminders of the beatings they had suffered at the hands of their captors.
A ring of Acolytes stood guard, their gazes sharp, their weapons ready. But they weren’t the worst of it.
A massive serpent coiled around the prisoners, its scales glistening, its sheer bulk enough to crush all of them in a heartbeat. Its unblinking eyes scanned the clearing, and every shift of its body made the ground tremble.
Yet even the serpent wasn’t what made Sarah’s heart pound the hardest.
Floating above them was an old man draped in a black robe. His body hovered effortlessly, his eyes closed, his posture deceptively calm. To anyone else, he might have looked careless—unguarded.
But Sarah wasn’t fooled. She could feel it. The man’s presence was suffocating, like a storm held at bay. He wasn’t relaxed—he was waiting. Watching.
Of everyone here, he was the most dangerous.
’I can’t be hasty,’ Sarah thought, her nails digging into the bark. ’One wrong move and none of them will survive.’
Just then,
*TAP* *TAP*
Sarah felt two taps on her shoulder, making her flinch as she slowly looked over her shoulder—it was Ariana.
She pressed her finger against her lip and gestured to Sarah to fall back.
The violet-haired silently nodded and cautiously stepped away from the tree.
Elana, Altia, Allen and Aries were already standing there.
Once they were fairly far away from the enemy, Ariana said, "That man is possibly tracking everything in the vicinity."
Sarah nodded, "Yes, that’s why we need to take the next step very carefully."
Ariana bit her lip before saying, "We need a distraction or we might-"
"Headmistress!" Aries suddenly exclaid, making others glare at her.
But she didn’t focus on them and while pointing toward the sky she said, "Look, look, the barrier is going down."
Ariana’s eyes widened, "Did Ruby find him this soon?"
However, then her focus shifted to the direction where the students were held captive.
She heard cries.
"SHIT!!"
°°°°°°°
A/N:- Thanks for reading.
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