Ever since that day—the day when she witnessed the death of everything she once cherished—the Principal had been unstable, her mind constantly spiralling into chaos.
She couldn’t comprehend why or how her students had met their demise when it had been her duty to protect them.
Where had she been when everything had turned to hell?
How could she have failed so miserably?
These questions haunted her every waking moment.
So, without hesitation, she followed Aether, her movements silent and calculated.
She trailed him like a shadow, watching as he slipped through a black wall marked with a symbol of peace.
She tried to follow him, but as her body neared the wall, an invisible force pushed her back. It was as if something was intentionally preventing her from entering.
All she could do was wait.
Minutes stretched into hours, and impatience gnawed at her…. Determined not to waste time, she began scanning the surrounding area, searching for any other possible entrances or weak points. But after hours of fruitless searching, she realized there was none.
Just as she was about to give up, a sudden flash of purple lightning exploded from the valley, illuminating the sky and turning the world into a surreal shade of violet.
Her heart raced as she rushed toward the source of the light. When she arrived, her breath caught in her throat. Aether’s entire body was engulfed in blazing purple flames that shimmered and crackled with terrifying power.
“He’s… strong,” she muttered under her breath, her eyes narrowing. The energy radiating from his body was unlike anything she had seen before. Whatever he had gained from the summit, it had made him incredibly powerful.
For the first time, she felt he could pose a real challenge to her, although in her mind, he would still lose… eventually.
And so, she watched, hidden in the shadows, as he fought fiercely against the strange, serpentine creatures that slithered from the dark.
“So, that’s why he came… searching for them,” she thought, intrigued by the monsters. Those rainbow-crystal… they were nothing like the usual enemies encountered.
They carried almost power, similar to the chosen ones.
But the implications were clear…. if these creatures escaped the valley, the people outside would suffer unimaginable horrors.
The world wouldn’t stand a chance.
And that was something she could not… would not, allow.
However, it’s not over!! what she hadn’t anticipated was… the enormous elephant.
Its towering, pitch-black form was unlike anything she had ever seen.
She had always wondered where she had been, what had distracted her when her students were slaughtered one by one… and now, standing before the monstrous beast, it all made sense.
“So… this is what took me away,” she murmured, her eyes fixed on the gigantic elephant lying on the ground, its dark, glistening skin absorbing the light around it.
“Principal? What are you doing here?” Aether’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. He was looking at her, wide-eyed, a mix of surprise and relief crossing his face.
The Principal’s lips curled into a smirk, though her eyes blazed with fury, “Do you think I’m a fool? Do you think I wouldn’t notice?”
Aether shifted awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck. He knew he’d been caught. Of course, this had all been part of his plan.
There was no way he would take on something like this without ensuring she followed him.
He had made sure to leave just enough clues during their conversation so that her curiosity would be piqued….. And, knowing how protective she was of her students, there was no doubt she would come running to save her favourite disciple.
Just as he had predicted.
To save her only disciple!
“Well, here you are,” she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm, “Now, care to explain what the hell that thing is?” Her gaze shifted back to the elephant.
Aether shrugged casually, “Honestly? I don’t know.”
The Principal raised an eyebrow, “You expect me to believe that? You were the one who came here. Surely, you know something.”
Aether sighed, lifting his hands in surrender, “I swear, this is the first time I’ve seen this… and I have no idea what it’s doing here.”
The Principal let out a heavy sigh, her gaze shifting back to the elephant, which was now slowly rising to its feet…. Its rainbow-crystal eyes locked onto her, burning with rage.
Then it let out a deafening roar.
BAGRUUUUUUUHHHHHAAAAAA!!
Without warning, it charged straight at her, its massive tusks aimed to impale her.
“Oh?” The Principal’s grin widened, her body tensing with excitement. “You want to play, huh?”
As the elephant’s tusks neared her, she rolled up her sleeves, her muscles coiling like springs.
Grip!
With a quick, fluid motion, she caught the enormous tusk with both hands, her feet digging into the ground as the beast’s immense momentum pushed her back slightly. The elephant’s eyes widened in shock, clearly not expecting this level of resistance.
The Principal’s smirk deepened. “You’re not the only one with power,” she said before tightening her grip. With a sudden burst of strength, she lifted the entire hulking body of the elephant off the ground by its tusk, its weight barely fazing her.
BAGRUUHHAA!!
The elephant thrashed wildly, but it was no match for her… With a triumphant laugh, she began to spin it like a child’s toy, faster and faster until its body became a blur.
“Don’t worry, I’m not done yet,” she said with a grin, her voice low and dangerous. Then, with a final burst of force, she flung the massive creature into the air.
BOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMM!!!
The elephant crashed into the ground with a thunderous impact, the sheer force of the landing shaking the entire valley and sending shockwaves through the empire…. Dust and debris shot up in all directions as the ground trembled beneath them.
Aether, still watching in awe, couldn’t hide his amazement. “Wow…” he muttered under his breath, his eyes wide as he took in the scene before him.
He looked down at his own hands, flexing them thoughtfully. ‘I didn’t think there was much difference between Level 80 and Level 100… but now? Maybe there is.’
The Principal dusted off her hands with a satisfied smirk, her eyes flickering with amusement as she caught Aether’s thoughtful expression. She chuckled, breaking the silence, “Brat, let me enlighten you. A Level 100 warrior can take on hundreds of Level 99s. That’s the kind of power gap we’re talking about. Reaching that level isn’t something just anyone can do… only a handful in all of history ever made it that far.”
Aether nodded, his mind briefly lost in thought. “I see…” he murmured absentmindedly, then shook his head, snapping back to the present. “But can you defeat it?”
The Principal’s smirk faded, and she shook her head slowly.
“Huh?” Aether blinked, his brows furrowing in confusion.
Letting out a sigh, the Principal admitted, “That thing… its body is unbelievably sturdy. Even with all my strength, I couldn’t so much as scratch its surface!” She clenched her fists, her expression tightening, though she kept her true concern to herself: ‘And… something feels off.’
Aether took a moment to process that, blinking in realization. ‘If that thing’s made from the same material as the summit… this is going to be a serious challenge.’ He glanced at the elephant’s colossal form before suggesting, “What about heating it up? If it’s metal, intense heat should cause it to melt down eventually, right?”
The Principal considered his words, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully. “Not a bad idea…” she mumbled under her breath, just as the air shook with the familiar thunderous roar.
BAGRUUUUUUUHHHHHAAAAAA!!
The elephant charged again, its eyes blazing with fury. Its massive form barreled toward them, the ground trembling under its weight.
With a swift motion, the Principal raised her hand, her voice commanding as she shouted, “Blazing Inferno!”
A massive wave of indigo flames erupted from her hands, growing into a blazing miniature sun. The heat was so intense that the entire valley was bathed in its glow, lighting up the dark surroundings like a second dawn.
Aether stood frozen for a moment, genuinely taken aback by the raw magnitude of her power. He swallowed nervously, thinking to himself, ‘Maybe I shouldn’t have teased her so much… but it makes me tease her even more~’
The searing ball of flames shot toward the elephant like a meteor, but to the Principal’s surprise, the massive beast didn’t dodge. It continued charging forward, unbothered, without a hint of hesitation.
Sssssssssshhhhhhhhh!!
Her frown deepened. ‘Why isn’t it dodging?’ she wondered. She readied herself for the next move, anticipating a counterattack. But what happened next left her stunned.
The indigo flames—just as they were about to collide with the elephant….. vanished. Disappeared!!
As though they had been sucked into thin air.
The Principal’s eyes widened in shock, but she had no time to react. The elephant’s tusks were already mere inches from her, bearing down with terrifying force. Gritting her teeth, she caught the tusks with her bare hands again, halting its momentum, though the sheer force sent shockwaves up her arms. She was about to spin the beast once more when—
SSSSNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGG!!
The intricate designs etched into the tusks suddenly flared with a brilliant light, glowing like molten metal. And then—
BAMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!
A concentrated beam of energy shot from the tusks, striking the Principal’s hands directly and blasting her backwards into the rock wall behind her. The impact was so powerful that the ground cracked beneath her feet.
The Principal gritted her teeth, blocking the searing energy with her bare hands, her skin glowing red-hot from the heat.
Seeing the momentary distraction, Aether didn’t waste a second. He bolted toward the centre of the valley, shouting, “I’m going to reach whatever you’re protecting”
Immediately, the elephant’s head snapped toward him. Its trunk rose high before slamming down with a thunderous force.
BAGRUUUUUUUHHHHHAAAAAA!!
Its massive trunk shot toward Aether, trying to crush him. Aether grinned, adrenaline pumping through his veins as he narrowly dodged the strike.
BAM!
But the elephant wasn’t done. The trunk twisted in mid-air, following him as he weaved in a zig-zag pattern across the battlefield.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Each time, Aether barely managed to avoid being flattened, the beast’s rainbow eyes glaring at him with a calculating expression.
It was learning his movements, tracking him with unnerving precision.
“Catch me if you can!” Aether taunted, darting to the side just in time to avoid another devastating slam…. But as he moved to his next position, his heart skipped a beat.
“Shit!” he cursed. The elephant had already anticipated his next move, its trunk hurtling toward him at frightening speed, ready to strike him down.
Just as the trunk was about to slam into him—
“Enough!” The Principal’s voice cut through the chaos. She appeared behind the beast, gripping its tail with both hands, her expression fierce. With a grin, she pulled hard, spinning the elephant’s massive body once again. “You should focus on me!”
With a roar, she flung the beast across the battlefield.
BOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!
The elephant crashed into the ground with a deafening boom, its colossal body creating a deep crater where it landed.
Aether, panting and slightly shaken, hurried back toward the Principal. “Are you okay?” he asked, concern etched on his face as he glanced at her burnt forearms.
The Principal raised her arms, showing the blackened, cracked skin, still smouldering from the heat. “Well… it stings a bit,” she muttered. Aether winced in sympathy, quickly handing her a healing potion.
“Drink this,” he urged. “Was that thing really powerful enough to go toe-to-toe with you?”
The Principal downed the potion in one gulp, her expression darkening. “No… that thing… it’s the same as you.”
Aether’s brow furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean, ‘the same as me?'”
The Principal’s eyes narrowed, her voice dropping to a dangerous tone. “It absorbs Arcane energy.”
Aether’s eyes widened in shock.
