[Alert: You have entered Stella Xerath's crosshairs.]
'Hm... well, whatever.' Kael thought, shrugging. His gaze met the woman's, and he let out a light sigh, as if dealing with a spoiled child.
"I'm just messing around. No need to take it so seriously," he said casually, trying to ease the tension.
But the magical aura radiating from her was anything but gentle.
It happened in an instant.
A second, a blink of an eye—and then the punch came.
Kael barely had time to react.
BOOM!
The air around him exploded as the woman launched a strike with overwhelming brute force.
Instinct took over.
Kael raised a mana barrier at the last second, and the impact crashed against it like a meteor falling from the sky.
CRACK!
The barrier trembled. Cracks spread across its magical surface like a spiderweb.
The students watched in absolute shock.
