As the dust finally dissipated over the scarred battlefield, Squad 5 moved ahead with a quiet determination, their footsteps echoing over the barren, ruined ground. The air was still heavy with the lingering heat of the magical inferno that had raged moments before. Their eyes were fixed on the horizon where the remnants of the battle lay, and none of them dared to show fear. Every step was a promise of retribution, a silent vow that justice would be served.
Far off, amidst the ruins, the Royal Guards and Julie stood together in stunned silence. They had witnessed something extraordinary—a spell so powerful it had left them frozen in shock. The Elemental Spear had erupted in a burst of radiant energy, its brilliance cutting through the darkness like a comet. They had never seen such magic before; its intensity had halted time in their hearts, if only for a moment.
Julie's face was a mask of awe and terror as she finally broke the silence. "This power… if Berth had this much power, then our kingdom is doomed to bow before him," she whispered, her voice trembling. Her eyes shone with a mix of gratitude and fear as she turned to the Knight Commander standing beside her. "I am thankful to Reyon; he forced Berth to reveal his strength. Now, let's go, Knight Commander—we can end Berth now."
Meanwhile, as Squad 5 reached the very center of the field, their eyes fell upon a tattered figure lying on the scorched earth. There, amidst the scattered debris and smoldering remnants of battle, lay Reyon. His clothes were singed and torn, his skin marred with deep cuts, and his face was an ashen mask of exhaustion and pain. Yet, as they drew closer, they saw the gentle rise and fall of his chest—he was still breathing.
"Look… he's alive," one squad member murmured in disbelief.
Without wasting another moment, the warriors knelt and carefully lifted Reyon from the devastated ground. Their movements were gentle, filled with the hope that their leader might yet be saved. They prepared to carry him away from the battlefield, to the relative safety of their headquarters, when suddenly a sharp, authoritative voice cut through the silence.
"Put Berth down if you don't want to die!"
The voice belonged to Julie. Standing a few meters away, she bellowed the command with an intensity that reverberated over the ruined field. In that moment, every eye turned to her. The Royal Guards braced themselves, and even a few of the squad members froze, caught off-guard by the urgency in her tone.
One of the members, emboldened by the situation, shouted back, "We don't care about Berth—we are carrying Reyon, not Berth! He's here to be found, not Berth. It looks like he's dead!"
They gently set Reyon down, careful not to jostle him further, so that Julie could inspect him more closely. As she knelt beside him, her eyes widened in shock. "No… no way," she murmured, her voice quivering. "How is he still alive? Did he… did he really kill Berth?" Her heart pounded with disbelief, the enormity of what she had just witnessed overwhelming her senses.
Before anyone could respond, the Knight Commander moved swiftly, his eyes narrowing as he aimed his spell at Reyon. The tension spiked instantly. Realizing the imminent danger, the members of Squad 5 quickly converged around Reyon, forming a protective circle. They raised their arms and positioned their shields, ready to fend off any attack that might be launched in the name of Berth's vengeance.
"Stand down!" Julie cried out, her tone laced with desperation as she stepped forward. "Knight Commander, please, back down!"
But the Knight Commander, his expression a mix of fierce determination and cold logic, replied sharply, "Princess, this might be our last chance. If Reyon truly killed Berth, then no one in the Kingdom of Elise can match his power. And since Squad 5 is the last of the Classers, we can kill two birds with one stone."
Julie's eyes flashed with indignation and fury. "Don't forget," she screamed, her voice echoing over the field, "I professed a mana oath! If Reyon survived the fight against Berth, I swore that I wouldn't take advantage of that moment to kill him or exterminate the Classers!"
Her words hung in the air, heavy with the promise she had made. The Knight Commander's expression wavered, and after a long, tense moment, he reluctantly retreated, lowering his weapon with evident regret.
Squad 5 quickly gathered Reyon, lifting him up once again, and began a swift retreat from the battlefield. Amid the chaos and confusion, Julie watched their departure, her mind swirling with regret and a burning inner conflict.
As she turned and started moving toward the royal palace, her steps were heavy and labored. Almost lifeless, she muttered under her breath, "What the heck have I done? I shouldn't have allied with Reyon. Who would have thought he'd turn out to be such a monster—a 5th-circle mage capable of killing an 8th-circle mage? If it weren't for the mana oath, I would have ended him then and there. I should have suspected something when he was so confident about his victory against Berth. What can I do now? she sighed"
Meanwhile, back at the crumbling headquarters of the Classers—a structure now teetering on the edge of demolition due to the destructive force of Reyon's initial spell on Berth's chamber—Squad 5 hurriedly brought Reyon inside. They laid him gently on a worn but sturdy bed in one of the surviving rooms. The walls, scarred and cracked from the earlier magical onslaught, stood as silent witnesses to the chaos.
Within minutes, a skilled healer was summoned. The healer worked quickly, applying potent healing spells and carefully bandaging Reyon's injuries. The atmosphere was tense; every member of Squad 5 watched as the healer concentrated, his hands glowing with restorative mana. Yet, despite the healer's best efforts, Reyon remained unconscious, his chest rising and falling in a slow, steady rhythm.
"Why isn't he waking up?" a worried voice asked from among the gathered squad members.
The healer looked up, a furrow of concern creasing his brow. "I have already healed his physical injuries," he explained softly. "But I don't know… the immense stress his brain endured means he might wake up or die within a week."
A heavy silence fell over the room. Each member of Squad 5 exchanged glances, the gravity of the situation settling upon them like a weight. Their leader had pushed himself beyond mortal limits, and now his very survival was in question.
A week later, in the quiet solitude of the headquarters, Reyon's eyes fluttered open. The room was dim, the only light coming from the faint glow of magical lanterns that hung from the ceiling. Slowly, Reyon began to regain consciousness, his eyes reflecting a mixture of confusion and overwhelming pain. The searing agony in his head was almost unbearable—a relentless reminder of the toll that overusing the Ring of Ferica had taken on him.
He clutched his head, groaning softly, as the pain radiated through his skull. Every thought was clouded by the burning sensation, and it took every ounce of his will to sit up. "Ugh…" he murmured, his voice ragged.
In that moment of agony, a single, stark realization cut through the haze: if he didn't act quickly, the black mana that had accumulated around his brain would corrupt him completely, stripping him of his sanity. The Ring of Ferica, had pushed him too far. It was clear—he needed to get the Jewel of Elise from the Royal Palace as soon as possible to stabilize the ring's power. Without that jewel, his mind would be lost to the encroaching darkness