Fear.
Trapped within the Earth Prison, facing the terrifying diving demon bats, the bloodline girl’s eyes flickered with a trace of despair, but her survival instinct immediately overwhelmed it.
She couldn’t just die like this! Absolutely not!
With a sudden motion, she raised the staff in her hand, beginning to concentrate her magic power to cast a spell.
Crimson runic patterns quickly formed at the tip of her staff, and the surrounding fire elemental energy surged wildly.
“Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!”
In an instant, several arrows formed from blazing flames shot through the air, striking precisely at the demon bats charging at the forefront!
It was a second-rank fire magic, [Fire Arrow].
The demon bats hit by the fiery arrows let out agonized shrieks, their diving momentum suddenly faltering as the dark energy coiling around their bodies was scorched and weakened.
They flapped their wings, momentarily halting their attack, restlessly circling above. Their crimson eyes fixed intently on their prey below, emitting threatening “squeaks.”
The girl breathed heavily, her palms gripping the staff drenched in cold sweat.
The power of [Fire Arrow] was clearly insufficient to eliminate these magically enhanced demon bats; it could only temporarily repel them.
To defeat a swarm of demon bats, she would need at least fourth to fifth-rank strength—second-rank magic alone was obviously useless!
Moreover, the demon bats showed signs of cunning, intending to wear down their prey’s stamina and magic by circling overhead, waiting for the perfect moment to swarm and tear the girl to shreds.
Bats.
To avoid being immediately torn apart, the girl had no choice but to continuously cast [Fire Arrow]. Every burst of magic temporarily pushed back the approaching bats—
But her magic reserves were already scarce, and at this moment were draining at an alarming rate. The staff grew heavier in her hands, her vision darkened, and she sensed she couldn’t hold on much longer…
The edge.
However, just as her magic was about to be completely exhausted and she watched helplessly as the demon bats stirred once again—
“Tap tap tap—!”
From a distance came clear and urgent footsteps, accompanied by the sharp clanking of metal armor!
“There’s movement over there!”
“That’s… demon bats?! How did demon bats appear inside Oselenka?!”
“Hurry! Eliminate them!”
“Wait… those earthen walls… it looks like something’s locked inside?!”
It was the Academy’s night Patrol Team! Their voices were like celestial music, yet also like a death knell!
The bloodline girl’s alarm bells rang fiercely in her heart! The arrival of the Patrol Team wasn’t necessarily good for her!
Though they might drive away the demon bats, if she was captured in this state…
Her identity as a bloodline would be exposed, and what awaited her would be harsh imprisonment and endless interrogation!
Her secrets were too many; she could never let them fall into their hands!
What to do? Was she doomed today?
“Boom—!!!”
At that moment, chaos erupted once again!
A blazing fireball, far more powerful than her [Fire Arrow], fell like a meteor from the sky, striking squarely on the Earth Prison that trapped her.
Amid the violent explosion, rubble scattered everywhere!
The solid earth wall shattered open a massive breach, and the swirling dust quickly filled the air, choking the girl into coughing uncontrollably as her vision blurred.
Outside immediately came the Patrol Team’s shocked and angry shouts:
“Who’s there?!”
“Who cast that magic?!”
“Look over there! On the east wall! Someone’s there!!”
“Who is she?!”
The bloodline girl struggled to suppress her coughing and dizziness, instinctively peering through the dust toward the east wall.
Beneath the bright moonlight, a tall figure with white hair stood atop the wall, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.
The moonlight outlined her graceful silhouette but hid her face in shadow. Only a pair of icy blue eyes, like frozen gems, glowed cold and sharp in the darkness, quietly watching the girl’s direction.
She was… helping her?
That thought flashed through the bloodline girl’s mind instantly.
There was no time to hesitate! This was her only chance!
While the Patrol Team’s attention was drawn to the mysterious white-haired woman, the demon bats were temporarily deterred by the immense fireball, and the earth wall now bore a breach……………..
Escape!
Her desire to survive erupted into one final surge of strength as she dashed fiercely through the breach, blindly sprinting toward the nearest shadowed alley.
“That’s… a bloodline! The one locked in the Earth Prison is a bloodline!”
“Capture her quickly! Don’t let her escape!”
“Chase!”
The Patrol Team immediately spotted the fleeing girl. Amid their shouts, several figures surged forward, attempting to intercept.
Her heart pounded wildly, nearly bursting from her chest.
Her condition was terrible—her magic nearly depleted, her stamina almost gone. There was no way she could outrun the well-trained Patrol Team members! The gap was closing fast………………
Injured.
“Boom—!”
Another blazing fireball struck precisely in front of the Patrol Team’s chasing path!
The explosion’s shockwave and scorching heat forced them to abruptly halt and retreat, helplessly watching the white figure vanish into the darkness.
“Damn it! Take care of the one on the wall first!” the Patrol Captain ordered decisively, realizing the woman on the wall posed the greater threat.
After all, someone able to infiltrate Oselenka silently was definitely no ordinary foe!
All Patrol Team members immediately turned and unleashed a barrage of magical attacks of various elements like raindrops toward the mysterious woman on the east wall!
However, facing the dense magic assault, the woman on the wall simply raised a graceful hand.
A crystal-clear Ice Shield instantly formed, effortlessly blocking every attack. Ice shards scattered, yet the woman remained unscathed.
As the magic’s light and dust gradually faded, the wall was already empty.
The white-haired woman with icy blue eyes had vanished like a ghost.
Meanwhile, the bloodline girl seized the opportunity to disappear entirely into the labyrinthine alleys of the Academy.
“Search! Immediately expand the search range! We must find that bloodline and the intruder!” the Patrol Captain barked with a grim face.
“Yes!”
***
Elsewhere, after confirming she had thoroughly shaken off the Patrol Team, the bloodline girl finally dared to stop.
Leaning against the cold, damp wall, she gasped for breath, her chest rising and falling violently like a bellows.
The exhaustion of narrowly escaping death and the dizziness brought on by extreme hunger struck her at once, almost making her collapse.
However, just as she caught a brief moment to calm her breathing, a sudden change occurred—
Her once snow-white hair, as radiant as moonlight, began visibly fading from the roots, swiftly turning into an ordinary gray-white.
Her iconic crimson eyes’ blood color also rapidly faded, eventually becoming a clear and gentle pale blue.
Beneath the moonlight, she had transformed into someone else entirely—
The gray-haired girl full of vitality, a bit chatty, always lingering around Teacher Sefina: Mia.
She slid slowly down the wall, exhaustion, fear, and a trace of deep worry etched on her face.
“Almost… it really was over for me…”
She murmured softly, a complex expression flashing through her pale blue eyes.