Just as the demon bat’s sharp claws were about to brush against Mia at the last moment.
“Boom—!
A blazing fireball streaked through the air from not far away, trailing a fiery tail, striking precisely between Mia and the demon bats!
The explosion’s shockwave and flames forced the demon bats to let out sharp screeches, instinctively scattering in all directions, narrowly saving Mia from being torn apart at the brink of death.
Phew!
Mia gasped, the scene just now having terrified her half to death. Fortunately, it ended here, exactly as Teacher Sefina had predicted.
The one who cast the fireball was none other than the Aurenka Patrol rushing in upon hearing the news!
“Eliminate the demon bats! Protect the scene and capture that bloodline girl!”
The patrol captain Duncan’s steady voice rang out, carrying an unmistakable tone of command. The team immediately dispersed, various magical lights igniting as they aimed directly at the flying monsters above.
Far above in the clock tower, the face beneath the Seventh Seat’s mask twisted instantly, grinding teeth in rage.
The attack had only lasted two minutes, yet these patrol teams arrived so swiftly—like persistent ghosts!
It immediately focused its attention, commanding the demon bats to ignore the interference and launch an even more ferocious dive attack on Mia, determined to complete the mission before the patrol could encircle them!
But the patrol would never let it succeed so easily.
Captain Duncan barked an order and slammed his staff into the ground.
In an instant, thick earthen walls shot up from the earth, closing rapidly to form a sturdy circular bulwark, trapping Mia inside and temporarily blocking the demon bats’ direct assault.
This was a third-tier earth magic: Earthen Bulwark.
At the same time, other team members fired fireballs, wind blades, and ice spikes like raindrops at the demon bats in the air, trying to disperse or eliminate them.
The Seventh Seat clenched both fists tightly, knuckles whitening.
He had inquired and knew Duncan was a genuine sixth-tier mage, more than capable of handling these demon bats that relied mainly on harassment and ambush.
If this continued, the bloodline girl would soon be captured alive by the patrol, and the mission would fail!
No, the mission must be completed!
The simplest solution would be for him to intervene personally—a high-tier area magic spell could clear the field instantly.
But doing so would undoubtedly reveal his exact position and strength, alerting the academy that the demon bats were being controlled and possibly exposing the organization’s movements.
That would invite much stricter investigations—a cost too great to bear.
However… he had prepared for this.
A cruel gleam flashed in the Seventh Seat’s eyes as he unleashed a surge of mental power, forcibly controlling the remaining demon bats to completely ignore the patrol’s attacks.
Like suicide bombers, they recklessly dove toward Mia inside the earthen walls!
Even as fireballs grazed their wings, setting them aflame, they screeched and lunged toward the target!
Duncan’s face darkened at the sight. He immediately raised his staff high, gathering powerful magic.
The surrounding temperature soared as a fourth-tier area fire spell, Flame Storm, began to form—enough to incinerate this frenzy of demon bats instantly!
Yet, just as the blazing vortex of the Flame Storm was about to engulf the demon bats—
“Bang—!!!”
A sound far duller than a magical explosion yet more penetrating suddenly erupted.
Was someone casting magic from afar?
No, absolutely not. None of the patrol members saw any signs of magic being cast! It was impossible for someone to trigger the demon bats’ explosion remotely with magic.
That sound wasn’t a clash of spells—it came from the demon bats themselves… exploding!
A massive fireball instantly swallowed the entire area. Even the earthen wall hastily constructed by Duncan was blown to pieces like paper under the terrifying shockwave.
The air ignited, turning the zone into a brief, hellish blaze.
Everyone in the patrol was stunned by this sudden, drastic turn of events. They instinctively stepped back in defense, staring dumbfounded at the scorched wasteland.
All the demon bats… exploded simultaneously?!
Impossible! When had demon bats, these magical creatures, ever developed self-destruct abilities? They had never heard of such a thing!
What on earth was going on?!
As the flames and smoke slowly dissipated, only charred marks and scattered embers remained in the area.
Neither the demon bats nor the bloodline girl were anywhere to be found, as if vaporized completely by the violent explosion moments ago, leaving not even a trace behind.
The patrol members exchanged bewildered glances, their pupils filled with disbelief. This was entirely beyond their understanding.
Only the Seventh Seat atop the clock tower, unable to restrain a smirk, let the corners of his mouth curl upward in satisfaction.
Looks like it worked.
That little gadget provided by the Ninth Seat was indeed useful—what was it called again… gunpowder?
It could violently ignite and explode upon exposure to open flame. While not as devastating as true high-tier magic, at such close range it was more than enough to kill, silence, and erase all evidence.
The most crucial part was that the explosion appeared to be an abnormal reaction of the demon bats themselves, completely concealing his existence.
He had long attached small, well-sealed gunpowder pouches to the backs of each demon bat, embedding a tiny magic stone inscribed with a minimalist, triggered fire-element array.
Only when he was willing to sacrifice the demon bats and remotely injected a specific frequency of magic to activate the stones would the gunpowder detonate.
The outer seals ensured that even the bloodline girl’s earlier Fire Arrow wouldn’t accidentally trigger the explosions, maintaining precise control.
Although the Ninth Seat seemed reluctant to use this method—since raising a single demon bat was costly, requiring considerable time and effort—for the sake of flawlessly completing the mission, the loss was acceptable.
***
In summary, the mission was a perfect success.
The bloodline girl was dead, her body reduced to ashes with no evidence left behind.
He remained completely unharmed, without leaving any magical traces.
Now, it was time to wrap up and leave.
The Seventh Seat turned around satisfied, ready to quietly slip away from the clock tower.
However, just as he took the first step—
“Snap—!!!”
A sharp, crisp, and brief sound pierced the silence of the night!
The noise was loud, with a metallic, icy texture—what was that?!