This stone isn’t particularly useful. If anything, it’s meant to imprison this Archmage. Their mission wasn’t to destroy the entire Magic Academy anyway.

If that were the goal, how could they possibly succeed with just Zhang Yong, Evelyn, and a mere hundred demon sorcerers? This is the capital city, after all. The garrison alone would crush them. Moreover, this world’s power balance doesn’t rely solely on Heroes. Archmages aren’t the pinnacle—several tiers exist above them. Physical combatants are equally formidable.

Heroes rarely possess overwhelming raw strength. Most seem unremarkable in daily life. Yet in true combat, stronger foes often fail to defeat them. Their power lies in trait-enhanced abilities—unleashing overwhelming force at critical moments.

Take this generation’s Dragon Slayer Hero. His base strength barely matches a high-ranking knight, roughly equivalent to an advanced warrior. By current tier rankings? Silver to Gold at best.

Archmages sit above Gold but below Mithril-grade. Yet even several Archmages combined couldn’t slay a dragon that kidnapped a princess.

The reason needs no explanation. Only Heroes carry the Dragon-Slaying boon. Killing dragons comes easier to them—with far fewer sacrifices—than to Archmages.

“What is this?!” The Archmage spotted a black stone hurled by a stunning, bewitching woman. Sensing its ominous aura, he tried to dodge. But the stone accelerated, striking him before he could evade.

Sinister energy erupted from the stone, engulfing the Archmage. A cyan shield flared around him—but the black mist wrapped him into a massive cocoon.

The dark cocoon plummeted, crashing into the earth with a thunderous boom. A one-meter crater formed, the cocoon lying utterly still at its center.

Soon, the Archmage’s muffled voice emerged—but his words brought no comfort to those fighting.

“This artifact has trapped me temporarily. I cannot break free quickly. The King’s knights and other Archmages will arrive soon. Hold on! Once they—”

The black cocoon silenced him completely.

“No way… what just happened?”

“The Archmage’s trapped?! Who *are* those two?”

“When will the knights and other mages get here? We can’t hold much longer!”

“Help us!”

“No… I don’t want to die!”

With their savior imprisoned, distracted or fleeing fighters fell to summoned beasts. As their numbers dwindled, the defensive line frayed.

“They’re about to break. Easier than expected, don’t you think, Evelyn?” Zhang Yong remarked.

“Naturally,” Evelyn smiled. “We sacrificed a hidden outpost to lure the others away. It wasn’t truly covert anyway—just a decoy we’d occasionally ‘leak’ to draw attention. The real bases remain hidden.”

*Was it worth it?* Zhang Yong mused inwardly. *This world suits me perfectly. Things impossible on Earth feel… reasonable here. Am I truly the protagonist? “Otherworldly Hero” fits me—and my Hero Skill—whether facing Demonfolk or humans. This chaotic world… perhaps I’m meant to end it all.*

---

Near the stage entrance, Albert and Chu Xueyue witnessed the Archmage’s entrapment. Albert recognized the ominous aura instantly.

“Demon King Power?! Impossible! How could the Dark Lord’s power be here?!”

“What? Demon King Power?” Chu Xueyue gasped. He hadn’t sensed its origin—even having met the Dark Lord himself. But Albert had fought him, been captured by him. If Albert said it was true…

“If it’s the Dark Lord’s power… has he discovered I slipped back here?” Chu Xueyue’s mind raced. *I might survive capture—even if turned into a soulless puppet. But Albert… he’s no Otherworldly Hero. His luck won’t save him twice.*

Albert shook his head, brows knotted, face grim. His fists clenched until they creaked.

“No. This power is weak—a mere artifact of the Dark Lord’s. We haven’t been discovered. If we had, this ‘incident’ wouldn’t be happening here.”

“Thank goodness,” Chu Xueyue exhaled. “I was terrified he’d come for us. If it’s not him… I can breathe again.”

“The stage entrance is ahead. Hurry—we must reach your sister. If we delay, she’ll be in danger.”

Beyond the entrance, beast roars mingled with endless screams. Albert’s sister—a former Dragon Slayer Hero’s sibling—was scheduled to appear before dignitaries tonight. *Precisely because* she was his sister, she’d been targeted.

“Understood.”

No more words. Albert and Chu Xueyue charged inside. There was no time to waste. Explanations could wait.