The gap in strength remained vast, like an uncrossable river.

The girl pushed herself up against the wall. The man before her still looked utterly relaxed, a mocking smirk on his face.

The magic she’d used earlier belonged to Lunorette. Thanks to subconscious power, the girl had gained the formidable strength of the otherworld’s Chief Student. But this power was incomplete—her maximum output was only seventy percent of Lunorette’s true might.

And parts of it remained unusable: summoning magic, Dragon Knight abilities.

Still, Moyu Manatsu was satisfied. Just moments ago, she’d been a helpless pushover. Now, with Lunorette’s power, she at least had a trace of hope.

Fragile as that hope seemed.

“I’m tired of playing.” Xiejit’s voice cut through the air, weariness flickering in his eyes after the prolonged fight. “You held up well. But that’s all.”

To him, these students were mere toys—time-fillers. This white-haired girl was just slightly more capable than the rest.

**CRACK!**

Radiant light pierced the wall she’d been leaning on. Boulders shattered; dust and debris exploded outward. Moyu Manatsu barely dodged. She scanned for an opening, then hurled several fireballs.

*Priority one: Rescue Princess Wensidia.*

Her eyes flicked to the still-bound princess. How to bypass Xiejit’s watchful gaze? He guarded his hostage fiercely. Every attempt to free Wensidia had failed—even Caina, watching from the sidelines, couldn’t break through.

*Just get the princess out. Escape later.* They had no other choice. The road ahead would be brutal, but saving Wensidia came first.

The girl rose, gripping her sword. Mana surged. Thunderbolts slammed into the ground. The cave shuddered violently.

**BOOM!**

Xiejit grinned. A flick of his wrist split the earth with a blinding beam. Before she could react, he was upon her—sending her flying with a single blow. The cave convulsed. Energy beams sliced through stone like paper, tearing the ground open. Dust choked the air.

Military Magic’s true power lay in its raw destructiveness—unlike ordinary spells, it killed outright.

Against such strength, cunning was essential. The girl unleashed her energy. Starlight flooded the cave. Flame-wreathed strikes punched through walls.

“That ring Lunorette carries—it holds Magic Artifacts!” Caina’s voice rang out, urgent.

*Why help me?* Moyu Manatsu didn’t hesitate. She fumbled a silver ring from her pocket, sliding it onto her middle finger. She rubbed its surface.

Spatial Rings were rare, costly treasures—storage tools only nobles could afford. Lunorette had earned this one on a mission long ago.

From the ring, she pulled a bow. Exquisitely crafted, smooth as glass. But it had no string. No arrows.

*How does this work?*

Xiejit’s shockwave roared toward her. Instinct took over. She gripped the bow’s frame and fired raw energy from where the string should be.

The explosion taught her its use: channel mana through the bow, unleash fire.

“Just a trinket. No threat at all.” Xiejit laughed, hurling a dagger. Enchanted with lethal magic, it shot forward like a bullet.

Magic Artifacts were weapons of immense power. Their intricate circuitry demanded rigorous training and extraordinary mental fortitude from wielders.

**KABOOM!**

“Hah… hah…”

Exhaustion hit her hard. Lunorette’s body should’ve been resilient—yet she felt drained. Her limits were showing.

She poured mana into a dagger pulled from the ring. Its blade lengthened instantly, wreathed in starlight.

“Galaxy’s Call!”

She swung. A devastating shockwave ripped toward Xiejit. He blocked it bare-handed. Smoke cleared. He emerged, blood trickling from his lip.

“Close. My magic barely saved me.”

He couldn’t believe her offensive power—or how naturally she wielded the artifacts.

Moyu Manatsu held the bow in her left hand, the starlit dagger resting against its frame like an arrow. Mana surged. Her eyes turned razor-sharp.

“Controlling two artifacts?” Xiejit scoffed. Managing multiple artifacts required immense focus—but it wasn’t impossible. He could do the same.

The twin energies fused, lancing toward him. Xiejit slashed his blade, deflecting the blast.

Moyu Manatsu pulled an iron sphere from the ring. She dropped it onto the bow. The sphere rolled to the dagger’s tip, merging with both artifacts—a coiled bullet ready to detonate.

“Three artifacts at once?!”

Shock flashed across Xiejit’s face. Controlling three distinct circuit patterns simultaneously? Even he couldn’t manage that. This girl was burning her mind to ash.

“**FIRE!**”

Her roar shook the cave. The sphere erupted—a vortex of lightning and flame. Xiejit threw up a barrier. It shattered on impact. The blast struck his chest. Blood sprayed from his mouth.

Moyu Manatsu unleashed everything. The cave trembled. Geysers of fluorescent fire erupted from the ground, engulfing Xiejit.

*Trapped.*

He realized too late: during her earlier thunder assault, she’d secretly buried fire mana beneath the earth. She’d bided her time, waiting to strike.

His arrogance had blinded him.

“Cough… Princess…”

Ignoring her screaming body, Moyu Manatsu staggered toward Wensidia, weapons clattering to the floor. She fumbled with the ropes.

“Don’t move! You’re hurt, Lunorette!” Wensidia’s voice trembled with worry.

Moyu Manatsu ignored her. Her fingers touched the bindings—and recoiled as if electrocuted.

“Can’t… It’s enchanted. Won’t loosen.”

“Leave me. He set a mana field to stop my escape. I couldn’t break free even with magic.”

“We came this far…” Bitterness choked her. Only Xiejit could undo the ropes. And he never would.

“Why?” Caina’s voice cut through the pain.

She’d once hated this imposter wearing her best friend’s face. Yet here she stood—fighting desperately for a princess who meant nothing to her. After all Caina’s scorn… what drove her here?

“How **dare** you play with me!”

Xiejit’s roar drowned out the question. He charged, fury incarnate.

“Look out!” Caina threw herself in front of Wensidia. The impact sent her crashing into a wall, unconscious.

“You’re strong. But now? I’ll kill you.” Xiejit grabbed the girl’s hair, slamming her head into the stone floor. **CRUNCH!** He yanked her up, hurling her against the wall.

Nausea surged. Moyu Manatsu forced herself upright, reclaiming her bow and dagger. Mana flared.

“A Mirastin peasant dares defy me?!” Xiejit’s rage boiled over. Her tricks had humiliated him.

“Stop! She’s not involved! Take me instead!” Wensidia pleaded.

“**SILENCE!**” Xiejit whirled, spittle flying. “How could a pampered Mirastin noble understand Zazvita’s suffering?!”

His fury was a gift. An unbalanced enemy bled openings.

Moyu Manatsu unleashed every attack. He swatted them aside like flies.

“You preach justice while feasting on delicacies! While our children starve! You steal our harvests, our dignity! Your ‘justice’ is a lie! The weak deserve to suffer? You’ve never felt the dirt beneath a commoner’s nails!” Each word was a hammer blow.

“What… did you say?” Wensidia froze, stunned.

“Of course you don’t know. You’re nobility. Why would you care about neighbors?” Xiejit’s laugh was raw. “Zazvita never threatened Mirastin. Yet you trample us again and again. No more.”

“…”

“I’ll drag you home. Make your entire nation kneel. Every humiliation you dealt us? I’ll return it tenfold. You *will* feel our rage.”

Hatred burned in his eyes—deep, unquenchable.