CHAPTER 1017: THROWN AWAY

Hund and Kale who were still locked in their bitter duel were instantly thrown off balance when the shockwave of the clash between Arty and Renard reached them.

The ground quaked beneath their feet and the violent shockwave of Magic energy and wind ripped at their clothes and hair.

Both were hurled backward, tumbling and rolling through dirt and debris until they finally skidded to a stop.

Hund groaned while pushing himself up with his forearm. His vision swam for a moment before he forced it to focus and what he saw made him frown deep.

A few meters ahead, the forest was gone. Flattened.

Trees that once stood tall were snapped like twigs, their remains scattered across the ground.

Smoke and dust choked the air. Fire crackled in the haze. Lightning still arced wildly across the battlefield and snapping around.

"What the hell just happened?" Hund thought, his brows furrowing as his eyes swept across the devastation.

Not far from him, Kale rose to his feet as well, his hand gripping his sword tightly.

He looked at the same destruction but unlike Hund he knew immediately what it meant.

It was Renard. It had to be. That overwhelming chaos of lightning power could only be his power.

But half of what lingered there—the fire and the twisting winds—wasn’t Renard at all. It was foreign. So it must be Arty.

His gut sank with a cold weight.

He had believed without a shred of doubt that Renard would win.

Before they even launched their ambush Renard had prepared. He had his vial which was filled with his enhancement drugs. With that, his victory was certain, or so Kale thought.

But now... Kale’s teeth clenched as unease prickled at the back of his neck.

This wasn’t a simple victory. This was chaos spiraling beyond their control. Arty actually put up a good fight.

"This will not be as easy as we thought..." he admitted silently, his grip on his sword tightening. "Maybe I should join him. Maybe I should end this fight quickly and kill this adventurer now before it’s too late."

His eyes shifted to Hund who still hadn’t turned his focus away from the haze of destruction.

Hund’s gaze was locked forward, his expression sharp and heavy with thought.

Kale’s lip curled. "This is aPerfect chance."

He dashed forward with explosive speed, his blade cutting through the air in a lethal arc toward Hund’s neck.

CLANG!

Steel rang against steel as Hund’s sword intercepted the strike with a steady arm. His eyes still fixed on the devastation ahead. He hadn’t even looked at Kale.

The younger man’s eyes widened, then narrowed as Hund’s strength pushed him back.

Hund finally turned his gaze on him, his eyes cold and sharp as the edge of his blade.

"Kid," Hund said in a low, steady tone, "I warned you. Get out of here before you get yourself killed. This is stepping out of line."

Kale jumped back, landing light on his feet, and forced a mocking smirk across his face.

"Oh, so now you’re getting serious? You’re still underestimating me." His voice dripped with anger and mockery. "Don’t worry. I’ll move away of course, after I kill you. Then I’ll kill that bitch Arty and go home with a smile on my face."

Hund’s shoulders sank as he exhaled, his expression hardening into a cold resolve. He now knows how he should end this.

"Damn," he muttered, "you’re helpless. I think I’ll do the world a favor and break you so badly so that you’ll never hold a sword again."

Kale’s face twisted, his teeth grinding. Anger blazed in his chest, boiling away his smirk and leaving only pure hatred in his eyes.

Without another word, he slid into his killer stance. The aura of his sword technique wrapping around him like a predator ready to pounce.

Then, with terrifying speed, he launched forward again.

Hund’s own blade flared. The runes in it ignited in brilliant blue light that poured down the steel like liquid fire.

CLANG!

When the two met again the air cracked with the force of their clash.

Steel screamed and the sparks danced.

The battle between them erupted again but now it was fiercer than before.

—

Esther and Ilvera were both also thrown several meters from their places by the shockwave yet by chance they remained where they had been before.

Esther still perched high on the other tree while Ilvera still astride her giant eagle.

The world behind them was scorched and torn apart, the air filled with dust, fire, and cries of battle.

Ilvera bit her lip as she stared at the devastation, her chest tightening.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. Her thoughts ran just the same like Kale’s earlier worry.

"Could it be... does your friend really want to kill Arty?"

The question cut through the haze, carried by Esther’s voice that sounded calm but laced with disbelief.

Ilvera turned, meeting the witch’s eyes, and saw that expression. It was the expression of accusatory, doubtful, and judging.

Ilvera’s mask cracked, worry flickered in her face, but she quickly forced it back.

Her lips curled upward to reveal a smug and sharp expression as always. "Well, actually no. The principal said we can’t do that and we just need to injure her badly enough that she realized that she needs power. But... he never said anything about the adventurers who accompany her."

"The principal?" Esther asked, frowning deeply, suspicion sharpening in her voice.

Ilvera’s heart skipped. The slip struck her like a cold stone.

She flustered, but only for a moment, before smoothing her face again, hiding behind practiced arrogance.

"Hmph! There’s no point, witch. You will die here anyway."

Esther only shook her head slowly, her eyes narrowing in quiet contempt.

"These damn noble brats... I really hate you bunch, you know that? At least your father is old and wise enough not to stir too much trouble. But you children, with so much power, yet no wisdom. That’s why you become a menace to society."

Ilvera’s brows knit in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Esther tilted her head slightly, almost pitying. "See what I mean?"

From under Ilvera’s eagle several vines surged up.

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