Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Truth Revealed

Within the flames, the rhinoceros with the massive hammer charged straight into the heart of the inferno, colliding with a ferocity that sent shockwaves sweeping across the battlefield. The blast of force instantly toppled the fleeing students, sending them tumbling and rolling more than a dozen meters away. After such an impact, an explosion was inevitable, and its destructive power would surely bring devastation to the dormitory building.

Instinctively, Blackfeather covered his ears, bracing for the eruption. The students who had fled nearby stared wide-eyed in horror, the sea of fire obscuring the sky, while the scorching heat seared their skin.

“There’s no suspense left. Since Yixin has unleashed that move, the outcome is certain…” Blackfeather murmured.

“The explosion will destroy the dormitory, won’t it… What are we going to do?” The students trembled in fear.

Suddenly, a gentle dome of light settled above them. The young lady from the noble Light Elven bloodline, Lingmeng, spun lightly on her toes, her chin raised with pride, drifting past the people like a breath of fresh air. The divine staff of the Flower Goddess shimmered in her hand, her golden hair cascading behind her like a waterfall.

“Shield of Light!”

To the students, she was a savior in the apocalypse; their eyes brimmed with gratitude.

Meanwhile, two formidable forces clashed and exploded at the center. A nimble wind swept out, encasing the sea of fire and forming a barrier between the flames and the dormitory. The explosion thundered, its shockwaves reverberating within the swirling wind, yet not a trace of harm touched the dormitory.

Only when the rumbling subsided and the vast circular storm faded, did the flames gradually die away.

There, in the center of the scorched open ground before the dormitory, Yixin knelt on one knee, gasping for breath, his gaze fierce, his strength spent and unable to support himself any longer.

Behind the swirling dust, Lin Aohun still stood tall and proud, his giant hammer already returned to its original form, not a single trace of fatigue upon him—a testament to his formidable power.

Blackfeather stared in disbelief.

“This… Impossible… A draw?”

Or perhaps, judging by the scene, after unleashing his strongest technique, Yixin had exhausted his magic, and if the fight continued, Lin Aohun would have the upper hand.

“The commander of the Sacred City Guard is no mere title,” Blackfeather muttered.

Just then, Lin Aohun spotted Blackfeather in the crowd and sneered, “Well, well, the Devil’s Child!”

A chill ran down Blackfeather’s spine; sweat beaded on his brow as he rose on tiptoe, ready to slip away.

At that moment, Yunlan and Stonefang approached the front of the dormitory, with Divine Oracle Guo hurrying after them. The moment she saw Blackfeather, she ran straight to him, throwing herself into his arms and holding him tightly, her large eyes brimming with tears.

“Brother Blackfeather! I heard someone was trying to catch you, so I brought Principal Yunlan!”

“Oh, you came just in time…” Blackfeather patted her head. The swirling wind just now—he realized—had been Yunlan’s timely intervention, sparing the surroundings from devastation. “Otherwise, I really would have been taken away…”

The principal, robed in long flowing garments, his bearing elegant with the cloak of a holy mage upon his shoulders, could not be ignored, even by Lin Aohun.

With one hand behind his back, Yunlan took a step forward, his gentle manner gone, replaced by a stern tone: “Is this how the Sacred City Guard conducts itself? Coming to my magic academy to arrest someone and causing such chaos? If a student were harmed, would you bear the responsibility, Commander Lin?”

Lin Aohun tilted his head, arrogance and disdain in his eyes, but surveying the battered ground and the young faces all around, he knew he was in the wrong. “Tch, don’t know what got into me today—after exchanging blows with Yixin, I got all fired up…” he muttered inwardly.

“This kid actually made me lose my composure and fight for real.” He glanced at Yixin; the feeling was mutual. The two locked eyes, both snorting and looking away.

Saving face, Lin Aohun forced himself to say, “The Sacred City Guard apprehends suspects in serious cases. When there’s resistance, we have no choice but to use force.”

Yunlan’s expression darkened. “Whether my student is truly involved remains to be investigated. Besides, they have classes during the day. Any questioning must wait until after school. At that time, as principal, I will accompany him. As for the damage caused by the Sacred City Guard…”

Yunlan swept his gaze around—the ground was a ruin, the marks of the hammer everywhere, and even Lin Aohun’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “I expect Commander Lin to provide compensation.”

“Hmph. Then he can keep his life until tonight!” Lin Aohun shot Blackfeather a glare, hefted his giant hammer, and turned away.

His subordinates hurried after him, grumbling under their breath, “Sigh, every time our commander makes an arrest, there’s destruction everywhere—streets in the city, forests outside town—our budget’s going to fall short again this month…”

It was the first time Blackfeather had seen Yunlan speak so sternly. He walked up to Yunlan and Professor Stone, bowing respectfully. “Principal, Professor, thank you.”

Yunlan waved it off. “As long as you’re safe. Hurry to class now.”

After school that evening, Blackfeather and his friends returned from their field training outside the city, only for Yunlan to summon them to the principal’s office. Yixin, Divine Oracle Guo, and others followed him in.

“The matter has been thoroughly investigated,” Principal Yunlan said. “Blackfeather, go see Commander Lin—he will explain it to you. We have no guest rooms left on campus, so for now, Commander Lin has been placed in Divine Oracle Guo’s reception suite. He’s waiting for you there.”

“What? My reception room?” Divine Oracle Guo exclaimed in surprise.

Blackfeather put on the look of a man heading to his doom. “Let’s go meet him.”

They entered Divine Oracle Guo’s “luxurious dormitory,” where Lin Aohun sat on the first-floor sofa, one leg crossed over the other, flicking ash onto the carpet. Divine Oracle Guo’s spirit rabbit sniffed and hopped along the sofa, but as it passed, Lin Aohun snatched it up, wiped his shoes with its fur, and tossed it aside.

“Ah! My rabbit!…” Divine Oracle Guo despaired, crouching to beckon the rabbit back to her side.

Remembering that Lin Aohun was here because of the White Scorpion affair, Blackfeather stepped forward. “If you have business, take it up with me!”

“Hmph, lucky you,” Lin Aohun said, his earlier arrogance gone. He stretched out a broad palm, and a member of the Guard behind him handed him three wanted posters, whispering, “The three who died in the alley yesterday were these men.”

Lin Aohun slapped the notices onto the table; the three sheets fluttered to the floor at Blackfeather’s feet.

“Do you know the people in these photographs?”

Blackfeather looked down. One of them was indeed the White Scorpion he had encountered in the alley the day before; the other two were his henchmen.

“I know them,” Blackfeather replied.