Hitman with a Badass System
chapter-1320

1320 The Headmaster has arrived

As the battle continued, a new group rushed into the scene. They were not professors nor the black-armored soldiers of the Dark Lord. These were young and burned with anger. They were none other than the graduated students of Mazeroth. If Michael were here, he would have immediately recognized them. The one who didn't wear any shirt to cover his chiseled upper body, with long flowing black hair and carrying a hammer, was Deacon Saunderus, the Four-Star Blacksmith. The young woman with matching black hair and pure white robes was his fiancée, Bethany White, the Four-Star Runemaster. The young man with messy greasy purple hair, wearing a jacket that looked colorful enough to hurt eyes, was Diego Carter, the guy who had his ass kicked by Michael. Finally, the most handsome and smartest, who led them, was Elliot Watson, the former Head Prefect of Mazeroth and the decorated alumni of House Warrior.

Ignoring the youngsters, a veteran from the dark army lunged at Headmistress Kayla Martin, who was fighting two Half-Immortal stage soldiers by herself. When the third one lunged at her, she knew defending alone would be difficult, let alone fighting back. Lane, on the other hand, was occupied battling Elidyr. The battle between a Five-Star Alchemist and a Five-Star Runemaster was nothing short of spectacular.

Lane used various potions as bombs and drank potions that formed a layer of stone-like substance on his skin while the spells he cast received a temporary boost from the pills he took. Meanwhile, Elidyr used his proficiency in runes to fight back. He took out several metal cards, each with a rune engraved on it, and threw them. Each rune card exploded upon colliding with the floor, creating explosive spells and counteracting Lane's potions and shielding the dark army from the attacks of the other professors.

At that moment, the dark army veteran reached Kayla Martin with a curved sword in his hand. But before he could make contact, Elliot cast a spell that formed a circle in the air and soared straight through the dark army veteran.

"Get away from her!" Deacon shouted before throwing his sledgehammer at the veteran. Although the spell and sledgehammer couldn't kill the veteran, it pushed him back, giving Kayla Martin the opening. She immediately twirled her body in mid-air and fired a beam of blue light from her ethereal swords. The dark army soldiers who were engaged with her were sent flying as she leaped forward toward the veteran to knock him out.

"Secure the elder vampire," Lane ordered the graduates, sighing in relief when he saw them. He wasn't one to show he cared for his students; in fact, he hated all of them, especially the Warrior and Blacksmith House students. But he was glad they were here. Hearing Lane's order, the graduates didn't waste time. They moved toward Lenora.

"Protect her. Don't let them take her away!" Elidyr commanded.

Hearing Elidyr's order, the dark army soldiers switched from offense to defense. Immediately, they all cast the same shielding spell. This was no translucent shield spell, the famous and powerful shield spell most cultivators used. No, it was something much more powerful, a spell that required combined casting. The moment the four dark army soldiers began to cast, the ground beneath them trembled as a wall made of fire and lightning erupted before them. The moment the shield spell formed, the surrounding portraits protected by runes couldn't remain untouched. They were scorched by the lightning and fire. The combined might of the two elements raised the temperature around them and formed a barrier between Lenora and the graduates.

The appearance of the shield between the two sides halted the battle for a moment, giving both sides time to strategize.

"She cannot wake up. Where is the headmaster?" Kayla asked the graduates.

"He sent us to help you," Bethany White said with a hint of nervousness in her voice.

Even as they spoke, the threat remained. If Lenora woke up, they would be in serious trouble. Lane knew the golden poison attack worked on her because the element of surprise was on his side, but it wouldn't work a second time because her body would be immune to it for an hour, and she would be prepared for this attack.

"And where, pray tell, is the headmaster? If she wakes up, we're all dead," Lane said with bitterness. They all knew he was right, but they didn't know what to do. Penetrating through the shield was an option, but it was no simple matter considering four Half Immortals were casting the spell. Even if they could, it would take time, and by then, Lenora might wake up.

On the other side of the barrier, Elidyr knelt beside Lenora and checked her pulse. He had never expected Lane to knock out an elder vampire, and he finally understood why the Dark Lord considered Lane his mentor in alchemy.

"Lord Elidyr, what should we do?" one of the dark army soldiers asked, his face etched with concern and exhaustion from all the fighting and spell casting.

"We push forward. No matter what, we must take the gateway to Skyhall. The Dark Lord is counting on us," Elidyr said, glancing through a broken hole in the wall to see the Dark Lord fighting the dragons.

"I have a plan," Elliot announced, looking at the professors and his friends.

"Right below us is the training hall… There's a cage we used to capture beasts… if we could lock her in that, it might buy us some time until the headmaster arrives to deal with them," Elliot explained, looking at the others for their thoughts.

"A hail Mary," Lane muttered with a mix of skepticism and resignation, yet deep down, he knew they had no other options.

"But the stairs, they're on the other side. We can't just walk through this damn barrier," Diego Carter, who harbored resentment toward Elliot and Deacon, was quick to point out the flaws in Elliot's plan. But Deacon understood Elliot's plan, his slow grin spreading across his face.

"The hall is right below us, and we don't need stairs to get down there," Deacon said as he gripped his sledgehammer tightly.

Instead of giving the rest the time to react or disagree with his plan, Deacon positioned himself squarely in the center of the group. "Hold tight, everyone," he commanded, his voice echoing slightly in the tension-filled hallway. He raised his sledgehammer high above his head, the runes etched into its surface beginning to glow with a fierce, bright light.

With a determined grunt, Deacon brought the hammer down with monumental force. The impact resonated through the hall, sending a network of cracks spider-webbing across the floor beneath their feet. Lane watched with a grim expression, disliking the plan but acknowledging their lack of options.

On the other side of the barrier, Elidyr's expression turned to one of concern as he felt the tremors underfoot. He barely had time to register what was happening when two more thunderous thuds vibrated through the structure.

Suddenly, the floor gave way under the combined weight and force of Deacon's strikes. The group found themselves plummeting through the newly created gap, their descent marked by a chorus of surprised shouts and the rushing wind.

"Brace yourselves!" Deacon yelled over the sound of crumbling stone and twisting metal.

"This is insane!" Diego's voice rang out, tinged with both alarm and adrenaline.

"You're wrong... She's going to wake up soon, and trust me, you have no idea how furious an elder vampire can be when crossed," Elidyr retorted with a snicker, his eyes darting around the room.

11:50

As they fell, the light from the hallway above quickly dimmed, swallowed by the darkness of the space below. When they all hit the cold, hard floor of the training hall, groans and growls of pain echoed through the space. The four half-immortal soldiers of the dark army momentarily lost their focus, causing the shield spell they had maintained to dissipate into thin wisps of residual magic.

Elidyr steadied himself, pushing off the ground with a grimace before surveying his surroundings. The hall was dimly lit, casting long shadows over rows of combat dummies and walls etched with complex runes. The floor, made of polished black marble, reflected the little light there was, amplifying the hall's spaciousness. He craned his neck to look up through the jagged hole they had fallen through, his gaze meeting the determined faces of the professors and students poised above.

The young warriors from Mazeroth Academy showed no hesitation; their faces were set, eyes alight with a fierce determination that spoke of readiness to continue the fight. But looking at them, Elidyr was amused deep down. Despite their weak cultivation, these young bloods showed no fear…

"How does it feel to be young and stupid again?" Elidyr couldn't help but smirk, his voice laced with irony.

"Give up, half-elf. You're surrounded," Diego Carter taunted, his posture tense and ready for conflict.

"You're wrong... She's going to wake up soon, and trust me, you have no idea how furious an elder vampire can be when crossed," Elidyr retorted with a snicker, his eyes darting around the room.

Lane's gaze shifted quickly, landing on a silver cage in the distance. That was their best chance to contain the elder vampire, but it wouldn't be easy with her protected by four half-immortal soldiers and a formidable runemaster.

"For now, let's settle this ourselves…" Elidyr proposed, cracking his neck—a gesture he had unconsciously adopted from the Dark Lord. The tension in the air thickened palpably, as the dark army soldiers braced themselves for a renewed confrontation.

Just as Elidyr prepared to advance, a figure emerged from the shadows of the room. A tall, imposing old man with white robes and pure white long hair and beard, his eyes twinkling behind half-spectacle glasses, approached with an air of solemn authority.

Elidyr froze, a torrent of mixed emotions washing over him as he recognized the figure.

"Wulfric…" he whispered, his voice barely audible over the quiet murmur of the room. The headmaster of Mazeroth had arrived, and with him, the hidden truths of the past, including the memory-wiping spell cast on Elidyr, were about to be confronted.