Chapter 148: Grand Mage – Alaric Steele

Alaric barely had time to think as the Elite Demon lunged forward again, its massive greatsword cutting through the air with a terrifying whoosh. He twisted to the side at the last possible moment, feeling the wind from the blade rush past his face as it slammed into the ground, shattering the earth beneath him.

Brita wasn’t faring much better. She used her Ice Magic to propel herself backward, skating across the frozen surface she conjured beneath her feet, narrowly avoiding a vicious claw swipe.

“This is getting ridiculous!” she hissed, conjuring a series of razor-sharp ice spikes and launching them toward the demon’s exposed flank. The ice crashed against its dark armor-like skin and—

Did absolutely nothing.

Alaric, meanwhile, was rapidly shifting between elemental spells just to stay alive. A burst of flames erupted beneath his feet, propelling him backward before the demon’s fist could crush him. A gust of wind shot him sideways, barely dodging another sword swing. A sudden surge of water condensed into a wave, throwing off the demon’s balance for half a second—just enough time for him to reposition.

“Any ideas, genius?” Brita snapped as she landed beside him.

“Survive,” Alaric shot back. “That’s the strategy.”

“Oh wow, brilliant,” Brita deadpanned. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

Before either of them could come up with a real plan, something unexpected happened.

Alaric’s phone beeped.

In the middle of battle.

For a second, he just stared at his coat pocket.

’There’s no way… No one should be calling me at a time like this—’

The phone beeped again.

Brita blinked at him. “Are you seriously going to answer that right now?!”

“It could be important!”

“We’re fighting a demon!”

“I multitask!”

Without thinking, Alaric reached into his coat, pulled out the phone, and checked the screen.

His blood ran cold.

It was from Natasha.

His finger moved before he could think, pressing the button and putting the phone to his ear. “Natasha?”

On the other end—

A terrified whisper.

“A-Alaric… please… h-help me…”

His stomach dropped.

“What’s wrong?!” His voice sharpened.

“They’re… they’re here… those creatures… they surrounded the Tower of Artificers… t-the barrier won’t last… please, please hurry… I—”

CRACK.

The sound of shattering glass came through the receiver before the line suddenly went dead.

Alaric froze.

Something inside him snapped.

Brita, who had been keeping an eye on the Elite Demon, suddenly realized that Alaric was standing completely still. His head was lowered, his body motionless.

“Alaric!” she shouted. “What are you doing?! MOVE!”

The Elite Demon roared, seizing its opportunity. With a savage grin, it charged, closing the distance in an instant. Its greatsword, glowing with sinister dark energy, swung down in a massive arc—

For a split second, Alaric didn’t react.

The sword was inches from his face when—

A tremendous energy erupted from his body.

Not magic from a spell. Not a pre-prepared technique. But raw magic power.

The force of it alone shattered the ground beneath him, creating a shockwave that sent dirt, debris, and weaker demons flying backward. The air itself trembled.

Brita’s eyes widened as she saw it.

A deep, azure blue glow surrounded Alaric.

Pure magic energy.

That wasn’t supposed to be possible.

Magic energy, by itself, wasn’t something people could see without it being channeled into a spell. That was a universal fact.

And yet—

Right now, Alaric’s magic energy was visible, crackling like an untamed storm around him.

Brita recognized that glow.

Her heart stopped.

’No… no, it can’t be…!’

But she knew.

She knew that aura. She remembered that power.

It was the same power the Masked Man had used against her in the auction hall.

The power of the Azure Spirit Lion Beast Essence.

Alaric…

Alaric was the Masked Man.

And not only that—he was stronger than before.

Back then, she had sensed that the Masked Man had been a Master Mage, just like her.

But now—

Now, she could feel it.

He had advanced.

Alaric was a Grand Mage.

Her breath hitched. ’How… how is this possible?! He was already absurdly strong when he fought me! And now he’s… he’s even stronger?!’

While Brita was processing this revelation, the Elite Demon swung its greatsword again—

And Alaric caught it.

With one hand.

The moment his fingers closed around the dark blade, the entire battlefield froze.

Even the weaker demons stopped moving, as if sensing something terrifying.

The Elite Demon’s expression twisted in shock. “W-What—”

Alaric’s grip tightened.

And then, with an almost casual movement—

He crushed the greatsword.

The massive, enchanted blade shattered like fragile glass, pieces of it flying in all directions.

The Elite Demon staggered back, its crimson eyes wide with disbelief. “Impossible…!”

Alaric finally lifted his gaze.

His eyes, once their normal deep blue, now glowed with the same azure energy surrounding him. His expression was cold. Bone-chillingly cold.

His voice, when he spoke, sent a shudder through everyone who heard it.

“I was a fool.”

The air around him hummed with power.

“I was so focused on hiding my strength… that I forgot the most important thing.”

His magic energy flared, sending a pulse of pure force outward.

“My friends… my comrades… are fighting for their lives.”

The Elite Demon took an unconscious step back.

Alaric raised his hand.

A storm of azure magic gathered at his fingertips, swirling like a raging tempest.

“And you dared to lay a hand on them.”

Brita swallowed.

The Elite Demon roared, trying to suppress the fear creeping into its soul. “You arrogant human—”

“Die.”

Alaric unleashed his spell.

A massive pillar of azure flame erupted from his palm, roaring toward the demon like a devouring beast. The sheer force of it tore through the ground, carving a deep trench as it obliterated everything in its path.

The Elite Demon had no time to react.

The flames consumed it entirely.

And in the blink of an eye—

It was gone.

Not a trace of it remained.

Alaric slowly lowered his hand, his expression unchanged. His glowing eyes shifted toward the remaining demons.

They took one look at him—

And ran.

Brita, still in absolute shock, could only stare.

’This… this is Alaric?’

The realization hit her like a mountain.

’He’s not normal.’

He wasn’t just some noble heir. He wasn’t just some prodigy at Verdant Dawn Academy.

No.

He was something far more terrifying.

And she had no idea what he truly was.

~~

Alaric slowly turned his gaze toward Brita, his eyes still glowing with that eerie, almost otherworldly azure hue. His expression remained unreadable, his voice cold and sharp as a blade.

“You must have realized by now, haven’t you?”

Brita clenched her fists, her icy blue eyes narrowing. Of course, she had realized it. The moment she saw that azure glow, the moment she felt that same overwhelming energy that the Masked Man had used in their fight at the auction hall, everything had clicked into place.

Alaric was the Masked Man.

Which meant that from the very beginning—

“You knew who I was the whole time, didn’t you?” Brita said through gritted teeth. “Ever since I stepped foot into this academy.”

Alaric’s lips curled into a mirthless smirk. “Obviously. I’d have to be an idiot not to recognize you after fighting you so recently.”

Brita seethed. “So you’ve been playing me this whole time?!”

“Not playing,” Alaric corrected flatly. “I was simply waiting and watching. It would have been foolish to expose my identity as the Masked Man when I had no idea what your true goal was. And it seems I was right to be cautious.”

Brita inhaled sharply. She hated to admit it, but he had a point. If their roles had been reversed, she would have done the exact same thing. But still—

“Tch. You smug bastard,” she muttered, crossing her arms. “So what now?”

Alaric’s eyes sharpened. “Now?” He gestured toward the battlefield, where the remaining demons were still attacking the other students, some of whom were barely hanging on. “Now, you stop playing games and use your true power. We don’t have time for whatever twisted mind games you’re planning. These creatures need to die, and those students need to be saved. So drop the act, Brita Kuusk, and fight properly.”

Brita felt her jaw tighten. There was something infuriating about hearing those words from Alaric—mostly because he was absolutely right.

“Fine,” she snapped. “But don’t think this conversation is over, Alaric.”

“I don’t care about this conversation right now,” Alaric replied icily. “I care about saving Natasha.”

At that moment, the azure glow around Alaric shifted. The swirling energy condensed, taking form.

A massive Azure Spirit Lion manifested behind him, its ethereal mane crackling like a storm. Its glowing eyes gleamed with untamed ferocity, and with a single mighty leap, Alaric shot into the sky, the beast carrying him toward the Tower of Artificers at a terrifying speed.

Brita stood frozen for a moment, watching as he disappeared into the distance.

“Tch. What a show-off,” she muttered. Then she let out a slow breath, her frustration bleeding away as she finally allowed herself to drop the restrictions she had been forcing upon herself.

The air around her changed.

A bone-chilling cold spread outward from her body as her suppressed magic energy surged forth. The icy aura around her darkened, shifting into a shade of deep cerulean, almost black at its edges.

The demons still lurking around sensed the shift in power. They hesitated, some even stepping back.

Brita smirked. “Oh? Getting scared now?” She raised her hand, magic energy coiling around her fingers. “You should be.”

With a flick of her wrist, she unleashed her first spell.

“Winter Fang Barrage!”

Countless crystalline spears of ice formed in the air around her, glimmering with deadly sharpness. With a snap of her fingers, they rained down upon the demons, each one piercing through their thick hides with ease. Screeches and howls of pain echoed across the battlefield as the demons fell, impaled.

One particularly large demon roared in defiance and lunged at her.

Brita exhaled, raising her hand once more. “Glacial Chains!”

Thick, frost-covered chains erupted from the ground, coiling around the demon’s limbs before yanking it backward. Ice crawled up its body, encasing it completely.

She tilted her head. “That should hold you for a moment.”

Another demon attempted to attack from behind.

Without even turning, Brita simply muttered, “Frozen Spires.”

A sharp spike of ice erupted from the ground beneath the demon, skewering it in a blink. The creature let out a strangled gurgle before falling limp.

Brita wiped a bit of dust off her shoulder and let out a mock sigh. “Ahh, what a difference it makes when I actually try.”

More demons continued to charge at her, but Brita only felt a cold thrill in her chest. Now that she was no longer limiting herself, these creatures were nothing more than prey.

“Come on, then.” She extended both arms, magic energy surging. “Let’s have some fun.”

And with that, the true battle began.

~~

Alaric soared through the sky atop the spectral Azure Spirit Lion, the wind howling past his ears as he rapidly approached the Tower of Artificers. His jaw clenched tightly as his sharp eyes took in the horrifying scene below—hundreds of those dark creatures pouring into the tower, their grotesque forms crawling over the walls like a mass of writhing shadows.

’Natasha is in there…’

The thought sent a violent surge of fury through him. Without wasting another second, he raised both hands, magic energy crackling to life at his fingertips.

“You bastards picked the wrong place to invade.”

His aura flared violently, and then—

“Tempest Fang!”

A massive crescent blade of wind shot forward like a guillotine, slicing through the creatures crowding the entrance. Their bodies were severed instantly, torn apart as the wind blade traveled further, cutting down anything in its path.

Before the first attack had even finished, Alaric twisted in midair, already casting his next spell.

“Blazing Cataclysm!”

A brilliant sphere of golden flames erupted at the center of the remaining creatures, expanding in an instant into a raging inferno. The flames roared hungrily, devouring everything in sight. The air filled with the sound of high-pitched, ear-splitting screeches as the creatures burned alive, their twisted forms thrashing before turning into nothing but charred remnants.

Yet Alaric wasn’t done.

“Torrential Descent!”

The very air rippled as an enormous column of water crashed down from above, like a summoned waterfall from the heavens. The few remaining creatures at the entrance were obliterated by the sheer force of impact, their bodies crushed, drowned, or both.

The entire entrance was now cleared, reduced to a battlefield of smoldering embers, shredded corpses, and rapidly freezing puddles of water.

Alaric landed gracefully, stepping forward as his Azure Spirit Lion growled at his side, its ethereal form flickering with raw power. He eyed the open entrance to the tower, but immediately dismissed it.

“Too obvious,” he muttered, before glancing upward. His eyes locked onto a particular window, one that he knew led directly into Natasha’s workshop.

With a single leap, Alaric soared through the air, shattering the window as he burst inside.

The moment he landed, his gaze immediately snapped to the center of the room.

And there she was.

Natasha.

Her face was pale, smeared with sweat and soot. There were bruises and scrapes along her arms, and she was barely standing, her body trembling from exhaustion. Around her, broken and spent artifacts lay scattered on the floor—each one showing clear signs of activation.

Alaric’s sharp gaze flickered over them.

A metallic sphere—one of Natasha’s Thunderburst Mines, designed to release a violent electric discharge upon detonation. He could see the burn marks left behind on several of the creatures’ corpses.

A shattered blue gemstone—one of her Frostbind Crystals, an artifact that exploded into an expanding field of subzero ice, freezing anything caught in its range. He noted the frozen husks of a few demons lying near the corner of the room.

An intricately carved silver box—the remnants of her Shatterwave Resonator, a device that emitted high-frequency sound waves capable of rupturing the internal organs of enemies within range. The blood dripping from the ears and eyes of some of the fallen creatures was clear evidence of its effects.

Natasha had fought like hell to survive.

But she was at her limit.

Even now, she was struggling to hold off the last wave of creatures swarming toward her. The defenses she had left were minimal, her hands fumbling as she tried to activate another artifact with shaky fingers.

“Tch,” Alaric scoffed, his body already moving before he even finished the thought.

“Azure Spear!”

A javelin of pure condensed energy formed in his palm before he hurled it forward with terrifying force. The spear exploded on impact, sending a shockwave outward that obliterated the creatures ahead of Natasha.

At the same time, Alaric extended a single hand toward the creatures still trying to force their way through the shattered door.

“Blazing Lotus.”

A crimson lotus flower of flames blossomed at the entrance, and in the next instant—BOOM!

A devastating explosion consumed the creatures whole, their bodies incinerated in the fiery petals.

Silence fell over the room.

For a moment, Natasha simply stood there, blinking in a daze, as if she couldn’t believe what had just happened.

And then—

“A-Alaric?”

She turned her wide, amber eyes toward him, her breath catching in her throat. When she saw his glowing azure aura, his powerful stance, and the absolute destruction surrounding him, something shifted in her expression.

Relief.

Pure, overwhelming relief.

And then—

“You actually came.”

Her voice was soft, almost disbelieving. But there was no mistaking the warmth in her tone.

Alaric frowned. “Of course I did. Why wouldn’t I?”

Natasha didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she ran toward him, her arms moving before she could stop herself.

Pain? Exhaustion? Injuries?

None of it mattered anymore.

Because Alaric was here.

And she felt safe.