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Chapter 86: Standing in Front of Her

Perhaps because of Ashura’s earlier battle warning, the students hardly hesitated after hearing him and followed his commands.

Lan Yu and Magina also fell back into the formation to shield the Magic students, who gathered their spirits and cast their Lightning spells at the Red-Lotus Serpent King.

Because the Serpent King’s body was enormous and several Instructors were holding it in check, the Lightning the Magic students summoned struck it with greater ease.

As bolts of Lightning crashed down, the Red-Lotus Serpent King’s scales flew off, it shook in pain, and the numbing current slowed its movements even further.

Seeing how effective the tactic was, Instructor Enge and the others were reinvigorated and unleashed their full strength, eager to finish the Red-Lotus Serpent King quickly.

The students, thrilled by the plan’s success, secretly admired Ashura for stepping up to lead.

Moments ago no one had figured out how to stop the serpents effectively, not even the Instructors, and no one had thought of a way to make these rookies contribute to the fullest.

Only that quirky mage who cooked so well had warned them beforehand and, at this perilous moment, organized everyone into an orderly battle formation that let the Magicians show their true power.

Lan Yu, Magina, and Clara in particular cast Ashura gooey, admiring glances.

Just when everyone felt they were on the verge of victory, the pale-blue ripples of water that surrounded them vanished without warning.

Turning around, they saw Instructor Ella, who had been maintaining Water God’s Blessing, kneeling pale-faced on the ground, her magic clearly exhausted after casting for so long.

With the Water God’s Blessing gone, the red poison mist engulfed everyone once more, and the students’ combat power plummeted.

Instructor Ella cast the crowd a sorrowful, apologetic glance; she had truly done all she could.

Seeing the group weakened by the poisonous haze, the Red-Lotus Serpent King’s eyes turned savage as it began to gain the upper hand in the melee.

After it lashed its body again and knocked the Warrior Instructors back, it fixed on the student ranks and pounced.

Ashura shouted at once, “Spread to both sides, now!”

Long fighting had left the students mentally and physically drained; with no will to stand against the charging Serpent King, they scattered to either side.

Yet the Red-Lotus Serpent King had a clear target this time; it ignored the fleeing students and locked its attack onto the female Magician who had cast the water spell earlier.

With its intelligence it knew that if it killed the mage capable of countering its innate ability, it would hold the advantage for the rest of the battle.

Instructor Ella too saw the massive body hurtling toward her and the huge snake head opening wide to bite.

Moments earlier she had been ambushed by a tier-4 Red-Lotus Serpent that bit her thigh, and her entire right leg was now numb and useless.

Coupled with her drained magic and extreme fatigue, even standing with her staff was hard, let alone escaping.

As the gaping maw closed in, she could clearly see the razor-sharp fangs and smell the stench within.

Instructor Ella closed her eyes as though resigned, accepting the fate of being torn apart and swallowed by the Red-Lotus Serpent King.

In that instant she recalled her past, lamented never having experienced a romance, and puckered her lips into a tragic smile as she faced death calmly.

The nearby students cried out for her to run, and Instructor Anthony produced a precious teleportation scroll that could move him in front of Instructor Ella to block the Serpent King’s strike.

Yet in that split second he hesitated, torn over using the scroll he had saved as a last resort; would it be wasted here?

That single moment of doubt cost him the chance to act, and Anthony merely turned his head aside, unwilling to witness the demise of the woman he admired.

Just as Instructor Ella waited for death with closed eyes, the expected ripping pain never came; instead, a back slammed into the space before her.

She blinked open her eyes and saw a young figure in a magic robe holding Twin Swords, one blade bracing the Serpent King’s upper jaw and the other its lower jaw.

Every muscle on his body trembled with strain, yet he propped the jaws apart, preventing the Red-Lotus Serpent King from snapping shut.

Ella stared dazedly at the tall, lean back guarding her with all his might, momentarily forgetting the mortal peril before her.

But Ashura screamed hoarsely, “Are you stupid? Run! I can’t hold it much longer!”

Her cheeks flushed as she came to herself; she merely brushed Ashura’s shoulder, straightened a little, and said softly with apology, “My leg is injured, I can’t run; maybe you should get out of the way.”

Hearing that feeble voice, Ashura cursed his luck inwardly, yet he refused to retreat an inch.

After spending time together, he had come to value this beautiful Instructor who was the first to join his barbecue team and to support him when he was isolated, and he had promised to protect her.

Ashura had already released two seals of Caban’s Prison, and fortunately he had a stimulant herb to counter the red snake mist, so his combat power had not waned.

While he debated opening the third seal, the Red-Lotus Serpent King, failing to bite them, whipped its head and flung him and Instructor Ella toward the cliff edge.

Ashura sprang up despite the pain in his arms, glanced at the tearful Instructor Ella, and then charged straight at the Red-Lotus Serpent King.

He had to draw the Serpent King’s attention; otherwise the immobilized Instructor Ella could die at any moment.

The Red-Lotus Serpent King indeed focused on the black-robed youth who had spoiled its meal and stabbed its mouth, and with pupils contracting it lunged at Ashura.

Ashura pushed Chasing Wind, Pursuing Thunder to the limit, intending to lure the Serpent King away with sheer footwork.

Yet Lan Yu and Magina sprinted back from left and right to help him, ruining his plan and forcing him to fight the Serpent King head-on.

Instructor Enge and one Warrior Instructor hurried over as well; another Warrior Instructor was already wounded and out of the fight, and even Enge and his partner were spent arrows.

Ridiculously, Instructor Anthony tried to slip past the battle line to fawn over Instructor Ella, but Enge’s angry shout stopped him and drove him back into the fray.

The Serpent King was suffering too, its body covered in wounds that bled profusely and drained much of its life, yet its bloodthirsty savagery was undiminished.

At that moment a bolt of Lightning as thick as an arm struck its right eye, making it howl skyward in pain, and the eye could no longer open fully.

It turned toward the silver-haired girl holding a staff and, ignoring everyone else’s attacks, snapped at her with one eye half-shut.

But before it could reach the silver-haired girl, a figure as swift as Lightning closed in from the left.

A blinding golden flash erupted, and the Serpent King instinctively squinted; in that instant a pair of Twin Swords drove straight into its intact left eye.

With a shrill roar, blood gushed from its left eye, and the Red-Lotus Serpent King writhed on the spot in agony.

Its enormous body thrashed so violently that none of the attackers dared approach…

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