Professor Whitaker gazed at the myriad spells surging towards her with a flat expression on her face.

Her gaze then shifted to the undead creatures—skeletal soldiers and zombies—lunging at her with primal hunger.

But she remained unfazed throughout it all.

Throughout her five hundred years of life, she had seen much. She had made friends and lost them, found love and warmth, endured grief and heartbreak.

However, through it all… one thing had always been a constant.

Magic.

It had been a long, long time since she'd gone all out. But this time it was different. This time, she was fighting for something far bigger than her—for the future of Saratoga, for the Empire itself.

When the lives of those children depended on her… how could she not rise up to the occasion?

Her being was filled with strength, and her heart enveloped by a mantle of valor. She felt her magic surge, amplified many times over, now that she had people to protect.

This was no time for fear and nervousness.

This wasn't just a battle.

This was her duty.

Just when the abominable undead creatures and the devastating spells were almost upon her, she gave the white-furred ape, Little Bee, a simple command:

"Block."

The ape's black eyes suddenly turned crystal white. His expression ruthlessly controted into a dark scowl, and he hurriedly put the elderly woman in his embrace.

Then, the white fur on his body began to stand on end, slow at first, and then so rapidly that it became a blur to the naked eye.

In mere moments, each strand of hair crystallized, merging into gleaming white shards that encased both the ape and the elderly woman in a solid, impenetrable chrysalis.

A fortress of frozen crystal.

Utterly unbreakable.

Just as the crystal cocoon formed around the two, they were drowned in a deluge of spells, rotten flesh, bones, and murderous hunger.

The ground beneath them cracked open, and the spells caused the nearby vegetation to rapidly rot. The undead creatures slammed against the crystal cocoon, but to no avail. Their bones shattered, and their muscles were torn apart, yet not a single scratch appeared on the crystal cocoon.

A few moments later, when the carnage from the spells and the undead dissipated, the result of the battle was visible for all to see.

Needless to say, the cultists—all of them Mana Vortex Magi—had dark expressions on their faces.

About half a dozen of them had attacked the elderly woman simultaneously, drowning her in utter carnage. Yet, the crystal cocoon protected her through it all.

Let alone Professor Whitaker and the white ape, not even the crystal shell had a scratch on it. It was as if… nothing in this world could penetrate the ape's defensive shell.

Glancing at the frozen figure of the elderly woman in the gentle embrace of the towering white-furred ape behind her, the rider of the twin pheras couldn't help but growl angrily.

In but a few moments, this woman had taken care of his Mana Vortex-level magical beast, dealt with a dozen Mana Liquefaction Magi, and now managed to hold him and the rest of the Mana Vortex Magi down.

"Damned Summoners!" He spat through gritted teeth.

All eight Schools of Magic were unique in their own right. But the Magi who majored in the School of Summoning…

They could call forth creatures, objects, or entire realms from beyond the material world. Their magic spanned dimensional space, allowing them to form contracts with beings from the Spirit World, such as elemental titans, astral beasts, or even ancient sentient relics.

A Summoner was not limited by their own power alone. They could tap into the infinite magical tapestry and the unknown, making their capabilities almost limitless and unpredictable.

Aside from their mysterious abilities, Magi who specialized in this School of Magic were often branded as… cowards.

After all, they were masters of teleportation. If ever faced with a situation beyond their control, they could simply vanish, slipping into the folds of space with no trace left behind.

Most enemies never even saw them leave.

Chasing them was futile, unless one possessed equal mastery over space magic, or had the rare ability—or spell—to lock the Spirit World's local reflection, thereby sealing off all escape routes.

In that sense, Summoners weren't just elusive, they were nearly untouchable.

So when the rider confirmed that Whitaker was a Summoner, he knew that it was going to be a troublesome affair.

But now, things seemed to favor them at least. The elderly woman looked to be in a state of stasis inside the crystal cocoon along with the ape.

More cultists were flooding into the estate, providing reinforcements. As the next wave of cultists arrived—most of them Mana Liquefaction Magi—the rider ordered them to form a perimeter around the cocoon.

Meanwhile, he led all the Mana Vortex Magi towards the opulent manor in the distance. But just as he had turned around and taken a few steps, something ominous echoed in his ears.

CRACK!

The rider's heart skipped a beat, his eyes slowly widening. He froze in his steps, then turned around. What he saw caused a chill to crawl down his spine…

Professor Whitaker had raised her hands, pressing her palms against the inner wall of the crystal cocoon. Two brilliant magic circles flared to life on her palms, then swiftly merged into the crystalline surface.

And then…

Dozens of crystal spikes show towards the cultists surrounding the cocoon!

Everything had happened so fast, they barely had time to register it. One moment, they were guarding the cocoon, and the next, massive crystal spikes burst forth, riddling their bodies with countless holes.

In but a moment, scores of cultists, all of them Mana Liquefaction Magi and weaker, had lost thier lives. Only a handful of Mana Vortex Magi, including the rider, had managed to defend themselves in time.

The crystal cocoon had served as the material component for Whitaker's spell, and by the time the spikes had impaled the cultists, it had already unraveled, crumbling into dust.

Professor Whitaker inhaled deeply, then glanced at the surviving cultists who were hiding behind their arcane barriers. She smiled faintly, then said:

"Gentlemen, won't you consider telling me about the traitors?"

She looked around at the mangled and bloodied corpses of the cultists and added, "Look, so many of you had to die needlessly."

Professor Whitaker's eyes narrowed, and she coldly muttered:

"Reveal the traitor's name, and I'll grant you the mercy of a painless death…"

The rider and the rest of the surviving Mana Vortex Magi learned one thing - they would not be able to enter the manor… not unless they killed the elderly woman, of course.

However, the elderly woman was strong. Very strong. Perhaps, she was at the peak of the Mana Vortex Rank. Moreover, she also had the aid of mysterious beasts from the Spirit World. Who knew what else she had in her vast arsenal?

Thus, all of them exchanged glances and reached a radical decision.

The spell they were about to unleash was meant for an entire army.

Yet now, it would be cast upon a single, frail-looking elderly woman…

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