There had been no traces of Mina and the other three World Guardians.

Perhaps it was from Mina’s better judgement, or from the judgement of the other World Guardians, it was decidedly the wiser idea to not show any familiarity with Grimm. Besides, who was to say that it was Mina that had decided to intercept the Shadow Argus Sorcerers without any personal sentiments?

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…

The figures of Grimm and a Sorcerer cut across the sky as they hurried back toward Hydra Wrath Sorcerer Academy. Just as they stepped onto school grounds, they saw the overturned and flattened fake hill which had been replaced by a series of overlapping giant pits.

There was originally a watchtower and a large anti-magic circle there, but now the Shadow Argus Sorcerers had utterly demolished the area. The smoke coming from the destruction was still fuming and rising in folds.

After a pair of Level-1 Sorcerers briefly dropped down then rose up again, they shook their heads at the four Level-2 Sorcerers and said solemnly, “The magical array foundation has been completely destroyed.”

Besides there being Grimm and Ezma, there were two other Level-2 Sorcerers from the Hydra Wrath Academy.

One of them was a Sorcerer that had a close relationship with Neeran. From what Grimm could recall, those black robes concealed a force of soulfire that burned fiercely. He was an Arcane Sorcerer that deeply researched into the field of spirit sorcery.

Another was a rarely seen kind of Sorcerer that did research on biologically modified symbiotic insects, one by one, tens of thousands of winged red ants were densely packed together in order to form his elemental body. It was not too dissimilar to the technique the Black Isotta Academy’s Fake Faceless Nilmar displayed.

After exchanging glances, the four Level-2 Sorcerers did not hesitate and instructed the many Sorcerers following them to continue flying with them.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…

In the distance, three figures were chasing after one escapee, the fugitive had been feeling desperation up until this point. When he realized that the oncoming fierce horde of Sorcerers belonged to the Hydra Wrath Sorcerer Academy, the fugitive suddenly felt a surge of excitement, as he roared out, “They’re after the Academy’s Guardian eggs! Kill them all!”

The Guardians of the Academy were one of the most important guardian forces of the Hydra Wrath Sorcerer Academy. If the eggs were found and destroyed by the enemy, that would be the end of more than two hundred youngling Hydra Guardians, and it would cause the Academy to not be supplemented with new guardians for the next decade.

With what that might cause, even if this war that the Hydra Wrath Sorcerer Academy had to face were to become a thing of the past, the next decade was another story waiting to unfold…

“Kill them!”

After the cold command was issued, dozens of whooshing sounds came from about ten of the Sorcerers that had been following behind as they rushed toward the enemy. The Level-1 Sorcerers that had previously been chasing the Hydra Wrath escapee got the fright of their lives at that moment, turning back immediately to flee with their tails between their legs.

In the face of these Sorcerers, especially Level-2 Sorcerers who had teleportation abilities, these three Sorcerers did not stand a chance. After being caught, they fought in a panic before falling from the sky, dying immediately after the fall.

Grimm landed on the ground, killing a Sorcerer’s shaggy squirrel-like soul partner with a cone of cold spell.

“This is a deer rake, very sensitive to cold-blooded creatures. It must have been this Sorcerer’s method of finding the Hydra Wrath Academy Guardian’s eggs.” The fire ant Elemental Sorcerer said loudly and clearly as he stood at Grimm’s side.

As for the other two dead Shadow Argus Sorcerers, they must have had their own different ways of finding the eggs as well. Grimm gave the Sorcerer a nod before starting to take a look around, finding a piece of what used to be the Sorcerer-Apprentice dormitories, now shattered by sorcery.

It came with the smell of blood, a few Sorcerers must have died during the attack.

“Gah! Young Master! There’s still an Sorcerer-Apprentice alive under those ruins!” Little Myna pointed out, Grimm knew that as well. The ruins were huge, and the Sorcerer-Apprentice was not aware of how deeply buried he or she was. Digging through the ruins to rescue someone was not as simple as the matter of blasting it apart to pull them out, and it was a crucial time as they had to support the Mana Pool of the Sorcerer Tower.

The other Sorcerers apparently realized this as well, and none of them took the initiative to search the ruins.

At this time, a team of around ten Sorcerers flying at a high altitude could be seen in the distance. It was the Shadow Argus Sorcerers advancing toward the Hydra Wrath Sorcerer Tower. They had to be a force to support the main attack on the Sorcerer Tower, and they were being led by a Level-2 Sorcerer riding on a giant elemental bird.

When the hostile Sorcerers got close enough, they found themselves in an ‘ambush’ set by the Hydra Wrath Sorcerers that rushed out from the ruins. In a moment of shock, the Shadow Argus Sorcerers found themselves surrounded by dozens of Sorcerers. Surrounded, outgunned, and soon to be overwhelmed by combined firepower.

“It’s an ambush! Escape! Scatter!” the leading Shadow Argus Sorcerer cried out as the giant elemental bird beneath him screeched, its wings shone brightly after a single flap as it rushed into a higher altitude. The other Sorcerers reacted in similar fashion, using different methods to break through.

“Break!”

Grimm appeared on top of the bird, and the Sabbatic Goat Staff was brought down.

Then with a final screech from the elemental bird, and a ‘poof’, the wind and fire elemental energy that comprised the bird’s body was easily defeated by the power of the Sabbatic Goat Staff.

After defeating the bird, Grimm realized that he did not see the Elemental Sorcerer’s figure anywhere.

Huh?

While Grimm was confused, Little Myna shouted out, “Over there! He’s escaping!”

The Sorcerer had taken advantage of the bright flash that the elemental bird had given off, and was escaping in the opposite direction. His figure quickly became phantom-like and he increased his speed exponentially, easily fleeing past the Level-1 Sorcerers with the help of elemental teleportation.

Boom! Bang! Crash! Ka-boom!

After a round of magical attacks, only half of the Shadow Argus Sorcerers had managed to escape the onslaught, but they were soon being chased down. Grimm, who had also been chasing after them, suddenly stopped as he faced Ezma’s puzzled gaze. He said in a low voice, “I need some time to restore my magic.”

After saying that, Grimm pointed to Little Myna. “Follow them.”

“Alright then, Young Master. Hurry up, yeah?”

Little Myna landed on Ezma’s shoulder, and Ezma silently nodded at Grimm before returning to the chase after the fleeing Shadow Argus Sorcerers with the others, flying toward the Hydra Wrath Sorcerers.

After thinking for a moment, Grimm dropped back onto the ground and began to head toward the ruins where he had sensed a Sorcerer-Apprentice that had survived.

As he regained his magical energy, Grimm controlled the Star Stones around him to reduce the weight of the stone slabs of the ruins where the survivor was trapped under. Carefully, he lifted them, searching for the sound of a cry for help.

After searching for about a full hourglass’ worth of time, Grimm’s magic had been partially recovered, and a ragged, dirty Sorcerer-Apprentice was dug out, he stared at Grimm with grateful eyes.

“Thank you, Master Grimm. You’re my saving grace, thank you…”

It was one of Grimm’s students. Grimm had been under the impression that this one did not have much talent and was not worth paying attention to.

He casually glanced over at the wreck of the dormitory and noted the remnants of some test tubes and experiment props under a ruined bed before softly saying, “I see you are interested in researching potions?”