Chapter 480: No Mercy for the Fallen Academy

No Mercy for the Fallen Academy

Another disciple opened his mouth.

He wanted to say something.

Anything.

But his throat refused to cooperate.

His lips moved.

No words came out.

They had seen Gareth’s struggles.

They had watched him fight for the future of Sky Breaker Academy.

They had witnessed the years of sacrifice.

They had seen him carry responsibilities that most of them could never have understood.

He had been their patriarch.

Their leader.

For some, he had even been the person they looked up to.

Perhaps they had not agreed with everything he had done.

Perhaps some of them had already begun questioning his decisions.

Perhaps there had even been moments when they secretly wondered whether following him had been a mistake.

But none of that could erase the years they had spent beside him.

It couldn’t erase the memories.

It couldn’t erase the respect they had once held for him.

And it certainly couldn’t make his death meaningless.

Their hearts were a mess of conflicting emotions.

Grief.

Regret.

Fear.

Anger.

And beneath all of it was something far more dangerous.

Desperation.

They knew Gareth was gone.

They knew the inheritance they had fought for was finished.

They knew the path they had followed for so long had reached a dead end.

There was no longer any reason to retreat.

No safe place waiting for them.

No victory to return to.

They had already lost everything they believed was worth protecting.

If they could not survive this battlefield—

Then they would die on it.

One disciple slowly raised his head.

His eyes were red.

His hands were shaking.

But there was no longer any hesitation in his gaze.

Another disciple stepped forward.

Then another.

The remaining disciples silently gathered themselves.

They knew what awaited them.

They knew they were facing an opponent they could not defeat.

Still, none of them ran.

They had made their choice.

Seeing this from a distance, Mike quietly shook his head.

There was no sympathy in his expression.

But neither was there any joy.

The battle had already reached its final stage.

There was no point in allowing more people to die simply because neither side was willing to stop.

Mike slowly raised his hand.

His gaze passed over the remaining disciples of Sky Breaker Academy.

His voice was calm.

"Go."

The command was simple.

There was no need for anything more.

Mike lowered his hand.

"Finish the battle as soon as possible."

Mike shook his head and gently waved his hand.

"Go. Finish the battle as soon as possible."

His voice was calm.

But there was no room for hesitation in it.

The battlefield had already reached its final stage.

Across the ruined Academy Premises, the once-proud forces of the Sky Breaker Academy were scattered in complete disorder. What had once been a place filled with students, elders, and powerful cultivators had become a wasteland of broken stone and blood.

Blood stained the earth.

Broken weapons lay half-buried beneath the dust.

Here and there, remnants of Mana still crackled through the air, flickering weakly like dying sparks that refused to disappear.

The screams had grown fewer.

The clashes had become more scattered.

There was no longer any need for mercy.

At this point, mercy and forbearance would only create trouble for Mike.

Who could guarantee that someone spared today would not return years later with hatred burning in his heart?

Mike had lived long enough to understand how cruel the cultivation world could be.

Enemies did not always disappear just because they had been defeated once.

Sometimes, they crawled away.

They healed.

They grew stronger.

And one day, they came back.

A moment of hesitation could become a disaster years later.

If someone had already chosen to stand on the opposite side, then keeping him alive was not necessarily kindness.

Sometimes, it was simply leaving a blade behind your back.

Mike’s words quickly spread across the battlefield.

The students and elders of the Celestis Academy understood immediately.

The final battle had begun.

Across the ruined grounds, weapons were raised once more.

Swords flashed beneath the night sky.

Mana surged through the air.

The surviving forces of the Sky Breaker Academy desperately tried to resist, but their morale had already collapsed.

They were fighting now because they had nowhere left to run.

Their strongest pillar, Gareth, had been defeated by Leon.

Their Patriarch had fallen.

The terrifying pressure that had once made everyone afraid was gone.

There was no one left to turn the tide.

No one left to give them hope.

The outcome had already been decided.

Only the ending remained.

Amid the chaos, Vita Zain stared at everything happening around him.

His face had gone completely pale.

For the first time, the reality of the situation finally sank into his mind.

They had lost.

Not simply a battle.

Everything.

His family.

His protection.

His connections.

The people he had once relied on were either dead or powerless.

And the Charming Man in Black robe had already left.

The moment Vita realized that, fear took hold of him.

He did not want to die.

That simple thought overwhelmed everything else.

He suddenly pushed through the people around him.

"Move!"

His voice trembled.

Someone cursed at him, but Vita didn’t even look back.

He kept forcing his way forward.

His breathing became ragged.

His chest rose and fell violently.

His legs moved before his mind could even catch up.

He knew.

If he stayed here, he would die.

There was no powerful household behind him anymore.

There was no powerful master waiting to protect him.

The person he had once relied upon had already fallen.

Vita’s eyes darted desperately across the battlefield.

Then they stopped on Shera.

Hope appeared in his eyes.

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Authors Notes: Dear Readers, Thanks so much for joining me on this adventure! Your enthusiasm, feedback, and encouragement really keep me motivated to keep bringing *Grand Return System* into existence. If you’re loving the Chapters, I’d love it if you supported my book with a Powerstone, review, or even a Golden Ticket—it helps me develop as a writer and lets more readers enjoy the story. I look forward to hearing your ideas and thoughts, so please don’t hesitate to share!

With love,

Scoturn777

Creator of Grand Return System

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