Magic Academy's Bastard Instructor

"This isn’t fair... This isn’t fair... This is—"

Many shared the same sentiment.

The words reached their throats but never fully escaped. The moment they looked up and met the amethyst eyes of Araxys, gleaming with despair, whatever complaints they wished to voice immediately died within them.

Silence prevailed.

Fear prevailed.

Many began questioning the reality before them.

Right before Vanitas Astrea, surrounded on all sides by the strongest forces the world could gather, a single question surfaced within everyone’s minds.

Who was truly surrounded here?

Was it the man standing alone at the center of the battlefield?

The same man who had singlehandedly survived one of the strongest attacks humanity could offer, who remained completely unscathed despite being bombarded by Jacob’s Ladder, and who now stood under the shadow of the Black Dragon itself.

Or was it them?

The gathered armies. The Grimreapers. The Bundesritter Navy. The clergymen. The Great Powers. The representatives of nations who had united for the sole purpose of killing a single individual.

For all their numbers, for all their preparations, and for all the overwhelming force they had gathered, they suddenly found themselves questioning whether they were the hunters or the hunted.

No one dared make the first move, not after Jacob’s Ladder.

Not after witnessing the impossible.

And so, despite being outnumbered thousands upon thousands to one, despite standing at the center of an army composed of the strongest individuals alive, Vanitas Astrea somehow appeared to be the least threatened person on the battlefield.

"Vanitas..."

Archmage Soliette stepped forward.

The crowd parted for her like Moses splitting the Red Sea. Whether out of respect, fear, or simple curiosity, no one attempted to stop her as she made her way through the gathered crowd.

Vanitas acknowledged her presence.

"Archmage."

The battlefield remained silent around them. Above, Araxys continued to loom over the world, while under its shadow were two individuals who had once shared a far simpler relationship.

Teacher and student.

Nothing more.

Thud!

At that moment, Soliette dropped to her knees.

Before anyone could even process what had happened, she lowered her head until it nearly touched the ground.

"Archmage!"

Many were bewildered.

To witness the Archmage, the pinnacle of modern magic and the strongest Great Powers alive, kneeling before another person was already shocking enough.

To see her lower herself so completely, casting aside all dignity and prestige in front of the gathered armies of the world, was something few could comprehend.

"Vanitas..." Her voice shook. "I’m sorry..."

"Huh?"

Vanitas was genuinely confused.

The reaction was so far removed from what he had expected that he could only stare at her in silence.

Of all the things he had anticipated upon meeting his former teacher again, this had never crossed his mind.

"...I’m sure circumstances led you down this path." Soliette’s fingers tightened against the ground. "And I can only take part of the blame for that..."

"...."

"For not guiding you properly back then... For leaving you without a word because I wanted to pursue my own ambitions..."

"...."

"I told myself you would be fine." A bitter smile appeared on her face. "You were talented, smart, and independent. As a teacher, I convinced myself that meant you didn’t need me."

During her time as a home tutor, Soliette had taught many noble children. Some eventually became accomplished mages whose names were known throughout the continent, while others pursued scholarly endeavors and left their mark upon academia.

Of course, not all of them achieved greatness. Many simply went on to live ordinary lives and gradually faded into the countless lives that made up the world.

That was the natural course of things.

A teacher guided a student for a brief Chapter of their life before eventually watching them move on.

"I’m sorry this world has disappointed you..."

Soliette lowered her head further, if that were even possible.

"I’m sorry—"

"Enough." Vanitas cut her off. "That’s quite arrogant of you, Archmage, to bear a burden no one even acknowledges."

"...."

"You speak as though my life turned out this way because you failed me. That would certainly make things simpler, wouldn’t it?"

"Vanitas..."

"No." He shook his head. "You may have taught me magic, but you are not responsible for every decision I’ve made. You give yourself too much credit if you believe you played such a significant role in my life."

"...."

"If you’ve come to convince me, then you’re wasting your time."

Whatever nostalgia had existed between teacher and student vanished along with it.

The atmosphere surrounding the battlefield immediately shifted. There was no use talking anymore.

The moment that realization settled over the battlefield, Iridelle Vermillion took the initiative.

Boom——!

The Vice-Admiral surged forward.

Her figure blurred as she crossed the distance between them in an instant, unwilling to allow Vanitas another moment to stand unchallenged. Seeing her move, the others immediately followed.

The surviving Grimreapers advanced. The knights advanced. Several mages completed their spells.

Everyone who had hesitated moments earlier moved at once.

"...."

Nearby, Astrid instinctively stepped forward as well, her body moving before her mind could catch up.

Yet just as she was about to join the fight, for only an instant, Vanitas glanced in her direction. It was so brief that no one else seemed to notice.

"...."

Their eyes met. There were no words exchanged, yet somehow, she understood. His eyes, as if telling her to ’Stay Put.’

"...."

Astrid instinctively swallowed.

Her feet, which had been prepared to move forward, suddenly felt rooted to the ground.

And as the battlefield erupted into motion once more, Astrid found herself remaining exactly where she stood.

"...."

There, on the left, a group of knights charged into the fray, each one having years of experience and countless achievements under their belt.

They had survived wars, built distinguished careers through merit and service, and yet none of that mattered the moment they entered Vanitas’s range, as petals emanating from him swept through their ranks.

There, on the right, spells no first-year university student could ever hope to cast illuminated the battlefield one after another.

Torrents of mana, devastating elemental attacks, and complex spell formations descended upon a single target, only to disperse the moment they reached Vanitas’s barrier.

Boom——!

Explosions erupted throughout the battlefield.

At the center of it all was Iridelle Vermillion, relentlessly raining down spell after spell with enough force to push everyone nearby away from the resulting shockwaves.

Firestorms, torrents of lightning, and concentrated blasts of mana descended one after another, transforming the battlefield into a landscape of destruction.

Yet none of it reached Vanitas at all.

Every spell that approached Vanitas disappeared into the barrier fused with the Lily of the Valley. The phenomenon consumed magic itself, reducing even the most destructive attacks to nothing before they could ever touch him.

"Iridelle, move it!"

Iridelle immediately retreated.

Far in the distance, Hughes Bolton had already drawn his bow. The Divine Archer’s aura surged as he released the string.

An arrow shot forward.

Whoosh——!

The projectile crossed the battlefield in an instant, carrying enough destructive force to level the Imperial Palace several times over. The air itself distorted around its trajectory, while the ground fractured from the sheer pressure generated by its passage.

Boom——!

The resulting impact engulfed the battlefield.

A deafening explosion echoed throughout the capital as a massive shockwave swept outward in all directions, uprooting stone, tearing apart structures, and forcing even powerful mages to erect defensive barriers to protect themselves.

For a moment, visibility disappeared completely.

Everything became obscured.

Then the smoke parted.

"...."

"...."

"...."

The battlefield fell silent once more.

Standing at the center of the devastation, Vanitas Astrea remained exactly where he had been.

The arrow had struck. No one doubted that.

Yet somehow, it had accomplished nothing.

There was not a single wound or a scratch, not even the slightest sign that he had recoiled.

It was then.

Rooooooar——

Araxys finally launched its first attack.

The heavens themselves seemed to tremble as the Black Dragon moved. The overwhelming pressure that had been building since its appearance suddenly burst outward.

The mages who had been preparing for this exact moment immediately acted.

One after another, grand magic circles illuminated the sky as barrier spells were erected at an unprecedented scale. Layers upon layers of defensive magic overlapped, forming a protective wall between humanity and the catastrophe descending upon them.

Soliette moved as well.

Having anticipated Araxys’s attack from the very beginning, she immediately deployed her own barrier spell. Vast quantities of mana surged from her body as another defensive layer manifested above the battlefield, reinforcing the countless barriers already established by the gathered mages.

"...."

Amidst the chaos, Astrid remained frozen. She had been uncertain of what to do this entire time.

"...."

Then their eyes met. Across the battlefield, Astrid met Vanitas’s gaze.

"...."

His lips parted, sending her a message.

Go.

Astrid’s eyes widened.

Immediately, her fingers clenched.

’Ah, I understand.’

A bitter smile formed on her lips.

’Professor, you really are...’

Crackle——!

Astrid launched herself into the air.

The surrounding mana trembled as she activated her authority over polarity. Invisible forces spread outward from her position, colliding against the immense body of the Black Dragon as she desperately attempted to push it back.

"Haaaaaah!"

Astrid screamed. Veins surfaced across her arms. Her entire body trembled from the strain.

Yet despite the overwhelming difference in scale, she refused to stop, ascending higher, pushing further, even if only by a little.

———!

The Black Dragon’s advance slowed ever so slightly. At the same time, every person’s attention shifted toward Araxys.

The battlefield that had moments ago revolved around Vanitas Astrea now revolved around a far greater threat.

And amidst that confusion, amidst the desperate struggle between humanity and the Black Dragon, Vanitas quietly slipped away from the scene.

With everyone’s attention now focused entirely upon Araxys, the world’s most wanted man simply disappeared from the battlefield.

Crackle——!

Soliette, having finished her spell, finally made her move.

This was a Sovereign-tier spell she had personally developed over the course of her career. The moment she released it, countless magic circles materialized throughout the sky, expanding outward at an astonishing rate.

Upon the layers of magic circles already present, her own spread even further.

One circle became ten.

Ten became hundreds.

Hundreds became thousands.

The formation rapidly expanded until it covered a significant portion of the battlefield itself, overlapping with the existing defensive network while simultaneously reinforcing it.

The surrounding mages stared in awe.

This was the reason Soliette was regarded as the pinnacle of modern magic, capable of accomplishing feats others considered impossible.

"Archmage..."

The mana density in the atmosphere continued rising.

The circles rotated, interlocked, before connecting. Each one fed into another as an incomprehensibly vast magical construct took shape above the capital.

Meanwhile, high in the air, Astrid continued straining against Araxys.

"Haaaaah!"

Her scream echoed throughout the heavens.

Invisible forces pushed against the Black Dragon’s immense body, slowing its advance even if only slightly. The effort was visibly taking its toll on her, yet she refused to stop.

Then Soliette raised her hand.

"Everyone!"

Her voice carried across the battlefield through mana.

"Lend me your strength!"

Immediately, countless mages responded. Mana streams surged upward from every direction.

The Great Powers answered.

Court Mages answered.

Church clergymen answered.

Independent mages answered.

Even scholars who had never stepped foot onto a battlefield before answered.

For perhaps the first time in recorded history, the combined magical might of people from different nations, cultures, faiths, and ideologies gathered toward a single purpose.

It was humanity itself.

The sight was almost surreal.

Only days ago, many of these same people would have regarded one another with suspicion.

Just a week ago, countless individuals had been at odds with each other. Tensions were high, and every nation had its own interests that it sought to protect above all else.

Aetherion was even worse.

The Empire had been torn apart by civil war, its people divided between opposing sides, each convinced that their cause was the righteous one. Families had been separated, comrades had turned their weapons against one another, and the wounds left behind by the conflict had yet to heal.

Yet even so, none of that mattered now.

Not under the shadow of Araxys.

Not when extinction itself was looming before them.

The mana continued rising.

More people joined.

More streams of light ascended into the heavens.

Individuals who would never know one another’s names willingly entrusted their strength to the same spell. Politicians, scholars, soldiers, nobles, commoners, mages, and priests all became part of something greater than themselves.

And for the first time since Araxys had appeared, hope began to emerge.

A desperate hope.

But hope nonetheless.

High above, the countless magic circles continued expanding.

Their radiance illuminated the battlefield.

Their light pushed back against the darkness cast by the Black Dragon.

And for a moment, the world witnessed something remarkable.

A scene straight out of fiction. Yet it was not the strength of a hero, a king, or not even an Archmage that led them, but the collective strength of humanity itself.

"Haaaaaah!"

Astrid, who had been holding back Araxys this entire time, was slowly reaching her limit.

The strain placed upon her body was immense. Every second she maintained her authority over polarity felt as though her muscles were being torn apart, while the sheer weight of the Black Dragon’s existence continuously pushed back against her efforts.

And little by little, she began to falter.

Rooooooar——!

Araxys managed to slip past her restraint.

But for a creature of such size, even the slightest movement had catastrophic consequences. The resulting shockwave swept across the battlefield, tearing through defensive formations and instantly claiming an uncountable number of lives.

Screams echoed everywhere, barriers shattered, and entire sections of the battlefield vanished entirely, diminishing the attack everyone had been building up.

"Fuuuck...!"

Astrid cursed.

Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth as she immediately redoubled her efforts. Despite the pain and the overwhelming difference in power, she refused to give up.

Because she was the only person here capable of holding Araxys back.

"Haaaaaah!"

Mana exploded outward once more.

The surrounding atmosphere distorted as Astrid pushed herself beyond her limits, forcing the Black Dragon backward through sheer determination alone.

Then something happened.

———!

Hands emerged from nowhere.

One.

Ten.

Hundreds.

Thousands.

Dark hands erupted across the battlefield like a tide, each one carrying the familiar signature of black magic. They reached toward Araxys, grabbing onto its scales, wings, and limbs before pushing with all their might.

Many immediately turned toward the source.

A figure was approaching with countless black hands protruding from behind him.

"Ezra...!"

It was Ezra Kaelus.

Without saying a word, he stepped onto the battlefield and immediately joined the struggle. Just like Astrid, he directed all of his strength toward pushing Araxys back.

The countless hands shook under the pressure, shattering and dissolving just moments after forming. Yet for every hand destroyed, more emerged in their place.

"Sorry, I’m late."

"Yeah, you’re damn late!"

Despite the circumstances, Ezra couldn’t help but chuckle at Astrid’s response. The brief exchange lasted only a moment before his expression hardened once more and all traces of levity vanished from his face.

The earth beneath his feet cracked. Veins bulged across his neck. Yet he continued forcing his magic forward. Astrid finally felt some of the burden lift from her shoulders.

Neither could truly stop Araxys.

But together, they managed to halt its advance for a little longer.

And in a battle where every second mattered, that alone was invaluable.

———!

Eventually, the spell struck.

For a moment, the world itself seemed to stop.

The countless magic circles covering the heavens completed their formation.

It was humanity’s hope.

It was humanity’s conviction.

It was humanity’s dreams.

It was humanity’s aspirations.

It was every prayer uttered in fear.

It was every promise made for a better future.

It was every desire to continue living.

It was every refusal to surrender.

All of it had been poured into this single spell.

Crackle——!

The heavens split apart.