Chapter 771: Episode 771

Hongfeng pulled back from her students, taking a moment to steady her overwhelming emotions before raising her gaze. The sadness and hesitation in her eyes had vanished, replaced by sheer determination.

"You all need to leave the grazzlandz right now. If that’z too hard, get az far away az pozzible."

"What?" Kamibarez gasped, and Meirin hurriedly stepped forward.

"Professor! We...!"

"Thiz iz not a requezt, it’z an order." Cutting Meirin off, Hongfeng pushed herself up on trembling legs. "I cannot put my ztudentz in danger. The enemy iz a powerful undead that haz exizted zince ancient timez. I muzt go catch him."

"The most dangerous thing here right now is your physical condition, Professor," Dick interjected abruptly. "You would have been in trouble just now if we hadn’t shown up. If we help...!"

"Ztudent Dick, I zaid thiz iz an order." With that, Hongfeng narrowed her eyes and stared off into the distance. She focused on a spot miles away, where trees were being uprooted amidst a violent tremor. "Leave thiz place immediately. Fazt."

With that final command, she bent her knees and launched herself into the sky with a resounding boom. Stepping across the clouds, she vanished from sight in an instant.

Dick stared blankly at the empty sky where she had just been. "Even if we wanted to help, we wouldn’t be able to catch up."

The option of assisting their professor was gone. Kamibarez, who had been quiet until now, raised her head. "I’m too worried about Simon to just turn back."

Meirin and Dick nodded in agreement. They had only stumbled upon Hongfeng and the Hydra by chance while searching for Simon, who had drawn the monsters’ attention to himself to protect them.

"We’ll gladly accept the punishment for disobeying orders later," Meirin, the vice president, ultimately decided. "For now, we’re staying here to find Simon."

"Right behind you, Meirin!"

"Obviously!"

---

Meanwhile, clad in Pier’s Bone Armor, Simon tore through the grassland. Far in the distance, another head of the Hydra was fleeing. ’That makes three heads,’ Simon thought, having fulfilled his quota. With less than half their time remaining, he was already chasing down his fourth.

"Hey! Commander!" Byulya burst through the dense foliage, her hair looking as if it had been splashed with vibrant, fluorescent paint. Both of them were chasing the exact same target.

With every stride, her hair whipped back and forth, scattering a paint-like poison in all directions. Wherever she passed, flowers withered and trees instantly dried up. ’She’s a walking ecological disaster,’ Simon thought with a bitter smile. He then spoke solemnly, using Pier’s booming voice.

[I assume you severed your three heads before coming here.]

"Of course! What about you, Commander?"

[I will not bother answering the obvious.]

Simon shifted slightly, putting a bit more distance between them to avoid the toxic splatter. Byulya looked forward. "Then that one running away must be the last head."

The Eildar Hydra possessed ten heads in total. Simon and Byulya had severed three each, though Hongfeng’s progress remained unknown. They had roughly eight minutes left. Simon worried about Hongfeng’s exhausted state, but if she truly managed to pull off a miracle and hit her quota, this fleeing head would be the very last one.

"Let’s go, Commander!"

[Do not hold me back.]

The two of them simultaneously flared their jet-black aura and shot forward. The fleeing Hydra whipped its head around and unhinged its jaw. A massive magic circle immediately unfolded with a deep, resonant thrum. Each head of the Eildar Hydra wielded a different type of magic.

And the skill this one was using was the ability to control monsters. A chorus of feral growls and piercing shrieks echoed across the plains. A two-headed leopard, a crocodile scurrying across the treetops, and a hawk cloaked in crackling electricity—suddenly, the mighty beasts of the grassland poured toward the duo like a tidal wave.

’Hmph!’ There was no time to deal with them one by one. Simon took a deep breath and swung his greatsword. A brilliant white flash of aura illuminated the surroundings, cleaving the monsters right through their torsos.

"Kyahahahaha!" Byulya darted across the grassland like a madwoman. Armed with the deadly, paint-like poison oozing from her entire body, she charged straight into the horde. The monsters melted like ice cream the second they collided with her. Lowering her posture completely, she dropped her hands to the ground and accelerated, sprinting on all fours like a rabid beast.

Her body shot forward in a blur of vibrant, chaotic colors. The monsters couldn’t even slow her down, and the path she carved through them became a toxic mess, looking as if a giant had knocked over a bucket of neon paint. ’Seriously,’ Simon thought, breaking into a cold sweat as he followed her path. ’The power of a Kizen professor is on a whole different level.’

He couldn’t let himself be outdone. Channeling more jet-black aura into his legs, Simon pushed his speed to the absolute limit, catching up to Byulya. Suddenly, the earth in front of the running duo violently ruptured and began to rise with a deafening rumble. Byulya skidded to a halt and frowned.

"What’s this all of a sudden?"

Before they knew it, the entire landscape had warped, thrusting a massive mountain range upward to block their path. Simon pulled up beside her. ’What is this?’

[Kuhuhu!] Pier’s voice echoed in Simon’s mind. [Mur is interfering! He intends to stop us by any means necessary so the Hydra can resurrect.]

"How annoying." Byulya kicked off the ground and began to scale the sheer cliffs. While the two of them were momentarily delayed by the sudden terrain shift, the Hydra continued to widen the gap.

"Hurry up, Commander!"

Left with no choice, Simon followed Byulya up the mountain. Monsters infested the newly formed peaks as well, ambushing them the moment they arrived. It made the ascent incredibly treacherous. With a sharp exhale of exertion and a resounding clash of steel, Simon slashed away the last of the monsters.

Finally cresting the mountain range, he looked down at the other side. Heavy, synchronized thuds echoed from below. At the bottom of the mountain, ancient undead warriors mounted on beasts were already waiting, weapons drawn. In the blink of an eye, Mur had formed an entire army to block their path.

Beyond the undead legion, the Hydra continued its escape.

"This bastard really wants to play dirty, huh?" Byulya wiped her lips, a manic grin spreading across her face. A sudden, chilling pressure washed over Simon, prompting him to turn his head. A monstrous torrent of jet-black aura was erupting from her body.

"Commander, I’ll leave severing the snake’s neck to you."

[What are you planning?]

Her grin widened into something feral. "Watch and see."

---

Meanwhile, in the northern sector of the lower grassland, another massive battle was unfolding. With a deafening hiss, another head of the Hydra thrashed about. The monstrous serpent was tightly coiled, crushing someone within its massive body. Trapped in the center of the scaly vice was a red-haired boy, completely immobilized.

"Gaaaah! I—I’m dying!" It was the Mercenary King, Arthur. Every time the Hydra constricted its coils, the air was forced from his lungs in a breathless wheeze.

"Stop spouting nonsense and figure out how to get out!" yelled Special Admission No. 1, Sasha, sweating profusely as she cast dark magic from the sidelines. She was weaving her supernatural ability and dark magic simultaneously. Thick tree roots and branches surged from the earth, wrapping around the Hydra in a desperate bid to pry it off Arthur.

"Arthur! J-Just hold on a little longer!" shouted Special Admission No. 10, Princess Molly, from a short distance away. She was actively interfering with the Hydra’s mind using a specialized necromancy spell. The pupils of the beast repeatedly dilated and constricted as it fought off her mental invasion.

However, against such a mighty ancient summon, that was her absolute limit. The Hydra’s mind clouded for only a brief second before snapping back to reality, tightening its grip on Arthur once more. Arthur thrashed his head, letting out an agonized scream. Yet, even the Hydra constricting him seemed puzzled.

Arthur’s armor had long since shattered under the immense pressure, leaving only his bare torso exposed. Despite squeezing with enough force to pulverize an elephant, the boy’s bones simply refused to break.

"Grandpa! I’m coming to join you...!" he gasped, the last of his breath leaving him. Arthur was finally reaching his limit. Just as the light in his eyes began to fade, a comet-like flash of energy tore through the air and slammed directly into the Hydra’s head.

’Hongfeng Original — Chwita’

With a concussive boom like a bursting drum, the Hydra’s head was knocked violently to the side. Its coils loosened, and Arthur flopped to the ground, gasping for air.

"Hahaha! I’m alive! Grandpa! I’ll be joining you a bit later!"

"But who is that?"

As the fierce winds settled, Hongfeng stood tall, her long hair fluttering behind her.

"Oh my god! We’re saved!" Molly teared up, covering her mouth in relief. It was one of the most famous professors in Kizen. "It’s Professor Hongfeng, the Matu instructor!"

At the mention of her name, Sasha and Arthur whipped their heads around. Though they had never met her personally, her reputation preceded her.

"Who are you kidz?" Hongfeng asked.

Sasha answered while manipulating the surrounding trees to keep the Hydra in check. "We’re Kizen first-years. Professor Byulya brought us here."

"What did you zay?" Hongfeng shouted, her voice laced with fury. "What waz zhe thinking, bringing firzt-yearz to zuch a dangerouz place!"

Sasha quietly averted her gaze. ’To be exact, we came in on our own.’ Upon hearing the news about Simon from Sasha’s group, Byulya had ordered her underlings to stay back and stepped onto the teleportation magic circle heading for the grassland. At that moment, Sasha had grabbed the hem of her pants, persistently begging to tag along.

Reasoning that since Hongfeng had brought her own students, there was no reason she couldn’t do the same, Byulya caved and brought the three of them along. However, upon finding the village completely deserted, Byulya ventured into the lower grassland alone, ordering the first-years to stay put and wait.

’Something must have happened to Simon!’ they had thought.

Naturally, the trio of first-year troublemakers weren’t the type to sit still and wait. They snuck into the lower grassland as well, and almost immediately crossed paths with the massive Hydra. Realizing that massive casualties would occur if the beast managed to escape the grasslands, Arthur bravely charged the Hydra head-on. That, predictably, resulted in Arthur getting caught in its deadly coils, leaving Sasha and Molly scrambling to salvage the situation.

Arthur had nearly been crushed to death, but as a result, the three of them had successfully stalled the Hydra’s head from escaping the perimeter. It was a massive achievement in its own right.

"Leave thiz to me and run away quickly, firzt-yearz."

"Professor, I’m sorry, but—" Molly stammered, her voice trembling. "I-I don’t think it’s going to let us leave!"

The Hydra reared its massive head with a venomous hiss. Ten magic circles unfolded around it, unleashing a torrential deluge of water. It seemed this particular head wielded water magic.

"Dodge!"

Hongfeng and the first-years kicked off the ground, scattering into the air. High-pressure water cannons erupted across the battlefield with deafening blasts. The Hydra then cast a magic circle over its own body and slithered rapidly across the earth. Wherever it passed, the solid ground dissolved into a deep, sticky swamp.

"Whoa!"

"Do not move recklezzly!" Hongfeng spread her arms, signaling them to hold their ground. Before they knew it, the terrain had completely shifted, leaving Hongfeng and the first-years stranded on small, isolated islands of dirt amidst the mire.

The Hydra dragged its colossal mass forward and plunged its head deep into the swamp. The sight of its densely scaled body arching and churning beneath the muddy surface was pure nightmare fuel. The swamp bubbled and quaked. They could feel the vibrations of the giant Hydra slithering beneath the muck traveling up through the soles of their boots.

Just as everyone scanned the murky water with tense expressions, the surface erupted in a massive splash. As expected, the Hydra’s primary target was Hongfeng—the greatest threat on the field, yet currently in a highly vulnerable state. Unhinging its massive jaws, it swallowed the entire island Hongfeng was standing on, lifting it high into the air.

’Ugh!’ She anchored her legs deep into the dirt and braced both arms against the roof of its mouth, fighting desperately to keep from being swallowed whole.

"H-Hurry and ezcape...!" she strained.

"There you are! Haaaaah!" Arthur roared, swinging his sword of light. A blinding flash erupted as a brilliant slash struck the Hydra directly in the torso.

With a thunderous boom, the Hydra shrieked in pain and thrashed wildly.

"My turn," Sasha declared. The seeds she had previously lodged between the Hydra’s scales were finally ready to bloom. She swung her arm in a wide arc, activating her dark magic.

’Flower Shower’

Flowers erupted at a terrifying speed from the crevices between the Hydra’s thick scales. In an instant, the beast’s entire body was smothered in vibrant petals, transforming it into a grotesque, writhing flower bed. ’Its biting force has weakened,’ Hongfeng realized, immediately feeling the pressure relent. Freeing up one arm, she pulled back her fist and struck the Hydra’s upper jaw with every ounce of strength she had left.

The impact echoed with a dull thud. The Hydra shrieked, thrashing its head wildly, giving Hongfeng the opening she needed to leap free. Howling in pain, the Hydra glared at her with bloodshot eyes and threw its jaws wide. Nearly twenty magic circles instantly materialized in the air above it.

"Professor Hongfeng! Watch ou...!"

Before she could even brace herself, a crushing deluge of water blasted down from the magic circles, the sheer force of the impact shaking the earth. As the torrential flood subsided, a thick blanket of white steam hissed into the air, obscuring the battlefield.

"Professor!"

A sudden gust of wind swept through, clearing away the dense vapor. Hongfeng, who had landed in a defensive crouch, slowly opened her eyes. She was completely unharmed. Glancing down, she realized her body was enveloped in garments woven entirely from jet-black aura.

’Is this Black Clothes? In my current state, I shouldn’t be able to manifest it...’

"Professor."

She glanced over her shoulder. A boy, panting as if his lungs were about to burst, stood behind her with his hand resting firmly on her shoulder.

’Black Clothes Combo — Clothing Transfer’

"I—I just have one question," Kinter wheezed, his voice hoarse from absolute exhaustion. "Did I get here faster than Simon’s group?"

Hongfeng replied with a faint smile. "Zimon’z group waz fazter."

"Damn it."

Footsteps approached through the dissipating steam. Hongfeng turned her head to see the second-year Matu students walking toward her, rolling their shoulders and stretching their limbs.

"If thiz iz the caze, it’z no longer the time to be ztubborn." Hongfeng rose to her feet. Barely two minutes remained on the clock. Now, she had to fight with everything she had left, no matter how desperate.

"I will take full rezponzibility. Everyone, pleaze help me."

"Yes, ma’am!"

Sasha, Arthur, and Molly. And the four second-year Matu students. Everyone moved as one, kicking off the ground and charging straight at the Hydra.