Chapter 94: Clearing Out- 5.

Sydelle stood at the edge of the forest clearing, her viridian eyes narrowed on the tall red pillar in the distance.

Even from here, she could feel the mana radiating from it—twisting, warping, pulsing in an unnatural rhythm.

Residual Lightning crackled faintly along her fingertips as she breathed slowly, centering herself, after fight monsters.

Each step forward was filled with confidence and noble grace as she moved.

Her long viridian braid bounced gently against her back as she moved, bow in hand, boots silent against the grass.

The wind stirring slightly, pulling at her cloak.

The red pillar was close now. She stopped just outside the inner circle of its influence. Mana shimmered like heat waves around it, warping the air.

Crimson light pulsed steadily from the large crystal atop the base—beaming toward the sky. It was exactly like the one she was supposed to destroy.

Sydelle raised her hand, gripping her bow calmly.

Her fingers gently touched the quiver at her side, checking the weight of the arrows. She could feel it, something was wrong.

It was too quiet.

Just then—

Snap.

A sound came from her back, she turned her bow streched, a gust of wind came towards her. She fired the arrow filled with lightning.

Boom.

The explosions rang with a loud sound.

As the smoke, cleared her instincts flared like a burning flame. She ducked instinctively, rolling forward just in time as a blade of air sliced the space behind her.

A figure dropped from a tree—cloaked entirely in black, with only their mouth visible beneath the mask. They landed soundlessly, sword held low, angled like a predator ready to strike.

"Hmm, You must be the one protecting this pillar right?" Sydelle said calmly, her voice sharp and cold. Lightning sparked along her bowstring as she notched an arrow. "That makes this simple."

The cloaked figure didn’t answer. They vanished in a blur of wind.

Sydelle’s eyes narrowed. She turned, arrow already flying.

Clang!

The figure blocked it with their sword, the force pushing them back a step. But they didn’t slow.

Another rush of wind—and they were gone again.

Sydelle dashed sideways, sliding along the grass as another wind slash cut the air behind her.

Her bow glowed in blue faintly as lightning surged through it, and she let loose another arrow, infused with pure lightning essence.

Boom!

The arrow exploded midair as it was cut apart—but the blast sent a shockwave across the clearing, forcing the cloaked figure to retreat back to the edge.

Sydelle stood again, breathing evenly. Her expression remained calm, but inside her mind, calculations raced.

’Quite fast. He is using wind element for acceleration and stealth. Also, as he is trying to close the distance a close-range fighter. However seeing as my arrows are damaging him, his defense surely isn’t overwhelming. Good thing i can wear the bastard down.’

All of thisoved in her head at an super speed, like her brain was charged with lightning.

The figure rushed in again—this time from above.

Sydelle jumped back, flipping as she fired another charged arrow. This one arced in the air, tracing the target like a homing shot.

The cloaked figure twisted, narrowly dodging—but it scraped their shoulder.

A small explosion of electricity coursed through their arm, momentarily disoreanating him.

Sydelle didn’t spoke anything—but her next arrow was already drawn.

She fired again. And again.

Each arrow was precise, and each one buzzed with lightning, curving, shifting, guided by the flow of wind and static. The air grew thicker with tension as flashes of electricity began dancing along the trees.

The cloaked figure darted between the bolts, using short bursts of wind to redirect and block—but their movements slowed.

The sparks were catching up.

"You’re fast," Sydelle said. "But not faster than lightning."

She released another shot—this one split into three midair. The arrows struck the ground around the figure in a triangle. Lightning surged through the earth.

Boom!

The blast sent the enemy flying back, slamming into a tree. They hit the ground, coughing, their cloak scorched.

Sydelle didn’t let up.

She raised her free hand, whispering something under her breath. A circle of different patterns glowed beneath her feet.

Her voice was calm—barely more than a whisper.

"Arc Strike: Rainfall."

Lightning poured from the sky. Hundreds of small bolts crashed down like azure rain, targeting only the figure.

It was an Astounding feet, for an Adept+ rank to use such and advanced lightning spell. Sure, it’s power was low but it still did damage.

Trees were scorched, the grass was torn up, and for several seconds the battlefield was pure chaos.

"Aaaghk."

The figure screamed—caught in the storm.

Then silence.

Smoke drifted across the clearing. Sydelle lowered her bow slightly, eyes scanning.

"...Not dead yet." she murmured.

From the smoke, a massive blast of wind pushed outward, dispersing everything in an instant.

The figure emerged, battered but still standing. Their cloak was in tatters, and their breathing was uneven. But their aura surged.

He was using everything they had now.

In the blink of an eye, he vanished again.

This time, Sydelle didn’t dodge.

She didn’t need to.

A circle shimmered beneath her feet—it was a trap circle she’d carved into the ground after using Rainfall.

She wasn’t the one take risks. She knew, it will be disadvantage for her to be at close range against an wind user.

The moment the figure stepped within range—

Crack!

Chains of lightning shot upward, binding their arms mid-strike. The blade of wind fizzled as the spell paralyzed them temporarily.

Sydelle’s arrow was already nocked.

She didn’t waste words.

Boom!

The shot struck directly in the chest, sending the figure crashing backward again. Dust exploded upward from the impact.

This time, they didn’t rise right away.

But Sydelle knew better than to assume it was over.

Sure enough, moments later, the figure groaned and pushed up.

Blood dripped from their mouth. Their aura was flickering. Whatever power they had—it was almost spent.

They raised their hand.

A single sharp whistle escaped their lips.

Wind gathered.

It compressed tighter and tighter—forming into a dense blade almost a meter long. The air itself screamed at the edges of the technique. A final strike.

Sydelle narrowed her eyes.

’Oh, he’s trying to take me down with him, i see.’

The blade finished forming.

"How preposterous." The words escaped Sydelle’s mouth.

The figure rushed forward one last time, speed boosted far beyond what they’d shown before. Everything they had was poured into that strike.

Their body wouldn’t last past it.

Sydelle’s eyes flashed.

Lightning exploded from her entire body.

The bow vanished.

Instead she drew a short dagger from her waist instead.

The moment the blade came close—

Sydelle turned her body and slashed with the lightning-covered dagger. The wind blade and the dagger met—

Clash!

A massive wave of energy burst outward.

The trees bent from the force. Dust flew. The ground cracked.

Then—silence.

The cloaked figure stumbled back... and coughed blood.

They dropped to one knee.

Sydelle stood across from them, steady but breathing heavily. Blood trickled down her arm. The explosion had grazed her just slightly—but she still held strong.

The figure tried to rise.

But their body refused.

They collapsed.

But even in collapse, they reached toward the red pillar—desperate to protect it.

Sydelle’s hand crackled again.

One final arrow shimmered into existence. She aimed.

Thump!

The arrow hit the figure’s shoulder—pinning them to the ground.

They didn’t move again.

Sydelle turned toward the crystal now. She walked up slowly, still alert. The red light was pulsing wildly now—as if the pillar could sense its protector had fallen.

She raised her hand, lightning swirling around her palm. The bow shimmered back into her grip.

Without a word, she pulled the string.

A single arrow formed—pure and sharp, made of condensed lightning.

She fired.

Crack!

The arrow shattered the crystal on impact.

The beam of red light vanished, and the swirling mana in the air dispersed in an instant.

As Sydelle’s arrow shattered the last crystal, something changed.

The red sky that had been hanging over the island like a blood-soaked curtain began to fade. The light flickered once—then went out completely, like a dying flame.

Far across the battlefield, the other two red beams also vanished, their crystals already broken by Kevin and Nyverra.

With no more power to hold it up, the giant barrier surrounding the island cracked.

Crk—crack!

A deep rumble echoed across the sky as the invisible dome split like glass, lines of blue magic streaking through the air.

Then, with one final shimmer, it collapsed completely—vanishing like mist in the wind.

The pressure lifted.

The air stilled.

For the first time in what felt like hours, the students could breathe freely again.

Sydelle exhaled slowly.

The tension left her shoulders as the storm around her finally settled.

She looked at the fallen figure one last time, who lay unconscious on the cracked earth.

"I don’t know who you are," she whispered. "But this plan of yours ends here."

And with that, she turned, moving back toward the others.