Interlude

Osiris walked back and forth in the cellar, his most promising prospect also couldn't reproduce. Perhaps the only way forward would truly be to capture the hybrid. Easier said than done.

"Thelma, where's Fritz?" Osiris asked as he wrote down DNA combinations.

"He was killed sir, by an A-rank hunter."

"I see." He continued writing, "I would've killed him myself if he came back here, leaving without permission...What a useless waste of power."

"His speed was on another level, even for us titan classes." Thelma agreed.

"Ready the troops, we invade Vancrest soon." Osiris stepped away from his desk and touched one of the capsules. "Ready the titan and destroyer classes. Igor is not getting away this time."

"Yes sir."

"I'll show Merlo that I'm not useless, I'll be the one to accomplish his dream!"

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Some students came back to Vancrest quicker than the others, the first to come back was team (3) which was sent to Rosso Horizon for an extermination request. Though it was a lion class, not all of them came back.

"Arya didn't make it?" Emirus asked Gladius who gave him a register of the deceased.

"Unfortunately not sir." Gladius answered.

Emirus read from the register and five students in total were "Decommissioned" three from team(1) and two from team(3).

"Arya, Qiba, Ula, Rex and Diana." Emirus dropped the register down. "Not as bad as last year."

"Sir!" Gladius shouted.

"I know, I know." Emirus dropped the register. "Don't disrespect the dead and all that."

"The mock exams are right by the corner, are you going to invite anyone?" Liric said as he walked into the room.

"Your student is getting punished." Emirus snapped at Liric, the two have always had a rivaling relationship and it has carried on over the years. "He was supposed to come back in three days and guess what."

"Oh, what happened?" Liric asked with stars in his eyes.

"Aww." Gladius thought to herself.

"It's been three days!" Emirus shouted then turned to Gladius. "Give him a mission, one close to Vancrest."

"Wait won't he be in danger?" Gladius asked as she walked toward the exit of the sky box.

"There's no way for any daemons to know where he is plus Rosso Horizon has trackers just like Airi." Emirus leaned back on his chair a little. "Give him a quick mission but not too easy, can't have him coming back unhurt."

Liric stood there, he knew he should've gone to the commission center and given them Igor's statement. Oh well.

"Right away sir," Gladius walked out of the sky box.

The seemingly inhumane contraption that floated in the air for what seemed like forever. The sky box also called the sky tree by some, was created last year when Liric almost destroyed Vancrest.

"A leviathan class huh," Emirus looked at the register one more time. "And you're sure they're targeting him.

"That would seem to be the case," Liric answered. "Do you think they'll invade during the exams?"

"Depends, if there are reports of daemons invading Rosso Horizon then they'll definitely invade."

"Even though we can see through their distraction, their approach will still be a problem."

"And I don't think the ol' leviathan class will be coming alone, do you think Merlo would come?" Emirus asked.

"No chance of that happening, Merlo might want a mass army of Igor's but he's not going to come to Vancrest himself. Which gives me an idea on their approach."

"Oh do tell."

"The security surrounding Vancrest is impeccable, it can't be broken through and to deactivate it all casters must deactivate it at the same time. However,"

"Since it only detects when beings without mana enter if titan classes and above enter nothing happens." Emirus finished.

"Now to develop countermeasures." Emirus flipped to another page on the register and drew a line in the middle. "Airi can track daemons when they're in a four hundred meter range of her, it's not the most accurate but it'll be good enough for what we want to do."

"Airi and Ten will guard the gate from the top and Flores will search for proof of identity on the ground." Liric tapped on the register and Emirus marked it down.

"Have you told the founders about this "plan"?"

"I just came from there, I'm just here to brainstorm with you." Liric tapped the book again and Emirus marked where he touched.

"What if there's a wide-scale attack launched on Rosso Horizon then what?" Liric asked as he looked out the window.

"If the daemons bring a distraction big enough for Vancrest to get involved then we'll send you there, only you. That way every piece in Vancrest is still stable."

"I see."

"However, that's only if Merlo doesn't make an appearance. If he does then we'll have to send everybody Vancrest has." Emirus leaned back on his chair.

"He won't be there,"

"I'll have to take your word for it."

"Thanks, Emirus."

"Fuck off."

"Sir!" Gladius shouted as she walked into the room. "I paired Igor up with Airi and I might've told her that Liric was the one who gave her the request."

"Well, he's dead." Emirus whispered.

"He's at my place there's no way Airi can find him there..."

"Yep, he's dead." Emirus repeated.

"Where and what's the mission?" Liric asked Gladius as he walked toward the exit of the sky box.

"Druseé, toward the outskirts of Rosso Horizon..." Gladius put her face down and held both hands together. "It's an extermination request for five titan classes."

"Yep, he's dead."

"Thanks, I'll cover them if I see any sign of trouble." Liric said as he dashed out of the sky box.

"Did I mess up?"

"Doesn't matter, Airi can take care of herself."

"That's true. Oh and about the exams."

"Randomize the fifteen students into one on one matches, then insert a random C-rank student to complete them."

"Right away sir."

"This is about to be a stressful graduation." Emirus thought to himself.

[Battle magic act seventeen: Volt flash], the wide-range electricity spell shocked everything in sight leaving fire on the grass. "Liric was right, your body will get accustomed to losing mana."

He still felt nauseous whenever his mana was depleted but it wasn't as bad as it was in the beginning, he just felt a little bit tired and that was it.

"Master Liric, I'm done with the electricity spell." Igor ran inside and saw Liric sitting down. "I'm done with the electricity spell you gave me."

"..." Liric said nothing.

"Master Liric?" Igor touched Liric and the S rank seemed to dissolve into a pool of water. "An ice clone?"

Igor went back outside and fell face-first on the ground. "He's not even here to see me do it."

"Stand up daemon."

Upon hearing those words time froze and Igor was petrified, someone who knew he was a daemon was here and he was in no state to fight them but most importantly. How did they even know he was here?

Liric's house was covered by four support magic acts, two that covered it from the world, one that created multiple clones of the door and one that would incinerate you if you tried to get in through one of the cloned doors.

"I said stand!"

Igor slowly stood up and looked her in the eye, slowly his gaze descended to her chest area. Not for the reason your thinking, he was just looking at her attire. She had a weapon covered in cloth strapped to her back, she wore a brown attire which went well with her blonde hair and most importantly. She smelled like Vancrest.

"You're not here to kill me are you?"

"You've been paired on a commission with me, my name is Airi... You can call me... Airi." Airi looked at the state of Liric's house, she wasn't allowed in there after an incident a few years back. "I wanna smell the inside so badddd."

"What?"

"Shut up, get ready. We move in two."

Igor fell face flat again and stayed there. "Haven't I suffered enough for one week!"

"Heard of Ryu Smith?"

"Who?"

"Nevermind that," She kicked him in the gut. "This is punishment for not reporting to Vancrest."

"Wait. Liric said he was gonna do it for me."

"Are you trying to blame Liric for your incompetence?" She kicked him again.

"Okay okay," Igor held his ribs as he got up. "So where to?"

"Druseé. For an extermination request."

"Extermination requests don't always go as planned when you're near me, lion classes?"

"Why would an A rank be sent to deal with a bunch of lowly lion classes." Airi cast a support spell that created a portal.

"You're an A class?"

"You truly are new here." She walked through the portal.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Igor stepped through the portal with her and suddenly they were in another part of the world he had never seen before.

"Get your bearings straight Igor Dragonstead." Airi unhooked the weapon on her back.

"Wait," Igor could feel it, the five people in front of them were daemons. "Titan classes."

"LET THE HUNT BEGIN!" Airi charged, smiling cheek to cheek.