The Reversal of Master and Servant

"Hahaha."

Arcane wasn't angry.

The problem was that his criteria for killing someone weren't based on anger but rather on how much fun he could have.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that. Every disciple of Alpheas must die. Of course..."

Arcane's eyes flashed open.

"That includes you."

The moment he felt the overwhelming killing intent, Shirone instinctively fired a Photon Cannon.

It was a clear misfire.

Arcane easily twisted his body, dodging the flash of light, and observed where the magic dissipated.

"Radius of 52.7 meters. Impressive. For your age, your Spirit Zone is quite large."

Nade's face went blank with shock.

"He... he dodged it?"

Given that mass slowed down speed, Photon Cannon was inevitably slower than some magic, yet it was still faster than most.

To dodge in the blink of an eye while simultaneously measuring the radius of the Spirit Zone—this was beyond human perception.

"Tch!"

As Shirone hurriedly tried to compress photons once more, a voice echoed from the forest.

"Stop, Shirone."

Etella emerged.

Her clothes were torn, and she was covered in dirt from head to toe.

"Arcane is a dangerous individual. Right now, you are not someone who can fight him."

Arcane furrowed his brows.

Unexpected situations kept arising, and it irritated him.

"How shameless of a loser. If you were lucky enough to survive, you should treasure that luck."

"Loser?"

Shirone and his companions were shocked.

Bishop of the Karsis Monastery, an authority in Spirit Zone, and a certified 6th-class mage.

None of the titles that described Etella were easily obtained.

Shirone supported her.

"Are you alright, Professor?"

"Yes. I just need some time to recover..."

"What happened? Who is that man? No, why is he doing this?"

"His name is Biltor Arcane, an unofficial 3rd-class Grand Mage."

Upon hearing this, Nade and Iruki simultaneously turned to Arcane.

"A-A Grand Mage?"

Any magic student understood the sheer weight of a 3rd-class ranking.

Among the point-based ranking system for mages, there were specific thresholds that required an exceptionally high number of points—particularly from 7th to 6th class and from 4th to 3rd class.

While 6th-class mages held executive positions in magic institutions, 3rd-class mages were entrusted with leading the kingdom's core facilities.

Even Alpheas, a certified 4th-class mage, was merely the headmaster of a private academy.

This meant Arcane's status in the magic society was unimaginably high.

"Arcane bears a deep grudge against the headmaster. He won't stop until his revenge is complete."

Arcane sneered.

"Tsk. You sure talk a lot. Complaining to your student will only make you look more pathetic."

"Victory or defeat doesn't matter to me. I am a teacher. I will do anything to protect my students."

"So? What can you do? Do you really think you can stop me now when you couldn't even defeat me at full power?"

"You're overestimating yourself, Arcane."

Arcane's expression darkened menacingly.

"Oh?"

Etella continued.

"It's true I couldn't stop you. But you don't have the mental focus left to fight at full power either, do you?"

Her words were half right and half wrong.

The magic Arcane had used—Summoning the Minions of Darkness—had drained his energy to just one-tenth of its full capacity.

But even one-tenth of a Grand Mage's power was more than enough to sweep away an exhausted Etella and a group of inexperienced brats.

"Times sure have changed. I was lenient because you looked pitiful, but now you dare flap your mouth at me?"

Arcane drew upon his magic power.

He had reserved this last fraction of his energy for Alpheas, but troublesome calculations weren't part of his philosophy.

Then, Canis spoke up.

"Master, please leave it to me."

Abyss Nova was a grand spell that consumed such a massive amount of mental power that ordinary mages wouldn't even attempt it.

Considering his master had already cast it and fought a battle, even Arcane couldn't be in perfect condition.

"You?"

Arcane's face twisted in displeasure. Even if Canis was his disciple, he couldn't tolerate a challenge to his authority.

But after thinking for a moment, his expression shifted to one of amusement as he turned to Shirone.

"Hey, brat. You're Alpheas's disciple, aren't you?"

"Don't you dare speak the headmaster's name so carelessly, you murderer."

"Kukuku! Is that so? You must respect him quite a lot."

Shirone didn't feel the need to respond.

Alpheas was the one who opened his eyes to magic and, as a commoner, had granted him the opportunity to enter the magic academy.

"I don't care if you're a Grand Mage or a 3rd-class mage. Compared to the headmaster, you're not even a mage."

"Puhaha! Puhahahahaha!"

Though Arcane burst into laughter, his eyes burned with fury.

'Alpheas... Just how long have you lived putting on a facade? You must know it yourself—someone like you doesn't deserve anyone's respect.'

Making up his mind, Arcane nodded.

"Fine. Watching a battle between disciples might be amusing. Canis, fight him."

"Yes. Thank you, Master."

Canis finally felt relieved.

This was his last chance to make up for his previous failures.

However, Harvest disagreed.

-Canis, think again. It would be better to let Arcane handle it.

-What are you talking about? I already disappointed Master. Even if I have to die, I must defeat him.

Harvest fell silent.

In a battle, a difference in opinion could be fatal, so Canis pressed further.

-Answer me, Harvest. I won't back down this time. We are fighting.

The mental channel was quiet.

-Harvest?

It was the first time this had happened, and Canis was caught off guard, but he couldn't afford to show weakness in front of Arcane.

'Tch! I'm fighting!'

As he closed the distance using Darkport, Shirone took to the air in an instant.

'An aerial battle?'

He was likely trying to protect the hostages, but for Canis, the night sky wasn't a disadvantage.

A full-scale battle between light and darkness erupted.

Canis absorbed the power of the night, but Shirone's Photon Cannons, fired with infinite mental energy, turned him into a relentless human weapon.

Watching the sky, Etella's face went blank.

'What... is that?'

Even as a certified 6th-class mage, she couldn't comprehend the magic Shirone was using.

The sky was filled with countless flashes of light, tearing through the darkness.

Canis clenched his teeth.

'Damn it! How long will he keep firing?'

Why wasn't Shirone running out of energy? It was as if his mental limit had been severed.

-... Annoying, Arcane.

At that moment, the mental channel opened.

-Harvest?