Magic Academy Bans Harem

Chapter 285 "Star Priest"

When a bolt of lightning struck down from the sky and transformed into a human figure, the princess's guards, witnessing this, were undoubtedly startled.

Fortunately, Adeline recognized Miriam and stopped them from pointing their weapons at him.

“Milian Cadet”

"Teacher Adeline"

The two looked at each other for a moment, their expressions carrying a subtle tension.

Miriam saw Adeline standing there as if nothing had happened. Adeline, of course, couldn't have imagined that Miriam could control such a teleportation-like skill.

In a major event centered around Erles, everyone seemed to have no spare time and had to reveal everything they had previously hidden without reservation.

Ironically, no matter what secrets these people had hidden in the past, or how hard they were trying now, to the true masters of this academy and the real instigators of this event, everyone was merely an equal "stepping stone."

"Whoa! Millie, where did you get that sword? Isn't that the Holy Sword?! Ah, never mind, this isn't the time for that!"

What broke the awkwardness between Miriam and Adeline was the voice of the goddess of bathing, which Miriam was finally able to hear.

The voice didn't appear out of thin air; the white disc was nearby, still with Sister Mary.

When Livis and Susola forcibly dragged Mary out of the original space of the "World Tree Space," Mary, who was inside, managed to escape in time through the teleportation magic circle that had been set up on the white disc earlier.

Since the coordinates of the teleportation magic circle were set near the "Leviathan Research Institute," Mary, at the request of the Bathing Goddess, quickly rushed over.

"My Lady Bathing Goddess."

Miriam called out to her subconsciously, feeling a slight sense of regret.

Judging from her previous words, the goddess of bathing was clearly unaware of what happened while he was unconscious, nor did she know the whereabouts of the bandaged man.

"Quick, Millie, you have to find a way to break that giant blood sphere! Melcy and the others are trapped inside!"

The goddess of bathing urged anxiously.

Previously, Miriam had no idea what the blood sphere was, but now he knows for sure that it was created by the "enemy".

"Um... please calm down a bit, Goddess of Bathing."

"Calm down! I'm not a mage!"

Although the goddess of bathing scolded Miriam, it did calm her down to some extent.

At the request of the goddess of bathing, Miriam raised high the holy sword Karom, which he had just picked up.

That same feeling returned, and Miriam was now almost certain that he was very familiar with the holy sword in his hand. Or perhaps, the holy sword was familiar with him?
In short, he could feel that he could freely use the powerful force inherent in the holy sword with his thoughts.

A dazzling burst of lightning focused on the tip of the holy sword, emitting a piercing noise.

The next instant, intense lightning, which seemed to have dyed Miriam's entire body blue and white, burst forth without reservation, striking the massive blood sphere that was slightly suspended above the ground.

However, the seemingly powerful lightning strike failed to cause the slightest damage to the blood sphere. The surface of the blood sphere didn't even ripple. It was as if the lightning strike and the blood sphere itself were from different worlds, one of them simply being an intangible projection.

"."

Miriam gritted his teeth and gripped the hilt of his sword tightly.

Is the power I just acquired now useless?
Extremely unwilling, Miriam launched several more attacks, but to no avail.

On this day, Miriam, having experienced many things, felt particularly resentful. And these seemingly unrelated events strangely connected within Miriam's life.

This is precisely why others are destined to be unable to understand Miriam's mind, which is already almost completely overwhelmed by negative emotions.

"So, it really requires the power of the 'Star Pattern' to reach the blood sphere?"

Seeing that Miriam, like Adeline, was helpless against the blood spheres, the goddess of the bath bit her finger on the other end of the disc.

Although she had sent a request for help to the white cat with the "star markings," and the cat was on its way, she simply couldn't imagine the white cat resolving the situation on its own.

Moreover, from the moment before, she suddenly could no longer see the images of the people inside the blood sphere.

Combining what happened before the scene cut off
That's absolutely unreasonable!
What should we do when someone at the final boss level appears in the second semester?

The somewhat bewildered goddess of the bath couldn't even muster the thought of blaming Ritas for not being there. After all, in her view, even if Ritas were there, he would probably be just as helpless against the "Wanderer."

Just as the Goddess of Bathing was beginning to despair, a figure, supporting himself against the wall of the research institute, dragged himself out with difficulty.

"Your Highness!"

The first to react was naturally Adeline.

Now that everything was laid bare, she no longer cared about pretending for An and simply walked quickly to meet her.

"I...I'm alright. Let me...do something too. My strength...may be able to..."

An, whose serious injuries had not yet healed and whose speech was still quite intermittent with a light cough, closed his eyes.

As the star pattern on her right back shoulder glowed, the silver single wing reappeared.

The inside of a blood cell.

At first glance, the entire space is constructed of blood-red materials, and the interior is much larger than the exterior appears.

Melcy, kneeling on the ground, gripped her shoulders tightly.

Even with her fingernails digging deep into the flesh of her shoulder, she still couldn't stop the blue flames that were raging and bursting forth.

Meanwhile, on the other end, the "wanderer" was watching this scene with great satisfaction.

"That's it. That's it, my fellow countrymen! Now that we've awakened, let's no longer turn a blind eye to this filthy world. Unleash your power to purify it all—"

The moment they were enveloped by the blood orbs summoned by the Wanderer, Melcy and the others completely lost the ability to fight back.

Chains, cages, and the endless blood within the blood spheres can be shaped by the wanderer into anything at will. Moreover, these things possess "absolute" power matching their appearance.

Noah, Tabisa, and Ginny had no chance to resist; they were either bound or imprisoned.

Only Melsie, wielding a longsword formed from azure flames, managed to barely withstand several attacks.

But the result was the same: his limbs were bound by chains made of blood, and he was suspended in mid-air.

It was precisely at the moment of Melsie's resistance that the Wanderer's eyes lit up as he watched the blue flames she unleashed.

More and more blood began to rush towards Melsie, engulfing her. And when the manic voice that Melsie had heard countless times before resounded in her mind, her power began to erupt uncontrollably.

With unwavering willpower, Melsie attempted to rein in the out-of-control power, but to no avail.

Her power erupted uncontrollably, like a flood breaking through a riverbank.

As her consciousness faded into the distance, Melsie became even more certain that her "star pattern" was different from everyone else's.

As more and more companions shared the same plight, Melsie's understanding of the Star Mark far surpassed what she had when she first enrolled more than six months ago.

Neither Tabata, Noah, nor Serenia had ever heard them mention anything about the Star Mark possessing its own will or actively imbuing its holder with emotions.

Burn everything!
Burn everything with an inextinguishable flame!
The sound of fire, the smell of fire, the light of fire, the temperature of fire—fire is the only thing worth pursuing!

As the host of the flame, all she needs to do is continuously release and maintain the flame; everything else is up to her.

Who is she?
Who is she!
In her heart, Melsie questioned the voice that kept echoing in her ears and mind like a series of delirious whispers.

Each time she heard that voice filled with negative emotions, her power would increase dramatically. But she never felt this was a good thing. According to the stages that the Goddess of Bath once divided the power of star patterns, one stage was to dedicate everything to the star patterns, becoming the power itself.

So, who exactly is the will within the body of a Star Mark holder at that stage?

Is it her, or Xingwen?
Moreover, Professor Ritas was always teaching them how to suppress and control their power.

just
"This is still our world, so break free from the shackles of sinful blood and reveal your true form! Someone has prepared a sacrifice for us! Today is the day of your rebirth—"

With arms outstretched, the wanderer shouted in a frenzied voice.

As her consciousness began to fade, Melsie lowered her head.

Sorry, but at least...
Using the last vestiges of her consciousness, Melsie directed her flames backward, spreading them toward the location where her companions were trapped.

I don't know how much time has passed.

In the darkness, Melcy suddenly felt a slight heaviness in her shoulders.

In her dazed vision, Melsie turned her head and saw a petite figure being burned fiercely.

"Noah?"

"Although I don't know why these flames are causing you pain, well... I'll share some of that pain with you. My power is quite easy to ignite."

As the star patterns emitted a dazzling light, Noah unleashed a torrent of green vines that were constantly being burned to ashes. Her once thick hair also rapidly thinned out.

On the other side, Melcy saw Tabata, who also had her hand on her shoulder.

The purple mist surrounding Tabasha was now also burning fiercely.

"Tabitha!"

Unlike Noah, who could still use his power to protect himself, Tabasha had obvious burn marks on her body.

"It's alright, Melcy. Your strength is so warm. It's just that the firewood is a bit noisy."

As they were ignited by Melsie's flames, Noah and Tabata simultaneously heard a frenzied roar mixed in with the flames.

The voice was so unsettling that even Tabasha, who never usually lost her temper, showed obvious annoyance.

Before her consciousness faded, the flames she released successfully burned through the cages holding the people. Aside from Ginny, who was already unconscious, the other two didn't immediately try to escape or get away from the out-of-control Melcy; instead, they went to her side.

It wasn't that there was nowhere to escape, but rather that they chose to overcome the difficulties together with their companions.

And it was in this most primitive, yet most unexpected, way—a method even the Wanderers hadn't anticipated—that Mercy's once-submerged consciousness returned.

The rampage of Melsie's star pattern did not stop. However, the malice contained within the power was shared and resisted by the three of them together.

It was precisely because the flames, which had already occupied half of the blood cell's internal space, were still out of control and showed no signs of going out.

Therefore, the wanderer could only watch as the three burned hand in hand before him, unable to do anything to stop them.

"Everyone."

Melcy struggled and pulled a charm from her bosom.

By now, the amulets that Ritas created to curb the rampage of the Star Marks were hardly effective against "veteran" Star Mark holders like Melsie. Therefore, Melsie carried them more symbolically. In fact, many of the amulets contained elements that had already been "used" and had lost their effectiveness.

The amulet that Melsie took out was instantly reduced to ashes by the azure flames.

Within Melcy's long-dried body, it seemed as if a stream of clear water had emerged.

"here--!"

Clenching her teeth and using every ounce of energy she could muster, Melci directed all the out-of-control azure flames toward the direction indicated by the goddess's voice.

boom!
Sharp sword light and chilling lightning flashed simultaneously on the outside of the blood sphere.

Under the simultaneous bombardment of several powerful forces from both inside and outside, the blood sphere, which seemed to exist outside of this world, was completely shattered.

"It's...it's a success! Ah! Melcy, Tabata, Noah! Are you all alright?"

In front of the Leviathan Institute, as the Third Princess continued to cough violently, the single wing behind her gradually dissipated.

The two puppet-like figures beside the blood orb transformed back into Adeline and Miriam with a dreamlike "poof" sound.

The two immediately picked up the four girls who had been "spit out" by the blood sphere—some unconscious, some burned—and kept their distance from the blood sphere, which was gushing blood and had shriveled up.

"What a pity. As expected, this opportunity for a 'return' was destined not to belong to us."

From the gradually drying bloodstains, the mournful voice of the wanderer could be heard.

Amidst the sparse blood, the wanderer, resembling half a slime, gazed in the direction of Ann and sighed softly.

"With this body, this is where it ends for today. I will come back to find you again—"

As the wanderer spoke, Melcy and the others let out soft groans. A crimson mark appeared on each of their star-shaped markings.

"Wait"

"Don't chase him! Please, whatever you do, don't chase him!"

Seeing Miriam reach out to stop the wanderer from leaving, the goddess of bathing shouted a warning.

Although the goddess of bathing didn't believe Miriam possessed this ability, there was always a chance...
Of all those present, she was probably the only one who truly understood just how terrifying the leader of the Darkin, the Wanderer, really was.

The fact that things have ended the way they have now is the best possible outcome.

And so, as the bloodstains on the battlefield completely dried, the wanderer left, having left his mark.

After the wanderer left, the princess's guards temporarily took in "Ash" Morlock Gabriel, whose whereabouts were unknown.

However, contrary to their previous plan to casually imprison Rita Gabriel, the "fireworks artist," they imprisoned Moloch with the highest level of security.

With the conflict temporarily resolved at the Princess's stronghold, the Goddess of Bath first expressed her apologies to Miriam.

"Sorry, Millie, I was in such a rush earlier, I sounded like I was yelling at you."

"It's alright, it's alright."

Miriam waved his hands repeatedly, indicating that he didn't mind.

While he might not have been flattered, Miriam once again felt that the goddess in the disc in his hand was truly easy to get along with.

At the same time, although it seemed like she had solved a "major problem," Miriam's mood was not uplifted at all; she remained quite depressed.

"Speaking of which, the problem was solved before the white cat even arrived. Although Einfield was left there, hopefully it won't affect what Xiaoli is doing."

Listening to the goddess of bathing mutter to herself, Miriam couldn't help but wonder what Professor Ritas had been doing during today's chaos.

Another thing was that on the way here, Miriam saw that almost everyone in the academy was unconscious. But at the Leviathan Research Institute, everyone seemed unaffected.

Just as Miriam was about to ask a question, a figure dressed in black with his face veiled, as if attending a funeral, gracefully approached the front of the research institute.

“Professor Ritas, no, the ‘Star Priest’ requests your presence. Therefore, please come with me.”

A short while later, Misri Latras suddenly appeared at the Leviathan Research Institute's base and addressed the Third Princess of the Holy Kingdom of Libera, Adeline Angelia Ser Vintria, with these words.

Although Adeline wanted to stop her due to Anne's physical condition, Anne still left with Misley, carrying the white disc.

(End of this chapter)