The Rune Mage Starting at Hogwarts

As the food was consumed, fatigue inevitably crept in.

Although Swain issued a military order requiring the entire army to remain vigilant, as darkness fell and the entire city was searched without finding any resistance troops, the soldiers' vigilance noticeably relaxed.

In their view, the rebels in the city had long been frightened and fled into the back mountains, the academy had been completely controlled, and the food problem had been completely solved. As long as they held the main entrances and exits of Presidium City tonight, there would be no danger.

They were already planning to rest for a day or two before going to the back mountain to wipe out the rebels.

And just as these soldiers began to relax their guard, in the tunnels below Presidium...

More than two hundred rebel monks and civilian fighters leaned quietly against the mud wall.

Through special ventilation holes, the aroma of meat soup wafting from above and the indistinct voices of Noxus soldiers drifted in intermittently, allowing them to understand the current situation within the city.

Irelia was intently organizing the information.

A young monk crept up from behind and relayed information to Irelia.

"The mage White just sent word that Noxus's main force is concentrated in the academy and along the main road. Their commander, Swain, is patrolling near the clock tower square with his personal guard, while the heavy ballistae are parked at the crossroads and the crossbowmen are changing shifts."

Irelia nodded, turned her head, and looked at Karma sitting in the corner.

“Teacher Karma,” Irelia said softly, “the enemy outside is starting to relax. After a while, we can make our move.”

Karma opened her eyes and looked at Irelia.

"How are the people at the academy?" Karma asked softly.

“After the Noxians killed the high-ranking officials of several academies, the vice-governor led them to surrender,” Irelia explained calmly. “They handed over all their food in exchange for a chance to live temporarily.”

The young monks beside him clenched their fists, their faces showing some dissatisfaction.

The scholars at the academy, who usually lived in aloofness and talked all day about the traditions and wisdom of Ionia, received no help from the rebels when they came to them. They had to find ways to raise supplies and men on their own.

As soon as the enemy entered the city, they knelt down and begged for mercy without any struggle.

If some of those supplies could be given to the rebels, they could probably easily wear down the Noxus Legion, which was already out of supplies.

Karma saw through the young monks' thoughts. She stood up and said softly, "They are used to the peace of the past. People who have never truly experienced war cannot realize its cruelty. We have advised them many times. These are their own choices, and they naturally need to bear the consequences."

With that, Karma walked up to Irelia: "Once the battle begins, I will break through their defensive formation and destroy their ballistae, but the Temple of Eternity will not pursue any soldiers who give up resistance or flee."

After all, the rebels' goal was simply to drive the Noxians out of Ionia and deter them from attacking Ionia again, not to become the next Noxians.

“I know that once we can defeat Swain and his personal guard, the remaining Noxian soldiers will be a disorganized mess,” Irelia reached out and touched the shards of her blade at her waist. “But I will not show any mercy to those who resist.”

“Of course, this is the price that must be paid to maintain harmony,” Karma nodded slightly.

......

The night in Presidium grew ever darker.

Below the clock tower, Swain gazed into the surrounding darkness.

Around him, more than twenty guards, armed with spears and heavy shields, patrolled the surroundings.

These soldiers were all veterans who had followed Swain for many years. Even though the other soldiers had become somewhat lax, these veterans still dutifully protected Swain.

A messenger quickly walked to Swain's side and bowed his head to report the situation.

"Sir, the food supplies at the academy have been distributed. The first battalion is stationed inside the academy, the second battalion has set up sentry posts outside the city, and the third battalion is continuing its search inside the city."

Swain withdrew his gaze and looked at the messenger, asking, "Is there any movement from the back of the mountain?"

"The scouts just reported that there are indeed many signs of civilians evacuating on the mountain path behind the mountain. The rebels must have retreated into the mountains," the messenger quickly replied.

Swain shook his head: "That woman named Karma is not that simple. The spellcaster who destroyed the warship by himself, who abandoned Presidium without even lifting a finger this afternoon, and that mysterious mage White, no one knows anything about him."

The messenger looked somewhat nervous: "Does the superior mean that they might have some kind of ulterior motive?"

"We can't be sure what they're thinking yet, but it's good to make some preparations. Let's rest in the city for a day. I need to write a letter to report back about the Ionia resistance and that Karma."

Although we may not be able to get troop support, we must at least establish a formal supply line first.

At the same time, at the very top of the clock tower.

Ryze, having packed and organized all the books he wanted from the Great Archives, looked down at the Noxus defenses below.

He took out a small two-way mirror from his pocket, whispered a spell, and then explained the current situation to the monk on the other side of the mirror who was in charge of communication.

"Swain's forces are at their weakest right now. Once the war starts, I will use magic to temporarily seal the academy's gates to ensure that the soldiers inside cannot come out for at least five minutes."

In the two-way mirror, behind the monks, Irelia's voice rang out: "Understood, we are ready."

Chapter 403: The Blade Dancer

As the night deepened, Presidium gradually quieted down.

Swain looked up at the surrounding houses, his gaze sweeping over the dark windows.

Everything seemed normal; apart from the university area, the rest of the city looked rather lifeless.

But it was precisely this deathly silence that made this battle-hardened general feel a vague unease.

Although both the scouts' and the army mages' investigations indicated that the army had already abandoned the city and fled Presidium.

But what are Karma of the Temple of Eternity, and the even more mysterious sorcerer from out of town, planning now?

Even though he was uneasy, Swain could do nothing but tell his soldiers not to let their guard down.

If he still had his original army of ten thousand men, he naturally wouldn't need to worry about it.

No matter how powerful a warrior is, unless he can reach the level of a demigod, it is impossible for him to defeat Noxus's army of ten thousand men on his own.

Even if Karma's power sounds very mysterious, it probably doesn't reach that level.

But now he only has a thousand-man army.

Under these circumstances, the opposing side had a resistance force of over three hundred men and a powerful warrior capable of destroying a warship with a single blow. The disparity in strength between the two sides was not as great as one might imagine.

It could even be said that if Karma had actually made his move during their afternoon attack, the Noxus Legion, even if they had ultimately won, would have likely paid a heavy price.

"Only when the news of capturing Presidium gets out will everything be settled," Swain thought to himself.

After all, their Grand Commander had long coveted the Magic Garden of Presidium. As long as the other side could send another legion of more than a thousand men, he could confidently go and wipe out the rebels who had fled into the mountains.

......

At the top of the tallest ancient clock tower in Presidium, Rizzi looked down at the crossroads below.

Seeing the unsuspecting Swain and the resting Noxian soldiers, after arriving at the agreed time,

He took out his wand and gently pointed it downwards.

A faint white light shone from the tip of the wand.

The next moment, the point of white light suddenly expanded.

A blinding white light instantly illuminated the entire intersection from the top of the clock tower.

Even the darkness seemed to turn into day in that instant!

"Ah, my eyes!"

The guards on watch and the soldiers leaning against the ballista instinctively covered their eyes.

The intense visual shock caused them to lose their sight instantly!

At the same time as the burst of bright light, a dull tremor came from the ground.

Suddenly, the stone slabs on both sides of the intersection flipped upwards, and the ground, which was originally covered by mud and stones, cracked open with a large hole under the effect of magic.

These were secret tunnels dug by the rebels a few days ago, concealed by ingenious shapeshifting magic. To the Noxus mage, who had never been exposed to another magic system, there was no trace of magic at all.

Now that the transformation spell has been lifted, dozens of resistance fighters immediately jumped out of the tunnel.

They moved with incredible speed, rushing straight towards Noxus's guards who were still covering their eyes after leaving the tunnel.

Although these guards were experienced in battle, the strong light at night had a severe impact on their vision. After a few seconds, all they could see was a white blur, and they could only rely on their senses to smash the iron shields in front of them.

But the rebels never considered engaging in direct combat with the enemy.

Two agile rebels thrust their short swords directly at the knees and ankles of the guards.

With a few soft thuds, the attacked guards lost their balance and fell forward.

The rebel soldiers nearby immediately followed up with a spear.

In just a few seconds, the five or six Noxian elites on the outermost edge were killed on the spot by the rebels.

It was at this point that the guards began to call out loudly.

"Enemy attack!"

Meanwhile, on Swein's side...

He closed his eyes when the bright light came on, but the blinding light still made his vision blurry.

However, the battle-hardened man remained calm. Instead, he immediately drew his long sword and loudly ordered his men to remain calm and focus on defense.

Following Swain's command, the remaining dozen or so guards quickly moved toward the direction from which the sound came.

They stood back to back in a circle, their shields pressed tightly together and their spears held out horizontally, managing to rebuild their defensive line amidst the chaos.

Meanwhile, a disturbance also began to break out inside the university, which was only a hundred meters away from the intersection.

The more than two hundred Noxian heavy infantrymen stationed at the academy saw the bright light outside and heard the guards calling, and they quickly assembled.

"The general has been attacked outside!"

"Quick, grab your weapons and come with me to the rescue!"

The tall Noxus officer immediately began to roar. Although the soldiers in the academy had not expected an enemy attack at this time, they still picked up their weapons immediately and rushed towards the academy gate.

If these two hundred heavily armed soldiers were allowed to rush into the crossroads, the resistance forces, who had just gained the upper hand, would immediately be surrounded.

However, Ritz, standing atop the clock tower, had already noticed the direction of the university's main gate.

He simply raised his wand calmly and tapped it lightly on the stone beam above the academy's main gate below.

A silent explosion spell flew straight over!

Boom!

As the boulder fell, more rubble and bricks collapsed, completely blocking the main gate of the academy.

The Noxian infantrymen at the front were almost crushed into mincemeat by the falling boulders.

Before they could even react, Ryze's wand flicked again.

The biting cold air clung directly to these collapsed piles of stones.

The water vapor in the air quickly condensed into white frost, and in just the time it takes to breathe, the pile of rubble was frozen together by a thick layer of solid ice.

"Damn it! Smash it with the axe!"

The Noxus officer angrily brandished his iron sword, ordering his soldiers to break down the ice wall.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Axes and blades struck the ice, sending sparks flying.

However, Ryze's spell consumed a lot of mana. Their attack not only carved several deep ravines into the surface of the ice, but also made the ice quite solid.

"Go check other places, even if you have to climb over the wall, get out of there quickly!"

However, the Noxus officer was no fool. Seeing that even if they sent their army mages over, it would probably take them quite a while to get out, he immediately ordered his soldiers to find another way through.

Although finding another way will also take a lot of time, it's better than doing nothing.

At the crossroads, Swain's personal guards temporarily stabilized the defensive line, but the situation did not develop in their favor.

Just as Swain was trying to determine the number of enemies and wait for more soldiers from the outer city to arrive, a bluish-green light appeared at the entrance to another secret passage.

Karma's figure emerged from the secret passage.

She hovered two feet above the ground, looking solemnly at the heavy ballistae parked on both sides of the street.

She raised her hands, and the spiritual energy within her body condensed into two huge cyan orbs of light in front of her.

She gently pushed forward with both hands.

Two orbs of psionic energy shot out and struck the two heavy ballistae precisely.

Boom!

With the ear-piercing sounds of wood breaking and steel twisting, the two heavy ballistae, crafted from fine steel, were instantly blasted into countless fragments by the violent psionic energy.

At the same time the ballista exploded, the soldiers guarding it were also knocked to the ground by the force of the explosion, completely losing their fighting ability.