Grand Return System

The Last Stand

"Guardian Elder Shera..."

Kevin slowly reached out his trembling hand.

Halfway through the motion...

His strength abandoned him.

His arm fell weakly back to his side.

The battlefield echoed with explosions as swords clashed and Mana collided, yet Kevin heard none of it. His gaze remained fixed on the lone figure standing before Dario.

As the Head Chief Student of Celestis Academy, he had always believed he understood the personalities of each of the Seven Division leaders.

Guardian Elder Shera had always appeared arrogant, hot-tempered, difficult to approach, and merciless during training. Many students feared him more than they respected him.

But today...

Everything Kevin believed shattered before his eyes.

The man everyone thought cared only about pride was now willing to sacrifice his own life without hesitation for the sake of his students.

Perhaps...

They had never truly understood him.

Shera had simply hidden his concern beneath a rough exterior.

Kevin slowly clenched his fists.

His eyes reddened.

"Let’s go..."

Suppressing the grief in his heart, Kevin finally gave the order.

The students hesitated.

Every one of them wanted to stay.

Every one of them wanted to fight.

Yet they all understood.

Remaining behind would only waste the lives Shera and the others were risking everything to protect.

Following Kevin’s command, the students of Celestis Academy quickly dispersed in different directions, preparing to retreat from the collapsing battlefield.

But someone had no intention of letting them escape.

Vargos watched the retreating students with eyes overflowing with murderous hatred.

The earlier battle had left Sky Breaker Academy devastated.

Numerous elders had fallen.

Many more were seriously wounded.

Such humiliation demanded blood.

His expression twisted viciously.

"Attack and stop them!"

His furious roar shook the battlefield.

"Don’t even think about escaping."

"No matter who it is today..."

"...whoever dares to interfere will be the enemy of my Sky Breaker Academy!"

Boom!

Without another word, Vargos thrust out his palm.

Boundless Mana condensed into a massive palm that descended from the sky like a collapsing mountain.

Its target...

Was Kevin.

In Vargos’ eyes, ordinary students were insignificant.

If he wanted to destroy Celestis Academy’s spirit...

He would first eliminate its Head Chief Student.

Kill the leader...

The rest would naturally crumble.

The gigantic palm closed in with terrifying speed.

Kevin’s pupils contracted.

The overwhelming pressure froze him where he stood.

At that critical instant—

Whoosh!

A graceful blue figure flashed across the sky.

Maya appeared before Kevin.

Her long azure hair danced in the violent winds as lotus-patterned robes fluttered around her elegant figure.

She raised one delicate hand.

Bang!

Her palm collided head-on with Vargos’ attack.

The enormous palm shattered instantly into countless fragments of Mana.

The resulting shockwave rippled across the battlefield, forcing everyone nearby to retreat.

Maya didn’t even look back.

Her calm yet resolute voice drifted toward those behind her.

"Take them away..."

There was no panic in her tone.

Only determination.

Yaman gritted his teeth.

Every instinct urged him to stay and fight beside his fellow Division leaders.

His spear trembled within his grasp.

But reason prevailed over emotion.

Shera’s words still echoed in his ears.

Inheritance...

The future of Celestis Academy...

That mattered above everything else.

He took a deep breath before turning toward another Division leader.

"Junior Brother Aldric, let’s split up."

The two exchanged a silent nod.

No further words were necessary.

Boom!

Yaman slammed the butt of his Overlord Spear into the earth.

A powerful shockwave erupted outward, forcing dozens of enemies backward.

With an earth-shaking roar, he charged directly into the enemy formation.

Every swing of his spear swept away waves of opponents, forcibly opening a path through the encirclement.

"Follow me!"

Behind him, the students of Celestis Academy immediately rushed toward the opening.

Meanwhile...

Near the edge of the battlefield...

Selena and Rias had only just escaped death.

Even now, the memory of Dario’s sword remained vivid.

Had Shera’s sword arrived a fraction of a second later...

Neither of them would still be alive.

Rias’ breathing remained uneven.

Her heart pounded violently inside her chest.

For the first time since entering Celestis Academy...

She had truly brushed against death.

Beside her...

Selena recovered far more quickly.

She slowly exhaled.

Her emotions settled almost instantly.

Fear still lingered...

But it no longer controlled her.

She tightened her grip around the hilt of the Red Abyss Sword before gently taking Rias’ hand.

"Junior Sister..."

Her clear voice carried quiet reassurance.

"Follow me closely..."

Rias nodded firmly.

"I will."

Without another moment’s hesitation—

Selena raised the Red Abyss Sword.

Its dark crimson blade reflected the burning sky.

She immediately rushed toward one of the few remaining openings in the battlefield.

Unfortunately...

Fate had already decided she could not disappear unnoticed.

She was Leon’s first student.

The Head Student of Amethyst Summit Division.

No matter where she went...

Eyes naturally followed.

Magnus immediately noticed her retreat.

His face darkened.

The humiliation Leon had inflicted upon Sky Breaker Academy still burned painfully within his heart.

Since Leon himself was absent...

Then his student would pay the price.

He pointed directly toward Selena.

"Catch them..."

His voice carried undisguised killing intent.

"Today..."

"I’ll repay every humiliation Leon gave us."

The surrounding elders instantly changed direction.

Several powerful figures charged toward Selena and Rias simultaneously.

Before they could advance more than a few steps—

Boom!

An overwhelming wave of Mana exploded before them.

"Hmph."

Maya’s cold snort echoed through the battlefield.

"One or two."

"What’s the difference?"

She slowly stepped forward, standing alone before the advancing elders.

Her blue robes fluttered gracefully despite the violent storm surrounding her.

A single palm strike swept across the battlefield.

Boom!

Several elders were blasted backward simultaneously.

Some coughed blood.

Others barely stabilized themselves after being sent flying hundreds of meters.

Maya remained suspended high above the battlefield.

Like an undefeated Goddess of War.

By herself...

She blocked every pursuing elder of Sky Breaker Academy.

No one could pass.

No one could approach Selena or the retreating students.

Vargos’ expression became increasingly ugly.

His eyes burned with fury.

"Bastard!"

He roared at the surrounding elders.

"Attack together and kill her!"

Instantly—

Dozens of powerful auras erupted simultaneously.

The heavens trembled.

The earth cracked apart.

Mountains collapsed beneath the terrifying pressure.

Explosions echoed endlessly throughout the battlefield as countless Sacred Arts collided in the sky.

This was no longer a simple battle.

It had become an all-out war.

The once majestic mountain range was reduced to ruins within moments.

The very heavens seemed ready to collapse beneath the overwhelming force unleashed by both sides.

High above the battlefield...

Another deafening laugh rang across the sky.

"Haha..."

Dario looked down upon Shera with eyes filled with madness and contempt.

His black aura surged endlessly around him.

Mana twisted violently as killing intent spread through the heavens.

"Shera..."

His smile grew increasingly sinister.

"You dare to stop me?"