Chapter 49: Six Years Later
A notification appeared before him.
[Congratulations on learning the Tier 2 Spell: Spectral Scythe.]
[Congratulations on learning the Tier 2 Spell: Spectral Wings.]
[Congratulations on learning the Tier 2 Spell: Plague Wraith.]
Kaiser looked inside his Mental Sea.
Three new spell stars floated around his Divine Mark.
Since each Tier 2 spell required two Spell Slots, six of his ten empty Spell Slots were now occupied, leaving him with four empty Spell Slots remaining.
Kaiser nodded in satisfaction.
He spent the next few hours testing his new spells.
Spectral Scythe condensed Soul Mana into a giant spectral scythe capable of cutting through both physical and spiritual targets.
Spectral Wings formed a pair of ghostly wings on his back, greatly increasing his speed and allowing him to fly for a limited time.
Plague Wraith summoned a powerful wraith infused with plague energy that spread curses and disease wherever it attacked.
After becoming familiar with the three spells, Kaiser stopped.
There was no point in overusing his Mana before the competition.
He returned to his room, meditated until his Mana fully recovered, and went to sleep.
...
The next morning, the First-Year Grand Competition officially began.
Thousands of students gathered inside the academy arena.
The competition lasted for six days.
Students fought one another to determine their rankings.
Every victory earned more points.
At the end of the tournament, the rankings would decide how many resources each student would receive from the academy.
Kaiser participated in every match.
His opponents quickly realized how difficult he was to deal with.
His Spectral Knights were stronger than ever.
His new Tier 2 spells gave him even greater versatility.
Combined with the Grand Spectral Knight Art, his fighting style was smooth and efficient.
Very few students could force him into a difficult battle.
One after another, his opponents were defeated.
By the end of the sixth day, Kaiser stood at the top of the rankings.
He had won the First-Year Grand Competition.
His name spread throughout the academy.
Many elders began paying attention to him.
From that day onward, Kaiser continued training without slowing down.
Every year, he participated in the Grand Competition.
Every year, he finished in first place.
He spent most of his time cultivating, mastering new spells, studying Arts, and completing missions assigned by the Death Church.
His strength steadily increased.
Years passed one after another.
Before he realized it, six years had gone by.
Kaiser had graduated from the academy.
He was no longer the young disciple who had just entered the Death Church.
Now, he stood at Tier 6, recognized as one of the most talented young mages of his generation.
The graduation ceremony had ended earlier that day.
That evening, the academy held a celebration party for the graduating class.
The venue was a large hotel owned by the Death Church.
Many graduates had gathered there.
Teachers, elders, and several important members of the church also attended.
Kaiser arrived wearing a simple black suit.
As soon as he entered, several students greeted him.
"Congratulations, Kaiser."
"You deserved first place."
"You’ve been number one for six years straight."
Kaiser simply smiled and thanked them.
He wasn’t interested in attracting attention.
Instead, he picked up a glass of fruit juice and stood near one of the windows.
A few moments later, someone walked over.
"Kaiser."
He turned around.
It was Ryder.
The two looked at each other before Ryder smiled.
"I finally graduated."
"So did I," Kaiser replied.
Ryder laughed.
"I still remember our first duel."
"You were much weaker back then."
Kaiser nodded.
"A lot has changed."
"It has."
The two talked for a while about their training over the past six years.
Soon, several other top students joined them.
Some had specialized in curses.
Others focused on necromancy, plague magic, or soul magic.
Although they had competed against one another every year, they had also trained together many times.
The atmosphere was relaxed.
They talked about their academy life, difficult missions, and memorable battles.
After some time, one of the students raised a glass.
"To graduation."
Everyone around the table raised their glasses.
"To graduation."
They clinked their glasses together before taking a drink.
For a while, laughter and conversation filled the room.
Soon, the graduation celebration came to an end.
Kaiser returned to the same office where he had first met Magnus six years ago.
"To think six years passed by so quickly," Magnus said as he placed a cup of tea in front of Kaiser.
Kaiser picked it up and took a sip.
"I know, right?" he replied with a small chuckle.
"So, how have things been going?" Magnus asked.
Kaiser waved his hand.
Three transparent souls suddenly appeared in front of him.
Magnus looked at them without much surprise.
They were the souls of three assassins.
Kaiser had captured them using his Tier 6 spell, Soul Imprisonment.
It was a powerful spell that not only extracted the victim’s soul from their body but also imprisoned it, allowing the user to interrogate or use it for other purposes.
It was considered one of the strongest spells available to Ghost Path mages.
"Three this month," Magnus said as he looked at the souls.
"It seems the Church of Light really wants you dead."
He spoke as though it were nothing unusual.
Kaiser simply shrugged.
"They’re persistent."
Magnus took another sip of his tea.
"So, do you still plan to leave the academy?"
"You should accept my offer and become a trainee teacher here."
Kaiser thought for a moment before nodding.
"Sure."
Magnus raised an eyebrow.
"I wasn’t expecting you to agree so easily."
Kaiser smiled.
"I’ve thought about it."
Magnus nodded with satisfaction.
"Good."
"At least you’re not reckless like the others."
"They think staying at the academy will slow their growth."
He shook his head.
"They’re arrogant."
"Now that the Church of Light has openly started targeting our people, they need to learn some humility before they throw their lives away."
Kaiser calmly set his teacup down.
"Leave them be."
"The war hasn’t reached the point where they’re attacking young disciples."
Magnus nodded.
"If they ever do, they’ll be wiped out within days."
"The Death Church may not have the strongest desire to convert others, but we have the strongest elders who have delayed their own deaths."
"Aside from the Life Church, no other church has as many old monsters hiding in the shadows as our church."