Gerey didn't have an awe or joyous expression. He instead tightly knitted his eyebrows and even appeared to have cold sweat running down his face.

Gerey was desperately trying to figure out why but an immense sense of death felt like it was rapidly approaching to clutch his throat.

And it was then Gerey's eyes brightly lit up in a luminous purple radiance!

His glow shined bright like the raging sun, and he hurriedly flashed his spatial ring and fished out an escaping talisman.

Darcel, Aniela, and Lyse briefly glanced over to Gerey, but he already crushed the escaping talisman with no question asked.

Magical energy immediately wrapped the four up, and they began to take off into the Darkness sky.

Everyone was gobsmacked at Gerey's sudden action.

Not even Darcel, Aniela, nor Lyse understood what he was doing. Although midway in their abrupt and sudden escape, everyone heard a loud, powerful voice that boomed for miles in the Woods.

"You two think you can just so easily leave after causing so much damn chaos to my plans!!"

The powerful voice blasted out an incomprehensible aura that caused nearly all of the True Soul Core youths on the ground to immediately faint.

Darcel, Aniela, Lyse, and Gerey all felt a tremendous headache assault their senses.

Even as they already teleported for miles into only one second under the escaping talisman, that powerful voice just had no limits on its range.

And as the four heard the booming voice, a bright silver glow still managed to pierce into their eyes. No matter how fast they were going, this radiant silver glow just seemed that tad bit faster!

'Bang!'

Darcel, Aniela, Lyse, and Gerey all got their worlds violently shaken as a tremendous force crushed into them.

Fortunately for them, this silver force couldn't stop their escaping talisman. But unfortunately for them, their escaping talisman was knocked off course from its original directions.

And as the four pierced off into the night in a bright purple streak of light, a mysterious man suddenly appeared over the fallen Quicksilver Roc youths and the Zakira Academy youths.

This man was dressed in a long blue robe, and a hoodie covered his head that ominously covered his identity.

Though the mysterious man glared daggers at the fading purple streak of light blitzing through the sky.

Even with all his power, he was powerless to disrupt a Mage item.

As the mysterious man floated in the air, he naturally exuded a boundless aura that caused the very air to shift around him. Every nature in this man being just roared with immense power.

Once Darcel's group was out of his vision, the man peered down the nearly all fainted group of True Soul Core youths.

"Tch…." The man clicked his teeth, seeing the green creature dead. And the Ravenous Void Clan Elder corpse was still creepily twitching.

It wasn't until his eyes locked on to Jamas that the man seemed to gain an idea. Jamas eyes were unblinkingly staring at the mysterious man though he will soon pass out in just a few more seconds.

"Hmmm….heh! Alright, looks like we'll need to take a different approach once again. Only this time, I'll see to it that those two little shits are brutally crushed!"

The mysterious man spoke out loud to nobody in particular as he slowly lowered himself to the ground.

….

Outside the Necropolis Woods, teetering a couple miles from the entrance, four youths wearing similar clothes laid face down on a dirt path.

The four were off a beaten path leading towards the Woods, meaning rarely would one cross their paths.

For an unknown amount of time, none of the four moved a muscle. Until out of the blue, the dark-haired boy and the long white hair girl started to twitch their fingers.

"D-Darcy, L-lyse, G-gery are….you guys up yet?"

Aniela's weary, tired voice called out to the others as she lifted her face from the dirt. A bit of blood dripped from her mouth while she tried to reorient herself.

"Haaah….just barely. I think we're all up, but still, a little banged up."

Darcel breathed out while picking himself up to his knees. Blood also dripped from his mouth, still feeling the aftershocks of that sudden attack.

Following in their steps, Gerey and Lyse also slowly picked themselves from off the ground. "Hey….I don't know if you all also feel it. But I feel like I've been knocked for hours…."

Lyse sighed out, wiping the blood from her mouth.

And her words hold true for the other three as well. Their bodies were still sore all over from the last attack, and a major headache was eating away at them.

For a few seconds, they all were willing to rest for a bit.

But abruptly, Aniela's eyes lit up in remembrance. Her tone was hasty as she said, "Ah! We can't just lie here! That powerful, mysterious man is definitely connected to the Ravenous Void Clan, and he most likely took Jamas and the others!"

"Shit…you're right. Going off that mysterious man's words, he's probably reworking all of his plans right now." As Darcel spoke, both he and Aniela swiftly sprang to their feet, much to the amazement of Lyse and Gerey.

They shared a look at each other and also decided to attempt standing up just like them. But when they tried to stand up, Lyse and Gerey found it to be quite a struggle.

They are both ninth layer link True Soul Core warriors, yet their pain tolerance isn't even as high as two Nascent Core juniors!

Although, neither Lyse and Gerey consider Darcel and Aniela ordinary Nascent Core juniors.

"Haah….haah….I don't get how you two can still be so energetic after all of that." Both Darcel and Aniela lightly smiled at Lyse's comment.

Though their face soon return to being severe as Darcel began to say,

"We have to warn Vice-Principal of the potential hidden danger of the unknown in these Woods first, though. Who knows how many variants of that vile creature that Clan is hiding. Even she can walk right into a brutal death if left unprepared."

"Are you two ready to go?" Aniela asked in slight concern, once turning her attention to the now slightly shaky Gerey and Lyse.

Both of them looked into Aniela's eyes and nodded.

"We are, but first, let's take some of this Mage potion given to us by the Vice-Principal. She claimed it was for just in case." While talking, Gerey flashed his spatial ring and fished out four round bottles filled with mysterious blue liquid.

If one doesn't have the funds or resources to afford a Mortal Pill, taking a Mage potion was the next best option.

The potion doesn't offer the same miraculous effects as a Mortal Pill does. Still, it does at least get rid of any fatigue and superficial injury.

Everyone took a potion from Gerey's hand, and before drinking, Darcel furrowed his eyebrows.

"How odd….well, I hope it hasn't been too long since we were knocked out."

….

Darcel's group made great pace towards the City after swigging down those Mage Potions. Though the pain and headache didn't entirely go away, it was enough for the group of four to efficiently use their Qi.

And as Darcel's group was nearing Necrotic City, they truly began to ask themselves just how long were they out.

Usually, it would be extremely rare on the City's path to find even a low-rank Innate Core powerhouse walking out of the City, much less soaring through the air.

However, now, it appeared as something significant changed.

Darcel's group all witness and obverse multiple Innate Core cultivators rush towards the Necropolis Woods.

Though their powerful Innate Core auras weren't directed at them, Darcel's group were all still taken aback by the tremendous powers blitzing through the sky.

Moreover, on the path as well, Darcel's group saw far more rogue cultivators in the True Soul Core realm heading out to the Woods.

And this further puzzled and worried the four about the sudden increased interest in the Woods.

There was even a significant change there just a few meters ahead as Darcel's group near Necrotic City gate.

The once typically unguarded gate that allowed anyone to pass through was now guarded by two men wearing bright silver armor.

Anyone that came out of the gate, the guards didn't bother with. But for those who tried to go back to the City. The guards will do a quick scan over before letting them in.

With their curiosity rising, Darcel's group swiftly rushed right up the silver armor guards once there was nobody next to them.

And the guards' typically tight expression did relax a bit seeing four youths from the Zakira Academy approach them.

"Excuse me, but why is everyone rushing to the Woods all of a sudden?"

Darcel spoke up first as he and the others reached the City gate.

The guards, however, quirked their eyebrows up towards Darcel question, and one of them said,

"You don't know? Just a few hours ago, everyone apparently got a clear, concise lead on that terrorizing killing monster. But the biggest part of the news had to be the massive sum of resources that the monster is genuinely hoarding. Weren't you four just at the Woods? You know this info was released by your own Academy in these few hours."

Immediately, Darcel, Aniela, Lyse, and Gerey went rigid. After what they just experienced, they all knew this just had to be a trap!

Darcel and Aniela even further thought a student must've gotten poses for this information to supposedly get out.

Without another word, Darcel's group took off inside the City under the silver armor guards' inquisitive faces.

They made a direct beeline towards their Academy, avoiding all other people rushing out of the City.

"Hoh? What do we have here? You four are awfully suspiciously late after your own Academy issued that order hours ago."

Darcel, Aniela, Lyse, and Gerey stopped abruptly as a powerful voice slithered in their ears.

Like he was a ghost, the daunting figure of Elder Fere appeared from just meters in front of them. He had an odd provocate smile as his eyes glazed over Darcel and Aniela specifically.

In the City's new bustling state, he initially just prepared to go into the Woods after their sect sources checked out what Zakira Academy put out.

But through the crowds of people, his eyes manage to precisely land on Darcel and Aniela, and he couldn't help himself.

Darcel and Aniela, however, found this little meeting a bit queer. Mostly as the last time they saw Elder Fere, he was practically near death and barely escaped that red creature.

And now here he is back in top tier shape.

Still, Darcel's group didn't answer the man. They prepared to simply ignore him and not even care about the special status he holds.

But right then, a pleasant steel like familiar voice slinked into their ears.

Darcel, Aniela, Lyse, and Gerey's face all brightly lit up. Instantly they felt a secure feeling swell up inside them and no longer put the odd Elder Fere in their eyes.

"Once again, trying to bother my students, Elder Fere? And to be even bolder than last time and trying to do it out in the open. Don't you have more….important tasks to take care of."

The majestic, powerful voice of Vice-Principal Zelle caused Elder Fere to get utterly rigid.

In the same manner, as Elder Fere, Vice Principal Zelle popped in front of Darcel's group like a ghost! Seeing those steel-like blue eyes bore into his face caused Elder Fere to click his teeth.

"Tch, I was merely a slight bit curious about the actions of the top talented students of your Academy. But you are right; I shouldn't be wasting my time on them."

Though he proclaimed it, Elder Fere's eyes still took one last glance at Darcel and Aniela.

And before Vice-Principal Zelle could respond, Elder Fere swiftly took off back to the sky, not bothering to look back now.

Vice Principal Zelle turned around to see the surprised but glad faces of Darcel's group.

Before they could talk, though, Vice Principal Zelle wrapped the four up in her power and personally rushed them back to the Academy.