The Beginning After The End novel Chapter 97

ARTHUR LEYWIN'S POV:

The firm, mana-imbued stamp of my foot against Lucas' pelvic region created a cacophony of snapping bones, squelching flesh, and splintering gravel, accompanied by a mind-numbingly shrill screech.

At this point, Lucas, an accomplice responsible for so much havoc and death—the one that drove me to this point—was now nothing more than a dying body. His mouth frothed, with only the whites of his eyes showing, as he continuously mumbled incoherently. I lifted my leg up from the blood-soaked pomace of the one that dared to harm those dear to me, and once again, I was glad that Tess was asleep for all of this.

The disaster that had befallen us was over. The perpetrator that had killed three professors and was responsible for the deaths of many more was now fatally wounded, slowly dying.

Yet no one rejoiced. There was still fear in everyone's eyes, except, when it was once directed toward Lucas, it was now directed toward me. In the midst of this silence was a palpable tension radiating from everyone present, student and staff.

It had been a long time since I received stares like these. I relished it then, priding myself in my domineering strength, but now, only a helpless sigh escaped my lips.

A searing pain spread throughout my body as I was forcibly reverted out of second phase. My hair shortened as my long, silvery-white hair changed back to its normal short, auburn shade. The runes that ran down my arms and back faded as my vision returned to normal, although strained.

The recoil hit me a lot less this time than when I went up against the elderwood guardian. Although I didn't pass out, I hadn't used my mana very efficiently. While trying to make a statement, I used gravity magic which strained me since, without the help of my beast will, I normally wouldn't be able to use it.

Still, I was barely able to keep my body from toppling over as I lifted my hand to deliver the final blow when a sudden piercing ring interrupted me, drawing my, and everyone else's, attention.

The red-tinted barrier that surrounded the school shattered from above. The broken fragments of the barrier fluttered down, reflecting the vibrancy of the Aurora Constellation that was almost in full bloom, in the night sky; the bloodstained academy instantly turned into a scene from a fairytale.

Descending amongst the shimmering rain of the broken barrier shards were three figures. Even before I could make out their identities, the terrifying pressure they radiated told me exactly who they were.

The Lances.

"...ther," a strained, gurgled gasp escaped from Lucas.

With my attention focused on the Lances, I didn't realize he had gained enough awareness to speak.

Looking down, I noticed Lucas' eyes fixed toward the Lances; he spoke again, this time more distinctly.

"B-Brother…"

Before I could even react to what he had said, a sudden surge of light struck me in the chest, barreling me straight into the bell tower with such force that I broke through the mana-enforced wall, buried underneath the rubble.

Vomiting up blood, and what felt like my intestines, I tried pulling myself out, but it felt as if my entire body was glued against the wall. Confused and disoriented, I tried to make out, with my blurred vision, the one who casted the spell.

It was one of the Lances. I wasn't able to make out much more than his indistinct figure through my unfocused eyes, but before he was able to fire another shot, I caught sight of Sylvie, unleashing a blast of fire at him.

'Sylvie, no. You can't fight them,' I called out to her, my voice sounding weak even in my head, but it was too late. He blocked the blast like it was a toy ball before one of the other Lances trapped Sylvie in a dome of ice.

Even though every bone in my body felt like it was getting sawed in half and my head felt as if it had been punctured repeatedly, I was able to make a bit more sense of what was happening.

From her modestly curved figure and long white hair, the Lance that had trapped Sylvie in the cage of ice was female, and from the looks of it, Sylvie wasn't able to break or melt it. Despite the position I was in, I couldn't help but feel relieved that she had only been caged. It sure as hell beat the other options that the Lance could've chosen.

Meanwhile, the Lance that had attacked me had kneeled down beside Lucas. He seemed to be fairly young—maybe in his late twenties—and looking closely at his face, from the high-bridged, straight nose up to his narrow eyes, there was a very distinct resemblance to Lucas.

The last, much older Lance didn't waste any time to gather and organize the remaining students and professors. He was already interviewing some of the students, nodding in response to their accounts and turning his head to look at me.

Whether it was because of how disoriented I was, or of how worried I was for Sylvie, It took me until now to piece it all together: Lucas had called out 'brother' to the Lance that attacked me…

Before I could even curse my own bad luck, the Lance I could only assume to be Lucas' brother stormed towards me as his body released a torrent of yellow lightning.

"Death is not enough for the you. To do something so atrocious to a Wykes, to my brother..." He didn't speak loudly. In fact, it almost sounded calm, yet his voice carried an alarming clarity that felt as if he had spoken directly into my ear. A storm of electricity trailed around him, dancing like restless cobras craving to be released as he made his way towards me.

I tried to move my body, but after a few desperate struggles, I realized I had been essentially crucified to the wall by what seemed like electromagnetism.

Despite the situation, I couldn't help but praise the amount of control he had over lightning. For him, there was no need to concentrate on manipulating mana into lightning like I had to. Lightning simply bent and danced to his will like it was another limb on his body. Turning my gaze towards Sylvie, who was still desperately trying to escape from the ice cage, and back to the lightning-clad Lance, I finally realized just what white core mages were capable of.

"Bairon, you are not to lay a hand on him," the older Lance ordered as he finished talking with one of the professors.

"Hah?" Bairon turned his head over his shoulder to look back. "That boy tormented and humiliated my brother before killing him, Olfred, and you're saying that I am not to harm him? Do you wish to go against me as well?" The coils of lightning surrounding Bairon thickened, obliterating anything they touched.

"The boy was the one who saved everyone here from your brother. And since when did you grow enough hair on your balls to think that you could challenge me?" the man named Olfred spat back.

I used this chance to try and shift back into second phase, hoping I could gather enough strength to at least escape, but it was useless. My body wasn't even able to gather mana at this point.

Turning my attention back to the two Lances, I could tell that Bairon was visibly confused. Still, whether it was because of his pride or his doubt, he chose to persist. "Do not test me, Olfred. I am in no mood to participate in your folly. My brother died in my arms; it is only just that I do what his killer did to him." He whipped his head, glaring back at me with pure venom in his eyes.

Bairon began making his way towards me again when suddenly, two coal-black knights erected from the ground beside him, pinning him down.