As soon as the Imperial Knights arrived, their commander landed. He was someone even stronger than Professor Thomas. He wore heavy armor with a golden phoenix emblem running along it—a symbol of the Valerian family. His face had the marks of someone in middle age. Battles had already carved themselves into his features; there was an ugly scar right under his jaw. His black eyes were cold, but you couldn't hide the sadness in them as he looked at the ruins of the city below.
Soon after, Professor Thomas appeared in front of the commander.
"Commander Marcus, you're a little late," Thomas said, his voice calm, but his yellowish eyes reflected his anger at what had happened.
"Professor Thomas, thank you for your efforts. If it weren't for you, the scale of the damage would've been irreversible," Marcus replied quietly, looking toward the city center.
The giant vine had started to disappear, turning into green mana that scattered in the air. But Janette and Alice weren't there anymore—they'd gone to Aeon's location. Alice especially couldn't wait another second. The moment the Evil Path left, she took off.
"No need for thanks. In the end, this was just a trial for our students," Professor Thomas said indifferently.
"Brother Thomas, you haven't changed at all. Still as blunt as ever," Commander Marcus said, his tone slightly warmer this time.
"Well, I'm not that hot-headed guy who fought beside you on the battlefield anymore," Thomas smiled gently. "A report will be submitted to the Empire once everything's been counted."
"Good. Thanks again for your efforts. If we meet again, I'll buy you a drink," Commander Marcus nodded, then turned toward his ship and gave orders to his soldiers.
There were over 500 soldiers, all at the Core Opening realm—from mid-level to peak. It showed just how powerful the Valerian family was, considering they'd only sent a small fraction of their forces.
The city filled with crying and wailing. This disaster was unprecedented. Their beautiful, peaceful city had turned into ruins and rubble, with the bodies of their loved ones scattered everywhere. Over 400,000 citizens had died under the Evil Path's blades in less than fifteen minutes. If the academy students hadn't arrived, this city would've been nothing but a ghost town.
The knights secured the city, preparing to rebuild it. The academy students had already left with their ship, carrying the bodies of their fallen comrades. Meanwhile, Aeon was transported by Eleanor to an advanced treatment room. His injuries were extremely serious—if not treated soon with proper care, the internal wounds would remain and could become a major threat to his life.
---
On the other side, aboard a red ship with the Evil Path's sinister skull emblem.
Nik Draxiel was lying in a treatment room, staring at the ceiling with a hollow look, when one of the Corpse Demon Sect students at the Core Opening realm entered and knelt before him.
"Did you identify him?" Nik asked, his gaze still fixed on the ceiling. But the killing intent he was barely holding back was impossible to hide.
"One of the outer sect students recognized him. The person you fought is named Aeon Drakes. He comes from the Kingdom of Olive on the eastern sea border. He's also the one who destroyed the secret base we were building there," the student said, his head bowed low.
"Aeon Drakes!! I swear on my soul, I'll make you beg for death the next time I see you," Nik growled, grinding the words out between his teeth.
The Evil Path student swallowed nervously and said, "We've received a call from the sect master."
When Nik heard that, his face paled slightly, and he started sweating. His fear of his father was so extreme that even death itself wouldn't scare him like this.
"What did he say?" Nik tried to keep his voice calm, but the tremor was impossible to hide.
"He said there's no need for you to visit him. You can take your punishment in the Soul Purification Chamber for two days, then prepare to leave for the Evil Path's headquarters to receive your Sky and Earth Rune. He also said he'll take care of repairing your corpses so they're ready when the Six Thousand Isles world opens."
When Nik heard this, he felt an intense wave of relief. It seemed his father wasn't going to pursue the matter further and would even fix his corpses himself.
But then he thought about the Soul Purification Chamber—staying there for two full days. The terror washed over him, but that terror turned into overwhelming rage and hatred directed at Aeon.
"I swear I'll make you wish you were dead!!"