When A Mage Revolts

As he spoke, a stronger wave of magical oscillation rolled over them. Stunned, the students immediately realized what was going to happen.

"That’s.... A High-Level Magic?"

Although they just started their term in Academy for just a few months, they did witness how some teachers used High-Level Magic in the school grounds. Thus, their memory was particularly retentive about potent magical oscillations like these.

If it was really a High-Level Magic, are they still capable of blocking it out?

The students’ heart was filled with dread. They never imagined that this trip for a mission of the Mercenary Association will face such turbulence. From getting fooled by spies, to the ambush by these unknown mages.... As a bunch of teenagers younger than 20 years old, they never experienced such challenges before. They gradually realized how complicated the real world was, and to their despair, they seemed to be losing the battle.

Although they had almost the same amount of mages as their enemies, they were still too weak.

The harsh reality rammed into their hearts like a baseball bat aiming for a home run. They were given a rude awakening from their peaceful lives in the Academy. Reality was always suffocating, rendering people helpless; if you are not strong enough, you will lose the ability to decide your own fate.

"Maintain your barriers and hold your ground against the people outside. It’s just a High-Level Magic, no? Everyone knows how to do it...." Lara suddenly commanded, her voice shaking these students out of their stupor.

The students snapped out of their daze, and finally nodded.

Different types of shield magic were summoned to form a colorful barrier that surrounded them on all sides. Many of them were flooded with regret; why didn’t they practice their defense magic? If they did, they would definitely buy more time for their teacher!

After all, even though the first gust of wind has disappeared, the people outside were still attacking the barrier using their weapons. Besides, the other mages aside from the middle-aged mage who was chanting a High-Level Magic were still attacking the barrier as well.

Could.... Could they really hold their ground under this immense assault?

However, there was no time for them to think about that anymore. The mages outside soon started to chant again, and another storm rammed into their barrier again. The barriers that the students summoned were mostly Beginner-Level Magic, and they were torn into pieces under the strong winds. Thus, they could only franticly chant spell after spell to fix the gap. They even used their bodies to physically block the winds from interrupting Lara’s incantations.

However, it was obvious that they could not hold on for long.

The enemy kept using some unknown Wind Spells, probably because they wanted to capture the students alive. However, the strong winds nearly blew them off-balance. Some of the younger students fell over and lost their ability to chant their spells.

As more and more of the students collapsed, the barrier that these students summoned grew weaker and weaker.

"Oh... Oh no.... Haven’t the teacher finished her incantation?"

The last dozen of students mumbled to themselves as they looked at Lara helplessly. As they finally fell, the last traces of the barrier disappeared like a bubble in the air.

They closed their eyes in despair, preparing themselves to face the strong wind. However, they felt nothing.

Surprised, they asked, "W- What’s going on....?"

A student opened his eyes in surprise.

Suddenly, a thin membrane of water appeared above their heads. It was just like a gigantic half bubble, enveloping them and protecting the students from the wind outside. None of the blast managed to penetrate the bubble.

The students looked around in disbelief.

They realized that somehow the air around them became moist. When did that happen?

This felt oddly familiar.... Could it be....

"Who is it?"

The middle-aged mage opened his eyes, as if he has finished the incantation of his High-Level Magic. His eyes looked at the bubble that protected the students. He asked with a deep rumble.

No one answered him.

His surrounding were silent. Even the strong men wielding their weapons stopped and stared at the bubble that appeared out of nowhere in confusion. They had no idea what had happened.

"Just now... Was there a blue ripple that flashed just now?" One of the buff men looked shocked. He whispered quietly to the person beside him.

"It seems like it.... However, it flashed too quickly, I couldn’t really catch it."

Hushed exchanges were heard from the mages and the people. The middle-aged mage snorted dismissively. With a raised hand, rabid Wind Elements gathered around him, and they even condensed themselves into thin, green threads around him.

"Since you’re unwilling to reveal yourself, I’ll be forced to make a move then."

Something exploded in the air with a loud ‘Bang!’ and numerous tiny winds gathered outside the bubble. Then, they abruptly formed a tornado that swallowed the whole bubble with the students in it. Even some of the strong men around the bubble were swept in it, caught off guard by the mere force of the wind. Their screams were blood-curdling.

Within the tornado, the bubble that blocked the storm started to shudder and visibly become twisted under pressure, as if it was going to collapse at any minute.

However, at that exact moment....

"Elemental Order - Defense."

A voice was heard from within the bubble, definite and clear in everyone’s ears. The surrounding mages made a double take, and through the storm and bubble, they could clearly see a blue rune blink within.

Then, the water elements in the area went crazy. They immediately rushed towards the center of the tornado.

The middle-aged mage’s face changed.

"What magic is this?"

At this moment, the bubble within the tornado has burst into pieces, and it dispersed to the surrounding as water elements. However, more water elements gathered around the students, and they somehow became a formless force that blocked the howling winds. Though, the middle-aged mage did not actually see any magical barrier around them.

That.... That was pure water elements.

The middle-aged mage could not believe his eyes.

Formless water elements gathered with frightening density to form a new barrier. They did not become tough ice nor a bubble. Instead, they maintained the form as elements, and stopped his High-Level Wind Spell.

No..... They did not stop it. Instead, they repelled it.

The middle-aged mage could feel his magic getting torn apart structurally after it came into contact with the water elements. Although they were only tiny breaks, it was still surprising. The massive repelling force came from within the water elements, and it forced him to increase the amount of spiritual force he injected just to maintain the spell.

What was going on?

All these years he had learned and studied magic, he never came across anything as baffling as this.

What did the person say before he started this? ‘Elemental Order - Defense’? What level of magic is that? The middle-aged mage was overwhelmed in disbelief.

Bewildered, he immediately injected more of his spiritual energy to maintain the Howling Wind. At the same time, he urged the other mages to take action, and use more Wind Spells to break this weird barrier. However, no matter how they attacked, the layer of high-density elements remained around the students, like it was the most impenetrable fortress in the world, unshaken by anything.

Thus, at the disbelieving eyes of the mages, the last of the storms summoned by the Howling Winds disappeared, revealing the unharmed students within.

The students, on the other hand, looked just as shocked as the mages outside.

"D-Director?!" The students exclaimed in disbelief.

Some of them were so shocked that they collapsed to the ground. They sat, stunned as they stared at this ordinary merchant who followed their journey.

Benjamin patted the dust off his clothes before he smiled.