Rian's roar of fury did more than merely echo across the ruined courtyard of Astrea Academy; the shockwave carried a destructive vibration that tore through the air and shattered the glass windows of the surrounding buildings. Sprouting from the back of the eleven-year-old boy, a pair of colossal, obsidian-black energy wings beat slowly, radiating a purplish luminescence that swallowed every ambient mana particle in the vicinity into an absolute void.

This was no longer the boundary of mortal capability, nor even the standard tier of magic taught within any academy. This was the Awakened State—the absolute pinnacle of mastery over the forbidden grimoire, fusing the soul of an elite ex-mercenary with an ancient entity of darkness.

The dark sect leader, who had previously stood with an arrogant smirk atop the debris, now watched with eyes wide in sheer terror. His iron mask had long since been cast aside, and cold sweat mixed with fresh blood streamed down a face marred by jagged burn scars.

"I-Impossible..." the sect leader muttered, his voice trembling with dread as he took a slow, involuntary step backward. "That energy... that is the manifestation of the Ancient Shadow Monarch! How can a human child possibly reach this tier of awakening?"

Rian wasted no time exchanging words with his enemy. His blood-red eyes pierced the distance with the predatory focus of an apex hunter eyeing helpless prey.

Swish!

In a fraction of a second, Rian's physical form vanished entirely from sight. There was no sound of ordinary wingbeats; only a thunderous sonic boom that shattered the sound barrier, carving a shockwave of black wind that flattened the earth along its path.

The high-speed combat played out with such cinematic brutality that the surviving knights and students sheltering nearby could only hold their breath, watching the one-sided slaughter unfold.

The frontline vanguard of elite dark sect mercenaries standing guard across the courtyard didn't even have time to raise their swords.

Shatter! Slash!

A sweeping, horizontal arc of pure shadow-forged blade cleaved straight through the battlefield. His movements were so blindingly fast that normal human eyes could only catch a lingering flash of black light cutting across the air.

Within seconds, dozens of heavily armored mercenaries were sliced cleanly in two. Fresh crimson sprayed into the sky, mixing with shredded bits of steel plate armor reduced to dust. Not a single enemy could track the trajectory of Rian's assault, let alone mount a counter-attack.

The elephant-sized Abyssal Beasts clad in steel scales met the exact same fate. As Rian flashed past them, the beating of his dark energy wings unspooled microscopic shadow blades that shredded the monsters' internal organs in an instant. The beasts' roars of agony were cut short as their massive carcasses collapsed and melted into pools of thick, black smoke.

In less than ten seconds, the entire vanguard of the invading dark sect forces in the main courtyard had been wiped out without a trace. The campus ruins were now cleared of enemies, leaving behind a chilling silence punctuated only by the howling storm wind and the steady drip of blood sliding off the tip of Rian's shadow blade.

Rian landed lightly atop a pile of shattered marble, stopping mere paces away from the dark sect leader.

The black wings at his back slowly faded, dissolving back into the shadows of his frame, though an oppressive aura of death and absolute gravitational pressure continued to lock down the surrounding space.

The sect leader collapsed to his knees, his joints utterly failing under the crushing weight of the psychological terror bludgeoning his soul. Tilting his head upward, he stared up at the eleven-year-old boy towering over him like an executioner summoned straight from the abyss.

Rian stood tall and silent. His expression was merciless and icy, mirroring a deep-seated hatred for the loss of Professor Vane and the suffering inflicted upon those he swore to protect.

With a slow, deliberate motion, Rian raised his right hand, pointing the blood-slick tip of his shadow blade directly at the center of the villain's heart.