Lisa nodded at Chad's words. She was still worried, but she could do nothing right now since they had no idea where they were transported.

"You're right. Our priority is to stay safe and await assistance. Hopefully, we haven't been transported too far from our intended destination" She murmured softly, her eyes scanning the dimly lit castle interior.

Thud Thud

As they contemplated their next steps, the silence was interrupted by the faint sound of footsteps approaching.

Instantly, Chad's instincts kicked in, and he activated his unique physique, drawing upon his innate abilities.

"Ghost King Body!" Chad invoked, his form enveloped in an ethereal aura as his supernatural powers surged within him.

This physique was something that he had achieved after years of training. Thankfully, the Academy had a huge amount of Dark Energy, so he was able to possess the Ghost King Body earlier than those who didn't enter the Dark Arts Academy.

Prepared for any potential threat, he positioned himself protectively in front of Lisa, ready to confront whoever approached them.

"Prepare your Corruption Spells, Lisa I'm not going to be affected by it, so you can just go all out!" Chad reminded as he materialized a dark sword in his hand.

"Mhmm" Lisa gently nodded as she maintained her Phantasm State.

The footsteps grew louder, echoing through the castle halls.

The atmosphere grew heaving as cold aura enveloped the castle's walls.

As the figure's silhouette drew nearer, Chad and Lisa stood their ground, their anticipation mounting as they prepared for the encounter.

Their heightened senses, honed through their Phantasm State, signaled that the approaching individual possessed immense strength.

'It would be a big problem if he's an enemy' Lisa thought worriedly.

After a few moments, the figure finally spoke, his voice resonating with amusement.

"Those uniforms... I remember them. You two are students from that Dark Arts Academy, aren't you?" His words carried a hint of curiosity rather than hostility.

The two students didn't know why, but they felt relieved that they got recognized.

"Yes, Sir!" Chad responded, his voice filled with relief at the lack of hostility.

"We were transported here unexpectedly and have become separated from our group. We're in need of assistance to contact someone from the Dark Arts Faction and find our way back."

The man's expression softened, and a smile played at the corners of his lips. "Ah, the mysteries of transportation magic can be quite unpredictable, can't they?" He mused.

"Fear not, young ones. You have found yourself in the presence of Magnus, a practitioner of all Arcane Arts and a keeper of ancient knowledge."

Towering above them, Magnus stood at an impressive height, his figure cloaked in dark, billowing robes that seemed to absorb the surrounding light. His broad shoulders hinted at untold strength, and his form exuded an air of otherworldly power. His physique was like a warrior of ancient times.

'Practitioner of all Arcane Arts? Is he crazy?' Lisa commented in her mind as she heard the man's words. However, it was better not to provoke or question him this time, so she observed him cautiously for now.

Magnus' face was partially obscured by the shadow cast by his wide-brimmed hat and revealed only fragments of his features. His eyes, however, gleamed with an intense scarlet hue, their captivating gaze seemingly able to pierce through the veils of reality itself.

It was similar to the eyes of the Evil Creatures that Lisa had seen before!

At his side, a staff of ebony wood stood tall, adorned with intricate carvings and glowing symbols that seemed to pulse with an ethereal energy.

As he drew nearer, the air around him seemed to grow heavy with an unsettling aura, as if the very fabric of reality bent in deference to his presence.

'This guy is dangerous He's definitely not human!' Lisa and Chad couldn't help but exchange glances as they reached the same conclusion.

They had to be careful!

"Magnus, sir? Can you help us get back to our Academy? NoI mean, can you tell us where we are?" Lisa asked. She certainly couldn't return to the Academy as it was being invaded by the Holy Arts Faction and its allies.

As for the destination of their teleportation, they weren't aware of it, so they weren't sure where to go at this time.

Magnus smiled at this question.

"Right... returning you to your Academy might prove challenging. It seems the place is engulfed in chaos and danger at the moment. However, fear not. You are simply in a neighboring kingdom. It's not too far. I can grant you the means to communicate with your Dark Arts Faction. All I ask in return is your service as my assistants for the next five years" Magnus said, revealing his unsettling proposition.

A sinister gleam danced in his eyes, accompanied by a deep chuckle that resonated through the castle halls.

Lisa and Chad were shocked, realizing that Magnus was indeed insane!

Their instincts screamed at them to escape this unsettling situation immediately.

Without a moment's hesitation, they swiftly devised a plan to leave this place.

Spotting an open window, they seized the opportunity to make their escape. Lisa channeled her magical prowess and unleashed the spell "Light Absorption."

This Spell should temporarily disorient Magnus by the lack of light. Capitalizing on the distraction, Chad, with his Ghost King Body activated, used two formidable Spirit Attacks.

Thanks to his physique, these Spells were threefold stronger!

Boom! Boom!

The impact of their combined assault reverberated through the room as Magnus recoiled from the force.

Seizing the opportunity, Lisa and Chad swiftly leaped through the shattered window, crashing onto the ground outside. They wasted no time, activating their enhanced movement speed spells to propel themselves away from the castle, desperate to put distance between themselves and the deranged Magnus.

However, as they surveyed their surroundings, their hearts sank.

"This"

They found themselves encircled by a multitude of mystical beings, ranging from small creatures to towering beasts of various kinds. The creatures had formed a formidable barrier around the castle, effectively trapping Lisa and Chad in their midst.

"Not bad, young Arcanists If you're talented enough, it may not even take five years, so you don't have to be too afraid of me. Come and get inside. Your arrival is perfect timing I'm doing a very delicate experiment and needed a few more hands." Magnus said as he peeked through the window, visibly unhurt by the two's surprise attacks.

***

In the midst of the unfolding events, under the moonlit sky above a vast prairie, a massive fleet of airships encircled a lone airship. It was none other than the vessel that Headmaster Jean used for his return to the Academy.

Surrounding the Vermont Academy's airship were a total of 30 combat airships, forming an intimidating blockade. While the Academy's airship was equipped to fend off bandits and monsters, it was ill-prepared to engage in a battle against such a formidable fleet.

Standing on the deck of the airship, Headmaster Jean gazed upon the encircling airships with a mix of contemplation and resignation.

'They're really not taking chances' Jean silently thought as he sensed the presence of several powerful Arcanists of different Factions.

He couldn't help but chuckle softly at the audacity of the four Factions, who had evidently dispatched a force of 12 Guardians solely to deal with him.

Although he knew that death loomed ever closer, the headmaster remained remarkably composed, as if he had anticipated this turn of events.

The thought occurred to him that perhaps the attack on the Academy had been a diversion, with his own capture as the true objective.

However, he quickly dismissed this notion, realizing that the Academy itself was vulnerable with the absence of the First and Second Squads of Vessels, who had not yet returned from their missions. Without their formidable presence, the Academy would struggle to withstand the combined forces of the four Factions even if they just send 4 or 5 Guardians.

'I hope that Miss Faith can help them' Headmaster Jean thought as he could only hope that the most powerful individual that was left in the Academy would be enough to hold off the other Guardians of the four Factions.

Anyway, he had no time to worry about the Academy for now.

Glancing back at the Vessels lined up behind him, Headmaster Jean understood that their summoned entities were not from the high-level Realms like the Giants Realm, Shadow Realms, or Dragon Realm.

Instead, they could only call upon beings from the Barbarian Realm, Undead Realm, and Specter Realm. Considering the overwhelming firepower amassed against them, Headmaster Jean knew that survival would be near impossible once the enemy decided to unleash their bombardment.

With a sigh of acceptance, the headmaster resigned himself to his fate, pushing aside any lingering doubts or random thoughts.

Turning his attention to the enemy, he couldn't help but address them directly, his voice laced with firm defiance.

"Hey... Are you seriously planning to break the treaty in this manner? Do you truly believe you can achieve your goals without incurring significant losses on your side?" Jean bravely said as shadows manifested on his side before forming into a black staff.